Friends in Faith,
This coming Sunday, June 28th, we will be offering an outdoor worship service in Bethany's backyard at our usual time of 10:30 a.m. The service will be safe and simple, and we will be adhering to the recommended guidelines for gatherings in the COVID-19 era. We do not want anyone to feel any pressure whatsoever to attend; if you feel nervous about attending or if you have pre-existing health concerns, we think it would be most prudent for you to stay home.
Rest assured that we will still be offering this service virtually through Facebook Live (and later in the day, you can view it through our Multimedia page).
So that we can do our best to keep everyone safe, here are our guidelines for our outdoor service:
Everyone is to wear a mask.
You are encouraged to bring your own lawn chair (though we will also have chairs available that have been sanitized).
There should be decent shade on the north side of our backyard at Bethany, but you are still encouraged to bring a hat and your own water bottle.
We will not be singing or reciting joint prayers—but pianist Natalya Amelchenko will be offering beautiful piano music for us!
You are encouraged to use the bathroom at home prior to the service so that we can limit exposure. If you do need to use the restrooms at Bethany, they will be available but you are asked to wipe down any surfaces you touch.
You are encouraged to make any donations through our online giving page. We will also have a box available on our welcome table at our outdoor service.
We will not be offering any refreshments and there will be no coffee hour.
We will have extra masks, hand sanitizer, and bottled water available for the service.
We are confident that we can offer this service in a safe manner and we hope that—although the service will be different—it will still be meaningful to be "together." Be sure to pass the word on to folks who may not use the internet.
We also have plans for an outdoor concert in Bethany's backyard on Sunday, July 26 at 6 p.m. The Tropicali Flames will be playing some fun swing music for us for about an hour. Everyone is encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs or a picnic blanket, beverages, and snacks.
There’s also a book study set for three Thursday mornings in July. You can participate in person (in the very large Sapunor backyard, which is near the Belle Cooledge Library) or via Zoom. The book is The Samurai’s Garden and is available for just $6. RSVP as soon as possible to Cathy Sapunor (phone 916-832-3373) can deliver your book to you in time for you to start reading before the first gathering on July 9.
Finally, I will be on vacation from July 1-July 18. While I am away, our Tuesday Zoom Bible studies will continue at 11 a.m. and our Wednesday Zoom Check-Ins at 11 a.m. will continue as well. Rev. Judy Davis will be leading worship on July 5 and July 12 via Facebook Live and then our Zoom services at 11 a.m. I'll resume my weekly e-news upon my return.
As always, you can get details about to access any or all of the above on our News page: http://www.bethpres.com/news
Keep reaching out to one another, keep praying for one another, keep being gracious to everyone you meet (and yourself), and let love serve as our guide. And remember that God's Spirit is at work, inviting us to a new chapter for the life of the church universal and for Bethany!
