Good Afternoon Bethesda & Friends,
We are living in strange times, indeed. As you may have expected, Bethesda will be following the precautions instituted by government officials. All onsite events and activities are now cancelled indefinitely.
We prefer to think of this as physical distancing, not social distancing. We remain united in one Holy Spirit as the body of Christ. Following are a few of the ways we will nurture our congregational life in the coming weeks.
1. Wednesday Holden Evening Prayer will be prerecorded and made available via our online formats (email, website, social media).
2. Thursday Daytimers Bible Study at 11:00am will experiment with a teleconference format. This means anyone with a computer can join a live Bible study or anyone with a phone can call into the conference. Links and instructions will be made available via email.
3. We will continue to offer prerecorded Sunday services. There will be changes to recording location and audio/light quality. There are plans to incorporate music in some capacity.
4. If you need assistance grocery shopping or setting up grocery delivery, please call the church office or a pastor. Thank you to several people who have volunteered to help.
5. Any church members who may undergo severe financial strain, please call one of our pastors or the pastoral emergency phone number, 541.357.8253.
6. A great way to keep in touch beyond your circle of friends is to check in with everyone who shares your same page in the Bethesda phone directory. For an online directory, go to bethesdalutheranchurch.com and click on "Breeze for Members" at the top of the screen and follow the instructions on the next page.
+ We love you and pray for you +
We claim the prophet Isaiah's promise as our own hope to come:
"God will raise a signal for the nations,
and will assemble the outcasts of Israel,
and gather the dispersed of Judah
from the four corners of the earth." (Isaiah 11:12)
