Bethlehem
Lutheran Church is a family
Built on the Word of God
Focused
on
Jesus Christ
Empowered
by the Holy Spirit |
Better
Living Communities:
Thirty-five percent of the people in Hyde Park, located
in the greater St. Louis area, are under the age of 18
years; fifty percent of the households there have a yearly
income of $20,000 or less. One of the most critical needs
of the people in the community is housing.
The ministry of Bethlehem’s Better
Living Communities aims to recreate affordable housing
by remodeling homes in the neighborhood, and by supporting
the development of the six block radius around the church.
Bethlehem hopes this witness of love will give opportunity
to speak to unbelievers about the Lord who motivates involvement
in their lives. |
|
Gregory is young
man who never finished high school. He came to Bethlehem
in 6th grade; today he is 21 years old. Gregory was
into all kind of things—sexual immorality, drugs,
etc. He had an out of control temper that had him kicked
out of school after school. Many people said that he
would never amount to anything more than a street thug.
Through the guidance of several men from Bethlehem,
Gregory was involved in work programs at the church
and learned what it meant to be a reliable and faithful
employee. One of Bethlehem’s members, an electrical
contractor , took Gregory under his wing and taught
him how electricity worked. Gregory was able to get
into some construction trade schools.
Today, Gregory is doing rehab work on apartments. He
is also a leader at Bethlehem church, serving as
a teacher, a sound engineer, and is the producer/sound
director for Taking Jesus to the Streets.
Lorenzo came to Bethlehem
as a high school student. He was hanging with a bad
crowd and starting into some gang activities. Through
Bethlehem’s basketball program, he came to
the church and got serious about his life with Christ.
Ten years later, he is, today, married, a father of
four children, has a job with the state and ministers
to kids in Bethlehem’s basketball program. He
has also served as vice-president of the Bethlehem congregation. |
Taking Jesus to
the Streets: There are very few churches
in the Hyde Park area and many people who are living without
Jesus Christ.
In summer 2003, Bethlehem ventured into evangelistic street
ministry. For 17 nights, teams
of believers went into inner city streets to share the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. With joyful singing,
VBS projects and a message each evening, the teams held
VBS on the sidewalks of many neighborhoods and witnessed
to over 1,500 people.
 Taking
Jesus to the Streets is a great opportunity for other
congregations to partner with Bethlehem by providing workers,
materials and finances. |
