Get It, Read It, Love It! - News Hopper

The sanctuary at historic Bethlehem Lutheran Church in
rural Aitkin artfully displayed dozens of nativity sets at their
Nativity Tea.
A nativity out of dog fi gurines.
A nativity set from the collection of Galen Doub - the dolls
have human hair and hand-woven costumes in this nativity
set purchased in Grand Rapids.
The Red Hat Ladies at Bethlehem’s Nativity Tea.
Is Your Refrigerator Ready
for the Holidays?
Christmas Tea at Bethlehem
BY CONNIE PETTERSEN
On Dec. 15, a nativity
tea was held in Bethlehem
- that is, the historic
110 year-old Bethlehem
Lutheran Church
in Aitkin County, not the
Middle East’s town in
Israel. Amidst a kaleidoscope
of various Christmas
cookies, homemade
breads and teas served
on holiday glass plates,
the eye could also behold
the colorful Christmas
quilts in the fellowship
area sewn by the
women of Bethlehem
Lutheran Church.
Nativity sets were everywhere.
Not only did
they deck the fellowship
halls, but window
ledges and as table centerpieces.
In the sanctuary,
nativities were
artfully arranged across
This set came from the Ben
Franklin in Aitkin.
Linda Lueck holds a Christmas
nativity wreath made
from Christmas cards.
Call
Appliance Service
& Repair
Aitkin
218-927-2027
1-888-450-8845
the pews, nearly all from
the private collections of
two women of Bethlehem
Lutheran, Bev Midthun
and Linda Lueck.
They had plenty of help
arranging the displays
from Aitkin High School
art teacher Galen Doub,
who lent not only his
decorative talents, but at
least one of his nativity
sets as well.
Bev Midthun and Linda
Lueck began collecting
nativities many
years ago. Midthun has
some over 40 years old
from her travels abroad
with her husband Marv.
“I’d see a Nativity set
that I liked, and I’d buy
it,” said Midthun, who
hadn’t intended to start
a collection at fi rst. Then
it just kept building.
Linda Lueck and husband
Dale also spent
time overseas during his
military service years.
“For me, I couldn’t
decide at first which
Nativity set I wanted,”
said Linda Lueck, “so
for many years, I didn’t
NewsHopper TM December 22, 2007 7
Tea and fi nger sandwiches, assorted Christmas cookies
and other goodies were served on glass platters to visitors
attending Bethlehem Lutheran’s Nativity Tea.
have any.” Lueck said
she kept getting more
and more frustrated because
she didn’t have a
single nativity set. “Then
I fi nally found one that
I liked and bought it,
but the next time I went
shopping, I found another,
and before long,
it just grew.”
Lueck added that
some of her collection
is more traditional, others
are quite unique.
Then Lueck’s friends and
family added to the collections
over the years.
“My sister fi nds them at
• FREE Water Analysis
• Service All Brands
• Rent to Own
• Filters - Distillers
• Residential - Commercial
• Drinking Water Systems
• SAVES ON SALT & WATER
rummage sales,” Lueck
said, who also made a
fabric book “Follow the
Star” for Sunday School
and a wreath from old
Christmas cards.
Both women have way
more nativity sets than
they can possibly use to
decorate their homes.
The idea to share with
others began to germinate
as a festive way to
get people not only in a
Christmas mood with displays
of the true meaning
of the holiday season,
but to help pay off the
church’s parsonage.
1-877-326-9837
1551 College Road • Baxter
www. ecowater.com
Remove Your
Water Problems
• Water that Stains
• Hard Water
• Acid Water
• Iron Water
Your EcoWater dealer can perform in-home testing and has access to one
of the largest and best equipped water labs in the world. So whatever your water
problem, depend on your EcoWater dealer to � nd the solution!
Taste Good Water!
Visit the of� ce of the NewsHopper in Aitkin and quench
your thirst with a glass of FREE water!
(Compliments of the NewsHopper and Ecowater Systems.)