Bethlehem Baptist Church | Annual Report 2022

Pastors & Leaders Serving All Campuses

5.........Tim Johnson, Council of Elders

6........Ken Currie, Strategic Implementation (& CO Downtown)

8.........Jon Grano, Operations

11........Cleon Engel, Church Planting

Pastors & Leaders Serving the Downtown Campus

13........Kenny Stokes, Preaching & Vision

14........Chuck Steddom, Worship & Ministry Development

14.......René González, Worship & Hispanic Ministry

16........Brad Nelson, Global Outreach

18........Jared Wass, Small Groups & Adult Discipleship

20......Cynthia McGill, Women’s Ministry

22.......Bud Burk, Children & Family Discipleship

25.......Andrew Ballard, Youth & Family Discipleship

Pastors & Leaders Serving the North Campus

27........Steven Lee, Pastor for Preaching & Vision

28.......Dan Holst, Worship & Music

29.......Nick Whitehead, Global Outreach

31........Sam Crabtree, Small Groups & Adult Discipleship

32.......Brian Liechty, Counseling

33........Vince Johnson, Neighborhood Outreach

34.......Pam Larson, Women’s Ministry

36.......Aaron Rothermel, Children & Families

39.......Ben Katterson, Middle School & Families

40.......Jon Nowlin, Youth & Families

Pastors & Leaders Serving the South Campus

42......Dave Zuleger, Pastor for Preaching & Vision

44.......Nick Roen, Worship & Education

45.......David Livingston, Global Outreach

47.......Daniel Viezbicke, Membership & Mobilization

48.......Holly Nelson, Women’s Ministry

51.....,..Stacy Thorpe, Care & Counseling

52.......Sarah Vogel, Children & Nursery

53........Nathan Metcalf, Youth

All-Church Ministries, Finances, and Business

54.......Keith Anderson, Senior Adults

56.......Brian Tabb, Bethlehem College and Seminary

58.......Reid Jilek, Campus Outreach Minneapolis

59.......Financial Secretary/Contributions: Steve Walmsley

60......Church Treasurer/Budget, Income & Expenses: Bryan Rohde

63.......Church Clerk/Church Business Record: Bobby Ratliff

Tim Johnson CHAIRMAN, COUNCIL OF ELDERS

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.—1 Timothy 3:1

Aspiration to serve the church and the needs of the church must come together in the making of elders. Ultimately the Holy Spirit makes elders and gives them to the church.

• Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.—Acts 20:28

• And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.

—Ephesians 4:11–12

Writing the 2022 annual report as the Elder Council Chairman for Bethlehem Baptist Church is humbling. It is humbling because God was so faithful and kind to us this past year. It is humbling because it will be the final such letter to be written for a year when North, South, and Downtown were one church on three campuses.

Among thousands of ways that the body was built up in 2022, great progress was made toward becoming three separate, healthy churches. South Cities Church launched on December 1, 2022. Lord willing, The North Church will launch February 1, 2023. How did we get to this point? The short answer is by God’s grace. The longer answer includes much prayer, the Holy Spirit’s help, the hard and excellent work of many people, and oversight provided by the Council of Elders.

This past year, the Council of Elders carefully cared for the church while simultaneously shepherding our flocks through a long and complex process. These historic changes that will lead to greater building up of the body of Christ in the years ahead—Lord willing—would not have occurred if God had not blessed us with faithful men who nobly served as pastors and elders for Bethlehem Baptist Church in 2022. So, I want to use this opportunity to name each of those men and thank God for them.

I thank God for …

Downtown Elders

Glen Bloomstrom

Darin Brink

Bud Burk

Ken Currie

Paul Delahunt

Chad Geyen

René González

Charles Kim

North Elders

Nick Brazis

Sam Crabtree

Ryan Dembeck

Tom Dodds

Kurt Elting-Ballard

Jon Grano

Brian Hanson

Dan Holst

Tim Johnson

South Elders

Sam Helberg

Bob Horning

Terry Kurschner

David Livingston

Phil Nelson

Bruce Power

Brad Nelson

Paul Poteat

Chuck Steddom

Tom Steller

Kenny Stokes

Rod Takata

Jared Wass

Vince Johnson

Jim Jordan

Ben Katterson

Steven Lee

Brian Liechty

Andy Naselli

Jon Nowlin

Aaron Rothermel

Steve Stein

Nick Roen

Peter Thorpe

Daniel Viezbicke

Alan West

Dave Zuleger

Bill Zwicky

Tim Johnson Chairman, Council of Elders

Ken Currie

STRATEGIC IMPLEMENTATION (& CO DOWNTOWN)

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.—Psalm 23

My overarching feelings as this year draws to a close are gratefulness and relief. This is because God has clearly kept his hand on our church. Faith is a gift from God that empowers us to believe God and hope in him. And it is a sweet thing when that faith turns to sight. Bethlehem has taken some blows in the last year, but I am encouraged each Lord’s Day to gather for worship, fellowship with God’s people, and participate in our mission to spread the gospel to our neighbors near and far. I believe God’s promises to the body of Christ, and I am grateful (and a bit relieved!) to see evidence of God’s fulfilling those promises. On a personal note, Theresa and I praise God that we find much joy in our marriage and our partnership to serve our five children and three grandchildren.

Pastor for Strategic Implementation

The phrase that describes 2022 in general and my role in particular at Bethlehem would be “transition and preparing for transition.” Much of my energy in the second half of 2021 and into the first part of 2022 was devoted to serving on a committee appointed by the elders to study the question of Bethlehem’s future.

Specifically, we were charged with bringing a recommendation to the elders regarding whether Bethlehem should remain a multicampus church or transition to three independent churches. It was a joy to collaborate with Tim Johnson (chair) and the other members of the group. We sought to carefully weigh the overall advantages and disadvantages of a spectrum of options as well as specifically consider the implications for all-church ministries like our Operations team, Global Outreach, Bethlehem College and Seminary, Campus Outreach, and CityJoy. In addition, much time was devoted to considering the financial obligation of our mortgages. After several months of meeting, discussing, and prayer, we came to the conclusion that the Lord was leading us to transition to three independent churches.

After seeking the Lord together and discussion over several meetings, the elders voted to pursue our recommendation. The next step of the process was for the elders to appoint an Executive Transition Team (ETT) to provide a roadmap for how to bring about this vision.

It was my privilege to chair the ETT and serve with members Joby Morgan, Jon Grano, Steven Lee, Kenny Stokes, and Dave Zuleger. The ETT was intentionally a smaller group so that we could engage purposefully with stakeholders in the various areas for which we were to develop the roadmap. These were mainly the questions of the church debt and the all-church ministries listed previously. We were commissioned in January to start this work with the goal of returning to the elders by May with the roadmap. By God’s grace and through many hours and discussions, we were able to meet this goal and take the next step on the path toward three churches. The elders then formed another group to execute the plan. It was my joy to hand off the baton to the new group and enjoy the privilege of watching the plan become reality.

In addition to the ETT, my routine responsibilities as Pastor for Strategic Implementation continued. These included leading the pastoral staff Lead Team meetings, facilitating the Staffing Resource Team, and generally consulting with Jon Grano and Joby Morgan to provide administrative leadership for Bethlehem. As the year progressed, especially in the second half of 2022, these responsibilities began to diminish as the North and South campuses moved toward becoming independent churches.

Campus Outreach

As I participated in the process of pursuing three independent churches, I realized that my position as Pastor for Strategic Implementation would have to come to an end. I began to seek the Lord and ponder what would be next for me and Theresa. Two of our children and our three grandchildren live in Florida, and we considered a move after 19 years at Bethlehem. However, we concluded that God is calling us to stay at Bethlehem and serve the people and the church that we call home.

In addition, as I considered all the possibilities, my heart and mind kept returning to what brought us to Bethlehem in the first place, namely, ministry to college students through Campus Outreach. At first I thought this was only a whim, but as I prayed and talked with the CO staff it was clear that there was an opportunity and a need. So in August I began to serve as an area director for Campus Outreach. Since CO is under the local church, this allows me to continue to serve with the Downtown pastoral team, which is a joy. We currently have three full-time and one part-time staff serving at the University of Minnesota and the University of St. Thomas. We began a college Sunday school class in the Fall and have been encouraged by the 20 or so students attending each week. Our vision is to build laborers on the campuses through Bethlehem for the lost world. It has been an absolute joy and privilege to go back to what I was doing 10 years ago. My heart overflows with thanks to God for the privilege to serve this body and this vision.

Ken Currie Pastor for Strategic Implementation Downtown Area Director, Campus Outreach Minneapolis

Jon Grano OPERATIONS

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.—2 Corinthians 12:9

Overview

Transition. The year 2022 was largely shaped by Bethlehem’s Multiply initiative, with much behind-the-scenes work to launch three healthy and distinct churches: South Cities Church, The North Church, and Bethlehem Baptist Church. Just as a body is composed of many diverse parts, working together for the health and growth of the body, Bethlehem’s gifted and dedicated Operations team did much of the out-of-sight heavy lifting to help make the transition happen with few disruptions to congregational and ministry life. God’s power was clearly on display in our weakness, sustaining us in the midst of this most unusual year, as he supplied his all-sufficient grace and lavished his faithful love and favor on Bethlehem once again.

Team Highlights

The Operations team is organized into six ministry areas, each led by a dedicated director. I meet regularly with the team corporately and individually to help keep all-church and increasingly contextualized campus-specific ministry vision and priorities aligned. The following sections provide a summary of the Operations team ministry areas and 2022 highlights.

Building & Property (Scott Brueske)

Oversees effective, efficient, safe operation and use of facilities, vehicles, and equipment

• Replaced the North Campus gym floor, thanks to a generous designated gift, and installed new carpet for the chapel and hallway.

• Replaced the sanctuary roof of the Downtown Campus, 31 years after our first worship services in the “new” sanctuary.

• Removed 17 ash trees ringing the North Campus parking lot that were infected and dying from emerald ash borer disease.

• Completed office additions and remodeling at the North Campus to accommodate staffing needs.

• Supported increased levels of ministry events as building use and activities returned to near pre-pandemic levels at all campuses.

• Witnessed God’s grace in the provision of exceptional leadership staff, with Scott Hayse and Ryan Soderholm filling vacated Coordinator for Facilities positions at the Downtown and North campuses, respectively.

Communications (Amanda Knoke)

Oversees production of main all-church and campus-specific communication materials

• Gave focused attention to seasonal materials for Holy Week, Easter, Global Focus, Advent, and Christmas Eve/Day services, as well as to new sermon series promotion and congregational Multiply communication.

• Provided oversight of “Sanctuary slides”; website content; online seasonal booklets/guides, the Annual Report, and other print and electronic deliverables; and interior signage.

• Navigated many transitions, including the departure of Ruth Gulbranson, Coordinator for Communications, in March after 12 years of ministry (the last 10 with Communications); and the Lead Administrative Assistants at the North and South campuses (Grace Ohlendorf and Rachel Dyvig respectively) taking on restructured communications responsibilities for their campus.

• These changes led to other Communications adjustments, including a heavier reliance on the weekly Update emails from the Pastor for Preaching & Vision at each campus, as well as …

» Transition from the all-church Weekly e-newsletter to individual campus News pages on bethlehem.church

» Transition from individual ministry info cards to a single trifold “Welcome” piece listing all the ministry URLs

» Transition from a single 52-week Global Partner Calendar to two 12-month campus/church-specific calendars (for Downtown and South Cities Church for 2023; The North Church plans to produce a calendar after they are launched), with each calendar featuring global partners from the respective congregations.

• Increased promotion of various Hispanic Ministry events (via invitation cards, posters, shirts, worship service Slides in Spanish, and bethlehem.church/ ministeriohispano) and also began a terminology transition from Ministerio Hispano to Bethlehem en Español.

• Updated/refreshed the historical “Bethlehem Pastors Wall” photographs in the Heritage Room at the Downtown Campus.

• The close of 2022 brought a more tangible dissolution of the all-church Communications team (including Graphic Designer Christina Weisensel and Creative Strategist Annalisa Overgaard), as the three campuses sought to financially “right-size” to new membership and attendance levels. Bethlehem’s future direction for communications will be subsumed under the ministry purview of the Executive Pastoral Assistant.

Finances & Accounting

(Thayne Rossiter/Marco Montermini)

Oversees design, implementation, and maintenance of financial operations and systems

• Worked with the Executive Transition Team, Tim Johnson, and Tradition Capital Bank to secure three 3.2% fixed-rate mortgages for South Cities Church, The North Church, and Bethlehem (former Downtown Campus) for the next four years.

• Updated and maintained key systems for tracking, analyzing, and reporting monthly budgeted payroll and ministry expenses, including recurring payment summaries, and provided regular management reports to Bethlehem leadership to assist with “quantifying our vision.”

• Continued to provide accounting services to CityJoy and served as main point of contact for Bethlehem’s financial partners (Tradition Capital Bank, Bremer Bank, Wesleyan Investment Foundation, etc.).

• Oversaw successful 2021 audit for Bethlehem with CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen).

• Financial Secretary Steve Walmsley created detailed campus-specific contribution reports to assist in planning for healthy financial launches of our South and North campuses.

• Thanked God for 17 years of Thayne Rossiter’s faithful ministry as he transitioned to a new role with Bethany International, and welcomed North Campus member Marco Montermini and MRM Accounting Services to provide future accounting and finance services for Bethlehem, The North Church, and CityJoy.

• Thanked God for Tim Brinkmann’s service as Bethlehem’s Treasurer the past three years, as well as Steve Walmsley and his service as Financial Secretary the past seven years.

Human Resources/Office (Joby Morgan)

Oversees human resources and office staff

• Joby Morgan and Jake Wood were integral members of the transition team, serving in a wide variety of capacities to help the transition move forward, including Joby’s coordination and launch of the Multiply website.

• Helped the staff navigate the transition from being one multicampus church to becoming three autonomous churches.

• Created training materials for the new HR ministries to be implemented at the three new churches.

• Ensured continuation of payroll and benefits services would be available for each of the three churches.

• Worked to help those who were laid off to finish well and, where desired, find new employment.

• Replicated the Helping Hand ministry for each of the three churches.

Information Technology (Andrew Lang)

Oversees design, implementation, and maintenance of computer systems, network infrastructure, phone system, office technology, and information systems

• Andrew Lang, Dan Rebney, Erika Booth, and Amy Katterson provided critical IT infrastructure support that facilitated Bethlehem’s successful transition to three churches.

• Activities this past year were largely oriented toward preparation for and execution of the plans to separate into three churches, while consolidating from five team members to four.

• Reconfigured church MinistryPlatform database and hosting systems in preparation for separation.

• Supported the launch of South Cities Church through …

» Assistance with reconfiguration of South’s infrastructure to prepare for separation.

» Migration of staff and elder user account data including email, documents, and other files.

• Supported the early 2023 launch of The North Church with preparations including …

» Setting up new internet domain and Google Workspace for The North Church in preparation for migration of staff and elder user account data.

» Setting up new website with North staff.

» Setting up a new database server, online giving system, mobile app, email and texting systems.

» Planning for the creation of North’s new local domain and infrastructure transition.

Media (Timothy Frederick)

Oversees effective and efficient operation and use of media equipment and video production in both weekend worship and weekday settings

• Managed audio, video, and lighting technologies in support of Sunday worship services, Wednesday Connection gatherings, funerals, weddings, a growing number of Bethlehem and non-Bethlehem conferences, seminars, and special events.

• Increased video and audio production in the form of podcasts and shorts, and supported various Bethlehem College and Seminary educational settings.

• Oversaw a skilled and dedicated team of volunteers and staff, including Dane Styczynski and Ethan Bruneau (serving Downtown and South campuses respectively).

• Completed several strategic projects on each campus to allow for a better launch of the Multiply initiative, while budget constraints limited additional technology initiatives in 2022.

• Sorted audio, video, and lighting equipment on each campus to support Multiply, allocating equipment best-suited to the respective campuses for long-term ministry.

• Beyond Bethlehem’s Multiply efforts, in 2022 we saw one from our Media Ministries family transition home to Glory (JoNell Baker), and we also welcomed new little lives into some of our homes. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord!

Other Areas of Ministry Focus

In addition to overseeing the Operations areas listed above, much of my role involved ongoing participation and collaboration with the following teams:

• Executive Transition Team, working in close partnership with Pastor Ken Currie and Nick Brazis to help launch South Cities Church on December 1, 2022, and The North Church on February 1, 2023.

• All-church Organizational Elders and North Campus congregational elders

• Pastoral staff Lead Team

• Financial & Property Administrators (FPAs)

• Staffing Resource Team

• Health Insurance Resource Team

Worship Service Attendance and Financial Numbers

Weekly worship service attendance began returning to a “new normal” following two years impacted by COVID-19 restrictions:

• “Live” in-person services in 2022 averaged 2,012 attendees: 660 Downtown, 1,015 North, and 365 South (2021: 1,874 total; 656 Downtown, 927 North, and 292 South).

• “Livestream” services averaged 628 unique viewers watching 30 or more minutes Sunday via our website or YouTube channels—with the assumption that each unique “view” represented 1.8 persons (i.e., one “view” often represents multiple viewers/family members who shared one livestream link). By campus: 286 Downtown, 265 North, and 84 South (2021: 986 total; 513 Downtown, 343 North, and 130 South).

• “Combined”: When live and livestream attendance is combined, an average of 2,640 participated in weekly worship services in 2022: 946 Downtown, 1,280 North, and 414 South (2021: 2,860 total; 1,169 Downtown, 1,270 North, and 422 South).

• Both contributions to ($8.53M) and expenses against ($8.71M) Bethlehem’s “Fill These Cities: 25 x ’25” general operating fund were below our congregationally-approved 2022 budget of $9.45M. I continue to rejoice in Bethlehem’s God-dependent and grace-enabled generosity in December—nearly $1.7M given by Downtown and North campuses (20% of 2022 giving in one month).

• See reports from our Financial Secretary (page 57) and Treasurer (page 58) for details on 2022 finances.

Personal Note

As I transition to serve as Pastor for Operations at The North Church in 2023, it will be hard to imagine “life without Bethlehem.” Pam and I began attending as newlyweds nearly 42 years ago, and much of our life has been shaped and centered around Bethlehem ministry— the first 25 years in volunteer roles and the last 17 as part of a dedicated and exceptional staff. It has been a great privilege and blessing to be a small part of what God has done—and continues to do—in and through this church.

Dear Bethlehem, “House of Bread,” in the coming years, may the Lord bless you and keep you; may the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Jon Grano Pastor for Operations

Cleon Engel CHURCH PLANTING

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.—Ephesians 1:15–16

I found words from the following blog post (“Why Plant New Churches?”) helpful for introducing why Bethlehem has had a church planting ministry throughout its 151-year history.

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he left his followers with a very clear mission: Make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). And his means for accomplishing that mission is equally clear: the Church, against which the gates of hell will not prevail (Matthew 16:18). We are now two thousand years removed from Jesus’ words, operating in a cultural milieu that is quite different from firstcentury Palestine. But the Church’s commissioning to make disciples is as valid today as it was then. And we have a responsibility to pursue that mission in ways that are biblical and effective. This leads us to what missiologist C. Peter Wagner calls “the most effective evangelistic methodology under heaven”— church planting. (Andrew Kamm and John Elliott, Urbana Theological Seminary blog, June 8, 2012)

Here are some highlights of our church planting work in 2022.

‘Fill These Cities: 25 x ’25’ Update

In 2022, Bethlehem’s elders approved two church plants, one from the South Campus and the other as a result of Bethlehem’s Multiply vision.

• Good News Church of Eagan (Haddon & Karlyn Anderson): Haddon completed the church planting residency at Bethlehem’s South Campus in August. The core team began meeting in early 2022, and the launch team started meeting in February 2022. The church is currently meeting on Sunday mornings at South Suburban Evangelical Free Church in Apple Valley.

• South Cities Church (Dave & Kelly Zuleger): After many years of planning, Bethlehem Baptist Church voted on October 16, 2022, to launch the South Campus as an independent church and commissioned South Cities Church to continue

to shine a gospel light in Lakeville, Minnesota. The church’s mission states, “A family in Christ that exists to love God, love our neighbors, and make disciples of all peoples.”

The following list includes the 16 church plants birthed since the inauguration of the “Fill These Cities: 25 x ’25” vision, as we continue to pursue 25 new churches/ revitalizations to be started by the year 2025:

1. Word of Grace Baptist, Minneapolis: 2016 (this church closed in 2018)

2. Northfield Community, Northfield, Minnesota: 2016 (Josh & Kristina Koehn}

3. Redemption City, Rochester, Minnesota: 2017 (Adam & Molly Pohlman)

4. Table Rock, Boise, Idaho: 2017 (Don & Jacque Straka)

5. Little Earth Fellowship, Minneapolis: 2018 (Greg & Kelly Mott)

6. New Creation Community Church, Granville, New York: 2018 (Joel & Holly Aubrey)

7. Gracia Sobre Gracia, Weston, Florida: 2019 (Michel & Gaby Galeano)

8. Ekklesia, Eau Claire, Wisconsin: 2019 (Dan & Angela Shambro)

9. Echo Church, Chino, California: 2019 (JD & Lauren Hettema)

10. Église Baptiste Bethléem, Yaoundé, Cameroon: 2020 (Dieudonné & Dominique Tamfu)

11. Henniker, New Hampshire: 2020 (Andrew & Lida Sheard and Eliot & Olivia DeLorme)

12. Emmaus Church, White Bear Lake, Minnesota: 2020 (Tom & Emily Boyer)

13. Living Hope Church, Maple Grove, Minnesota: 2021 (Marshall & Becky Posey)

14. Center City Church in San Diego: 2021 (James & Betsy Lecheler and G’Joe & Aimee Joseph)

15. Good News Church of Eagan, Minnesota: 2022 (Haddon & Karlyn Anderson)

16. South Cities Church, Lakeville, Minnesota: 2022 (Dave & Kelly Zuleger)

Treasuring Christ Together Network

The Treasuring Christ Together Network (TCTN) of churches continues to grow in its aim to serve and support pastors, their wives, and congregations as they build new Christ-treasuring churches. In addition to the annual Pastors & Wives Retreat each October, the network provides a formal assessment for pastoral couples and churches desiring TCTN membership. TCTN provides “Treasure Groups” for mutual care, “Training Tracks” for practical training, fellowship and equipping for women, regional conferences, a church planting training seminar, and a podcast. This Spring, Pastor John Erickson (Jubilee Community Church in Minneapolis) joined TCTN as a field director to help coach and shepherd members. Check out the website, tctnetwork.org, for more information. Because we believe Bethlehem church plants are better preserved in God-centered, Christ-exalting hope by being in life-giving relationships with other like-minded leaders, we require our approved church plants to be covenant members of TCTN while receiving Bethlehem Baptist Church financial support. The intent is that within the network the pastors and wives might find mutually supportive grace from one another.

Final Comments

I want to express my thanks to God for our church planting team, as well as to Pastor Kenny & Kathy Stokes and to Tony Morales, Pastor Kenny’s lead administrative assistant. It has been my joy to work with the Church Planting Team since 2006. In my retirement I will miss the shepherding opportunities and the relationships that have been built and developed over the years.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.—Colossians 3:15–17

Cleon Engel Ministerial Coordinator for Church Planting

Cleon Engel

Kenny Stokes

DOWNTOWN PREACHING & VISION

“I will set my eyes on them for good …. I will build them up, and not tear them down.”—Jeremiah 24:6

Transition. The year 2022 was a year of transition. After many months of preparation, on December 1, 2022, the South Campus became South Cities Church, and Bethlehem’s North Campus is scheduled on February 1, 2023, to become The North Church. In addition, 2022 was a year of significant transition as the Downtown congregation prepared to become a self-governing church in one location, downtown Minneapolis.

Established. That is the word I am praying for 2023. Established or built up. By it I mean that, by grace, we might be “built up,” like a strong, well-built building belonging to the Lord. I pray that we will look back in a year and praise him for his grace in building up and reestablishing Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis.

This concept of being “built up” as a people is a recurring theme in the New Testament epistles and has its roots in the Old Testament. The concept connects back to the ministry of Jeremiah, serving among the exiles. In that calling, God gave Jeremiah this promise of hope: “I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up” (Jeremiah 24:6).

This building up of the church is the work of God, done by his word through his people. In the New Testament, the apostle Paul explains to the believers that his Christ-given, apostolic authority in teaching, visits, and letter-writing was given “for building you up and not for destroying you” (2 Corinthians 10:8).

Paul, when saying farewell to the Ephesian elders, encourages them by the fact that God and his word will continue to build them up even in Paul’s absence: “Now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32). And in turn, Paul calls all of us to the same task: “Encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

Thus, one of the early church summary statements in Acts says, “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied” (Acts 9:31).

Looking ahead to 2023, our hope is in God and his grace to us in Christ. The apostle Peter says to the believers, “You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). Christ has clearly stated, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

This task of building up or reestablishing Bethlehem Downtown is the work before us in 2023. Toward this end, the elders will be engaging our congregation in our reaffirmed mission, clarified vision, and key strategic areas in which we need focused planning and attention.

Let us join together, under the lordship of Christ and the power of the promises of God’s word to give ourselves to this work of “building up” our church this year, for our joy.

Thank you to all the pastors, elders, and staff who labored for countless hours to bring about the transition to three churches. We owe a special word of thanks and honor to those staff whose positions and/or job descriptions were impacted. Regrettably, the transition and our current financial donations necessitated a reduction in staff hours and positions. To those affected, we owe many thanks for years of service to the Lord at Bethlehem and for the grace they have displayed before and after these reductions.

Thank you, every one of you, who have been lifting us up in prayer and laboring in love and ministry to one another. Thank you for all the encouragement you have given me, the elders, and our families. Thank you to the Downtown elders, pastors, and staff for your glad partnership in life and ministry. And thank you to my wife, Kathy, who has not only been called to my side as my life partner for the last 43 years, but who also labors with me at Bethlehem for your advancement and joy in the faith.

Relying on Christ’s all-sufficient strengthening grace with you for the year ahead,

Kenny Stokes Pastor for Preaching & Vision, Downtown

Chuck Steddom

DOWNTOWN WORSHIP & MINISTRY DEVELOPMENT

[Jesus said] Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”—Psalm 67:1–3

We have just walked through a week-long prayer focus for our church. The prayer that our Lord gave to us as a model is a place I often go to begin my prayers. This phrase was significant to me this season: “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10, emphasis added). As I look back on the ministry year, I ask, “How have I been a part of advancing the kingdom of God here at Bethlehem and beyond?”

My ministry focus for this year as a pastor has been in multiple buckets of ministry responsibility: corporate worship, diaconal care and counseling, neighborhood outreach, CityJoy leadership, and Bethlehem College and Seminary instruction and events. Just a word about each for this report.

Corporate Worship

Along with René González, Carol Steddom, and more than 50 very gifted worship volunteers, we have led weekly (52) worship services (9am & 11am; and a 10am-only on Christmas Day) throughout the year. In addition, we have led prayer nights, seasonal services during Passion Week, Global Focus, and Advent. The adult worship choir continues to grow and be a vital “praise voice” in our services. I am thankful for high school students who join us in the worship choir. I am thankful for instrumental musicians who use their gifts to enable us to incorporate a wide breadth of different musical styles and sounds. The Kingdom is advancing through regular public worship.

Diaconal Care and Counseling

I am thankful for a growing zeal and vision for diaconal care for our church. Our deacon team consists of Jeff Noyed, Laurie McRostie, Cynthia McGill, Jonell Kluver, Kelvin Kluver, Cheryl Lonski, Marty Lonski, Joey Bures, Keith Anderson, and Administrative Assistant for Diaconal Ministry, Nina Mariani. We have served a wide variety of personal and physical needs across our congregation. As we go forward as a single-site church, the Helping Hand Fund will be a significant arm of our mercy ministry care.

We have been working with pastoral counseling needs as well. Kirsten Christianson serves with me as our coordinator for care & counseling. She is the front-line intake for providing professional, Spirit-filled listening and guidance for meeting personal counseling needs. She is a liaison with the elders in helping people in crisis or simply connecting congregants with elder shepherding. I am so thankful for her competency, love for God, and care for our people. The Kingdom is advancing by caring for the hurting.

Neighborhood Outreach

One of our new ministry endeavors was “Wednesdays at Wabun,” which ran from June to August. We averaged about 140 folks each week, meeting at Wabun Park at Minnehaha Falls for burgers, brats, and a potluck meal. Marc Helfrich, the Thorne family, Terry & Dorothy Wintz, Cynthia McGill, Kory Anderson, and a host of other volunteers worked to make the evenings a success. René González and Luke Anderson led worship. Various elders took turns highlighting and illustrating the parables of Jesus to feed our souls as we fellowshipped around picnic tables.

“Clean Sweep” is an annual Fall event in which we gather to clean the streets and alleys of our near neighbors in the Phillips neighborhood. The neighborhood historically relies on Bethlehem to provide volunteers and funding for this event. Our church is making a public statement that we, as followers of Jesus, care about the welfare of our city. We are looking to do a clean-up day in the Spring with our college students.

I believe that civil law enforcement is a part of God’s plan for safety and wholeness in a broken world. As we looked forward to the New Year, it got off to a great start when we took the opportunity to support our police department in Minneapolis by serving a New Year’s meal for those who were not with their families. We served 153 police officers. Most of the officers expressed a heartfelt thanks for this act of kindness. Rebuilding trust with our police department is vital to maintaining peace in our city. The Kingdom is advancing through acts of kindness and service.

CityJoy

One of my biggest time investments this year was the transition of leadership for City Joy, Bethlehem’s 501c3 integrated auxiliary. Early in the year, we received the resignation of Scott Anderson, Executive Director of CityJoy for 20 years. Thank you, Scott, for steady, faithful, and visionary leadership at our church and in our city. God has been faithful to CityJoy. In March, Heather Elting-Ballard stepped in and assumed the role of Interim Executive Director. Heather, as one of the original founders of CityJoy, brings incredible competencies and a heart for the marginalized, poor, and needy, and amazing vision for structure, details, and finance.

This year also brought structural change to CityJoy. The elders clearly saw the value of CityJoy being focused in its outreach primarily to downtown Minneapolis. So the elders and congregation voted to align CityJoy under the authority of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis (Downtown). This means that the work and ministry of CityJoy is ours. Jericho Road, All Nations ESL, Salem Arts Exchange (immigrant outreach), Revive (youth outreach), Maajiigin (Native American outreach), the 16/33 Center, and a number of outreach ministers are part of Bethlehem’s outreach strategy. Rejoice with me that by God’s provision and grace we continue to have a heart for advancing the Kingdom near as well as far. The Kingdom is advancing through programs and personal ministry to our city.

Bethlehem College and Seminary Worship Leadership

A strategy of worship development at Bethlehem is training up the next generation of worship leaders and pastors. For 23 years I have taught a vision for biblical worship and mentored seminarians and ministry leaders in different parts of the world. Currently, I teach six worship courses in the seminary, lead worship at Bethlehem College and Seminary conferences and convocations, and assist in weekly Chapel oversight. As a part of my salary compensation, the college and seminary currently pays a portion. We love the partnership of the school and church. Many of the students are vital leaders in our church ministries, and we love having them enrich our lives for the time they are with us. The Kingdom is advancing through leadership development.

May the Lord find us proclaiming Christ and serving our world.

In his grace,

Chuck Steddom Pastor for Worship & Ministry Development, Downtown

René González

DOWNTOWN WORSHIP & HISPANIC MINISTRY

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.—Colossians 3:16–17

Hispanic Ministry

We continue to see a great need for the gospel and a great outreach opportunity among the Spanish-speaking community in the Twin Cities. With more than 330,000 Hispanics living in Minnesota, we believe that God continues calling us to reach out with the good news of Jesus Christ and to spread a passion for his supremacy.

By the grace of God, the Hispanic Ministry grew in size in 2022, allowing us to provide three small groups in Spanish who meet weekly to study the Word and encourage one another in the faith.

Also, we continued to translate the 9am English service into Spanish every Sunday, and our Sunday school gatherings at 11am provided fellowship, worship, and teaching in Spanish for more than 20 families. Magali González and Briana Morales led our women’s Bible study. In the Spring semester, the women studied the attributes of God, and in the Fall they started a Bible study on Philippians. This group has reached up to 18 Spanish-speaking women from the church and has extended to others outside of the church as well, including refugees.

We held several events to reach out to our local Hispanic community. In July, we had an evangelistic concert at Powderhorn Park, where hundreds of people from Ecuador gather every Sunday during the summer. We celebrated Latin Independence Day in September to invite friends to enjoy food and fellowship. Our worship team was also invited to lead worship in Spanish at Hope Academy’s Christmas Celebration, where more than 200 families gathered to sing and praise the Name of Jesus.

Worship

In 2022, the Lord allowed me to partner with Pastor Chuck Steddom to lead our Sunday services, with the aim of exalting Christ and edifying one another in the faith. It has been a privilege to see how the Lord has blessed us with his word and presence, and to work with a committed and diverse group of volunteers who dedicate themselves to honor Christ and serve the body as they lead us in song. It has also been my privilege to lead worship during Wednesdays at Wabun and Wednesdays Together, where we were able to raise our voices together to glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Partnering with Children & Family Discipleship, Cindy Nelson and Briana Morales helped relaunch the children’s choir, allowing the children to help lead us in worship for Palm Sunday, Global Focus, and Advent.

Please pray with me that together we may, with one voice, glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.—Romans 15:13

René González

Pastoral Resident for Worship & Hispanic Ministry, Downtown

Brad Nelson GLOBAL OUTREACH

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.—James 1:17

In a year with so much change, the above verse is a sweet reminder of God’s unchanging nature. The Global Outreach department has seen much change over the past year—some welcome, some painful, and some a mix of good and challenging. Through all these circumstances, we have seen God’s fatherly faithfulness to our department and to our global partners.

Decentralizing the Global Outreach Department

On July 31, the church affirmatively voted to change my job description, as well as Pastor David Livingston’s, to reflect a new Global Outreach structure—from a centralized, all-church department to a department embedded on each campus. Beginning on August 1, I have been serving as the Pastor for Global Outreach, Downtown, with Nick Whitehead serving as the Ministerial Coordinator for Global Outreach, North, and David Livingston serving as the Pastor for Global Outreach, South, and (as of December 1) at South Cities Church.

Honoring JoNell Baker

In January, my Administrative Assistant for Global Outreach Finance & Ministry, JoNell Baker, took a medical leave for a surgery, with the hopes of removing a cancerous lesion on her brain. After weeks of alternating recovery and setbacks, the Lord took JoNell home to be with him on May 13, 2022. We gathered at the North Campus on May 19 for a Celebration of Life service—replete with Vikings jerseys and bright colors in her honor! We miss our sister, friend, and co-laborer, but we rejoice that she is perfectly healed, sinless, and eternally free in Christ.

Global Outreach (GO) Staff

In addition to losing JoNell, our staff went through several other transitions this year. In February, we said farewell to Chelsey Schmitter, as she transitioned off staff to become a full-time mom to her two beautiful little girls.

We also said farewell to Joe B., our former Global Partner in Residence, and welcomed Jacob and “S,” each as a new Global Partner in Residence. Jacob’s time with us is now coming to a close, as his family will depart, Lord willing, in January 2023 for Central Africa. Please pray for them as they seek to do community development and church planting among unengaged peoples.

In light of the Global Outreach department decentralizing on August 1, we also said farewell to our campus-specific Ministerial Coordinators, Derek & Kristin Dearth (North global partners) and Chris & Elizabeth Tachick (Downtown global partners). Thank you, Dearths and Tachicks, for your dedicated labors to provide additional shepherding and care for our global partners!

The role of Volunteer Coordinator for Short-Term Ministry experienced some change this year as well. Ron Powell had been serving faithfully in that role for several months, and he continues serving in short-term ministry, mainly through disaster relief and construction projects. In his stead, we have invited Ken Morse to serve as our Volunteer Coordinator for Short-Term Ministry. Ken is already doing a phenomenal job. Thank you, Ron—and welcome, Ken!

Last, we have welcomed Pearl Gaspar, Benjamin Brenner, and Eddie D’Souza as volunteer staff. They have been a joy to work with, and we are blessed to have their unique perspectives and skills on our team!

Global Partners

In light of the move to campus-specific Global Outreach departments, I now have the privilege of shepherding the 50 global partner “units” who are members of or are affiliated with the Downtown Campus. In 2022, we commissioned two new global partners: Alex S. serving in the Middle East and “P” serving in Africa.

Our 50 global partners represent myriad ministry endeavors in 26 countries around the world. Please pray for them as they make it their “ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named” (Romans 15:20). Each year, we print prayer calendars to aid you in your prayers; please be sure to ask for one from the Welcome Desk the next time you are at church!

Global Outreach (GO) Team

We thank God for our Global Outreach Team, who helps prepare, send, and care for our global partners. I want to publicly thank God for Darin & Cristy Brink, David Jaeger, Daewon & Young In Kim, Morris & Wendy Johnson, Burt & Trish Koppendrayer, Amy Miller, and Scott & Shara Aatsap.

Barnabas Teams

Each global partner has a team of supporters who pray for them regularly and support them in a variety of ways— relationally, emotionally, spiritually, and practically. We are thankful for the scores of faithful servants who serve on these Barnabas Teams supporting our global partners. Would you prayerfully consider joining a Barnabas Team? Many teams are in need of new members.

Global Focus

The theme for this year’s Global Focus was “We Are All Sent.” A highlight from our 10-day celebration was a Downtown kickoff event on October 19. The evening was well attended; Faith Jaeger, Trish Koppendrayer, and many other volunteers served an authentic Maninka meal, and we provided an “experience room” for attendees to interact with beautiful cultural artifacts from around the world.

We were also honored to have Andrew Scott (CEO of Operation Mobilization) preach on the topic of our identity in Christ and his mission for us to make disciples of all nations. On the second Sunday of Global Focus, Pastor Kenny Stokes preached; at the conclusion of his sermon, he asked all who were sensing God’s call to long-term, vocational global missions to come forward and be prayed over by our congregation. At the Downtown Campus, we saw more than 20 people come forward. Please pray for these men and women as they seek the Lord for next steps.

Reunion ’22

In July—before we decentralized the Global Outreach department—we hosted our second annual Reunion event for our global partners. This event was developed as a time for our global partners to gather for prayer, worship, teaching, and reconnecting with each other and with Bethlehem. Thanks to the North Campus Family Discipleship staff, we also had special programming for the global partner children and youth. Between the three campuses, we had 30 global partner families in attendance. It was wonderful to connect with them and watch them connect with one another!

Nurture Program

We prepare our people for global ministry through our Nurture Program, which consists of a combination of strategies and resources for global ministry. Currently, 25 individuals, couples, and families are enrolled in the program to discern God’s direction for future global ministry.

BAM (Business As Mission) Committee

As we move toward three separate churches, the current all-church BAM committee will formally conclude its ministry. My deepest thanks to Keith Anderson, Scott Rebney, Steve Walmsley, Paul Lindberg, Jonathan Rees, and Richard Swanson for their years of service on this committee. We also thank Scott Riddle, Joe Krekelberg, Jesse Rinkenberger, and JD Harris for their wisdom and counsel. We hope to find ways to continue serving global partners who desire to use international business to minister in closed countries.

Global Diaconate

With the move to three separate churches, the current all-church Global Diaconate team also formally concluded its ministry. Please join me in praising God for my partners in this great endeavor: Steve Prater, Kathryn Hedlund, Richard Swanson, Mike Anderson, Ted Sands, Derek Dearth, and Joe Berg. In the last 19 years, the Global Diaconate has given more than two million dollars to bless the poorest of poor around the world in Jesus’ Name!

Reaching the nations with you in the Name above all names,

Brad Nelson Pastor for Global Outreach, Downtown

Jared Wass

DOWNTOWN SMALL GROUPS & ADULT DISCIPLESHIP

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.—1 Corinthians 12:4–7

As the above verse makes clear, it takes a host of people with a variety of gifts for ministry in the church to flourish and for people to grow in their faith. Activities vary, but God empowers all of it through the Spirit with the aim to present people mature in Christ (Colossians 1:28). He does this work primarily through people. Many invest their time, energy, and gifts in personal discipleship at Bethlehem in formal and informal ways—so many that it’s impossible to list them all in a report like this, but I can at least list some broad categories and thank some by name.

I’m grateful for all the small group leaders and co-leaders, many of whom have been doing this work for years. This role requires a kind of relational and leadership involvement that can be taxing. Thank you for the investment of time and energy you put into seeking the good of your brothers and sisters at Bethlehem.

Brooke Ballard was hired as Administrative Assistant for Adult Discipleship this year and was an important addition to the team. Her gifts in administration and hospitality as well as her eagerness for people to get connected have blessed the church in major ways. A special thanks is also in order to Jon & Catherine Chen for leading Group Connect, Josh & Amy Sinnott for training small group leaders, and Mike Lane for assisting in classroom ministry. These are significant ministries and were led well by these very capable and faithful volunteers. Aron & Marci Anderson have also done a lot in the past year (and years before this) to help small group ministry run smoothly.

The activities that follow are made possible by the working of God’s grace through God’s people. This year I am grateful afresh for the riches of his grace and for how they have been manifested through the many people using their gifts in our church.

Currently, 34 small groups are led by 78 leaders with 381 people involved. Fourteen people have been trained in small group leadership this year. We are eager for men and women to partner in this ministry as an expression of complementarity, and we are training with this aim in mind. Half of those in training were men and half

were women. Thirty-nine people participated in Group Connect over the last year, seeking help to get involved in a group. In addition, 83 people took the Membership Class, and 24 attended the Baptism Class.

King’s Friends (Rod Takata and Keith Anderson), All Nations Fellowship (Charles Kim), and Reunión Dominical (Hispanic ministry, Joey Bures) continue to meet Sunday mornings. Last year in our report I mentioned that we wanted to add more Sunday school classes in the future, and by God’s grace we’ve accomplished that. The list of new classes through the Fall are the following:

• Truthful Witness in a Negative World (Damian Leverett and Shannon Kelly)

• Bible Study Methods (Mike Lane)

• Theological Foundations (John Mielke and Todd Swanson)

• The Techwise Christian (Zach & Betsy Howard and Nick & Katie Stromwall)

• Biblical Financial Wisdom (Mike Rusch)

In addition to the continuation of the systematic theology class, we will also add two more classes on January 8:

• Beauty: An Attribute of God (James McGlothin)

• Speaking Scripture: Scripture Memory and Declaration Workshop (Damian & Anna Leverett)

God continues to work, and I am glad for the ways the people of Bethlehem are growing in their faith. I’m eager to see what the Lord has in store for the year ahead.

Jared Wass Pastor for Small Groups, Downtown

Cynthia McGill

DOWNTOWN WOMEN’S MINISTRY

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.—2 Corinthians 12:9

First, a few milestones from 2022:

In May, Meg Anderson stepped away from the Downtown Women’s Ministry Bible Study Leadership. For two years she faithfully guided staff and volunteers to creative and sound biblical teaching for the benefit of Downtown women. We miss her wisdom and care for our souls.

Pastor Kenny & Kathy Stokes hosted an evening in June for a cross section of Downtown women. We heard a word from Pastor Kenny, listened to each other, and inquired of the Lord for his wisdom and help for us. We had a hopeful time together.

Women were thrilled to welcome the Christmas season at the Downtown Women’s Advent Gathering, “The Star of the Season,” on December 1. About 170 women gathered in the Commons for fellowship and then entered the beautifully decorated Main Hall for prayer, caroling, cookies, Scripture reading, and to witness a poignant video testimonial from the hospital bed of our dear sister Sarah Lindsey (who passed away January 2).

On a side note, during that evening we were blessed by the men from the Peters (Hud & Tammy) small group, who served us in the Commons and Main Hall, as well as by young men (and some fathers) from the youth ministry and Welcome team. They escorted us from our cars to the church building and back again at the end of the evening. Thanks to these kind and thoughtful men!

MOMS (Making Our Mothering Significant)

Guided by our theme verse, 2 Corinthians 12:9, MOMS continues to meet first & third Tuesdays. Co-leaders Emily Daniels and Ana Bures shepherd the women well. Guest speakers have taught how to focus on our covenant God, navigate cultural changes, live well with our emotions, and many other topics relevant to mothers and their families. They’ve been able to pray over women through difficult situations at home, health problems, and parenting struggles. Thirty-nine mothers and their children signed up for MOMS. Our committees keep the various parts of MOMS running smoothly.

We are grateful for the leadership of Lisa Burk and Andrea Tjarks and their grace-filled care of participants’ children week in and week out. MOMS and the daytime Bible Study would not happen without them and their team of nursery volunteers.

Women’s Bible Study Winter / Spring

In part two of the Exodus 15–40 study from Crossway, we saw God coming near to dwell with his covenant people, Israel, while they were wandering in the wilderness. Meg Anderson and Beth Dougherty led the study with 10–12 women in attendance. Childcare was provided.

A Precept study of Hosea revealed a God who doesn’t let his beloved people go despite their unfaithfulness. Thirty-five faithful women attended the Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning classes. Cheryl Lonski and Cynthia McGill led the study.

The Spanish-language Bible study on the names of God continued for 15 women. We are grateful to Magali González for hosting and leading the study over many years. She stepped down at the end of the study while praying for another teacher to assume the role.

Summer

Nehemiah was the perfect Old Testament book to study and learn about God’s faithfulness to his people as they rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem and restored temple worship. We used The Gospel Coalition materials on Nehemiah. Forty-five women attended on Tuesday evenings, Wednesday mornings at church, and in homes. At the Wednesday morning gatherings, we invited several women to give their personal testimony of God working in their lives. Pearl Gaspar, Cheryl Lonski, and Cynthia McGill led the class.

Fall

The Power of Knowing God, a Precepts study on Tuesday mornings, was attended by 39 women of all ages. The goal was to teach the inductive Bible study method and demonstrate study tools in a low-stress setting. There was no homework, so women would be encouraged to study on their own. It was a delight to grow closer to our all-sufficient God and participate in worship and deep fellowship. Tammy Peters led the study.

The Spanish-language Bible study on Philippians was an answer to prayer. Ten to 15 women gather monthly at church in person or on Zoom to study the Word together. While sharpening their faith, they’ve discovered a true, deep-down joy in life that the world cannot take away. Briana Morales leads this study.

White Cross

White Cross is a community of women who desire to bless the church with their sewing skills. They make baby quilts for infants at the Downtown Campus and roll bandages for medical missions. The fellowship is very rich, and everyone has a job to do. Participants handed out 12 beautiful quilts in 2022. The leader of White Cross is MaryAnn Burnes.

Cynthia McGill Administrative Assistant for Women’s Ministry, Downtown

Cynthia McGill

Bud Burk

DOWNTOWN CHILDREN & FAMILY DISCIPLESHIP

But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.—Galatians 6:14

Overview

In the conclusion of my 2014 annual report, I said, “The glory of Christ and the grace he brings has risen more fully to the surface this year, and I believe it is just beginning to blossom and will do so even more by God’s faithful grace in 2015 and following. I look forward to giving annual reports in the years to come, of this unfolding story of God’s grace in Christ to undeserving sinners at Bethlehem among families, which brings both salvation and sanctification for our joy. If I had to summarize this glorious theme in a word it would be a name: Jesus.”

I look forward, with anticipation, to repeating the above paragraph each year in my report, for God is faithful to lift up, above all things, his Name and the Name of his Son. He has done so again in 2022.

Ministry to Parents Through Events

This year, God’s grace upon our family events was especially obvious and uplifting. The interest and participation from parents was a blessing, and their involvement is helping provide a good trajectory for more of the same in 2023 and beyond. These gatherings are designed to encourage parents and their children in the hope of the gospel and in beholding the beauty and majesty of Jesus Christ.

These particular gatherings were a blessing:

• “Jesus Lives” Family Worship: our annual Holy Week gathering on Saturday before Palm Sunday

• Summer Days Family Event: a summer picnic at the park with the theme of the gospel

• Families for the Nations: a family gathering with a child-friendly emphasis on the peoples of the world and the glory of Christ

• Psalm 66:16 Gatherings: We held a mother/daughter event and a father/son event, designed to encourage the parent-child relationship.

• Mother/Son Retreat: Our first ever mother/son retreat was a joy, and Jesus was the theme.

• “The Gospel of Jesus Christ and Parents” Conference: Pastor and author Marty Machowski served us well, encouraging us to to keep telling our children the great story of redemption and to follow our Father’s lead in being compassionate parents to our children, as he is to us in Christ.

Ministry to Parents Through Personal Contact

Personal contact is a way of bringing the hope of the gospel to parents and to their children in a relational way that extends beyond ministry events on campus. The two primary means for 2022 were letter-writing and home visits, and again as in prior years, God’s favor rested upon these expressions of care.

• Home Visits: 52

• Handwritten Letters: 340

Nursery

Our assistant nursery coordinator staff changed this year with two new hires to coordinate our ministry on Sunday mornings: Andrea Tjarks and Christina Osburn. These women are answers to much prayer and serve our nursery families with love and faithfulness.

Our average attendance in our nursery classrooms has been close to 40 children between the 9am and 11am services.

We were also able to resume offering childcare for MOMS, Women’s Bible studies, and Small Group Leaders’ dinners with a faithful volunteer team of caregivers.

We are also very thankful to welcome 29 new babies born in 2022.

Sunday School

God’s provision this year in bringing more parents to serve in the classroom was obvious and encouraging. With our 9am Preschool class and our 11am PreschoolGrade 5 classes, we continued to bring “The Big Five” to bear in our leadership to children: 1) God’s word, 2) prayer, and 3) song 4) in a context of love and the fruit of the Spirit, 5) all the while teaching the children Jesus Christ and his good news.

Each year we are blessed by Connie Oman who helps us in coordinating ministry to parents, children, and Sunday school teams on Sunday morning. She serves so many very well.

People

The office team who serves volunteers and households are dear saints and partners in ministry. I am grateful for my wife, Lisa Burk, Lead Coordinator for Nurseries, Downtown; Andrea Tjarks and Christina Osburn, each an Assistant Coordinator for Nurseries, Downtown; Connie Oman, Ministry Assistant for Training & Classroom Support, Downtown; and Debbie Mairet, Administrative Assistant for Children & Family Discipleship, Downtown. They are a team designed to help create a safe context for children in the nursery and Sunday school and to be a gospel-rich encouragement to parents. By God’s grace, that aim was met yet again this year.

All of this to the praise of God’s glorious grace upon us in Christ,

Bud Burk

Pastor for Children & Family Discipleship, Downtown

(Continued on next page)

CHILDREN’S

MINISTRY

(January–May)

CHILDREN’S

MINISTRY

(September–December)

NURSERY MINISTRY (January—December)

Total number of babies born: 29

ATTENDANCE AT FAMILY EVENTS

“Jesus Lives” Family Worship Event: 92

Downtown Summer Days Family Event: 72

The Gospel of Jesus Christ and Parents: 32

Psalm 66:16 Fathers & Sons Gathering: 35

Psalm 66:16 Mothers & Daughters Gathering: 38

Downtown Mother/Son Retreat: 24

Downtown Father/Daughter Retreat: 32

Families for the Nations Part 1: 56

Families for the Nations Part 2: 35

Families for the Nations Part 3: 25

Miscarriage Memorial Service: 9

Andrew Ballard DOWNTOWN YOUTH & FAMILY DISCIPLESHIP

For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 3:8

Laboring Long Distance

The apostle Paul’s very heart and life were wrapped up in the faithful perseverance of those he ministered to. To hear that they had turned aside to other loves and other gospels would have been a death sentence to his spirit. But the news of their standing fast in their faith, standing fast in the gospel, standing fast in the Lord, was life itself.

We thank God for the year 2022, as we have seen some students begin to stand fast in the gospel for the very first time, and as we have seen others continue to stand fast even amid the challenges, trials, and temptations characteristic of their season as youth. We look forward to the coming months, when we hope we will see many more transferred from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of light. And we are asking ourselves, “How can we minister to these students today, so that we will hear the good news of their perseverance five, 10, and 20 years from now?”

This is our prayer, and this is our celebration—that many of these students are persevering—and that many more will come to stand fast in the Lord.

Standing Fast With a Full Staff

One of my chief priorities this year has been to provide stability for our people. So I am very grateful that we have been blessed with a full staff team throughout 2022. Allison Steddom, our youth ministry veteran, has continued to work as our Ministerial Coordinator for Youth, Downtown. She has made our retreats, camps, and events both possible and excellent, and she brings joy and ingenuity to our activities on Wednesdays. Our Ministry Assistant for Middle School Discipleship, Downtown, Benjamin Brenner, has leveraged his diverse experiences and his ongoing seminary education to bless our students with rich teaching and engaging activities on Sundays. And Pearl Gaspar, our Administrative Assistant for Youth, Downtown, has been both rudder for our ship and anchor, as she has helped us navigate details while also keeping us three dreamers grounded about what is important and practical.

I am also grateful for our team of leaders. We have about 14 regular volunteers, most of whom have served through all of 2022. These men and women care deeply about the salvation, growth, maturity, and perseverance of our young people. I feel it in their prayers. I hear it in the questions they ask students. And I see it in the way they listen to the Lord and his word. They are the crew and the sails to this ship, without whom we would go nowhere.

Measures of Grace

This past Spring, we finished our year-long series on John 13–17, learning how Jesus loves his disciples all the way to the end. Our average attendance on Sundays was 27 students, and on Wednesdays we had an average of 36 students.

During our Winter Retreat, we partnered with the South Campus (now South Cities Church) and explored themes in 1 John together. The Downtown Campus sent 26 students to the Winter Retreat.

Over the summer, Allison led the high school students through a book study of Habits of Grace, and Benjamin taught the middle school students about understanding the Bible and its background. At the Middle School Summer Camp, we joined the South Campus again, this time exploring the theme of being satisfied in Christ. We had a total of 76 people attend this camp, which included 19 middle school campers from Downtown.

At our High School Fall Retreat, we studied the theme “consider how you should walk.” This retreat was attended by nine students and nine leaders. In the Fall, we had three series of study. On Sundays, we caught a glimpse of God’s sovereignty in the 12 Minor Prophets. On Wednesdays, we talked about God’s plan for us to be “Witnesses in a Watching World,” and then we studied how we are to live out the godliness that agrees with sound doctrine, according to the book of Titus. On Sundays, we have averaged 47 students in attendance, and we averaged 46 students attending on Wednesdays.

This year, we have been blessed to see four of our students baptized.

We have also been blessed to see students serving one another and their community through the Youth Worship Team and service opportunities with Jericho Road Ministries and CityJoy. A number of our high school students were assistant counselors or participated in the Servant Crew at our Middle School Summer Camp. And most recently, several of our students along with their fathers joined the security team to assist with our Downtown Women’s Advent Gathering.

We give thanks to God for his faithfulness this year. We pray that he uses every moment, and every word, deed, and prayer to help our students stand fast in his love for the rest of eternity.

Andrew Ballard Interim Coordinator for Youth, Downtown

Steven Lee

NORTH PREACHING & VISION

The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. Psalm 92:12–15

The Goodness of God’s Grace

This will be my final report as a pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, so it is especially appropriate to use this opportunity to tell of God’s wondrous deeds. God’s grace is sweeter, his sovereignty more wonderful, and his providence more beautiful than ever. We serve a good God. We have a glorious Lord and Savior in Jesus. His kindness and grace have been lavished upon us as a church and as a people. The kingdom of God advances, the lost are being saved, and our roots reach down deeper in the fertile soil of God’s word. It has been a joy to serve the people of Bethlehem, and I look forward to launching as The North Church in 2023.

The Goodness of God’s Word

God’s word has sustained us this year, as it does every year. Early in 2022 we plumbed the depths of the book of Daniel. Week after week, God strengthened us, encouraged us, and called us to stand firm as exiles. God’s word is timeless in its relevance. In June, Elder Andy Naselli helped us to understand the goodness of predestination, and then throughout the rest of the summer, we explored the Psalms. This Fall we began our series in Philippians to see the joy-filled call to live in a manner worthy of the gospel. God continues to feed us with his word for our joy, for the upbuilding of his church, and for his glory.

The Goodness of God in Multiplying

Our transition team invested thousands of hours into our Multiply initiative. The former South Campus launched as South Cities Church on December 1, 2022. Praise the Lord! The North Campus launches as The North Church on February 1, 2023. A special thank you to Tim Johnson, Jon Grano, Nick Brazis, Joby Morgan, Ryan Dembeck, Marco Montermini, and many others. Their leadership and wisdom make co-laboring with them a joy.

The Goodness of God in Giving Us Leaders, Staff, and Volunteers

We continue to have a wonderful staff team that labors for the glory of God and for the good of the church.

I am grateful for our elders, deacons, pastoral staff, support staff, and Campus Outreach staff, who serve with excellence. Thank you to all those who serve as volunteers with joy and eagerness to make much of Christ.

Thank you also to the team of translators who provide written translation of sermons and live translation of our services into Mandarin Chinese. A special thank you to my administrative assistant, Grace Ohlendorf, who does a thousand things behind the scenes, and to Stephen Clayton, who serves as my pastoral assistant.

The Goodness of God in Looking Ahead

Looking ahead, this is a pivotal moment as we launch as The North Church. We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rearticulate who we are. We get to call people to treasure Christ in all of life. May God establish us as oaks of righteousness that shine the light of the glory of Christ for the sake of our neighbors and the nations. May he make us Psalm 1 people, who bear good fruit and whose leaves do not wither (Psalm 1:3). May we dwell in the courts of God, bearing fruit in old age, ever full of sap, and green to declare God’s glory (Psalm 92:12–15).

A Personal Word

As I ponder the future, I am hopeful because God is working to build and advance his church for his glory. I am eager to put my hand to the plow with you all as we seek to magnify Christ in all things. Thank you for being our church family, as Stephanie and I live far from extended family. Thank you for being Bereans who love God’s word. Thank you for being a praying people. Thank you for loving God, loving one another, bearing one another’s burdens, serving with joy, seeking the lost, giving generously, and praying for the nations.

Thank you to all those who invest in God’s kingdom work here. Thank you for praying for my children (and the hundreds of others at our church) and for being an instrument in God’s hands to shepherd my children to faith in Christ. May God give us extra measures of grace to treasure him in all of life in 2023.

With the affection of Christ,

Steven Lee Pastor for Preaching & Vision, North

Dan Holst

NORTH WORSHIP & MUSIC

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:1–2

The year 2022 represented a year of return. Many of you returned to live and in-person worship. There was a return to the norms of pre-COVID routines. Families returned (in droves!) to church-provided programming throughout the year. What grace!

Ensembles

And what grace we’ve seen this past year in growing our choirs and orchestra. Mary Lee engagingly directed our Music Makers Choir (K–Grade 1, aka “The Littles” Choir); Cheryl Kelley and Claire Olson provided competent leadership throughout the year to our largest (60+ singers!) choir, Joyful Praise; Jeanne Anderson and Laura Kroeze ably developed changing-voice students participating in the Choristers Choir (aka “Middle School Choir”); and Missy Steward oversaw the vocal and individual development of the Treble Choir (high school young women). I’m thankful to the Lord for these women along with their faithful accompanists: Brittany, Vicki, Amy, and Pam. Brian Hanson continued to provide excellence in leadership to our Worship Choir, further developing this community of worshipers in serving regularly in song and in mutual care. Johanna, Debra, and Sonja competently served in accompanying this ensemble of singers to the glory of God! Glen Larson, baton in hand, conducted our North orchestra by assembling instrumental musicians of varying ages and stages of development in music-making. Thanks to Dawn for her competent orchestral accompaniment.

Worship Teams

Week in and week out we have been well-served by dozens of you who pick up instruments or microphones and make music while leading our North congregation in joyful song. Oh, the joy of “exulting” in the Lord together on Wednesdays and Sundays! Mark Henderson passed the 20-year milestone in October as “anchor” keyboard player. What grace! Thank you, Lord, for Mark’s two-decades-long invaluable leadership!

Retreats, Camps, Holidays, Worship & Prayer

What a privilege it was to serve our students at the North Youth Winter Retreat 2022 alongside Barrett Jamison; at the North Middle School Summer Camp alongside

Peter Hoffman and Sarah Elting-Ballard; and at Awaken alongside remarkable young musicians, all of whom expressed their “gladness in God” through music-making.

Holy Week, Global Focus, Advent, and Christmas all provided opportunities to rehearse the good news of the gospel in song together. Thank you, Lord, for these “annual rhythms of reminder.” Worship & Prayer nights and monthly “Draw Near” gatherings allowed us to seek the Lord in an extended way, and the Lord faithfully met us!

Prayer

God has continued to stir a passion for prayer among many at the North Campus. Prayer Lab, a weekly class aimed at encouraging prayer, has been led by David & Jenny Fuller, Laurie Walmsley (deacons all), and Bryan & Sarah DeWire, ably leading class participants in fanning the flame of prayer. Along with our prayer deacons, Tim & Laurie Richterkessing, Tim & Debra Stokes, Paul & Becki Warnock, and others have overseen our monthly Friday night prayer gatherings. What grace these events have been to those in attendance.

Personal

Liz and I welcomed Elio Leif Linde and Louisa Jean Anderson, our two newest grandchildren, born 19 days apart in May and June 2022. For these little lives we thank the Lord! They join cousins, Everett (8) and Hadley (5) Holst, in our growing family “tribe.” Anika & Dawson Linde live in Fort Collins, Colorado. Erik & Breckan Holst live and work in Spokane, Washington. Mari & Garrett Anderson live in Mounds View, and Anders, now 19, lives at home while attending Anoka Ramsey Community College. We will celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary in early February. What grace!

At year’s end my heart is full of gratitude to the Lord for his kindnesses to us. We sing praise and exult in him for his wondrous works.

Dan Holst Pastor for Worship, North

Nick Whitehead NORTH GLOBAL OUTREACH

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58

Transition has been a buzzword at Bethlehem in 2022, as we move toward becoming three independent churches. Transition, of course, is nothing new to our global partners and the missionary experience. Our global partners are some of the most adaptable and flexible people I know. And the evangelical missions world is in constant flux with new trends, novel practices, and the next “silver bullet” methodology to “spark movements” among the nations. However, the more I interact with our global partners, the more I learn that the real key to fruitful long-term ministry overseas is not novelty and innovation, but steadfastness and faithfulness in the ordinary means God has called us to use to advance his kingdom.

In the midst of constant trials and the blowing winds of deceptive teaching, faithful gospel laborers fasten their roots to enduring truths—ancient realities like …

• The Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He remains ever-loving, ever-righteous, ever-faithful, ever-true.

• In him, there is not even the slightest variation or shadow of change (James 1:17).

• He does not change his mind (Numbers 23:19).

• He will not forsake his people (Psalm 94:14) or alter his plans (Psalm 33:11).

• His word stands forever, firmly fixed in the heavens (Isaiah 40:8; Psalm 119:89).

And the list could go on!

The point is this: God’s immutability is the reality that keeps our global partners (and all Christians!) grounded when change comes, trials arise, and the winds of this world blow against us. Because the Lord never changes and his promises to us in Christ are sure, we too can “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord [our] labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). In 2022, the Lord has continued to advance his work among the nations through long-term workers who have kept their feet firmly planted on the solid rock of Christ. They have humbly plodded forward in the ordinary tasks for which Christ has commissioned

his church: the proclamation of the gospel, the making of disciples, the establishment of healthy local churches, and the faithful teaching of God’s word.

Global Partners

On August 1, Bethlehem’s all-church Global Outreach department officially multiplied to serve each of the campuses in a more contextualized way under the leadership of their campus-specific elder councils. With that transition, the North Campus inherited 38 global partner units, whom we have the privilege of shepherding and supporting in a manner worthy of God. Through the efforts of these laborers, our church body has had the opportunity to partner with gospel work in more than 20 different countries.

After serving faithfully in Chad for nearly a decade, global partners James & Lindsey Morgan made the tough decision to return from Chad to Minnesota. Thank the Lord with me for their faithful laboring among an unreached people group there, and pray that their family would continue to adjust well as they re-enter life and ministry among us in the Twin Cities.

Some day we will see the millions of glorious things that God was pleased to do through our global partners in 2022. For the sake of space and time, here is just a tiny subset of the ways God has been at work. I invite you to praise him with me:

• That his grace and strength have enabled Steve & Kim Blewett to reach the milestone of serving for 40 years with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Papua New Guinea.

• That after two years of COVID shut-down, our Campus Outreach partners in the Philippines and Brazil have finally been able to get back on campus to evangelize and disciple students in person.

• That Todd & Karen Indehar successfully relocated to northern Thailand, where they will continue to partner with national churches in advancing the gospel in the five most least-reached provinces in the country.

• That Kevin & Elizabeth Krile arrived in Chad this past summer after language-learning in France. Praise God also for his provision of housing, a vehicle, and opportunities to begin building relationships and sharing the gospel.

• That a door has been opened for Tim & Amy Moline to partner with a national church in Spain to minister among immigrants and refugees. The Molines had a four-year transition from their last assignment in Cameroon, so praise God for their endurance and patience as they trusted the Lord’s timing.

• That the Lord has worked in countless other ways to open doors for ministry, restore health, provide wisdom, grant boldness, save the lost, and build his church among the nations.

For many of our global partners, 2022 was also a year of suffering and endurance. Ask the Lord to …

• Grant wisdom and provide comfort for our global partners who had to leave their ministry location for one reason or another and are discerning what God has next for them.

• Grant healing and confidence in the Lord for our global partners who are enduring significant health issues.

• Encourage and give hope to our global partners who are feeling discouraged in ministry.

Global Outreach Team

Thank the Lord with me for 12 outstanding volunteers who engaged with and cared deeply for our global partners throughout 2021: Derek & Kristin Dearth, Cherie Igielski, Jim Jordan, Paul & Karin Lindberg, Jon & Joby Morgan, Joann Pittman, and Tom & Julie Varno. I am abundantly grateful to the Lord that all 12 of these men and women continue to feel called to this team going into 2023.

Global Outreach Admin

In 2022, we lost one faithful servant of global outreach at the North Campus. On May 13, JoNell Baker went home to be with her Savior. Among other things, she served faithfully as an administrator in the Global Outreach department and as a member of the North Campus. I am thankful to God for her life and faith.

In God’s providential timing, it was at JoNell’s memorial service that I met the newest addition to the Global Outreach ministry at the North Campus. Starting in July, Leigh Tanquist began serving as our administrative assistant for Global Outreach. Leigh and her husband, Mark, have been global partners for about two decades, spending most of that time in Senegal. They recently moved back to Minnesota to care for Leigh’s mom, but they continue to serve missionary labors in West Africa. Leigh’s administrative and relational gifts have already been a tremendous blessing to me, our North Campus staff, and our global partners. I am eager for more partnership with her in 2023.

Global Focus

The North Campus celebrated Global Focus this year October 19–30. Our theme was “We Are All Sent,” as we looked to remember that the Great Commission is not only a charge taken up by our global partners but also a charge for every member of the church. Over the 10 days, our congregation was encouraged to live as “sent ones” through active sharing of the Good News in their neighborhoods, workplaces, and schools, and through partnership with gospel laborers among the nations. We believe that a church that sends to the nations must be a church filled with people who seek to advance the gospel wherever they are.

On a personal note, Becky and I (and our four little ones) have enjoyed my transition from seminary into a full-time ministry role at the North Campus. I miss doing life and ministry with the Global Outreach staff and global partners from the other two campuses, but our family has loved the opportunity to plug in more deeply with the family of believers here at the North Campus.

Depending with you on the unchanging God, whose purposes for the nations will come to pass,

Ministerial Coordinator for Global Outreach, North

Sam Crabtree

NORTH SMALL GROUPS & ADULT DISCIPLESHIP

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy.” Luke 2:10

Much of God’s work of spiritual birth and transformation happens beneath the surface—transforming a person’s desires, changing thought patterns, touching emotions, bringing the will into joyful obedient liberty. One of God’s main instruments is truth, which is why we preach and teach and resource our people with good stuff to read. We never know when the Spirit might use a message, a sentence, a word to pierce and enlighten and ignite passion. Because much of his work is beneath the surface, it is challenging to give a report on what he’s done. Reports are nevertheless fruitful for thanking and glorifying God for his work, providing information to members and accountability for workmen, documenting history, and rehearsing values.

At Bethlehem’s North Campus

• Currently 58 small groups with more than 100 leaders

• 33 individuals baptized in 2022

• 54 new members welcomed in 2022

• Conducted orientation and interviews for new small group leaders throughout the year

• Taught membership and baptism classes throughout the year

• Conducted baptism interviews and performed baptisms throughout the year

• Regular appearances at Getting Acquainted class

• Numerous personal appointments for pastoral interaction and hospital visits

• Engaged in written correspondence

Other

• Preaching/Speaking

» Six Sundays in 2022, joining the North congregation to look at Daniel, Psalm 19, Philippians, and John

» Seven funerals/interments plus one additional graveside

» Global Partner reunion

» Northfield Evangelical Free Church

» Graduating Senior Dinner

» North Campus men’s ministry kickoff

» South Campus and North Campus MOMS

» Optiv Network podcast

» Senior Sojourners

» North Awaken ’22 Youth Retreat

• Participated in Calvary Church ordination council

• Mentored Thomas Barclay and Daniel Simmons (at their request)

• DAWG (Day Alone With God)

• Reception emcee at Bouchoc/Nowlin wedding

• Administrative assistant Jacque Boldt and her family transitioned to a different church; new assistant is Lulu Robinson

Attended

• Elder summit featuring Jonathan Leeman

• Bethlehem Conference for Pastors

• ECFA (Effective Church Financial Management) webinar

Bethlehem College and Seminary

• 12th and final year as Chairman of the Board of Trustees

• Two Tabletalks

• Onboarding of new chairman, Tom Lutz

• Mentored student

• Spoke at Godward Life conference

• Spoke in Chapel

Desiring God

• Served on the Board

• Wrote a couple of solicited articles for the website

• Addressed the leadership team on the subject of prayer

Personal

• Got back to biking and playing pickleball after insertion of pacemaker

• Wrote daily note to Vicki

• Logged 406 pages of journaling the Bible

• Led a small group, co-hosted by Vicki

• Purchased/installed new furnace

Prayer Requests

• New (additional) small group leaders and groups

• Grace for Vicki

• Conditioning through pickleball and bicycling

• That my love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that I may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God (Philippians 1:9–11)

Sam Crabtree Pastor for Small Groups, North

Brian Liechty NORTH COUNSELING

For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.—Psalm 100:5

I’m so grateful to serve as a pastor here at Bethlehem Baptist Church. So much has happened during the past year, and through it all I continue to see the Lord’s goodness, steadfast love, and faithfulness. As you read through the report below, my prayer is that you, too, will get a glimpse of the Lord’s goodness, steadfast love, and faithfulness, and as a result will join with me in praising the Lord!

Praising God for Opportunities to Counsel the Flock

Each and every year I praise God for the amazing team of biblical counselors God has raised up here at the North Campus. They are a humble, godly, seasoned group of 13 individuals who quietly and diligently work behind the scenes to counsel our church body. Whether helping a widow process her grief, working with a young adult to fight for purity, or walking alongside a couple who struggles to resolve conflict, they faithfully and compassionately minister God’s word. This year, our team has been able to serve nearly 60 individuals and couples. We’re grateful for these opportunities to speak the truth in love to so many, and we marvel at how many have experienced such profound healing and transformation. Praise the Lord!

Praising God for Opportunities to Equip the Saints

Similar to previous years, there have been numerous opportunities to do broader ministry in the church in order to equip the saints for the work of ministry. From January to April, two of our lay counselors, John Morrison and Mary Wilkin, met weekly with area Campus Outreach staff to train them on the dynamics of biblical change. In February, I spoke to more than 100 MOMS attendees about “Hope for Anxiety” and sought to provide some practical ways to turn to the Lord during times of distress or when feeling overwhelmed. In September, I had an opportunity, along with Barry Larson and Pastor Sam Crabtree, to speak to our Senior Sojourners on the topic of “Building a Spiritual Legacy.” In November, I spoke

to our Young Marrieds Sunday school class about “Seven Characteristics of God-Centered Marriage.” And in January 2023, I look forward to ministering to our youth at the upcoming North Youth Winter Retreat. Whether working with a 16-year-old or a 60-year-old, it’s such a joy to teach God’s word and see it applied into the crevices of their lives. Praise the Lord!

Praising God for Opportunities to Minister to Those in Desperate Situations

Crisis care is another area that often goes unnoticed, but it is making an impact in the lives of those at the North Campus facing some of the deepest struggles. This year alone we have worked with individuals overwhelmed with traumatic loss and addiction, marriages facing domestic abuse, and families where children have been suicidal or where sibling sexual abuse has taken place. Even though these situations require extensive time, attention, and wisdom, God has been faithful to help us provide gracious care and wise love. I’m particularly grateful for Kïrsten Christianson, our Coordinator for Crisis Care, who has partnered with me in these situations and who willingly enters into some of the most complex circumstances to offer hope and help. May God continue to minister to those in crisis as we together seek our Lord, who is our refuge and strength and very present help in trouble. Praise the Lord!

Brian Liechty Pastor for Counseling, North

Vince Johnson NORTH NEIGHBORHOOD OUTREACH

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Colossians 4:5–6

In Neighborhood Outreach and Welcome Ministries we are trusting God for “wisdom toward outsiders” and speech that is “seasoned with salt”! We desire this so that people are saved and grow in Christlikeness. I am so thankful for Lulu Robinson (my administrative assistant), Daniel Bouchoc (my ministry assistant), and Joshua Sullivan (my seminary apprentice). They are the faith-filled team I am privileged to work with. This report provides some of the ways that God has answered our prayers in 2022.

Neighborhood Outreach

• God helped us develop a great relationship with Justin, the manager of the mobile park two blocks from church. He invited us to help him put on an open house for the newly improved community room connected to his office. The Young Adult ministry helped with a bouncy house and cotton candy for the children.

• Another highlight in our relationship with this mobile park was assisting Justin by surveying the occupants of the 150 homes for input on how to improve the mobile park’s sense of community. These survey results have influenced us to attempt an “interest” meeting with parents in the park to learn if a regular kids’ activity might be a beneficial step.

• At the Global Focus Kickoff in October, we included a “gospel befriending” room. People learned about a prayer app to pray for their neighborhoods and brainstormed ideas for meeting their neighbors. In addition, 45 people committed to befriend a person in their lives.

• Many people participated in the National Night Out in their neighborhoods.

• The North Campus donated more than 3,000 lbs. of food to Ralph Reeder Food Shelf at Thanksgiving.

• The Tuesday evangelism group shared the gospel faithfully in New Brighton all summer.

• ESL on Wednesday nights grew back to more than 25 tutors and 25 students, mostly from Ukraine, China, and Korea. The gospel is also proclaimed in more intimate contexts through the tutor-student relationships.

• The North Campus helped the Mounds View Police Department collect 270+ coats and other winter items for the Salvation Army.

• God led us to attempt a Christianity Explored course for the first time. This faith-filled effort has introduced us to a different paradigm for sharing the gospel with those we love. We learned a lot about trusting God and are planning to hold a course in early 2023.

• Our Car Care ministry continued to bless struggling families with crucial auto repairs about twice per month in our local community.

• Our partnership with New Life Family Services has continued to help us prioritize the sanctity of human life through baby bottle and Christmas ornament fundraisers.

Welcome Ministries

• God continues to shower us with grace through gifted leadership and team members for ushering, security, door greeting, our Getting Acquainted With Bethlehem (GAWB) class, and the Info Booth.

• These teams were thanked and equipped via a training in October.

• This year we took great strides in the area of emergency preparedness. Many staff and volunteers were trained in CPR and better emergency protocol.

• We continue to see many new faces on Sunday mornings. More than 100 book gifts have been given out and loving welcomes have been extended.

• In the GAWB class we saw about 170 people come to at least one class, and 23 people finished the seven-week class.

All thanks and praise to our Lord for his faithfulness!

Vince Johnson Pastor for Neighborhood Outreach, North

Pam Larson

NORTH WOMEN’S MINISTRY

“I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.” Exodus 6:6

Our Redeemer, Mighty to Save

God knows us, hears us, loves us, cares for us, leads us, guides us … often through the difficult times we face in our lives. Our pain matters, and God isn’t looking down hoping we just get it together soon. He grieves with us. He cares when we are hurting. Women at the North Campus are walking together on this journey of trusting our Redeemer, who is mighty to save!

“You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.”—Exodus 15:13

• He is strong, and he is sovereign!

• His power is unimaginable, and his providence so sweet!

• Our Redeemer is full of grace and truth. He is good beyond measure, and nothing is too difficult for him. His mighty arm is never too short to save!

I am grateful to my North Women’s Ministry Team— Julia Dembeck, Abigail Dodds, Beth Nordquist, Liz Stein, Kelly Vranyes, and Barbara Winbush—who gather monthly to pray and give vision for Women’s Ministry.

Winter

In the winter season, our North Women’s Bible Study continued our study of Exodus using the workbook I wrote for this purpose. I shared the teaching with Charisse Compton and Amy Katterson. More than 130 women participated in this Bible study through in-person groups and independent study. MOMS continued strong with 78 women and 63 children. Monday evening leaders were Julia Dembeck and Bailey Olson, and Tuesday morning leaders were Kelly Vranyes, Jennifer Gerth, and Beka Hemken.

Spring/Summer

In May, about 50 women attended our KINGDOM Seminar, led by Amy Katterson, which provides a broad overview of biblical themes.Then through the summer months, 180 women participated in our Women’s Bible Study, “Precious Pictures: The Parables of Jesus.” Our teaching team consisted of Jared Compton, Charisse Compton, Amy Katterson, Lindsay Osborne, Jenni Naselli, Julia Dembeck, and me. Together, our

teaching team also wrote the workbook for the study. Our Titus 2 mentors gathered for a picnic in the park and a time of prayer and encouragement.

Fall

North Women’s Ministry Team prayerfully selected our theme for the coming year, and on September 8 we had a kickoff event including a panel discussion introducing our theme, “Foretold and Fulfilled: The Unparalleled Preciousness of Jesus.”

I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.—Philippians 3:8

We aimed to spur women on to know and love Jesus and to see more clearly how truly precious he is! After a brief overview of this year’s Women’s Ministry opportunities, we moved to the Commons for refreshments, fellowship, and opportunities for women to get connected with various ministries.

Titus 2 mentoring ministry has about 40 young women participating in groups or one-on-one, with 17 mentors walking alongside them, pointing them to Jesus.

MOMS began this Fall with nearly 84 women and 61 children attending. Their theme for 2022–2023 is “Pondering the Preciousness of Jesus.”

Women in Missions has been gathering to hear from and pray for our global partner women on the second Monday of each month, led by a faithful team consisting of Dawn McCowen, Jane Larson, and Barbara Winbush.

Women’s Bible Study resumed in September with a study written by Charisse Compton, titled “Who Is the King of Glory?” Classes met in person at church, and many other women studied along with us independently. More than 220 women participated, including our Mandarin-speaking sisters. (Thanks to Jin Zhang for translating our workbook.) Teaching messages were recorded and posted to our podcast and YouTube channel. We ended our semester eagerly anticipating our celebration of our King’s birth.

We were delighted to host our Holiday Craft Boutique after a two-year hiatus, with Tina Harris and Mara Hamann coordinating. Nearly 70 crafters participated in this popular event, and hundreds of women attended.

We concluded the ministry year Saturday morning, December 10, when approximately 285 women had the joy of gathering together to celebrate the incarnation of Jesus at our Women’s Christmas Celebration. Julie Lynch and her team provided a delicious breakfast, I welcomed women with a devotion, Becki Warnock and her team led us in singing, readers helped focus our hearts on our response to Jesus, and Charisse Compton shared a short message. How sweet it was to hear our women’s voices filling the room with their worship!

Pam Larson Minister for Women’s Ministry, North

Aaron Rothermel

NORTH CHILDREN & FAMILIES

But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” Ephesians 4:7–8

Stewards of Grace

As believers, we are all stewards of incredible gifts. Christ has rescued us from spiritual slavery and opened up the storehouse of heaven, liberally distributing its treasures to believers. Our ministry theme for this year was “Equip: Preparing a Generation.” This came from the text of Ephesians 4:12, which says that Christ gave the apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists, and shepherds “to equip the saints for the work of ministry.”

Following the reasoning of this passage, the reason for and outcome of equipping the saints is the building up of the body of Christ into our head, who is Christ, in love (Ephesians 4:13–16). But at the foreground of this incredible image, we are given a picture of Christ as a conquering King, who gives with lavish generosity to his people. We are not given meager rations; rather we are equipped with great power and sufficient grace to do the essential work of building up the body of Christ, into Christ, in love.

Parent Equipping and Children’s Discipleship

In children’s and family discipleship, we have two primary areas of focus. The first aim is to prepare a generation by showing them Jesus. We seek to capture children’s hearts and imaginations for God, grounding them in the timeless truth of God’s word. The second is to partner with parents in the discipleship of their children. Children need their parents, and they also need the church. We believe that both are essential, and we operate our ministry with this at the forefront. We are eager to equip and encourage parents to engage their children in family worship, in a family discipleship plan, and in the life of the church.

We have several ways that we engage with young parents. The first is by encouraging regular participation in the life of the church. The “ordinary” means of grace are essential in the spiritual vitality of parents as they lovingly lead in the home. A regular diet of the word of God, prayer, participation in the ordinances, and deep fellowship with other believers will result in fruit in the believer’s life through the Spirit of Christ.

In addition to these ordinary means, we are eager to specifically equip parents with our “Parenting the Early Years” class, one of the requirements for participating in a child dedication. We also have an ongoing parenting class, father-child retreats, and a family discipleship guide intended to serve parents as a reference guide for the four emphases of child discipleship. These emphases are 1) doing family worship, 2) creating a family discipleship plan, 3) navigating technology and media wisely, and 4) having important and age-appropriate conversations about sexuality. We’ve distributed more than 150 copies of Equip: Parenting Equipping Guide to parents this past year, and it has been well received.

Essential Ministry Partners

In our classes, an army of volunteers partners with us in the essential ministry of teaching children the Scriptures in an age-appropriate way, in environments made for children, with people who love them.

We have had a great year of ministry. We finished off our first full year since COVID this past Spring, which we note with gratitude. And again this Fall we launched our season with excellent teachers and ministry partners. I’m thankful to God for the countless hours of service and the energy and passion that the team leaders, teachers, small group leaders, worship leaders, and special needs buddies bring week after week. We are a truly blessed church. We are blessed with the gift of children (Psalm 127) and the gift of a church that deeply loves children. This is evident not only in our weekly ministry but also in the energy brought to events such as the Global Focus Kickoff, which is aimed at connecting with children, because missions is a multi-generational project. We are seeking to raise up the next generation to treasure Jesus in all of life, and that includes spreading the Good News to all the world.

Gratitude and Thanksgiving

I would be remiss if I did not mention with gratitude the staff team that we’ve been blessed with. Carmen Tomaszewski, Lead Coordinator for Nurseries, North, passion to our team and a value-driven leadership of our nurseries. Claire Olson, Training & Classroom Support & Assistant Coordinator for Nurseries, North, year, providing equipping and support for our classrooms, and working with our team leaders, teachers, and small group leaders to provide assistance, coaching, and encouragement. Lexi Sweeney, Needs Ministry, North, ministry with personal drive and vision. I’m so encouraged by her investment and love for those in our church with special needs. I’m thankful for Lulu Robinson, our previous administrative assistant, who served faithfully and made a smooth transition for us going into the Fall, greatly assisting in the handoff to Diane Soderholm, our new Administrative Assistant for Children & Families, North. I’m so grateful for God’s provision of Diane to our team. She brings an incredible background with experience in our Middle School / High School ministry that is invaluable to our team as we aim to build a holistic vision for family discipleship.

In addition to our staff, we have an incredible and invested team of ministry partners, who serve on a weekly basis. Special thanks to those who have taken on new roles this year, filling in gaps or taking on new leadership roles. Our 9am service team has been an area of development focus this year, as it historically has been more difficult to staff than 11am. I’m grateful for the sacrifices made by leaders who are doing significant gospel work, and each week I’m hearing reports of God’s grace from this team.

The stories I’ve heard coming from all of our classrooms are reports of real ministry happening. Children are learning about Jesus and processing what it means to treasure him in all of life.

North Campus Attendance

CHILDREN’S CLASSES (SEPTEMBER 2021—MAY 2022)

NURSERIES (JANUARY—DECEMBER 2022)

NURSERY: WEDNESDAY CONNECTION & SPECIAL EVENTS (SEPTEMBER 2021—MAY 2022)

Babies Born or Adopted in 2022: 35

DISABILITY MINISTRIES (SEPTEMBER 2021—MAY 2022)

Regular 1:1 Buddies (Aides): 5

His Works Wednesday night class: 12 students; 5 volunteers

Children & Youth with significant disabilities on our radar at the North Campus: 33

Number of Respite Events: 3

OTHER EVENTS AND MINISTRIES

14 Families attending Parenting Through the Years Sunday school class

14 Families attending Parenting: The Early Years seminars

35 Children dedicated

North Trail Life: Woodlands (Grades K–5) 49 participants and 10 leaders

North Trail Life: Navigators/Adventurers (Grades 6–12): 15 participants and 9 leaders

Ben Katterson

NORTH MIDDLE SCHOOL & FAMILIES

“… in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed ….”—Genesis 22:18

God blesses his fallen creation through an offspring of promise. That is the melodic line, or thematic sentence, that weaves its way through the book of Genesis. In Genesis we see the beginning of all things, and we find our own meaning and identity. From the start, God is supplying what is needed for life and blessing, despite his creatures’ rebellion. Both his justice and his lavish mercy are on display early on, as God curses his image-bearers for their sin and promises a redeemer to crush the head of the snake.

Support

A ministry that involves 80–100 students cannot happen without significant help. Diane Soderholm has provided detailed and valuable service for the past several years. In 2022, she transitioned into a different role, and Zach Coll has energetically stepped into that position.

Spring

In our Middle School program, we study the whole Bible in three years. The beginning of 2022 saw the continuation of Matthew’s Gospel as well as a few correlating texts in Revelation. On Sundays we focused on narrative texts, while on Wednesdays we looked at discourses, of which Matthew has plenty.

Summer

Our summer Middle School ministry pace is not weekly in rhythm, but lively events pepper the season. After all, summer is prime time for connecting in Minnesota. The Grade 6 Open House was a great opportunity to introduce our new students and their parents to Middle School ministry. Summer camp was taught by Pastor Jon Nowlin, looking at the theme of “Redeemer” in Ruth. The summer camp team was, once again, strong, and God be praised for salvation and sanctification that happened at camp.

After camp, we enjoyed grade-specific bike rides up the Rice Creek Trails, talking about Jonathan, Saul, and David and how they point forward toward a greater King, who not only saves from human foes but from sin.

Again we held both Grade 7 and Grade 8 “days away.” The 7th-graders went to Interstate Park in Wisconsin for a full day of bonding, hiking, and working through different texts related to identity. The 8th-graders enjoyed a river crawl during our “Duluth in a Day,” rejoicing in God’s creation and discussing God’s design as revealed in Galatians.

I was privileged to preach in August for the first time at Bethlehem, and I look forward to more opportunities, if the Lord wills.

Fall

With the arrival of Fall programming comes a return to a weekly schedule and more predictable rhythm. The Middle School Fall Kickoff launched a busy ministry season. This year we returned to a study of the book of Genesis on both Sundays and Wednesdays, as part of our three-year plan. During class, students write and do the “Swedish Bible study method” in their Genesis journaling Bibles. We marvel to see pointers to Jesus even in the beginning of Scripture, laying the groundwork for a great salvation for his chosen people, who are instruments of blessing.

Not only did Zach Coll jump in this Fall to assist with weekly admin support, but also Millie Roberts began as youth admin for events. After Liz Stein coordinated the Awaken Retreat, Millie took the lead in planning for the Winter Retreat. The Awaken Retreat was taught by Pastor Sam Crabtree, looking at Ephesians 2, 2 Corinthians 5, and Philippians 3, where we observed that Christ has made us citizens of heaven.

This was the second year holding our Middle School Small Group Connects. In an effort to help students bond within their small groups and with their leaders, we’ve scheduled the Small Group Connects for one Sunday evening in the Fall and one in the Spring. These times have been used by the Lord to deepen relationships and give small group leaders more connection and influence with their groups.

Personal

At home, 2022 was also a busy year. Amy and I have five children, gifts from the Lord, that keep us running. I love the place that the Lord has placed me in this season as Pastor for Middle School & Families, North.

In Genesis, God shows himself to be the undeniable main character in the story he is writing. May he receive all of the acclaim for the salvation that he has worked through his Son, who has come, has crushed the head of the serpent, and has brought peace to those who love him.

Ben Katterson Pastor for Middle School & Families, North

Jon Nowlin

NORTH YOUTH & FAMILIES

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High …. For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.—Psalm 92:1, 4

This year God again displayed his steadfast love and mercy. It is good to look back and give him thanks, for he has made us glad by his work among us.

Winter Retreat

God was very kind to us as our students (Grades 6–12) spent a wintery weekend away at Camp Lebanon, January 28–30. We were able to enjoy many of the regular blessings of a retreat this year, having emerged from significant COVID restrictions the year before. Time and again, Jesus was shown to be the “anchor of the soul” (Hebrews 6:19), as Nick Brazis, Ben Katterson, and Scott Byers opened up passages in the book of Hebrews. We spent Saturday morning in cabin groups meditating on Jesus in the Scriptures, journaling, and worshiping through artistic expressions. In musical worship, God began a theme which would continue through 2022: equipping new leadership. Dan Holst, our Pastor for Worship, North, partnered with and developed an up-and-coming leader, Barrett Jamison. They led us well, pointing us to Jesus. That weekend was a further step of launching Barrett to lead others. God also gave us great weather; our free-time temperatures were the warmest of the weekend, allowing for tubing, broomball, and other outdoor fun.

School-Year Teaching & Ministry Grace

God was at work through his word and his people this year. In the Spring, God helped us proclaim his word from Proverbs and the book of Genesis on the topic of sexuality. He also gave us noticeable grace to equip our people in biblical interactions with outsiders from Colossians 4:1–6. On Sundays, we completed a year-long study in the book of Ephesians. As we did, both students and leaders were able to share significant takeaways. God also used young people to welcome and enfold several new students this year. One standout example was an exchange student from Europe who was truly welcomed in. On her final Sunday with us, she was surrounded by praying students and leaders, many with tears of joy for the gift of her time with us. In the Fall, we began to study the books of John and James. God helped students latch onto his heart of “steadfastness” (James 1:4, 12) and prompted the 11th-grade class to make t-shirts with that biblical word emblazoned on the front. Throughout the year, we met monthly as separate classes in homes for Fellowship Nights. God helped students lead their peers in living-room musical worship and provided space

for prayer and accountability. In the past couple years, COVID prompted us to spend more time in grade-specific fellowship, and we have observed especially sweet times of fellowship as a result of that investment.

Middle School Summer Camp

God orchestrated a wonderful week of ministry for Scott Byers, me, and several of our High School Student Service Team (SST) members at Camp Lebanon, June 19–24. Scott again served as a counselor for a cabin including upcoming Grade 9 boys. It was a joy for me to serve as the camp speaker, using our six sessions to proclaim the entirety of the book of Ruth. God was very kind to us in worship leadership. Pastor Dan Holst was again used to equip the next generation, working in advance to equip and then beginning the week supporting Peter, one of our high school worship leaders, and his team. Peter and his team led us well from Tuesday through the completion of the week. My highlight from camp was observing our nine SST leaders. To see my younger brothers and sisters used by God as partners in the gospel was one of my greatest joys.

Administrative Assistants

The year 2022 was a year of transition for our youth staff team. This summer, Katie Kramer, who served on staff at Bethlehem for more than 11 years (nine years focused on youth), ended her time on staff in order to focus her gifting full time on her family and homeschooling. Diane Soderholm, who served on our team for five years, also transitioned, taking a North administrative role serving children and families. God was our Good Shepherd in the transition process and busy Fall launch, providing skilled short-term help for our two retreats. We were pleased to fill both of the roles and head into the coming year with new assistants: Zach Coll, who supports our classroom ministry, and Millie Roberts, who oversees our camps and retreats.

It is good to thank God for his kindness to us.

With gratitude for your support, service, and prayers,

Jon Nowlin Pastor for Youth & Families, North

2022 North Campus Attendance Statistics

Other Events & Ministries Attendance Statistics

Middle & High School Winter Retreat (Jan 28–30): 157 students, 43 leaders

7th Grade Day Away (Aug 1): 30 students, 5 leaders

8th Grade Duluth in a Day (Aug 8): 18 students, 4 leaders

Senior Retreat (Aug 26–28): 14 students, 4 leaders

Middle & High School Awaken Retreat (Oct 14–16): 168 students, 54 leaders

Dave Zuleger

SOUTH PREACHING & VISION

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.—Ecclesiastes 3:1

Seasons

I like routine. But Jesus has been teaching me that the only thing I can count on to be the same yesterday, today, and forever is him. The changes come in small ways in the routines of life as kids grow up, schedules shift, and circumstances surprise us. The changes come in big ways as pandemics hit, church conflict is hard, and the Lord plants you as a new church.

Again, I like routine, so it’s in my nature to fight against these things. But God has been teaching me that there is a season for everything, and so I should find my rest in him because as the seasons shift, he does not. He’s been reminding me that the seasons will always be changing until the day when all of them give way to an eternal season in his presence, where there’s fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore.

If you’re reading this and you’ve been around our church for a few years, you’ve experienced these various seasons with us. Thank you for your faithfulness to our church and your hope in Jesus. For all of the hard moments, the Lord has continued to provide encouraging moments and victories of his grace. I love and believe in the Church as a whole and South Cities Church more than ever. The Lord has preserved my love for his church and taught me through his people in these changing seasons.

A Year of Normal

In so many ways, this year has been completely normal. It’s been sweet to preach week in and week out through the book of Genesis and through a series called “Citizens and Sojourners”—unpacking who I hope we will be as a people at South Cities Church. It’s been sweet to pray and shepherd with our elders. It’s been sweet to do counseling, visit hospitals, and gather for family meals on Wednesday nights. It’s been sweet to do life and ministry in many normal ways.

I love our elder team. I love our staff team. I love our deacons. I love the many volunteers who make so many things happen. I love our church.

A Year of Transition

And in so many ways, this year has been completely different. I’ve never known so much about so many detailed processes and procedures that make up the operations of a church. For us as a congregation, it really has been a year of preparation to plant—with vision from the pulpit, operational readiness, and lots of communication with our people about what is coming and what will be happening.

I’m thankful for the team from Bethlehem as a whole who worked together to help plant South Cities Church. And I’m grateful for the various gifts and abilities of our own members who volunteered many hours to help us get up and running. God has been kind to us. He’s good to us. It is our joy to have Bethlehem Baptist Church in the story of our history. God has been so gracious to us as a church. And it’s our hope that God will sustain us for another 151 years and provide our most faithful and fruitful days yet in front of us.

A Look Ahead

I’m so excited and hopeful about how God will lead and care for South Cities Church as we seek to love him, love our neighbors, and make disciples of all peoples in these south cities and to the nations. I’m excited for him to continue to teach us what it means to be a family in Christ that doesn’t give in to the anger, outrage, and sinfulness of our age but instead is a compelling community of forgiveness, hope, and truth, showing the world that Jesus is real.

There are no spectators in the church, and I’m eager to pray, preach, and plan to equip our members for the work of ministry to one another and to love the neighbors they live by. My prayer is that any empty seats in our sanctuary will be filled by the neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family of our members as they seek to be faithful in making disciples who are saved by Jesus to follow Jesus.

I don’t know what King Jesus has for us in this next season. But I know his word will be true, he will keep his promises, he will build his church, and he will continue to supply his Spirit to empower us to accomplish all he has for us to do for the sake of his Name. I know that he will work to bring those realities to pass. He cares about the good of his people and the glory of his Name more than I ever could. Please pray with me for him to grow us more and more into a people who finds our rest in Jesus, loves him with all our heart, loves our neighbors as ourselves, gives generously, and makes disciples near and far who do the same.

I’m looking back with settled contentment on this past season and looking forward with eager expectation to the next season.

Resting in Jesus in every season with you,

Dave Zuleger Pastor for Preaching & Vision, South

Nick Roen

SOUTH WORSHIP & EDUCATION

Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!

As I reflect on this past year of ministry, I am reminded that my job centers around helping our church to seek the Lord. Whether we are gathering to worship the Lord together in our corporate services or meeting in the classroom to learn and grow deeper in our knowledge of God and his word, what we are ultimately seeking is more of God.

We continued to go hard after the Lord together in our worship gatherings. It was a joy to watch our people sing, pray, and commune with Jesus at the Table week after week. We emphasized coming to worship expecting the Lord to meet us in our strengths and weaknesses, joys and trials. And he did. I’d like to personally thank all of our worship team volunteers who give of their time and talents to lead us to the throne of grace. The body building the body up is truly beautiful to watch.

A personal highlight for me this year was to launch Track 2 of our Truth On Fire Institute. We began last year with Track 1, and having both tracks running side by side in 2022 feels like a confirming blessing from the Lord. The students have borne witness to the helpfulness of thinking deeply with an eye toward loving God and loving our neighbors in all of our learning. That’s also been my prayer for our Sunday School classes and all the other times that we gather to look closely at God’s word together. If our learning isn’t affecting our hearts, we are doing it wrong!

David Livingston

SOUTH GLOBAL OUTREACH

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” ... So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.—Romans 10:14–15, 17

This past year had some monumental and memorable moments for our Global Outreach department.

All-Church GO Team

At South Cities Church, we are deeply grateful for all of the work done by Pastor Brad Nelson and the all-church GO staff—Nick Whitehead, Krista Smith, and Chelsey Schmitter—for the collaboration and care they have given to us at South and our South global partners. We also look back with gratitude to Jesus, mixed with both sorrow and joy, at the homegoing of GO staff member, JoNell Baker.

As with all of our other ministries, the decision was made by leadership and approved by the congregation to move the Global Outreach department to the campus level this summer. As a church, we had been moving in this direction for a while, as each campus took on more of the care and coordination for their global partners.

South Cities GO Team

During this 2022 “birth-year,” transitioning from being the Bethlehem South Campus to becoming our own South Cities Church, our Global Outreach Team (now known as SCGOT)—Terry Kurschner, Rachel Dyvig, Adam Sands, Mike & Judy Anderson, Dane & Erin Carlson, Karin Livingston and I—completed an organizational document (Pulse Protocol for Global Partner Interviews), which was endorsed by our congregational elder board. Pastor Dave Zuleger also wrote a Priorities document (theological guidelines seeking to align our sending with what the New Testament says about the nature and purpose of missions), which the elders and SCGOT reviewed, collaborated on, and ultimately approved.

This year we sought to aid our global partners to be known and loved by the South Cities family (and vice versa) by holding quarterly SWIM events (South Women in Missions), a Global Focus week in October, and a monthly interview by the SCGOT with one of these whom your prayers, giving, and love have sent.

Global Partner Highlights

This year, we sent out ...

• Trevor Schwarze (Reach Beyond) to Southeast Asia as a radio planter.

• Cody & Haley Irwin (TLI), who will soon join Chris & Katie Bruno in Hawaii in 2023.

• Daniel & Christina Soukup (TLI), who hope to depart for West Africa in the near future.

• CB is currently working on an MA degree in linguistics.

We also said farewell to ...

• Joe & Mary B. (and family) as they returned to their work in the Middle East, after having been among us for about a year. We are grateful for Joe’s work on the South GO Team and the whole family’s involvement on our campus and also at Downtown. We miss them but are thankful for their lives and ministry in their country.

We enjoyed visits from ...

• Matt & Krista W. (YWAM/Australia)

• Chris & Katie Bruno (TLI/Hawaii)

• The M. Family (RAN/South Asia)

• The C. Family (Frontiers/the Middle East)

• Eric & Sarah (Southeast Asia)

• The P. Family (Middle East)

• Randall & Rory Gwin (Navigators/Central Asia)

We had a couple of special prayer times for one of our global partner families in a sensitive situation and a couple of prayer times focused on the Russia/Ukraine conflict and the believers affected by that.

Global Focus

For Global Focus in October, we stepped into several “experience rooms” to explore different aspects of global outreach. In one room we heard from global partners ...

• Mary J.

• The Norris Family

• Todd & Tamara Rasmuson

We had opportunities in the other experience rooms to write notes to all of our global partners and hear about ways to better support them from ...

• Corrie Ayers

• Barnabas Team leaders

• Arrive Ministries

We are ending this year on our knees, facing hard challenges. Threats of persecution, forced evacuations, war, imprisonment, team conflict, family instability, health issues—all these and more are current realities.

And so we cannot end without pleading that you be faithful senders of these sent ones to bring about the preaching, hearing, believing, and confessing of Christ that glorifies our God among the nations!

David Livingston

Pastor for Global Outreach, South

Added appreciation and commendation belong to South staff members Chelsey Schmitter and Rachel Dyvig, who provide invaluable administrative and clerical support to the Global Outreach ministry. Thank you especially to Rachel for her substantial help in organizing and composing this year’s report.

Daniel Viezbicke

SOUTH MEMBERSHIP & MOBILIZATION

“‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.’” —Revelation 3:8

As a Christian, as a husband, as a father, and as a pastor, I desire to keep the word of God. And aiding me in that pursuit is the knowledge that I am known by God. What is done quietly, with no one looking, is seen and known. And beyond my works, he knows my very heart. How fearful and freeing! I am known and loved that I might know and love. This has been the fuel for all of the things done this past year and a reminder that my worth isn’t in what is done, but that I might go and “do” in the strength that God supplies, not in my own strength.

Since transitioning into my role as Pastor for Membership & Mobilization in Summer 2021, I’ve had the opportunity to rewrite the Membership Class teaching, first for the South Campus, then for South Cities Church. I’ve also been able to visit many of the small groups at South and meet with the small group leaders on several occasions.

As a family, we also spent three months on sabbatical— refreshing and recalibrating for this new season as a church. In all of it, our God was meeting us, showing us that he knows us and is helping us keep his word. This was such a gift, Bethlehem! Thank you.

God-willing, in the year of 2023, we’ll see a significant relaunch of small group ministries, along with strengthening the core of our membership in family and business meetings. I’m asking for God’s help as we reconceive and breathe new life into our Welcome ministries, and as I and others continue to partner with our deacons for congregational care.

Would you pray for me and for the ministry of our family of faith, that we would seek to disciple and “hold the ropes” for each other in the various places we live? And pray that God would grant us to be mobilized to see that the fields are white unto harvest.

Daniel Viezbicke Pastor for Membership & Mobilization, South

Holly Nelson

SOUTH WOMEN’S MINISTRY

For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.—Philippians 2:13

I praise God for all he has done this past year in Women’s Ministry. What a joy to be a witness to God’s fulfilling Philippians 2:13 in the leaders of Women’s Ministry, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. These humble servants seek to be vessels used by God, dependent upon him to equip, empower, and provide. They have served the Lord joyfully and faithfully, and most of them have been in their roles for many years. They give God all the glory for what he has done in the lives of the women through their leadership in Bible Study, MOMS, GospelCentered Motherhood, Together in Christ Mentoring, South Women in Missions, and the Women’s Ministry Leadership Team. I love all the leaders and am so grateful to God for them!

All of our ministries, whether new this year or longstanding, are aligned with our Women’s Ministry Vision:

• To spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ

• To embrace the great assurance and hope of our gospel identity in Jesus Christ

• To glorify God and enjoy him together

• To encourage and equip women in their God-given gifts and to serve the Lord

• To love God, love neighbor, and make disciples (added in the second half of the year)

I am very grateful for our Women’s Ministry Leadership Team: Eileen Kurschner, Karen Power, Beth Davitt, Ang Mellema, Kristi Redler, and Emily Zwicky, who seek the best for Women’s Ministry and the spiritual growth of women. Together we have prayerfully made many decisions, some of which were difficult. We adopted the new ministries, strengthened the old ministries, and planned special events.

The Lord called many women to participate in these gatherings—women who treasure the word of God and seek to know him more; who desire to live out their faith as God calls them, including gospel outreach; and who cherish fellowship with other sisters in the church.

Women’s Bible Study

In Fall 2021, we had begun a study of the Gospel of John through Precepts with about 45 women. In January 2022 (through May), we continued our study of John but transitioned to a study written by our Bible study leadership team. I am so grateful for the opportunity to seek the Lord diligently with this team and praise him together as we watched God provide a study in a short period of time.

This Fall, we studied 1 Peter using a Jen Wilkin study. We continued to have our Wednesday morning group but moved our Thursday evening group to Wednesday evening to align with Wednesday Connection. This change was instrumental in the exponential growth in attendance. We started the Fall with about 70 women studying God’s word together.

I lead a Tuesday morning meeting for the leaders to equip us to lead the women well. Leaders for the Spring semester were Beth Davitt, Eileen Kurschner, Kristina Tuttle, Lynne Shenk, and Rachel Ellefson. These leaders also served in the Fall, except for Rachel. On Wednesday mornings, a group of Russian women study with us and receive additional ESL training led by Jeanne’ Shadduck.

Together in Christ Mentoring

In May, we transitioned from our Titus 2 Mentoring Ministry to a new one-on-one, prayer-focused mentoring ministry we are calling Together in Christ Mentoring. God has clearly led us to this and has confirmed, blessed, and provided what we needed each step of the way.

With church leadership and the Women’s Ministry Leadership Team support, I moved forward in the huge undertaking to implement this new ministry, but I didn’t do it alone. God provided gifted women to join me on the Mentoring Ministry Leadership Team: Celeste Glassel, Evie Wykstra, and Jolene Rossiter. Karen Power was also instrumental in the beginning stages of implementing this ministry.

We currently have 12 mentor/mentee pairings, two mentors ready for a mentee, and more women expressing an interest in being a mentor or mentee. These pairings are two women walking side by side with Christ in the middle. The mentor is just one step ahead of the mentee in her walk with Christ. She is committed to love and listen to her mentee well, pray for her, and point her to Christ. Together they use the mentoring guide from MORE Mentoring to pray together. We pray that mentoring will be a way of life for the women of our church and that this ministry will equip mentees to mentor others.

MOMS (Making Our Mothering Significant)

MOMS meets the first and third Tuesdays of the month during the school year. The theme this year is “Remember Our God,” as we equip moms to raise children in the Lord. Roughly 15–20 women have been meeting to worship, fellowship, discuss, and hear various speakers teach on topics related to their children (baptism, Communion, hope, heaven, disappointment, death, gender, sexuality, modesty, and forgiveness). Ang Mellema and Kristi Redler have once again been faithfully and excellently leading the MOMS ministry.

Gospel-Centered Motherhood

Gospel-Centered Motherhood is another new ministry for us that began in the Fall, which stemmed from a desire of young moms who were unable to meet on Tuesday mornings for MOMS, but who wanted to be supported and equipped in their mothering.

This new group meets on the third Saturday morning of each month. Their focus is to equip mothers and mothers-to-be with understanding of how the gospel applies to and makes an impact on all aspects of motherhood. They listen to Risen Motherhood podcasts together, hear a leader-led summary of the key points, and have breakout discussions. This group grew out of a Titus 2 group that had met the previous year using the Risen Motherhood resources, led by Celeste Glassel and Erin Carlson. They continue to lead this new ministry, attended by approximately 16 women.

South Women in Missions

This is the second year of the SWIM ministry, attended by about 35 women who meet quarterly on the second Saturday of the month. They gather for brunch, worship, fellowship, and to hear from one of our global partner women. Then they have a time of prayer for her and the ministry where she serves. I am thankful for the two leaders of this ministry, Karin Livingston and Erin Carlson. They have a heart for missions and the women of our church.

Events

Spring Retreat

We gathered at the Thorsons’ property in Webster on Saturday, May 21. Our theme was “Growing in Love” from 2 Thessalonians 3:5. The purpose was to spend time with other women in the church and equip and encourage them in seeking the Lord (love God) and in outreach (love others).

We began with a light breakfast and worship. It was a beautiful spot to gather, near a bonfire and two ponds. We had a couple of brief teaching sessions (led by Beth Davitt and myself), intentional connection time, lunch catered by Divine Swine, more worship, and plenty of free time for hikes, games, pickleball, and visiting. Seventy-two women attended. I am very grateful for the many volunteers who helped serve at this event.

Fall Retreat

We gathered at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum on Saturday, October 22. After encouraging and equipping women for outreach at the Spring Retreat, we provided this special event for them to invite other women in their life who may not know Christ. It was an event geared toward outreach, and our theme was “Come and See,” with John 1:46 as our theme verse. Fifty-two women attended.

We had a beautiful setting with breakfast and lunch catered by the Arboretum. Our time began with worship and, after a welcome and introduction to our theme, we went into a time to “come and see” more of God in his word. In small table groups with table leaders, the attendees discovered and discussed John 1:35–51 with the help of questions for those new to the Bible.

We were also invited to “come and see” God’s call and faithfulness through testimonies by Deb Borman and Joy Davitt. We were invited to “come and see” the beauty of God’s creation as we walked the grounds of the Arboretum. God blessed us with a beautiful, sunny day in the 70s.

All the women were encouraged to submit anonymous questions about God and the Christian faith, which a panel discussed. I facilitated the panel discussion with Eileen Kurschner, Beth Davitt, Karen Power, and Kelly Granquist as panel members. The gospel was shared in the testimonies and panel discussion.

Guests shared with those who invited them of how they felt welcomed and were encouraged in their faith, and a couple women spoke of personal encounters with Jesus that day. To God be the glory!

I am so thankful for Emily Zwicky, Administrative Assistant for Women’s & Children’s Ministry. She worked hard on these events and is an amazing support to me and all that happens in Women’s Ministry. She is a joy to partner with.

God has been so faithful in this past busy year of new beginnings, including the new beginning of our South Cities Church. He has blessed us above and beyond what we could think or imagine. It has been a year of looking back with such gratitude for God’s faithfulness in all times. And I look forward with excitement for all God has planned for South Cities Church.

Holly Nelson Minister for Women’s Ministry, South

Stacy Thorpe

SOUTH CARE & COUNSELING

Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.—Psalm 62:8

What a precious truth it is that in the storms of life we can pour out our hearts to God; he will hear us and be a refuge for us. We can name our troubles to the Lord and trust that he hears us and cares. In the Care & Counseling ministry, this is often a main priority in ministering to others: encouraging them to pour out their hearts to God and make him their refuge. It is a privilege to come alongside others and seek the Lord together.

Equipping

In February, we hosted our annual marriage retreat at the South Campus. It was titled “The God Who Speaks and Listens: Displaying Gospel Communication in Marriage.” About 60 couples heard Pastor Dave and Pastor Daniel teach, and enjoyed good food and fellowship together.

In March, we offered the “Engaging With Truth & Love Seminar: Sexuality.” Our goal with this seminar was to equip people to think biblically about topics related to sexuality. We heard teaching on biblical sexuality, same-sex attraction, pornography, and gender identity. We also specifically invited parents of teens to bring their teens to this in order to equip the next generation to navigate these issues.

The “How People Change” Sunday school class, taught by Klaas Van Zee and Scott Butler, wrapped up in Spring 2022. This foundational class helped people understand the process of change in the Christian life and how the gospel makes an impact on all areas of life.

Care & Counseling

This Fall, my husband, Peter, and I led a seven-week young

Sarah Vogel

SOUTH CHILDREN & NURSERY

For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.—Psalm 100:5

This year has been one full of changes for our South Campus. It has been a true joy to watch God at work in our church as we navigated these changes. I have been enjoying my new role coordinating children’s programs along with continuing to coordinate the nurseries.

Nursery

Our nurseries are filled with sweet little ones, and we have many faithful volunteers who care for our children on a regular basis. These familiar faces are a great blessing to the families of our South church. We focus on biblical truths and prayer through Bible lessons, singing, and playing.

Children

Children’s Sunday School classes have been going well this year; we are grateful. Children are gathering to hear a lesson from the Gospel Project. The teachers and small group leaders do a great job bringing these lessons to life during class. We spend time in prayer and work on memorizing God’s word together. South Cities Kids is a class just for our 5- and 6-year-olds that gathers during the worship service. During this time, children are hearing about the sermon and discussing it in a smaller group. We enjoy our time together.

Children’s Wednesday Connection is off to a great start. During this time, children are also singing together for choir. Hearing their sweet voices praising God is such a joy. We’ve also been spending time praying and doing a devotional together. And we’re sure to have some gym time each night! We have some gifted volunteers who make each Wednesday amazing.

We had a successful VBS (Vacation Bible School) this year. Kindergarten through Grade 5 joined in on the fun each night of VBS, and we were excited to have lots of friends and visitors join us. God was so good to us and provided many hands to make VBS possible, including many of our youth. We are looking forward to next year and growing our VBS program.

Staff

I am especially thankful for our staff this year. I work closely with two women who love the Lord and love our church family. Ashley Brown and Erica Halmar both serve as an Assistant Coordinator for Childcare. They care for our children so well and provide support to both the nursery and children’s classes—some of which often goes unnoticed. I am incredibly grateful for them both and look forward to continuing to work alongside them.

It is my joy to work with the children of our church. God has been so good to us.

Sarah Vogel

Sarah Vogel Coordinator for Children & Nursery Ministries, South

Nathan Metcalf SOUTH YOUTH

But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.—John 20:31

This year was one of transitions and changes. During the transitions, the Lord did as he promised and was our all-sufficient help in times of need.

Winter/Spring Activities

Winter Retreat: This year was a transition year where we said farewell to our multicampus approach to the Winter Retreat. It was a blessed time for our last combined gathering (with the Downtown Campus youth) at Trout Lake Camp, and we enjoyed the sweet fellowship of believers learning about being confident in Christ.

Spring Retreat: Our Spring Retreat was a South Campus retreat. Although the day was muddy and full of thunder and lightning, we enjoyed fellowship and worship at the Thorsons’ home in Webster, Minnesota. What a blessing to have a sweet retreat location in close proximity to our church.

Summer/Fall Activities

Summer Camp: This was a final farewell (and our last event together) with the Downtown Campus. We had a week at Camp Shetek. We saw our high school youth work together and run a great camp for the middle school youth of both campuses. The worship team collaboration, program, games, and teaching times were a blessing to all of our youth.

Summer Mission: This year we had a wonderful South Campus youth mission trip where we collaborated with our global partners in Hawaii, Chris & Katie Bruno, for two weeks of ministry around the island. Our team was blessed by the outpouring of support from our church, family, and friends.

Discipleship Life Groups: This Fall, we launched a new ministry program called Discipleship Life Groups (DLGs). These DLGs gather together twice a month to grow in our understanding of what it means to be in each other’s lives as the body of Christ—to spur one another along in the faith.

Keith Anderson SENIOR ADULTS

O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you. Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord GOD of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel. Psalm 69:5–6

Each year I try to start with this verse in mind: “Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example” (1 Peter 5:2–4, NLT).

The highlights of early 2022 included visiting the homebound and hospitalized and, in January, leading a Bethlehem short-term ministry team to Dakar, Senegal, to teach English to university students for the sixth time.

Our monthly Seniors Sojourners programs have included hosting Hennepin County Sheriff Hutchinson for our January Sojourners meeting, “going along with” Bob Ambler via his excellent pictures to the south of France in February; enjoying Pati Kachel again as she regaled us with stories from and about Ireland in March, and learning the current state of senior housing from 7500 York expert Barbara Murphy in April. In May, our Sojourners toured the Como Park flower pavilion and were amazed by God’s floral handiwork!

Another personal highlight was observing on May 19 the 65th anniversary of my baptism and membership at Bethlehem Baptist Church of Minneapolis.

On July 12, Mary and I celebrated our 53rd wedding anniversary. I thank God for Mary—she has been as much a part of this work as I have been. Her suggestions and observations fill in many voids that I miss. She also has an eye for the “widows and orphans” that is a blessing beyond words. I love you, babe!

On September 9, we celebrated Lois Nelson’s 103rd birthday. Everyone who knows her, loves her!

On September 15, the North Campus hosted a special Senior Sojourners forum on helping seniors finish well. Doctors John Mielke and Barry Larson, along with Pastors Sam Crabtree and Brian Liechty, provided a wonderful seminar from personal examples and experiences on how seniors can honor the Lord and bless their families by using their testimony to leave a spiritual legacy.

At our October Sojourners meeting, Julie Steller shared how the Lord had carried her through difficult times in her life and how he has blessed her and Tom’s ministry.

Probably the single best highlight of the year came in November, when Chuck & Carol Steddom and Mary and I led a group of Bethlehem folks to Israel and Jordan. Fourteen days in the lands where Jesus walked will always change how we read the Bible, making it more clear and understandable. I never tire of taking that trip! And the fellow travelers were a joy to be with.

The final Sojourners program of the year is always the Christmas Celebration, this year on December 8. Linda Lockman spread a Swedish feast for us, and then Damian & Anna Leverett provided a biblical theater production, followed by Chuck & Carol Steddom leading us in Christmas carols. It was the perfect way to enter the Advent season.

On the day following the Christmas Celebration, we hosted the fourth “1960s Youth Group Reunion.” Members of the youth group from the 1960s gathered and reminisced that “Bethlehem was a unique place back then.” Many stories about youth pastor Gary Smalley, canoe trips, and Trout Lake Camp gave testimony to God’s blessing on those young people, now in their 70s and even 80s! They understood this verse: “Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the LORD” (Psalm 107:43, NLT).

Throughout the year, each member and regular attendee with a birthdate in our database signaling they are 80 years and older was sent a birthday card filled with Bible verses by Marianne Derfus (our Downtown Campus receptionist at the time of this writing) to encourage the recipient. My thanks to Marianne for selflessly giving of her time and energy in this work!

On March 31, 2023, I will be retiring after 15+ years as Ministerial Coordinator for Senior Adult Ministries. By God’s grace, every day has been a joy! As of this printing there are not solid plans to replace this position.

Each year I feel a need to end with this verse:

But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives. And he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, Yet in my body I will see God!

I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!

(Job 19:25–27, NLT)

Keith Anderson Ministerial Coordinator for Senior Adult Ministries

Brian Tabb

BETHLEHEM COLLEGE AND SEMINARY

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!—Psalm 90:17

It is a distinct joy and privilege to continue serving as Academic Dean & Professor of Biblical Studies at Bethlehem College and Seminary with a remarkable team of faculty and staff. This report provides updates in the following areas: vision & goals, leadership, faculty & staff, and students & graduates.

Vision & Goals

With God’s help, Bethlehem College and Seminary continued pursuing our vision to equip and launch a movement of seriously joyful men and women to have a disproportionate Christ-exalting impact on the world. We have focused on three strategic initiatives:

• Get to scale with 250 full-time students and $2.5 million per year in contributions supporting the Serious Joy Scholarship.

• Strengthen the church-school partnership with relationships of mutual trust and shared mission with Bethlehem Baptist Church.

• Broaden the base of support for the school by partnering with like-minded churches.

In our efforts to get to scale, we began the Fall semester with 240 degree-seeking students across all campuses: 211 students enrolled in college, seminary, and evening program in Minneapolis; nine seminarians in Cameroon; 12 evening students in Memphis; and nine evening students in Hawaii. The school fell short of its goals for contributions during the 2021–2022 fiscal year, and we trust God to provide for our needs moving forward.

Coinciding with the multiplication of Bethlehem’s three campuses into distinct churches by February 1, 2023, Bethlehem Baptist Church and The North Church will share responsibility as governing churches for the school. Among the school’s 26 faculty members, nine are pastors or members of Bethlehem’s Downtown Campus, 10 are elders or members of the North Campus, four are pastors or members of Cities Church, others are invested at South Cities Church, Jubilee Community Church, and Northfield Community Church.

We continued to enhance our pastoral apprenticeship program under the leadership of Jon Hedger (Director of Seminary Discipleship). This year, apprentices have been deployed in meaningful ministry roles across Bethlehem’s three campuses and many local partner churches: All Peoples Church (Minneapolis), Cities Church (St. Paul), Eden Baptist Church (Burnsville), Emmaus Church (White Bear Lake), Meadow Creek Church (Andover), Living Hope Church (Maple Grove), Northwest Bible Church (St. Michael), Redeemer Bible Church (Minnetonka), and Vine Church Minneapolis.

The school also hosted two major conferences this year, thanks to the able efforts of Amy Rabon (Events Manager) and others. In February, we held the thirty-fourth annual Bethlehem Conference for Pastors on the theme “Gravity and Gladness in a Groaning World.” In September, we welcomed more than 500 attendees for Godward Life: A New Gathering for Serious Joy, with various workshops and plenary talks focused on God’s greatest pleasures.

Leadership

In February 2022, Dr. Joe Rigney was formally inaugurated as the second president of Bethlehem College and Seminary. The school also appointed several new trustees in 2022: Greg Morse (staff writer at Desiring God and elder of The Heights Church) and Jason Wredberg (lead pastor of Redeemer Bible Church). The trustees also elected Tom Lutz of Bethlehem Baptist Church as board chairman, succeeding Pastor Sam Crabtree in that role.

Faculty & Staff

We also appointed two new faculty members in 2022: Dr. Jonathan Hoglund, (Associate Professor of Theology and Global Studies) and Kenny Ortiz (Assistant Professor of History and Theology). Two other faculty members, Dr. Betsy Howard and Dr. Jonathon Woodyard, completed their PhD degrees in 2022.

The school’s faculty members were active in ministry and published multiple books this year:

• John Piper, What Is Saving Faith?

• Andy Naselli, Romans: A Concise Guide; and Tracing the Argument of Romans

• Brian Tabb, Five Views of Christ in the Old Testament (co-editor)

• David Mathis, Workers for Your Joy

Multiple professors also engaged in international ministry by teaching courses and speaking at conferences in China, England, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

Bethlehem College and Seminary was once again certified as a Best Christian Workplace in 2022 (as in 2017, 2019, and 2021). This year, our employee engagement score of 4.44 (out of 5) placed the school in the top 10% nationally in our sector as a “flourishing” institution.

Students & Graduates

In May 2022, the school launched 40 graduating students in our college, seminary, and evening programs; in August, we welcomed 71 new degree-seeking students, along with 10 special students. Over the past year, 292 students took classes for academic credit at the school’s main campus and extension sites in Cameroon, Hawaii, and Memphis. Students at our Minneapolis campus come from 37 states, and we have 16 international students from 11 countries: Canada, China, Dominican Republic, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Nigeria, Singapore, and Taiwan. These students have been actively involved in the life and ministry of Bethlehem Baptist Church’s three campuses and other partner churches in the Twin Cities.

Conclusion

At Bethlehem College and Seminary’s staff retreat and weekly prayer meetings, President Rigney has encouraged us to depend on the Lord in all our work and “mine the returns” as we see him supply our needs and answer our petitions. So we give thanks to God for many kindnesses, including a fruitful, flourishing faculty and staff team; strategic partnership with Bethlehem Baptist Church and other like-minded churches; the gift of remarkable seminary students being equipped to shepherd God’s people with biblical clarity and Christ-exalting affection; college & evening program students being prepared to witness for Christ with wisdom and wonder; and two major conferences that encouraged the saints and provided meaningful connections with alumni and prospective students.

We ask the Lord to continue to satisfy us with his steadfast love and establish the work of our hands in the years to come.

Brian Tabb

Elder; Academic Dean & Professor of Biblical Studies, Bethlehem College and Seminary

Reid Jilek CAMPUS OUTREACH

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.—John 20:30–31

The Gospel of John is my favorite gospel account. This was one of the first books of the Bible I studied after becoming a Christian. I have often wondered, “What were all the other signs Jesus did that John did not record?” We don’t know for sure, although the synoptic gospels give us a few more miracles that John doesn’t record. But one thing John does is he tells us why he includes what he does in his gospel account. That you may believe! John wrote everything he did with one point in mind— that you may understand who Jesus is and believe.

As I have thought about ministry on the college campus, this is what we are after. This is what we want for students—that they may believe. Whenever we interact with students, this is our sole aim and purpose—that they may believe. This is our heartbeat, our main focus. We want students to treasure Christ above everything else. We want to help students build a foundation of Christ in their life. When we are in the cafeteria, or in a dorm room, or in the gym, we are trying to help students believe.

I often tell people we get a front-row seat to watching God work in students’ lives.

Join us in praying that students believe in Jesus.

Join us in asking God for students to put their hope and trust in Christ.

Join us in praying for students to build their lives around the good news of the gospel.

Read the full Campus Outreach 2022 report online at cominneapolis.org.

Reid Jilek Regional Director for Campus Outreach Minneapolis

Steve Walmsley

FINANCIAL SECRETARY: CONTRIBUTIONS

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.—Philippians 4:19–20

We look back on 2022 with thankfulness to our Lord. He is faithful to his promises in supplying every need of ours for ministry at Bethlehem. Many followed the Spirit’s leading to be a means of God’s grace to Bethlehem through their prayers, financial gifts, and other practical offerings from what God has supplied. Bethlehem was equipped to minister the gospel to many!

Bethlehem also saw a year of significant change with the Multiply launching of the South Campus to become an independent church plant, South Cities Church, on December 1, which also meant that their donations began supporting their own church as of that date. We also anticipate the launch of the North Campus to become The North Church on February 1, 2023.

Contributions toward Bethlehem’s “Fill These Cities: 25 x ’25” general operating budget fund in 2022 totaled $8,525,395. This total is 9.8% below our 2022 congregationally-approved budget of $9,450,000 and a 7.7% decrease from 2021 budget contributions (which totaled $9,234,510). In addition to budget fund giving in 2022, special designated gifts of $102,966 were given toward the “Funding the Filling” mortgage reduction fund and were applied against our mortgage balance, along with 7.5% of the budget going to mortgage payments. The “Fill These Cities: 25 x ’25” initiative is finding its conclusion with the launch of the South and North churches, but for 2022 our general budget fund giving was synonymous with and included funding for the “25 x ’25” initiatives.

The COVID-19 protocols were largely lifted in 2022, but COVID’s impact continues to be felt as there remain some in Bethlehem’s congregation who are cautious about large-group meetings and others who are not yet returning to regularly meeting together for church services. The online giving percentage continued to be high, with 64% of all contribution dollars coming in through our giving portal via Bethlehem’s website, Bethlehem’s mobile app,

and text-giving options. Setting up recurring giving schedules via the online portal is a helpful way for donors to remove the weekly or monthly check-writing process from their schedule when they anticipate a regular, recurring amount to be given. Online donors are also encouraged to contribute via their bank account (ACH) rather than credit card to assist in reducing Bethlehem’s electronic transaction fees, as well as to avoid potentially incurring personal financing charges against their credit card’s balance.

In 2022, a total of 3,826 families, individuals, and organizations gave recorded contributions to the general budget, short-term ministry programs, Campus Outreach, and other ministries of the church. This number includes 1,725 donors from 1,583 families contributing to the general budget fund.

Remembering God’s personal provision in 2022, join us in praying for him to bless Bethlehem’s ministries this coming year, and consider how you can take part financially to serve others, near and far, for the glory of his great Name. Join us also in praying the Father’s blessing upon South Cities Church and The North Church, for the glory of his Name.

Steve Walmsley Financial Secretary

Bryan Rohde

CHURCH TREASURER: BUDGET, INCOME & EXPENSES

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.—Philippians 4:19–20

The year 2022 was a financial challenge for Bethlehem as the ongoing effects of decreased membership and broader economic concerns were seen in the form of decreased giving compared to the budget and prior year. As a result, Bethlehem operated at a significant deficit for much of the year. And yet in these challenges, God showed his provision and faithfulness through the congregation’s abundant generosity at year end. December 2022 contributions from Downtown and North campuses exceeded the December all-church giving from the prior year (i.e., giving from three campuses in 2021), which allowed for Bethlehem to cover 98% of ministry expenses and begin replenishing operating reserves in advance of the North Campus transition on February 1, 2023.

2022 Highlights

• Total giving in 2022 was $8,531K. The budget was set at $9,450K, but actual spending was $8,705K as the staff managed expenses to be below budget.

• Contributions were down $704K (7.6%) from the prior year. Giving in December was $1.67M (from Downtown and North), which exceeded giving from December 2021 (all-church giving).

• Net deficit at year end was $174K (2.0%).

• Outstanding external debt was $4,606K, which reflects the debt allocation of $2.28M to South Cities Church as part of the December 1 transition.

• No outstanding debt on the line of credit.

• Total cash for all funds was $1,879K at year end.

In 2022, the regional CPA firm Clifton Larson Allen commenced an audit of our 2021 financial statements. Their audit report is available upon request. With the work required for the South and North transitions, unaudited financial reporting for 2022 will be available in the coming weeks.

Bethlehem Baptist Church 2022 Operating Fund (unaudited)

Bethlehem Baptist Church

2022 Net Assets, Cash & Loans (unaudited)

Bobby Ratliff

CHURCH CLERK: CHURCH BUSINESS RECORD

On that night the king could not sleep. And he gave orders to bring the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. Esther 6:1

The congregation of Bethlehem Baptist Church held all-church and campus-specific meetings in 2022.

All-Church Meetings

• January 30, Quarterly Strategy Meeting

• April 24, Quarterly Strategy Meeting

• July 31, Quarterly Strategy Meeting

• October 16, Quarterly Strategy Meeting

• December 18, Annual Business Meeting

Campus-Specific Meetings

Downtown

• January 16

• April 24

• June 26

• July 31

• September 25

• December 18

North

• April 24

• July 31

• December 18

South

• January 30

• April 24

• July 31

• October 16

The outcomes of these meetings are summarized by topic:

Officers, Elders, Deacons, and Ministers

• On January 16, the congregation called Glen Bloomstrom as a non-staff Downtown elder for a three-year term. In addition, the congregation called Marty & Cheryl Lonski as deacons for a three-year term.

• On April 24, the congregation called Sam Helberg and Bob Horning as South elders for a three-year term.

• On July 31, the congregation approved a position change for Brad Nelson as Pastor for Global Outreach, Downtown. In addition, the congregation approved a position change for David Livingston as Pastor for Global Outreach, South. (For both changes, roles transitioned from “all church” to campus specific.)

• On December 18, the congregation approved the following all-church positions: Steve Walmsley as Financial Secretary, and Bryan Rohde as both a Deacon and as Treasurer, and Bobby Ratliff as Church Clerk. In addition, the congregation approved Joe Krekelberg as Deacon and Joby Morgan as Deacon.

• On December 18, the congregation reaffirmed René González and Chuck Steddom as Downtown elders for a three-year term. In addition, the congregation called Mike Lane as an elder for a three-year term.

• On December 18, the congregation reaffirmed Steven Lee, Aaron Rothermel, and Kurt Elting-Ballard as elders for a three-year term.

Budget

On January 30, the congregation approved the elder-recommended budget of $9.45 million.

Mortgage Updates

Mortgage for North Campus

• $603K principal balance, as of 9/30/22

• Reduced by $301K YTD

Mortgage for South Campus

• $6.31M principal balance, as of 9/30/22

• Reduced by $147K YTD

Church Membership

At the end of 2022, the membership roll stood at 1,937.

Other Business

At the All-Church Quarterly Strategy Meeting on October 16, the congregation approved the following motion to separate our campuses into three distinct churches: The membership authorizes the Elders of the Church to take all actions necessary related to the separation of the Church and the creation of three separate and distinct churches.

bethlehem.church

Bethlehem Baptist Church 720 13 th Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55415

The North Church 5151 Program Avenue Mounds View, MN 55112

South Cities Church 20700 Kenrick Avenue Lakeville, MN 55044