Worship Resumes at Bethany

Church Board: The Resumption of Worship Service

May 31, 2020

Time: (summer schedule) 9:00 a.m.

 Facebook Live: 9:00 a.m

My dear Bethanites:

Your Church Leaders (Board) met to discuss the resuming of Church activities. A lengthy discussion took place to accommodate the various desires of members and an attempt to stay within suggestive safety protocols of governing officials and the CDC. This is a first for this generation is dealing with a “pandemic.” We understand that the suggestions we are sharing will most likely not satisfy everyone. Also, we recognize that this is a fluid situation, and as such, these suggestions can be modified as we continue to review. Subsequently, the following guidelines your church leadership has come up with:

  1. The church doors will open at 8:30.  
  2. We will have 1 service: worship
  3. No Sunday School (due to close quarters within the classrooms)
  4. We will only be using the main front doors.  
    • Please do not use any of the other entrances 
  5. There will be 2 Greeters 
  1. to hold the doors, open for people, 
  2. not to shake hands but to hold doors.   
  3. Also, to do this for the end of the service as people exit.  
  4. They will both wear a mask and gloves.  
  5. Earl Yoder will be our Usher and also wear a mask and gloves.  
  1. Earl will assist people to seats if needed. 
  2. He will also help Pastor Jim dismiss at the end of the service as well.  
  1. We will not have bulletins to hand out at this time.  
  2. SEATING IN SANCTUARY
  3. When you come in to get seated you may pick 
    • left side for masks or no masks (your discretion)
    • right side masks only.  
  4. On both sides 
  5. the back half will be every other pew marked off to 
    • not sit in 
    • and staggered from the other side.  
  6. The fronts will be open 
  1. to sit as you wish 
  2. or in family groups that have already been together.  
  3. The service will be a little different: 
  1. no bulletins, 
  2. no greeting time, 
  3. no passing of the offering plate (they will be on a stand at the back of the church), 
  4. no candle lighting (unless Pastor Jim does it), 
  5. no children going up for children’s story, 
    • no treats for the kids.  
    • The person leading the children’s story has a choice to do in person or prerecorded.  
  1. If you wear a jacket please keep it with you in the pew.  
  2. If you have an announcement or prayer concern, they must still be turned into Pastor Jim before the service.  
  3. At the end of the service Pastor Jim will dismiss by side and row.  
  4. We ask that you leave the church before we dismiss the next row
  1. Earl will let Pastor Jim know once that row has left the building.  
  2. At that point Pastor Jim will send another row until all have been dismissed.  
  3. The Greeters will be holding the doors for those exiting.  
  1. No coffee offered.  
  2. Hand sanitizer will be available.  
  3. We ask for no wandering around the church and 
  1. that you don’t go into classrooms as we are trying to keep areas clean.  
  2. Please note that the fellowship hall will soon be equipped to have a stream from the service for overflow in the very near future

Granted that the virus is still with us. So, the one thing not listed is the “common sense” we ask all those who are considering resuming a physical service. We would ask that those of you who are in the “risk” areas to use discretion on whether you join us. Also, we ask that you consider where you are in this pandemic of whether you are ready to return to coming together. We understand if you are unready. Therefore, we will continue the Facebook Live streaming of our service. As things progress, we look forward to when all of us can come together.  Meanwhile, let all of us ask our unchurched friends to join you in viewing our service on Facebook Live.