Dear Church Family and Friends:
I have been in continual prayer and discernment over the last 24 hours. Bethany’s elected leaders and I have shared perspectives of how we manage to be the church in unprecedented times of self-quarantine and “social distancing.” We know that California is under a state of emergency and there are a host of advisements concerning how we can slow the spread of the coronavirus, including one from the Presbytery of Sacramento.
With each passing hour, more and more churches are deciding to suspend worship and gatherings so that the coronavirus becomes more and more difficult to spread; when more groups and individuals participate, we buy valuable time for medical facilities to be able to meet the needs of this crisis.
Heeding this counsel, Bethany is making the weighty decision to cancel worship Sunday, March 15 and Sunday, March 22, and to suspend church gatherings through Saturday, March 28. At that time, we will revisit the current situation and make a decision about the future.
We have faith in God that we will manage this crisis as we have many others over the generations, but we want to be proactive in standing in solidarity with our nation and the medical community so that we might slow the spread of this disease so that hospitals are not overwhelmed.
We do not make this decision out of fear, but rather in hopes of protecting the most vulnerable among us. Those most at risk for dire complications from this virus are those who are over 65 or those who have underlying medical issues, and we have numerous members of our worshiping community who meet those criteria.
We also remain concerned about those of our community who will battle loneliness, loss of income, lack of childcare, and food insecurity, and we understand that the coronavirus is only making these issues worse. Thankfully, the South Sacramento Interfaith Partnership Food Closet—located at our site—is working to ensure that it can still provide assistance to those in need, but even when this virus passes, there will be many folks still in dire need. Our congregation will also discuss ways we can continue to support these people in need as well.
I will send Sunday reflections, prayers, and scriptures via e-mail and post them on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/bethpres/). We will also try to live-stream my sermon via Facebook live. I know that electronic communication is not a replacement for physical proximity, but we can still find ways to connect with one another for we remain the body of Christ even when not gathered together.
I am sure we all looking forward to when we can all gather safely again. Bethany Office Manager Jerry Miranda and I will be discerning when and how to work from home if necessary.
May we all continue to pray for God’s children throughout the world as we continue to discern new ways of being the body of Christ in an age of pandemic.
With grace, faithfulness, and love,
Jesse
UPDATES:
We have posted a special resource page with information about COVID-19.
