WHO WE ARE
At Bethlehem, we are all family. Like any family, we have our own unique traditions and values. Above all else, we're all about Jesus! Bethlehem Church is distinctly Lutheran. Translation - we believe we are saved:
1. By grace alone
2. Through faith alone
3. In Jesus Christ alone
4. As shown to us in Scripture alone
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As Lutherans, we also remember and value the historic practices of the Christian Church. While technology and styles change, God's truth for us does not. We intentionally craft all our worship services to meet universal, timeless spiritual needs. We come before the Lord with singing! Whether thru an old or new song, we praise the Lord, give thanks for His goodness, acknowledge His power and our weaknesses, and we encourage one another to greater faith. We admit our sins to the Lord and to each other thru confession. We receive God’s forgiveness as our pastors grant us absolution (John 20:23). We show solidarity with the Christian Church around the world and throughout time in the speaking of creeds and the Lord’s Prayer. We spend time in God’s Word, and our pastors help us interpret and apply Scripture to our everyday lives. We spend time in prayer, paying attention that we “rejoice with those who rejoice” and “mourn with those who mourn.” (Rom. 12:15)
We also celebrate the Lord’s Supper remembering that it is truly the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ given for the forgiveness of all our sins. We rejoice in the baptism of people of all ages and gladly welcome them into the family of God.
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For more info on what we believe, check out the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.
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Our Vision: Changing Lives Through Christ
Our Mission: Sharing Christ’s Love & Caring for All People
What to Expect
Our mission at Bethlehem is "Sharing Christ's love and caring for all people." That means you! All are welcome to join us for worship. Many churches say "Come as you are," but we really mean it! Since God looks at the heart, please feel free to wear whatever you're 'at-home' in. For visitors, we encourage you to swing by our Welcome Center to receive a free gift and learn more about Bethlehem.
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We have several different worship service options at Bethlehem:
Sunday
Contemporary Service - We gather at 9:00 am to worship the Lord through a mix of song, prayer, Bible reading, preaching, and sacrament (communion and baptism). This service uses modern music (led by our praise band), every-day language, and participatory elements to actively engage all attenders. During the school year, our children's Bible school, Children to Christ (C2C) meets during our 9 am service. For more info on C2C, click here. - C2C temporarily suspended due to COVID-19
Traditional Service - We gather at 10:30 am to join together in worship through our service of high liturgy. Our talented music director, George Frank, plays the organ and directs our senior choir. Together we join in singing hymns ancient and modern, and we participate in the spoken and sung liturgy of the historic church. Our liturgy includes Scripture, prayer, and the service of the sacrament (communion).
Monday - currently suspended
At 7:00 pm, we conduct another abridged traditional service. We understand that it isn't always possible to attend a worship service on Sunday morning. Whatever your reason, we encourage you to join us in worship on Monday nights.
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Parking & Church Access
We have parking lots off of Hermansau St. and Weiss St. Handicap parking and an entrance ramp to our sanctuary are available from the Hermansau St. side.
About Communion
If you hang around Bethlehem for any amount of time, you'll notice that we celebrate communion regularly. That's because we're a member church of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS), and we value communion. All members of LCMS churches are encouraged to join us in communion. For those of you who'd like to take communion but aren't yet members of the LCMS, one of our pastors or elders would love to discuss with you what communion means to us. We invite all to come up to receive a blessing; just indicate that you are not communing by crossing your arms over your chest.
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We celebrate the Lord's supper at services on the first and third Sundays (Mondays) of the month.
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For detailed information about what the LCMS believes about communion, click here.
meet our staff
Rev. Michael Korte, Senior Pastor
989.755.1144x102
Pastor Korte was called to Bethlehem in 2001. He is married to Cindy, and they have three children: Grace, Matthew, and Faith.
Pastor is a 1986 graduate of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana
In his spare time, you can catch him riding his bike for 50-100 miles.
Alex Holcomb,
Worship Arts Leader
989.755.1144x107
Alex is a native Michigander, born and raised in Saginaw. Growing up, he enjoyed singing and playing the piano.
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Alex graduated from Cedarville University with degrees in Worship Arts and Spanish.
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Alex enjoys hunting, fishing, hiking, and many other outdoor activities. If he's indoors, you may find him reading or writing.
Trevor Henry, Buisness Manager
989.755.1144x108
Trevor became Business Manager in October 2017. He assists the church and school with facilities management and improvements and with finances.
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He enjoys spending time with his wife, April and daughter, Katie. In his spare time he enjoys going for long bike rides with the hope of someday catching up to Pastor Korte.
Paul Evans
Marketing and Communications
989.755.1144x105
I married my wonderful wife Laura in 2017. Together, we have three cats, Willow, Cheeto & Apollo. My wife and I love to travel.
I am so honored to be
joining this team and I look forward to what God has planned for me in the Future.
Andy Cox
Church & School Maintenance
over 100 years of worship
1865
School on Hermansau begins as an offshoot of Holy Cross School
1889
First worship services are held in the school
1914
Bethlehem Church is officially established under the name “The German Evangelical Lutheran Bethlehem Congregation of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession of Northern Saginaw, Michigan”
1915
Construction of Bethlehem’s first church is completed
1915
First pastor, Rev. Andrew Zeile accepts thecall to pastor Bethlehem
1924
Bethlehem School is built on the corner of Oak St. and Schaefer St
1940
Holy Cross and Bethlehem plant Peace Church
1959
With the sizeable growth of the school, a new building is built
1960
The transition from German language services to English is completed
1965
Bethlehem Church plants Messiah Church of Carrollton
1980
A new church building is built to accommodate our growing church family
1985
First annual performance of the Boar’s Head Festival
1994
Bethlehem calls current associate pastor, Rev. Charles Buckhahn
2001
Bethlehem celebrates being debt-free with mortgage burning
2001
Bethlehem calls current administrative pastor, Rev. Michael Korte
2005
Bethlehem begins contemporary worship service
2014
Bethlehem celebrates its 100 year anniversary
For information on our stained glass windows and our chapel, please see the attached pamphlet.