Bethlehem Lutheran Church ELCA

09/11/2026

God, it's been twenty-five years, and some of us can still tell you exactly where we were standing that morning. Others of us weren't even born yet, but we grew up hearing about it so often it almost feels like our own memory.

We're still grieving the people we lost that day. So many of them just went to work like it was any other Tuesday.

And we're truly grateful for everyone who ran toward the danger instead of away from it. The ones who did it then, and the ones who still do it now, every single day.

We miss how it felt to be on the same side as everyone else for a while. We don't totally understand where that went, and we wish you'd help us find our way back to it.

It's hard to sit with the fact that terrorism didn't end that day. People are still living through it right now, somewhere, and we haven't forgotten them either.

Twenty-five years is long enough that the pain has changed. It doesn't feel the same as it did. Thank you for that mercy, even when it's slow.

And through all of it — you never left. Not that day, not any day since. Amen.

09/10/2026

Remember When...: What does this mean?..it changed us.

Once you've been forgiven something you could never pay back, what happens next? This week, the series lands: not on what we owe God, but on what happens in us once the debt is gone for good.

Come and worship with us on Saturdays at 5 pm and Sundays at 9 am. Kids ages 3-10 are welcome in our Sunday school program, Blast Off Kids, at 9 am on Sundays. You can also watch the Sunday service on YouTube at blcin.com/worship

09/10/2026

Bye, Bye, Bye

One of the trees the August 11 derecho knocked down is officially out of here — with a huge assist from the volunteers of World Renew Disaster Response Services, who came out to help Bethlehem Lutheran Church with storm cleanup we couldn't have done on our own.

Grateful for hands that show up when the work is hard.

09/10/2026

We want to take a moment and give a huge THANK YOU to the folks from World Renew Disaster Response Services. We were connected with them through Southern Baptist Disaster Response, and they removed all the large trees that fell on the property during the August 11 derecho.

For a church of our size, this is an amazing gift and we are ever so grateful.

This is truly what it looks like when the body of Christ works together.

09/06/2026

How about that?! Austin Peterson is part of our Bethlehem Lutheran church family, and he just made his MLB debut for the Cleveland Guardians in front of 30,000 fans — what a debut it was: 2 innings pitched, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts! Video below shows his very first big-league strikeout.

Congratulations, Austin, and congratulations to his parents, Audra and Scott Peterson, and the rest of the Peterson family — your church family is so proud of you and we're continuing to pray for you every step of the way!

Austin Peterson strikes out Hao-Yu Lee and the call is confirmed after an ABS Challenge for his first career strikeout

09/03/2026

Some things feel too big to forgive. Some people feel too far gone to reach. Jesus disagrees — and hands that same power to forgive to all of us. This week: why grace isn't fair, and why that's the best news you'll hear all week.

Hear the news with us on Saturday at 5 pm and Sunday at 9 am. Our Sunday morning worship is also live-streamed via Bethlehem's YouTube channel Find worship information at blcin.com/worship

09/01/2026

September's issue of The Beacon can be found at blcin.com/the-beacon/

09/01/2026

We are so excited to share that Santa Delivers All Year Round’s Harvest to Hollies Gala is happening October 17th — and we’re honored to be their venue!

After the storms hit NWI so hard, they’re gearing up to make Christmas happen for even more families this year. Check out their post below for how you can help. 👇

Harvest to Hollies GalaGrowing Hope from Harvest to HollyJoin Santa Delivers AYR for an unforgettable evening of elegance, entertainment, and community impact…

08/27/2026

Sermon Series - Remember When...
This Week - "...Love Won"

Grace sounds too good to be true — like there has to be a catch somewhere. This week we ask the question most of us carry without saying out loud: does God's love come with strings attached? Spoiler: no.

Come worship with us on Saturdays at 5 pm and Sundays at 9 am. The Sunday service is live-streamed on our YouTube channel. More information available at

Remember When… …Love Won A lot of us carry a quiet assumption about God’s love: that it’s free, sure, but there’s probably a catch somewhere — some choice we have to make, some box we have to check, some way we have to earn our way in. This week we hold that assumption up to the light an...

08/25/2026

Stop looking for the 'reason' behind your suffering. Jesus didn't come to explain pain away—He came to enter into it with us and offer grace that never runs out.