Saginaw's Lutheran Church with a School on the Same Campus
On the corner of Weiss and Hermansau Streets in Saginaw, Michigan, Bethlehem Lutheran Church and Bethlehem Lutheran School share one campus and a single calling. The congregation belongs to the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, and its vision is stated simply: Changing Lives Through Christ. Its mission follows just as plainly: Sharing Christ's Love and Caring for All People. What makes Bethlehem distinctive is the way church and school have grown up together. A school on Hermansau began as an offshoot of Holy Cross School in 1865, and the congregation was officially organized as The German Evangelical Lutheran Bethlehem Congregation of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession of Northern Saginaw, Michigan in 1914. More than a century later, the school still spans preschool through eighth grade, the sanctuary still hosts two distinct Sunday services, and the campus still gathers neighbors for food, fellowship, and faith.
Two Services, One Communion, One Family
Bethlehem offers two Sunday services designed to share the same Lutheran gospel in different idioms. A Contemporary Service begins at 9:00 AM and is led by the church's worship band. It uses everyday language, prayers, Scripture reading, Holy Communion, and participatory elements meant to engage everyone present. Children ages PreK through 4th grade are dismissed from this service for Sunday school after the children's message, usually around 9:20 or 9:30, and parents can pick them up from the lower level right after the service ends.
At 10:30 AM, the Traditional Service unfolds as a service of high liturgy. The pipe organ and the senior choir lead the singing of hymns both ancient and modern, and the congregation participates in the spoken and sung liturgy of the historic church. Scripture, prayer, and the sacrament of Holy Communion are part of every service.
Communion is celebrated on the first and third Sundays of the month. All members of LCMS congregations are warmly invited to partake. Anyone who is not yet an LCMS member but would like to commune is encouraged to talk with a pastor or elder first about what communion means in this tradition. Children and visitors who are not communing are invited to come forward for a blessing by crossing their arms over their chest.
Bethlehem also livestreams its services through its YouTube channel, and past services remain available online. A Facebook page and an Instagram account keep members connected throughout the week.
What a First-Time Visitor Should Know
Visitors are greeted at a Welcome Center table in the narthex where they can pick up a free gift and learn more about Bethlehem. Because God looks at the heart, attendees are welcome to wear whatever they feel at home in. Two parking lots serve the campus - one off Weiss Street and one off Hermansau Street - and handicap parking plus an entrance ramp to the sanctuary are available from the Hermansau side.
For families with very young children, Quiet Bags filled with books, coloring books, stickers, and quiet toys are available in the narthex for ages one through seven. A Cry Room in the back corner of the sanctuary includes a diaper changing room with a Koala Kare station, spare diapers, a First Aid Station, soft chairs, and a volume knob so parents can participate in the service while caring for little ones.
Over a Century on Weiss Street
Bethlehem's story begins long before its charter. A school on Hermansau started as an offshoot of Holy Cross School in 1865, and worship services began in that school in 1889. The Bethlehem congregation was officially established in 1914, and its first church building was completed in 1915. The first pastor, Rev. Andrew Zeile, accepted the call that same year.
The school grew alongside the church. A school building on the corner of Oak and Schaefer Streets opened in 1924. By 1959, the school had grown enough to require a new building, and in 1960 the congregation completed its transition from German language services to English. In 1965, Bethlehem helped plant Messiah Church of Carrollton, and earlier in 1940 it had partnered with Holy Cross to plant Peace Church.
A new church building was constructed in 1980 to accommodate the growing family, and 1985 saw the first annual performance of the Boar's Head Festival, a dramatic and musical retelling of the Christmas story that became a beloved tradition for the wider Saginaw community. The festival is temporarily suspended as Bethlehem searches for new leaders and volunteers, but the stained glass and chapel windows remain part of the sanctuary's heritage.
Rev. Charles Buckhahn accepted the call to Bethlehem in 1994. The church celebrated being debt-free with a mortgage burning in 2001, and the same year welcomed Rev. Michael Korte as administrative pastor. The Contemporary Service was added in 2005, and in 2014 Bethlehem marked its 100th anniversary.
The congregation's current leadership is in an intentional interim season. Pastor Gary Bender serves as Intentional Interim Pastor. He previously pastored St. Lorenz in Frankenmuth before retiring in 2016, then served as an interim pastor at churches in Michigan and Ohio. In 2026, he celebrated 50 years in pastoral ministry. He is assisted by Jacob Webster, Parish Worship Arts Director, and George Frank, Minister of Music, who has served Bethlehem since 1974 and continues as choir director and primary organist for the Traditional Service.
Bethlehem Lutheran School: PreK Through Eighth Grade
The school shares the church campus and welcomes students of any race, national, or ethnic origin to all of its programs. Bethlehem describes itself as a school with highly qualified Christian educators, a challenging curriculum, small class sizes, affordable tuition, a biblical worldview, innovative technology, a family atmosphere, individualized instruction, and interactive chapels.
The school day runs from 7:35 AM to 3:00 PM, with early dismissal at 11:30 AM, and the office is open from 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM Monday through Friday. Each week begins with chapel, where all PreK-8 students gather in the sanctuary for singing, prayer, and a short message. Chapels follow a yearly theme drawn from Scripture, and the current theme invites students to Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength, in response to God's saving love in Jesus.
Students enjoy weekly specials in art, music, and technology, and a rotating menu of after-school clubs has included Tech Club, Sewing Club, Lego Club, Archery Club, Baking Club, Ukulele Club, Christ Through Crafts, and Ag in the Classroom Club. An athletic program for 4th through 8th graders offers girls' volleyball, A, B, and C basketball, soccer, and track. The teams are called the Chargers.
The faculty is led by Principal Brenda Wilson, a Saginaw native who taught kindergarten at Bethlehem for more than a decade before becoming principal in 2020. She holds a degree from Saginaw Valley State University and completed the Lutheran Teacher Colloquy Program at Concordia University, Ann Arbor.
Little Stars Preschool and GSRP
Bethlehem's preschool programs are housed at Little Stars Early Learning Center, with the preschool administrator, Lisa May, overseeing them. The preschool serves three- and four-year-old students through a Half Day Preschool (8:00-11:15 AM, three or five days a week), a Full Day Preschool 2.0 (8:00 AM-3:00 PM, three or five days a week), and the state-funded Great Start Readiness Program, or GSRP.
The Half Day Preschool introduces three-year-olds to school routines, letter recognition, phonemic awareness, and hands-on math while teaching the foundational story of Jesus. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, four-year-olds focus on Kindergarten readiness, sight words, phonics, and STEM challenges. The Full Day Preschool adds a hot lunch, an afternoon rest, and small group learning games.
GSRP is a tuition-free state program for four-year-olds who meet household income guidelines. Classes run Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8:00 AM to 2:30 PM, and Wednesday from 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM, with an optional Jesus Time extension to 3:00 PM each day and additional Jesus Time on Wednesday mornings. Optional childcare is available from 3:00 to 4:30 PM for a small daily fee.
Children, Youth, and Family Life
Sunday school runs from Labor Day through Memorial Day. Children ages PreK through 4th grade are dismissed from the 9:00 AM service after the children's message. Lessons include games, crafts, and other activities designed to help kids engage with God's Word. Families who prefer to keep children in the sanctuary can pick up Quiet Bags, and the Cry Room remains available for nursing parents and small children.
The youth ministry serves 6th through 12th graders and meets during the school year for activities, devotionals, and Bible study. The group also participates in service events, Christian concerts, summer trips, and retreats. A PULSE youth ministry offers its own rhythm of gatherings.
Each summer, Bethlehem hosts Vacation Bible School for children in preschool through fifth grade and their parents. The program runs four evenings with crafts, games, music, and a meal, and families register online in advance.
Caring for the Neighborhood and Beyond
Caring for All People is not just a phrase on Bethlehem's mission statement. The food pantry opens on the third Tuesday of each month from 10:00 to 11:00 AM as a drive-up service. Visitors pull up to the church doors from the Weiss Street lot and receive groceries by bringing a form of identification. No appointment is necessary.
Bethlehem is also home to a Lutheran Braille Workers Center, where volunteers print Braille Bibles in several languages for use around the world. The Braille group meets weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 to 11:30 AM.
Stephen Ministry provides free, confidential, one-on-one Christ-centered care to people facing difficult seasons, including illness, grief, broken relationships, and everyday wear. Trained Stephen Ministers are assigned to walk alongside care receivers over time, and the program is coordinated locally by Bill Wuerfel.
BLEST, or Bethlehem Ladies Enjoying Service Together, gathers on the third Thursday of each month at 1:00 PM for service projects that include arts and crafts, knitting, crocheting, embroidery, tying knots on World Relief quilts, and sewing strips of material together for rugs. A funeral luncheon volunteer group assists Bethlehem families with food and hospitality in times of loss. Homebound members are visited with cards, pastoral calls, private communion, and visits from fellow members.
A Mothers of Preschoolers program, or MOPS, has historically gathered on the second and fourth Mondays of each month during the school year from 6:00 to 8:00 PM for moms of children from infancy through 5th grade. The program is currently suspended due to a lack of volunteers, but the church is actively looking for leaders willing to relaunch MOPS, MOMSnext, or Teen MOPS.
Small Groups and Bible Study for Adults
Bethlehem offers a wide menu of adult Bible studies throughout the week. A Sunday Morning Bible Study meets every Sunday during the school year from 9:15 to 10:15 AM in the lower level. The Ladies Tuesday Morning Bible Study meets from 9:30 to 10:30 AM in the David Room, and the Men's Friday Morning Bible Study meets via Zoom from 6:15 to 7:15 AM. On the second Saturday of each month, the Bacon Boys gather at 7:30 AM for a hearty breakfast, fellowship, Bible study, and prayer.
For newcomers seeking a place to start, the church's Resource Center holds a lending library of Christian fiction, non-fiction, DVDs, magazines, Bibles, and Bible studies for all ages. Visitors may also fill out a Connect with Pastor form online to ask about membership, baptism, confirmation, or simply to learn more about the Christian faith.
Short-Term Missions to Rural Alaska
Since 2008, Bethlehem has sent short-term mission teams to rural Alaska. While there, teams conduct Vacation Bible School, a Women's Bible Study, a Men's Bible Study, a Youth Bible Study, and a village picnic. The sending church supports the mission in prayer and by providing supplies, food, shipping expenses, and blankets. Bethlehem now partners with other churches to send joint teams, and the trip is open to anyone willing to go.
What Bethlehem Believes
Bethlehem is a distinctly Lutheran congregation. Its teaching centers on the confession that Christians are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, as shown in Scripture alone. The congregation celebrates the Lord's Supper as the true body and blood of Jesus Christ given for the forgiveness of all sins, and rejoices in the baptism of people of all ages as a welcome into the family of God.
Members are encouraged to share in the Lord's ministry through regular giving. Gifts may be mailed to the church office, given online through Tithe.ly, sent by text to 833-417-6255, or arranged automatically through the previous Vanco system. Online giving, automatic withdrawals, and the livestream are all part of the church's effort to make disciples of every neighbor, near and far.