Bethel Lutheran Church
...that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith...

Reaching Out

Read about the 2008 Global Mission Dinner

Adult Mission to Mexico
Contact Tom Hoegel

Each fall, a group from Bethel travels to Tijuana, Mexico to join forces with Esperanza International, or "Hope", an organization that works to build houses, schools and centers for the local community. Bethel volunteers work side by side with low-income families and the Esperanza staff, mixing concrete, pouring tiles and beams, digging trenches, and a host of other challenging work. In the process, families learn the building process, which helps make their community more self-sufficient, and Bethel volunteers practice their Spanish, and touch the lives of our neighbors south of the border. These three days of work, laughter, growth and fun lead to changed lives on both sides of the border.
The youth trip coincides with spring break for those in high school, and the adult trip is scheduled for 3 to 4 days in the Sept./Oct. timeframe. Both flying and driving options are available. Contact Tom Hoegel for more information.

Quilters
Mondays except 09/01/08
This event is from 9:15 AM to 12:00 PM at Fireside Room All
Contact Ordetta Hovland

Each Monday morning, a group of dedicated women meet in the Fireside Room from 9:15am to 12pm to create beautiful quilts for Lutheran World Relief (LWR)[Offsite Link]. The quilts are distributed overseas by LWR to remote villages, refugee camps, hospitals, and disaster sites, wherever there are people in need. You can help by donating fabric and/or by helping with design, sewing, tying, etc. Contact Ordetta Hovland or Anna Hoegel via the office for more information. *Please note that we will not be meeting Dec. 12, 19, 26 or Jan. 2.*

The Lord's Pantry
Sundays
This event is from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Narthex
Contact Lois Brouillette

Lord's Pantry [Offsite Link] is a nonprofit, emergency food program located at 121 S. White Road in San Jose on the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church campus. They are an agency of Second Harvest Food Bank [Offsite Link], and provide groceries to families in need by referral. The Lord's Pantry accepts donations of food, and is looking for volunteers to help sort and bag food on a part-time basis. Each week Bethel members donate food, using the large donation bin in the narthex. Volunteers are needed to transport these non-perishable items to the Lord's Pantry each Monday morning. To sort and bag food at the Lord's Pantry, contact Martha Perez via the Church Office. To help deliver food from Bethel to the Lord's Pantry, contact Lois Brouillette.

First Immanuel Clothes Closet
Sundays
This event is from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Narthex
Contact Lois Brouillette

Bethel is now partnered with First Immanuel Lutheran Church in San Jose to provide clothing for low-income families. First Immanuel's Community Outreach Ministry Endeavor, or "C.O.M.E.", serves food and clothing to over 20,000 people annually. To donate, please bring your items in plastic or paper bags to the narthex, and mark "C.O.M.E." For more info., contact Lois Brouillette at 252-2881 or lois_brouillette@msn.com.

Women of Wednesday
Wednesdays starting September 10 until June 3 except 11/26/08, 12/24/08, 12/31/08, 02/18/09, 04/15/09
This event is from 9:45 AM to 11:30 AM at Nursery

Global Mission Dinner (Sun, May 3, 2009)
Sunday, May 3
This event is from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM at Torvend Hall
Contact Pastor Rick Sherrill

Dinner event with live and silent auctions and raffles to benefit our mission projects in Mexico and Tanzania

Bread for the World
Contact Jackie Jones

Bread for the World[Offsite Link] is a nonpartisan citizen's movement comprised of 50,000 people of faith, including 2500 churches. BFW seeks justice as a Christian voice for ending hunger. Members lobby Congress on legislation that addresses hunger in communities around the world.
Scheduled Offerings of Letters events are held in the Welcome Zone. Look for upcoming dates in the announcements. Stop by after services to write a letter to your senator or representative. Sample letters, envelopes, stamps, address labels, and paper are provided. Contact Jackie Jones for more information.

Crop Walk
Contact Lois Brouillette

Crop Walk is a community-based fund raising event sponsored by Church World Service[Offsite Link] to raise money for hunger relief within our local community and throughout the world. 25% of the funds donated in the South Bay go directly to Second Harvest Food Bank and Sacred Heart Community Service.
We sign up walkers and sponsors at Bethel for a 1-mile or 5-mile walk. In previous years, Bethel signed up 24 walkers who raised $3,010 (incl. matching Thrivent funds.) Watch for details about the next Annual South Bay CROP Walk (held in the Spring) in the Sunday bulletin. For more information contact Lois Brouillette.

Habitat for Humanity
Contact Dale Jones

Habitat for Humanity[Offsite Link] (Silicon Valley)[Offsite Link] works in partnership with low-income families to build affordable, decent housing in Santa Clara County. Volunteers work side by side with homeowner families, using current skills or learning new ones. Bethel volunteers helped to complete 3 homes on Gianera St. in Santa Clara in July 2004. Watch for details in the bulletin for information on how you can help build homes in the upcoming months. Contact Dale Jones.

Help One Child
Contact Jackie Jones

Help One Child[Offsite Link] is a local ministry to children in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties who have been abandoned, abused, drug exposed, or endangered. Their primary goal is to encourage individuals and families in the Christian community to become licensed foster parents. Help One Child provides a network of support to these children and families, and teaches congregations how to be part of this network. Bethel participates in the annual Help One Child walk-a-thon, funds camperships for foster families to attend Mt. Cross, and helps with their annual holiday party in December. Volunteers are needed in December to help with the annual Christmas party. Contact Jackie Jones for more information.

Heritage Home
Contact Sharon Lamond

Heritage Home[Offsite Link] is a part of CityTeam Ministries that offers a safe, secure and loving environment to women who are pregnant and in need of help. Heritage Home provides prenatal/birthing/parenting skills classes, adoption support, educational instruction, bible study and counseling. Heritage Home receives no governmental funding. Contact Sharon Lamond to find out more about the upcoming fundraisers for Heritage Home and the other ways you can help.

The Lord's Pantry
Contact Lois Brouillette

The Lord's Pantry[Offsite Link] is a nonprofit, emergency food program located at 121 S. White Road in San Jose on the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church campus. They are an agency of Second Harvest Food Bank[Offsite Link], and provide groceries to families in need by referral. The Lord's Pantry accepts donations of food, and is looking for volunteers to help sort and bag food on a part-time basis. Each week Bethel members donate food, using the large donation bin in the narthex. Volunteers are needed to transport these non-perishable items to the Lord's Pantry each Monday morning. To sort and bag food at the Lord's Pantry, contact Martha Perez via the church office. To help deliver food from Bethel to the Lord's Pantry, contact Lois Brouillette.

MayaWorks
Contact Kaye Kuhlmann

MayaWorks is an organization that helps to link Mayan artisans in Guatemala to fair trade marketplaces around the world. The artisans, mostly women, use traditional weaving methods to create beautiful products, giving them a way to contribute economically towards their families while improving their lives and their communities. Check www.mayaworks.org[Offsite Link] for more details about the next MayaWorks Journey to Guatemala, where we will visit each of our artisan groups, the schools, and micro-banking group we support. We need volunteers to be part of the MayaWorks team and help with inventory, pricing, and working at sales to the community. Contact Kaye Kuhlmann to volunteer and to find out dates and details on upcoming MayaWorks sales.

Navajo Evangelical Lutheran Mission
Contact Pastor Floyd Hart

Navajo Evangelical Lutheran Mission[Offsite Link] is located in Rock Point, Arizona and provides the community with a private Christian elementary school, the House of Prayer Lutheran Church, medical and dental care, food distribution, a thrift shop, and many other services.
You can help the mission obtain vehicles, Bethel members collect Campbell soup labels and Box Top Education proofs of purchases from products made by Campbell's Soup Co. and Betty Crocker. A collection box is located in the Fireside room. For information regarding school sponsorships, contact Pastor Floyd Hart. For information regarding labels or proofs of purchase, contact Carol Hildebrand.

Pet Assisted Therapy
Contact Carol Hooper

Pet Assisted Therapy volunteers visit Sunny View Lutheran Home in Cupertino twice a month (2nd and 4th Saturdays from 10-11am) with their pets to give seniors an opportunity to interact with animals. The "Furry Friends" mission is to "lick loneliness" and bring happiness into the lives of older adults in assisted living and nursing care. Furry Friends is seeking new members. If you have dogs that are good with strangers and around other dogs, contact Carol Hooper for more information, or visit the organization's website at www.furryfriends.org[Offsite Link].

San Jose Family Shelter
Contact Lois Brouillette

San Jose Family Shelter[Offsite Link] provides temporary housing and assistance for homeless families in Santa Clara Co. The shelter serves more than 150 families each year; over two-thirds of its residents are children. In addition to housing in individual family units, 3 meals per day, infant and toddler care, and Head Start schooling, the shelter provides counseling, employment and housing search assistance, access to computers, parenting and life-skills classes, and aftercare case management for families who have left the shelter.
Every other month, a meal team from Bethel provides groceries and cooks breakfast at the shelter. Volunteers are needed for these breakfasts (watch for specific dates in the announcements) and also for the Turkey Drive conducted by Bethel in November, which provides aftercare families with a Thanksgiving meal.
To help with a Sunday breakfast or the Turkey Drive, contact Lois Brouillette. For additional volunteer opportunities at the shelter, contact Nikki Orina, Volunteer Coordinator/Community Resource Specialist via the church office.

Second Harvest Food Bank
Contact Jackie Jones

Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties[Offsite Link] is a private, nonprofit organization that collects and distributes more than 26 million pounds of food each year to low-income children, adults and seniors. The Food Bank currently serves an average of 167,200 people each month; nearly 60 % are families with dependent children. Second Harvest relies on the commitment of the local community to help in its fight against hunger. Volunteers are needed at the warehouse to verify, sort, label, and repack food for distribution.
Bethel participates in food sorting at the warehouse several Saturdays a year. Watch the bulletin for upcoming dates and details. For additional volunteer opportunities at Second Harvest, visit their web site at www.secondharvestsjca.org[Offsite Link]. For participation with other Bethel volunteers, contact Jackie Jones.

Stand With Africa
Contact Lois Brouillette

Stand With Africa is a special campaign of the ELCA World Hunger Program, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod World Relief, and Lutheran World Relief (LWR). This campaign supports communities and churches in Africa to overcome HIV/AIDS, banish hunger, and build peace. For more information, visit the Stand With Africa web site at www.standwithafrica.org[Offsite Link].
Bethel's designated offering for September 2004 was given to the Stand With Africa campaign. African products from Tanzania and Uganda are part of our Ten Thousand Villages sales. Profits from these products will be earmarked for Stand With Africa. Contact Lois Brouillette for details on upcoming sale dates and how you can be part of this outreach.

Sunnyvale FISH Junque Sale
Contact Darlys Tippie

Sunnyvale FISH Junque Sale is an annual event held at St. John's Lutheran Church (corner of Manet Dr. and East Fremont Ave. in Sunnyvale.) Each year Bethel volunteers bring donations of their upscale "junque" (such as toys, books, telephones, kitchen gadgets, clothes, tableware, sports equipment, etc.— no furniture, TVs or computers) to St. John's several days before the sale. Volunteer workers are needed before, during and after the sale. Watch the bulletin and newsletter for exact dates, and contact Darlys Tippie via the church office for more information. Sunnyvale FISH is an organization sponsored by the Sunnyvale Area Ecumenical Parish. Their work is supported by more than 20 congregations in the community. Sunnyvale FISH provides emergency assistance, such as food and clothing, to people who cannot afford them.

Sunny View Auxiliary
Contact JoAnne Conly

Contact JoAnne Conly to find out how you can help with various programs that have been created to help and serve the senior residents of Sunny View Retirement Community[Offsite Link] in Cupertino.

Ten Thousand Villages
Contact Dale Jones

Ten Thousand Villages[Offsite Link] is a nonprofit program of the Mennonite Central Committee that provides vital, fair income to Third World people by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America. They work with artisans who would otherwise be unemployed or under-employed. This income helps to pay for food, education, health care or housing.
Bethel needs volunteers to unpack boxes and set up displays for upcoming Ten Thousand Villages sales, and of course, all are encouraged to shop! Contact Dale Jones for more information.

Other Outreach Opportunities in Our Community

Advent Group Ministries

Advent Group Ministries[Offsite Link] is a Christian-based agency whose purpose is to meet the needs of troubled and abused youth and adults through Christian love and therapeutic services. Their foster homes are safe and healthy families ministering to children who have been removed from their own homes. Their Recovery Group Homes provide residential treatment for addicted and emotionally disturbed youth. Their Counseling Center offers low-cost professional mental health therapy for families and individuals. For more information on Advent volunteer opportunities, see their web site at www.adventgm.com[Offsite Link], or call 1-800-982-3836.

Walk To Emmaus/Cursillo
Contact Nick or Cindy Arnett

Walk To Emmaus/Cursillo[Offsite Link] is an ecumenical retreat movement led by The Upper Room, the ecumenical arm of The United Methodist Church, and one of the offshoots of the Roman Catholic Cursillo movement. Three-day weekends are short cources in Christianity, intended to re-energize and re-vitalize Christian leaders. A number of Bethel people have participated. A new Walk to Emmaus community is being formed in the South Bay. You must be sponsored by previous attendees to participate. For more information contact Nick or Cindy Arnett.

Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall
Contact Chris Christensen

CIC (Correctional Institutions Chaplaincy)[Offsite Link] is a non profit agency formed in 1962 by Council of Churches and Evangelical Association to serve inmates, officers, and staff in the Santa Clara County jails and juvenile facilities. CIC Ministries depends on donations from local congregations and individuals to bring the Good News of the gospel to those behind bars.
CIC's Programs Provide:
  • Weekly Bible Study provided by volunteers in the community
  • Coordination of Special Events (such as concerts, weddings, etc.)

CityTeam Ministries

Thousands of people suffer each year from hunger, homelessness, abandonment, drugs and alcohol, and many other poverty situations her in Santa Clara County. Through the multiple programs at CityTeam[Offsite Link], men, women and children have a shot at transforming their lives. Look for more information on www.cityteam.org[Offsite Link].
8 Vital Programs:
  • Family Services
  • Youth Outreach
  • Compass Academy
  • Camp MayMac
  • Men's Shelter
  • House of Grace
  • Men's Recovery
  • Heritage Home

Missionaries

We have posted Pastor Rick's letters from the Tanzania Mission Trip on this web site. Take a look!

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Last updated April 12, 2008

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