OUR CORE VALUES
Announcements
Upcoming Events
8:45am Traditional Worship (Sun, Apr 21)
Forum: Quilts & more Quilts! (Sun, Apr 21)
10:45am Contemporary Worship (Sun, Apr 21)
Readers Anonymous (Sun, Apr 21)
Wednesday Night Speaker Series (Wed, May 1)
Taquizas C-Jiménez Street Tacos and more (Sun, May 5)
Special Congregational Meeting (Sun, May 5)
Bethel News
Fourth Sunday of Easter
Sermon Theme for Apr 21:
Easter Shepherd
Hide detailThey shepherd protects the sheep and gives his life for theirs, knowing the dangers and travails they will face. This imagery beautifully captures the love Jesus has for us. Join us Sunday for more! After Sunday, you can find a recording of this message.
Show detail
Quilting for Beginners, Apr 21
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 this Sunday at 9:50am, and consider joining the Bethel Quilters. Contact Joann Weberg for more information.
Thai Thai Food Truck, Apr 21
Come to the back parking lot for some Thai food (around $8 per serving), from 10am to 1pm. Eat on site or take it home. This is a great time for fellowship for families and singles and kids and friends — for everyone!
New Member Lunch, Apr 21
People who are interested in becoming a member of Bethel may wish to contact Pastor Ben and join the lunch, noon to 1pm in the Fireside Room, to find out more about Bethel.
Readers Anonymous, Apr 21
The Berry Pickers
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters. A 50-year-old mysterious disappearance of a young girl from a blueberry field in Maine is solved when a family secret is uncovered. Please join us on Sunday, April 21 at 1:30 in the library. All are welcome.
Wed Night Speaker Series, May 1
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.
Special Congregation Meeting, May 5
Bethel’s church council is calling another special congregational meeting on Sunday, May 5 at 11:45 in the Sanctuary. We expect this meeting to be brief, only 10-15 minutes, but it is important and a quorum is required for the vote.
The sole purpose of this meeting will be for a vote to amend our articles of incorporation to align with California state requirements for a particular type of tax exemption known as a Welfare Exemption. We currently have a Religious Exemption, but adding a Welfare Exemption grants Bethel permission for a greater range of activities without jeopardizing our property tax exemption.
More details about the proposed amendment are posted to the Bethel website![[PDF Document]](/graphics/pdfLink.png "PDF Document"){kind=small}
and also emailed to you.
Our treasurer, Dave Tribby, has made himself available to answer questions.
Chardonnay Sail, Mar 18
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![[Offsite Link]](/graphics/offsiteLink.gif "Offsite Link"){kind=small}
and join us!
Next up is a Monterey “Make Your Own Adventure” on June 22. Read the details.
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
Creek Cleanup, Apr 14
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.
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.
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.
