April 13, 2021
Friends in Faith,
This morning, Rowena and I took my parents to the Rose Garden in McKinley Park. It was absolutely beautiful seeing the many flowers in full bloom. All of Sacramento is bursting with new life, and spring is always a hopeful reminder of the gift of resurrection. In this season of "Eastertide,” we are reminded that our faith is all about beginnings, endings, and new beginnings. Indeed, we believe in resurrection!
As we make our way through the COVID-19 pandemic, we are finding that we are all facing many endings as well as many new beginnings. Some businesses and organizations have closed, while others are just being birthed to meet new needs in 2021. How we all wish we would have purchased Zoom stock in 2019! Salad bars might be gone for good, but virtual worship, Zoom meetings, and Door Dash will probably be sticking around for a while. Interestingly, while some movie theaters are closing, drive-ins seem to be making a come back. It's most definitely a time of sweeping change, and we all know that change is rarely easy. But, we believe that God's Spirit is moving in the world and creating all sorts of special new opportunities for all of us. We can't predict the future, but we trust that God will make a way for us.
Here at Bethany, we are also facing some endings and in process of creating new beginnings. Like many older churches, our energy and resources can be in short supply, so we need to use it wisely with our ministry endeavors. Our session is regularly discussing how we might adapt to the many changes happening in our churches and society. As we all make this journey together, let us keep the hope of resurrection close ahead of us. We are experimenting with new ways of being, with new ministries, even new ways of gathering together. We know that there will be bumps along the way, but now is a time to share grace abundantly. We are all trying our best to adjust to pandemic living and its lasting results. There is no road map for a pandemic - we simply keep meeting, conversing, and adjusting our sails as necessary to keep us headed in the right direction. And the right direction, of course, is towards loving ways of being, faithful ways of being, of following Jesus Christ and sharing the good news of the gospel.
We have decided that we will be suspending our Tuesday Zoom Bible study for the time being. We'll put in “on a break” through the summer and see how we might be able to gather to study God's Word as a new program year begins in September. We will continue to catch up with one another during our Wednesday Zoom Check-ins at 11 a.m. We encourage you to pop in and say "hi." And we are continuing to worship together outdoors. Worship is quite informal—we'll forgo many of our usual traditions and decorations for the time being, but we are thankful that we can worship together again. We are requesting that folks bring their own chairs, if possible, so that we can keep the labor needed for set-up/tear-down to a minimum. If you are able, we'd love more volunteers for set-up/tear-down, so come by at 9:30 a.m. Also, please note that we'll have a kiddie corral for young ones, and if you feel more comfortable staying in your car for worship, we have the ability to broadcast via the radio. Or, if you prefer to continue to worship from home, that is fine, too, as we'll be live streaming our services via Facebook Live. The link for worship and our other weekly virtual events are all found here. Gathering music begins at 10:20 a.m.—join us!
This coming Sunday (April 18) our text is about the disciples' encounter with Jesus on the road to Emmaus, based on Luke 24:13-35.
On Thursday, April 22—Earth Day—we'll be taking a meditation walk “together” in William Land Park at 10 a.m. Social distancing practices will be adhered to. Click here for more details.
Finally, if you have news for our church family that you would like to share, please reach out to myself or Office Manager Maria Mar and let us know. Also, whenever you share a joy or a concern, please be sure to tell us if the information is confidential or not; we never want to inadvertently share anything that wasn't supposed to be shared.
Our prayers are, as always, with a few members, friends, and loved ones who are struggling with health concerns, loss, and grief:
Loving God, hear our prayers for healing, care, and hope for all in the midst of anguish and troubles. We give you thanks for our many blessings and joys in our lives, trusting that you hold all of us and all of creation in your hands.
Blessings,
Jesse
