Vacation Bible School – We are excited to dive into friendship with God during “SCUBA Vacation Bible School!” We will be underwater explorers the week of June 24th - 28th from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm each day!

Scuba VBS is open for all children, ages 4 thru 6th Grade and will meet from 9 am to noon. Each day of Scuba VBS will include Music, Bible Adventures, Imagination Station, Games, Snacks, and of course, Friends! Cost is $75 per child ($30 for second child) Scholarships are available as needed. Questions? Contact Jana Hegg at childrensministry@blcenc.org.

Our schedule for the week is as follows:

• Day 1 – God is a Friend Who is Real!
• Day 2 – God is a Friend Who Loves!
• Day 3 – God is a Friend We Can Trust!
• Day 4 – God is a Friend for Everyone!
• Day 5 – Friendship Day (Movie and Water Play)

Are you interested in volunteering for SCUBA VBS? We need volunteers for Crew Leaders, Assistant Crew Leaders, Singers, Dancers, Snack Time Helpers, Game Leaders, Imagination Station Helpers, Bible Adventure Helpers, Decorators and more! Fill out the volunteer form below and we will find a place for you in our underwater explorations!

Learning Circles – Our Learning Circles/Sunday School continue weekly during the 10:30 service. We meet as one large group to begin in the Multi-Use/Library right after the Children's Message. The curriculum that we are using is designed to break into "buddy pairs" with older children helping the younger children to participate in discussions and complete activities together. This time is intended for children ages 3 - 6th grade. If you have any questions, or if you would like to volunteer to help with Sunday School time, please feel free to reach out to Jana Hegg at childrensministry@blcenc.org. We are excited to see you on Sunday!

Here is our schedule for March:

• 3/3 – The Ten Commandments
• 3/10 - MUSIC w/Mona
• 3/24 – The Choir Cantata (all children stay in worship)
• 3/31 – Easter Sunday! An easter egg hunt for children of all ages will take place between the 9:30 and 11 AM services at 10:30. All are welcome!



Summer Service Trip - July 23-30 - Our destination is Flagstaff with a few days at the Navajo Evangelical Lutheran Mission at Rock Point. Students who want to participate can sign up now by contacting Deacon Mindy. All students completing 8th through 12th grades are encouraged to join this trip. More information, registration forms, and cost will be available soon. 

YOUTH FUNDRAISING FUN!

Cinnamon Roll Sunday on March 10 - Youth will host a cinnamon roll sale between worship services on March 10. Donations will benefit the Summer Service Trip. Enjoy a sweet treat to support our youth! 

Dinner at Panera on March 11 - On Monday, 3/11, enjoy dinner at Panera on San

Rodolfo Rd, Solana Beach. Between 4-8pm, present the flyer when you order and the youth will receive 20% of your meal purchase for their summer trip. Share the flyer with friends and neighbors too. The Flyer is available here.

Dinner with Auction and Lip Sync Contest -

Youth will host a fundraising event on Sunday, April 14. Save the date! Dinner will begin at 5:30pm featuring Mexican cuisine. The evening will include a silent auction and a Lip Sync competition. The Lip Sync event is open to

individuals or groups who will compete for the Golden Microphone Trophy. Register in advance for Lip Sync by completing the form found here. Everyone is invited and encouraged to participate in this event. Contact Deacon Mindy if you have questions.

Youth Meetings for March:

• Middle School Confirmation: March 12
• Middle School Group: March 5 & 19 at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
• High School Group: Wednesday evenings during Lent, all youth are invited to Holden Evening Prayer service at 6pm at Bethlehem. And, at 6:30, dinner is served in the Family Center. Our youth meetings will follow dinner each week starting at about 7pm.
• On 3/6, youth host dinner at BLC from 6:30-7pm and will meet at BLC after dinner. 
• Youth meet at St. Andrew's on 3/13 & 3/27
• Youth meet at Bethlehem on 3/6 & 3/20



Faith in Action Open House at St. Andrew’s Sunday March 3, 11:30 - 1:30 — Our neighbors across the street at St. Andrew's Episcopal are hosting an open house for the Faith in Action group that is hosted through their congregation. It will be held from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. in the parish hall. Snacks and sparkling water are provided. If you want to know more about local advocacy work in Encinitas and the different levels of engagement that you could be a part of, this is a great opportunity.

Lutheran Office of Public Policy California March 5 Voter Guide and Ballot Propposition 1 Discussion — LOPPCA hosted a discussion about Ballot Proposition 1 on the March 5th Primary. A recording of that discussion is available on YouTube here and LOPPCA’s official position on the propposition is also available as a PDF at https://lutheranpublicpolicyca.org/march-5-voter-guide. As LOPPCA Director Regina Banks mentions, “rational minds may differ,” and the church is not telling you how to vote, but the purpose of LOPPCA is to provide a faith-based perspective on initiatives that intersect with the the ELCA’s Social Statements and Social Messages so you can use that information as you discern how to fill out your ballot.

Young Adult Scholarships for Lutheran Lobby Day! — Lutheran Lobby Day is Wednesday, May 15th in Sacramento and is our annual opportunity to bring Lutheran faith-based priorities to policymakers in California. This year LOPPCA has funding to cover transportation and hotel costs for the first 15 people under the age of 25 that register for Lobby Day. This is a great opportunity for young adults interested in in getting involved in policymaking and the legislative process. (P.S. People over 25 are always welcome too!) 

More information at https://lutheranpublicpolicyca.org/lutheran-lobby-day-2024.

New Sacred Ground Circle starting March 21 — Sacred Ground is a film and reading-based dialogue series on race, racism, and faith hosted by our neighbors at St. Andrew’s Episcopal. This twelve-session program meets every other Thursday, and there are still openings in the next circle, which starts March 21st from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. on Zoom. 

Several Bethlehem folks, including Louise Julig, Karin Kloehn, and Sue Kristiansen, participated in an earlier circle and found it a powerful opportunity for learning and growth in a supportive faith-based environment. 

More information about Sacred Ground can be found online at Sacred Ground – The Episcopal Church. Pre-registration is required to join the upcoming circle. For registration information and more details, contact Jill Henderson at 760-807-8445 or jfh@cox.net.

Urge Congress to expand the Child Tax Credit — This ELCA Advocay Action urges your senators to join a bipartisan group of lawmakers in Washington, D.C. to expand the Child Tax Credit, one of most effective tools to help alleviate child poverty in the U.S. Get more information and Sign the advocacy letter here. 



New Course for Personal and Spiritual Growth - Join us as we offer Discovering God’s Vision for your Life: You and your Spiritual Gifts. This class is designed to help you grow in your relationship with God. It will help you discover more about your Christian identity-who God has created you to be and learn more about the spiritual gifts God has given to each of us.

The class will run from 11:30 to 1:00 on April 7, 14, 21, and 28. A fee of $20 will cover the cost of books and materials. Register here or in person after services. A fee of $20 will cover the cost of books and materials. Payment can be made either in cash or by clicking here.

The last day to sign-up is March 24.  For more information contact Keegan Chin-Cheleden at keegan.celeden@gmail.com or Laure Reynolds at 760-271-3359 or laurereyn@roadrunner.com .

CPR and AED class at Bethlehem are scheduled for April 18 at 6 pm. More details to follow. Contact Rose Moldenhauer for questions.



Save the date! Have you always wanted to try Pickleball? Now is your chance. BAM is planning a Pickleball adventure on Saturday, April 27. Stay tuned for more details.

Questions? Contact blcsm@outlook.com.



Bethlehem is excited to partner with E4E (Encinitas for Equality) to host their Education Support Program. This after-school tutoring program is meeting at BLC three times per week in the Multi-Use room to provide tutoring services to students from our local community in 2nd - 8th grades. The students have access to the Community Library and are checking out books during the week. We recently received a $1,000 grant from the Pacifica Synod to help support this partnership and to provide needed materials to the students and tutors. The grant will also be used to update the Library as needed.

How can you help? E4E is looking for volunteers to help support this vital program in the following areas:



• Tutors - 1.5 to 3 hours per week. (High School -Adult). All tutors attend training and orientation prior to starting with students,
• Daily Facilitator - 3 to 5 hours per week to be present on campus one day per week to oversee the program. (Can be shared between two people).
• Co-Director - 10 to 20 hours per month to oversee the logistics of the program. (This is a stipend position)

If you are interested in finding out more about these volunteer opportunities, please contact Jana Hegg at childrensministry@blcenc.org.

Are you or someone that you know and love in need of prayer? The BLC Prayer Chain is a virtual space where we can share prayer concerns with one another, hold each other in prayer, and support one another during times of need. You can share your prayer requests by clicking here. On that same page you can also sign up to receive prayer requests when they are sent out, so that we might hold one another in prayer, light, and love.

We are in the process of creating a new outdoor columbarium space. We are working on finalizing the design, contracting with a company to build both the niches and the supporting frame, and local artist Jane Wheeler has already created an incredible tri-panel mosaic art installation for above the columbarium.

The price per niche is $2500. Each niche has space for up to two urns. You do not need to be a member to purchase one - all are welcome here at Bethlehem. Please sign up by contacting the church office, and payments can be made via check, or online here.

If you have any questions, or would like to inquire about payment plans, please contact the church office. If you would like to simply donate to this project, but do not wish to purchase a niche, your generosity and stewardship would be so appreciated, and you can do that by clicking here.

As Christians, we know that we are connected with all who have come before us in the faith – a great cloud of witnesses. Through this columbarium space we bear witness to that fact and will provide a much needed place of final rest for members of our community. 



Volunteers Needed! Saturday Breakfast at St. Andrews - Our mission to feed the hungry a hot breakfast each Saturday is starting back up again, and the kitchen at St. Andrew’s is now open for business. Bethlehem will be preparing breakfast on the 4th Saturday of each month. We need 6 volunteers to crack and scramble 6 doz. eggs, cook 60 hash browns, 13 lbs. of bacon, make 80 pancakes and serve up plates with a smile! Click below to volunteer!

Qigong/Tai chi -The weekly Qigong/Tai chi practices at our church is available by Zoom. You are able to join online from your computer on Wednesdays at 6 pm. Also, Chacha is having a Friday at 9 am practice by Zoom.

These practices are moving meditation practices that focus on relaxation, breath, and visualization while carrying out gentle movements. Everyone is welcome, no previous experience is necessary. If you are interested in joining please e-mail Chacha at chachapinillap@gmail.com. Please let her know which of the practices or if you would like to be invited to both practices. She will send an e-mail invitation with the zoom link. 

Scraps and Prayers - This ministry sews quilts for people in need of comfort and care. We meet each Wednesday morning from 9am-11am in the Multi-Use Room. We need your help sewing and tying quilts. No experience necessary! Stop by for an hour or stay for the whole morning; we'd love to share our scraps and prayers with you. For more information, contact Bobby Allen at roberta798@aol.com or Laure Reynolds at laurereyn@roadrunner.com.



Did you miss one of Pastor Sam's sermons? Want to double check if he actually said what you think he did? Accidentally fall asleep and want to go back and read the section you missed? Check out all of Pastor Sam's sermons on his blog at: https://sinningboldlywithsam.wordpress.com/

Have you missed one of our monthly e-newsletters? Have you wished you could open up that newsletter again to get that bit of information you were looking for? Well, now you can. On our Newsletter Archive page there are links available to view current and past newsletters.