Bethlehem Lutheran Church

God is ‘moving and shaking' in and through our lives, sometimes even in spite of us!

As a recipient of financial assistance from the Bethlehem Foundation through the Adopt-A-Seminarian program at Luther Seminary, I was asked to share a little about myself and how it is that I find myself at Luther Seminary preparing to become a pastor.  I am delighted to do that for several reasons.  This provides me with a great way to say ‘thank you' for your generous giving that has enabled the Bethlehem Foundation to help me with the costs of tuition and books.  It is through this kind of giving that seminary is possible for me.  My husband, Jim, and I are so grateful for this gift!

Secondly, since you are helping to support my endeavor, I think it is important for you to know something about me and my journey to Luther Seminary. Jim and I, along with our three children, have been Bethlehem members for about four years.  During that time, my primary areas of involvement have been Small Group ministry, Moms' Ministry and the Zoom House.  In the spirit of honesty, I would have to say that the initial impetus for becoming more regular in our church attendance was that I felt it was important for our children to be raised in the faith.  That this meant I would also be a more regular churchgoer was secondary.   Over the course of a couple of years, I became increasingly interested in sorting through the many big faith questions I'd had for many years.  Despite having been raised Lutheran and even having a twin sister who is a pastor, I couldn't seem to swallow some of the key Christian concepts.  How on earth could I believe that God became man in Jesus? Could I really believe that Jesus was raised from the dead?

I found Bethlehem to be a place that met me exactly where I was in my faith.  Some key people were willing to take the time to become involved in my journey and to be in dialogue with me even as I questioned the beliefs that are central to what it means to be a Christian!  It was a couple of years ago at a conference that Bethlehem had given me the opportunity to attend where I had what I have come to call the "God attack!"  Each faith journey is unique and ongoing.  Mine includes the "God attack" which completely turned my life around and caused me to see the world in a radically new way. I haven't been the same since and I look forward to learning more about our gracious, persistent, and loving God, and in spending time with people sharing faith stories, walking in our faith journey together, and creatively living out our faith within our families and communities.  As I look back on my life, I see God's hand on me even when, at the time, I couldn't see it.  God is ‘moving and shaking' in and through our lives, sometimes even in spite of us!  One thing I most look forward to in ministry is helping people to see God's presence in the daily-ness of life and growing together in a life-giving relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Thanks for your support and prayers!

In Christ, Dawn Fuglestad