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 May speaker is Pamela Wu, Cupertino City Manager. She will share information about the city as well as current and future developments.

For over 20 years, Sacred Heart Community Service has been offering layette kits to families who are either expecting a baby or have a newborn. Bethel is continuing its participation by holding a collection drive for 4 Sundays starting May 5. Donate one or more Sundays as you feel able. Read the details or contact Mark Evashenk for more information.

Out ‘n About invites you to enjoy a cruise off the Santa Cruz shoreline in Monterey Bay on Saturday, May 18. Read the details, sign up and join us!

Next up is a Monterey “Make Your Own Adventure” on June 22. Read the details.

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.

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.

We are thrilled to announce that Bethel raised close to $10K for our Bethel Farm project during Lent!

ELCA Good Gifts will receive our “order form” for:

• 20 chickens
• 8 roosters
• 8 goats
• 8 piglets
• 2 cows
• 3 fish farms
• 13 honeybees
• 2 safe water wells
• 6 water filters
• 4 irrigation projects
• 2 latrines
• 5 microloans for women's businesses
• 12 fruit tree seedlings
• 1 community vegetable garden
• 2 sets of gardening tools and seeds

— a grand total of $9,895 changing lives where it is needed most. Thank you so much for your generosity!

On Apr 14, as part of Earth Day, Hella Bluhm-Stieber led a crew to clean up Calabazas Creek between Bollinger Rd. and Blaney Ave. They collected: 124 pounds of trash including glass, 2 pounds of recyclables and 80 pounds of metal scrap (a shopping cart, wheel, etc.). They were a small but mighty crew! Click a photo to see a larger view.

Thanks to Hella for the photos.

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.

Be sure to check out Bethel’s new Annual Report. Thanks to Mary Deutscher for editing and publishing it.

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.