"I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord!'"
-Psalm 122:1
June 23, 2021
Friends in Faith,
We are thrilled to announce that after nearly 16 months worshiping outside of our sanctuary, we are now ready to return to the sanctuary THIS SUNDAY, JUNE 27, 2021! As of June 15th, the State of California has eased all restrictions for houses of worship. With that said, we still want to make sure that we do our best to maintain a safe environment for everyone who enters through our doors. If you feel more comfortable wearing a mask, please do so. If you prefer to practice social distancing, there will be enough room in our sanctuary to accomplish that goal. And we will continue to offer virtual worship via Facebook Live every Sunday. This Sunday will certainly be a joyful day—one that we have all awaited with great expectation for so long—so we hope to see everyone there!
Our text for Sunday's worship will be from 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 concerning the grand diversity of gifts that we are given by God. We will also be celebrating Dr. May Tucker's music ministry with us.
Please join us for tomorrow morning (June 24) for a time of reflection and creativity at the water lilies pond - William Land Park. The beautiful water lilies are full in bloom! Here are all the details.
And here's what's coming up...
The "Ladies Camping Trip" is back and scheduled for July 9-11. Here are the details.
Pastor Jesse's installation service is on Sunday, July 11 at 3 p.m. Here are the details.
The all-church "Friends and Family Retreat" is on August 13-15. Rooms book-up quickly for this special event so get your reservation in soon. Here are the costs and other details. We still enjoy checking in with one another via Zoom on Wednesday mornings at 11 a.m. Join us here!
My e-mail address is pastorjesse@bethpres.com; feel free to contact me via e-mail or phone. I'm beginning to visit more of our members as it becomes safe to do so. I'd love to connect!
As we continue to work on solutions for making our campus safer, please note that, as recommended by the Personnel Commission, none of our staff is to engage with unwanted visitors on our campus. There has been some confusion about the role of our custodian, Robert Madrigal. He is to keep our facility clean, and he opens and closes the facility at night, but he is not to serve as a security guard on our campus. We do not want to put any of our staff in a potentially dangerous situation. In the event of an emergency, the staff has been instructed to call the police.
In addition, please note that Robert splits his time between Bethany and Westminister Presbyterian Church. Most afternoons and Sunday mornings, Robert's presence is required there. If you have a job that you'd like Robert to look into, please contact me as the head of staff and I'll work with Robert to see if he can complete the job.
May we trust that God hears all of our prayers, and in Christ, we find healing, wholeness, and new beginnings. Even in the midst of chaotic days and tremendous change, the Spirit of God is presenting us with new opportunities of love each and everyday. No matter what comes our way, all roads lead to Jesus—thanks be to God!
Blessings to all,
Jesse
