Our Latest Worship Service
May 9

Dear Friends,

It is nearly the middle of May and that means graduation celebrations.  We are excited to be able to celebrate our graduates during and after worship on May 16 – that's this coming Sunday.  Bryson Turnbill and Harper Neal graduate from RCHS.  Levi Parish graduates from Oak Ridge HS, and Charlie Coen graduates from Tennessee Tech.  There will be boxes in the gathering area for you to drop off cards.  After worship, the grads will gather on the porch outside the gathering area doors where you may offer words of congratulations. We will still observe COVID protocols, so please wear your mask.  Of course, you will have it if you are at worship, since we will be wearing those during worship for a bit longer.

Speaking of worship, we will return to the sanctuary on Sunday, May 16.  Here are the protocols in place for worship.  We are asking that you let us know if you plan to attend in person.  You may call the church office and Susan will add your name to the list.  Masks are required to be worn.  We are asking that you do not arrive at the church earlier than 10:50am.  We do not want people gathering in the Gathering Area at this time.  There will be pews marked off so that we do not use them in order to provide 3 feet space between everyone.  An usher will help you find a seat.  This means that not everyone will be able to sit in their typical pew.  I hope you all understand this necessity at this time.  We will not pass the offering plate or have hymnals in the pews just yet.  We hope to be able to resume those activities soon.  For the first few weeks, we will have someone lead the hymns, but we ask that the congregation not sing inside.  We are still trying to be cautious knowing that not everyone, especially our children, have yet been vaccinated.  There will not be a nursery, so we are encouraging families with young children to sit up front so your children can see and hear what is going on.  Feel free to bring coloring materials, books, and other things for your children to have during worship.  Lastly, because of sound needs we will not ask for joys and concerns.  If you have those you would like to share, please write them down and give them to me before worship so I can share them and the people worshiping on Facebook can also hear them clearly.  I am looking forward to being back in the sanctuary with those of you who feel comfortable returning, and I am grateful to continue to worship through Facebook Live with so many others of you.  It is a great gift that our congregation has grown in the midst of this pandemic.

There is no Wednesday Bible study this week.  We will resume on May 19 for the final study of Galatians.  If you have not yet completed the worship survey, please click HERE to do so.  Teams are meeting again, so please let me know if you would like to participate in planning upcoming ministry and mission at Bethel.  Immediate opportunities to share your gifts and meet needs are:  serve as a worship usher, provide flowers for worship, lead hymn singing in worship, help with children and youth activities for the summer.  Feel free to call or email me if you would like to help in any of these ways.

Continue to remember Brenda Strickling, Katie Gurtis, and Laura Abigail (who was moved to a children's hospital in Nebraska and expects needed surgery soon).  Please add Joni Morgan's friend Ruth to your prayers.  Ruth is in the hospital with very high blood pressure and a possible blood clot in her lung.  Let us also remember teachers and students who are wrapping up a hard year of school.  May they make it and enjoy a few celebrations too.