OUR CORE VALUES
Upcoming Events
7pm Maundy Thursday Service (Thu, Mar 28)
7pm Good Friday Worship Service (Fri, Mar 29)
6:30am Easter Sunrise Service (Sun, Mar 31)
8:45am Traditional Worship (Sun, Mar 31)
Easter Breakfast Youth Fundraiser (Sun, Mar 31)
Egg Hunt (Sun, Mar 31)
10:45am Contemporary Worship (Sun, Mar 31)
Wednesday Night Speaker Series (Wed, Apr 3)
Tanzania Trip - Dianne Stauffer (Sun, Apr 14)
Forum: Quilts & more Quilts! (Sun, Apr 21)
Readers Anonymous (Sun, Apr 21)
Bethel News
Palm Sunday
Sermon Theme for Mar 24:
Palm Sunday
Join us Sunday as we begin the Holy Week journey to the cross and beyond. After Sunday, you can find a recording of this message.
Bethel Farm Project, Lent to Easter
From now until Easter Sunday, Bethel is building a farm through the ELCA Good Gifts program. To contribute, please write a check/make a donation to Bethel and specify on the memo line what you would like to “purchase” for the Bethel Farm.
As our farm grows during Lent you can track our progress by watching the Bethel Farm display in the narthex! Below is a list of our goals for the farm. See this flyer for full details about how each of these items better the lives of so many communities and families in need. If you have any questions please contact the church office.
- Simple Water Well (1) $2,500 (or donate any portion)
- Clean Water Filter (5) $30 each
- Microloan for Women (5) $125 each
- Vegetable Garden (1) $200
- Garden Tools & Seeds (1) $50
- Fruit Tree Seedlings (10) $10 each
- Portion of Irrigation Project (4) $100 each
- Latrine (1) $150
- Fish Farm (1) $250
- Cow (3) $500 each
- Goat (5) $50 each
- Piglet (15) $30 each
- Honey Bees (10) $20 each
- Rooster (4) $15 each
- Chicks (25) $10 each
Sing Hallelujah, Mar 31
Bethel Lutheran Choir, 10181 Finch Avenue, Cupertino, extends an open invitation to join us in song Easter Sunday, during the Traditional Service at 8:45am. Come join us in singing Handel's Praise Ye the Lord and the Hallelujah Chorus. You can attend the first portion of our Thursday 7:30pm choir rehearsals, or download the tracks and practice on your own. (You may have to watch, or wait 10 seconds and skip, the ads in the rehearsal tracks.) Here's the Hallelujah Chorus:
- Public Domain Score
- Soprano rehearsal track
- Alto rehearsal track
- Tenor rehearsal track
- Bass rehearsal track
Watch this video invitation the choir made or listen to the singing announcement from the 8:45 worship service on March 3. Contact Melody for more information.
Easter Breakfast, Mar 31, 9am–11:30am
Please join us Easter Sunday morning between 9am and 11:30am for a delicious breakfast feast provided by our youth group. Once again, the main course will come from the amazing Waffle Amoré food truck and we will also be offering fruit salad, juices, fresh Starbuck’s coffee, tea, and milk. All proceeds will go to support our youth heading to the ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans as well as some amazing experiencing after. These will include the Whitney Plantation (run by descendants of former slaves), the MLK museum in Memphis, TN, and the Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham, AL.
This will be a treat as always. We look forward to seeing you there.
You can print your own placemat.
Easter Egg Hunt, Mar 31
All kids in 5th grade or younger are invited to join the fun at Bethel for the annual Easter Egg Hunt, Easter morning at 9:50am. No registration is required. Show up on the back playground area at 9:50 to line up and prepare to hunt. The hunt begins at 10am.
Wed Night Speaker Series, Apr 3
The Wednesday Night Speaker Series is back! Join us in the Fireside Room at 7pm on the first Wednesday of the month for special topics and guest speakers. Invite friends! Each session will end with a Q&A time and sweet and savory refreshments. Look for more info in your bulletin and e-news. Please let us know if you plan to attend … and invite friends!
Our April speaker is Sujatha Venkatraman, CEO of West Valley Community Services. She will share about the important work WVCS is doing in the community and how we can make an impact.
Sujatha Venkatraman is currently the executive director of West Valley Community Services. Sujatha has been with WVCS for sixteen years and has focused on ensuring our mission-driven programs and services impact our community. She has demonstrated a commitment to addressing complex social issues and working collaboratively with diverse stakeholders throughout her career. She has led the development and implementation of various initiatives to reduce food insecurity and prevent homelessness in our community. Sujatha has over 30 years of non-profit experience in program and policy development, strategic planning, and curriculum development. Previously, she was the Senior Family Development Specialist for the Little City Foundation and a Behavioral Specialist for the United Cerebral Palsy of Georgia/South Carolina. She has a Master in Humanistic Psychology from the University of West Georgia and an MSW from the Dehli School of Social Work.
West Valley Community Services is fighting poverty by providing critical food, housing assistance, and support services to low-income and homeless individuals and families in Cupertino, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Saratoga, and West San Jose. West Valley Community Services' comprehensive programs are offered under one roof and are free of charge to low-income and homeless families in the West Valley region of Santa Clara County. We also provide helpful information and referrals to our clients in collaboration with other human service agencies in the community.
Calabazas Creek Cleanup, Apr 14
As part of Earth Day, we will clean up Calabazas Creek between Bollinger Rd. and Blaney Ave. on Sunday, April 14, after church.
We will meet at 11:45 am in front of the church so that we can carpool to the cleanup site. If you want to meet directly at the cleanup place, please let Hella know.
Please wear old clothes, boots, and gloves, bring a grabber if you have one and some water to drink. Participants must wear closed toed shoes. Children need to be supervised by their parent or another adult at all times.
Everybody needs to follow the guidelines from the Water District.
Contact: Hella Bluhm-Stieber for more info and to sign up.
Diane Stauffer's Tanzania Trip, Apr 14
Learn more about Tanzania and hear about Dianne's recent trip, 9:50am in the Fireside Room.
Quilting for Beginners, Apr 21 & 28
Learn about quilting and help the Quilters by tying some quilts to prepare them to be shipped around the world. Stop by the Fireside Room on these two Sundays at 9:50am, and consider joining the Bethel Quilters. Contact Joann Weberg for more information.
SCUBA VBS, Jul 8–Jul 12
Bethel’s annual Vacation Bible School is July 8–12. This year’s theme is SCUBA—diving into friendship with God. Registration is now open! Read the details and register online. Traditional VBS is 9am–noon each day. SCUBA After Care from noon–5pm is provided for an additional cost. SCUBA VBS Sunday is July 14 at 11:45am. For more information please contact Amanda Laughlin.
Seeking San Jose Family Shelter Breakfast Volunteers!
The San Jose Family Shelter needs volunteers to cook or serve, on the follow Sundays next year:
- Feb 11
- Apr 14
- Jun 9
- Aug 11
- Oct 13
- Dec 8
Cooks are needed 5:30–7am
Servers are needed 6:45–8:15am
Contact for more info: Chris Ford.
Bethel Staff Zooms
Bethel Staff meet about once a month to record a brief presentation that you can view on our YouTube Channel. Look for the heading Bethel Staff Zooms.
What’s Been Happening
Winter Congregational Meeting, Feb 4
Elections were held at the Winter Congregational meeting. New positions are listed on the Staff page.
The Dorothy Meyer award was awarded (posthumously) to Anna Hoegel at the Congregational Meeting. The Dorothy Meyer Award is awarded yearly to a Bethel member that exhibits Christian ideals and principles in all aspects of their daily life and participates in many Bethel ministries and duties. Tom Hoegel will designate a $500 donation to a charity on behalf of Anna.
Annual Report, Feb 4
Be sure to check out Bethel’s new Annual Report. Thanks to Mary Deutscher for editing and publishing it.
Chili Cook-off, Jan 21
Bethel held the 2024 Annual Chili Cook Off on Jan 21. Congratulate the winners, Paul Baldwin (3rd), Rachel Sudarsanam (2nd) and Steve Emmert (1st). Click the image to see a larger version.
Wednesday Night Speaker, Dave Denny, Jan 10
On Wednesday Jan 10, the Wednesday Night Speaker Series hosted Dave Denny.
Dave read selected poems of hope and healing from his new book,
Angel of the Waters,
poems, and led a discussion on the role of creativity and imagination.
Out 'n About trip to Año Nuevo, Jan 6
(updated with group photo)
On Jan 6, Bethel's Out 'n About visited Año Nuevo State Park for a Guided Seal Walk. (Click a photo to see a larger view.)
COVID Recommendations updated Mar 7
As of Mar 7, Bethel has relaxed our COVID recommendations. Masks and/or vaccination are not required, except for one seating area in our sanctuary that is designated as requiring masks. We still encourage you to be vaccinated if possible and we fully support anyone who wants to come masked. Please read Tom’s letter for more detail.