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Worship Plans

 Indoor Worship with Protocols and Zoom

Bethany is currently holding two Indoor Worship Services on Sunday mornings, for a maximum of 25 people at each service, masked and distanced.  You must sign-up in advance.  (Email bethanylutheranboone@gmail.com to receive a link to the Google Doc sign-up sheet.)  Indoor Worship is for those who can wear face masks.  

The 11am service will also be Zoomed.  (Email bethanylutheranboone@gmail.com if you'd like to receive the Zoom links each week.)

*Homecoming, Oct. 25 will be on ZOOM ONLY*

A dramatic rise in local Covid-19 cases, and positive cases among our membership might cause us to cancel Indoor Worship and go back to online-only worship.  Please continue to self-monitor your symptoms and exposure to others when considering attending worship indoors. 

Other protocols for in-person worship can be found in the following recommendations:

Worship Recommendations

From Bethany Re-Gathering Task Force

September 15, 2020

·         Safety Measures:

o   Masks Required

o   Encourage people to stay home if you feel ill or have been exposed to COVID-19 or have been in other at-risk situations

o   An usher open front door for everyone

o   Offering Plate in Narthex

o   Every other pew roped off for distancing.  A family may sit in the same pew.  Two individuals from different families may sit on opposite ends of the same pew.

o   Use only half of the sanctuary for each service (ie. Early service use lectern side, late service use pulpit side)

o   Pastor Laura would take mask off while leading worship so people can understand her – would be at altar most of the service, and would preach either from the pulpit, slid back away from the piano

o   Take hymnals out of sanctuary

o   Project Service onto a screen, eliminating the need for bulletins

o   Air flow: in cold weather, turn heat on prior to service, but turn off before early service, so air is not being circulated around the room – heat would remain off the rest of the morning, so late service attendees would need to dress warmly

o   Have rubber gloves and hand sanitizer in Narthex to be available as needed

o   No singing 

o   Communion Considerations:

§  Prepare individual disposable bowls with a piece of bread and an individual disposable wine cup, filled – laid out on a cookie sheet tray in advance of the service – have different trays ready for each service, plus have chalice and paten prepared for Pastor Laura to use on the altar

o   No fellowship meals

o   Cleaning between services: using different sides of the sanctuary eliminates the need to sanitize pews; having an usher open the door eliminates number of people touching the doorknob; redesignate the upstairs bathrooms: left bathroom for early service, right bathroom for late service, cleaning supplies and signs asking people to wipe surfaces as they leave bathroom

o   If Pastor Laura is sick or exposed to COVID-19, cancel Indoor Worship and Zoom only, as health allows.

o   If others in congregation have COVID-19, the case count locally goes up dramatically, or any other health/safety concern may cause Council to cancel Indoor Worship on any given week – remind people to check email Sunday morning before they head out the door to see if worship is cancelled.  

o   Funeral & Wedding Consideration – for church members only: have 23 family members indoors; have a way for people to listen/watch from their cars (livestream to mobile devices, people can use church’s WiFi in parking lot, or FM transmitter) so people can sit in parking lot and listen to service and be able to greet family from a distance outside when they leave. 

·         Other Considerations

o   Still no outside groups using the church at this time

o   Homecoming on Oct. 25 will be on Zoom ONLY

 

Outdoor and Zoom Worship

Beginning Sunday, July 12,

Bethany Lutheran will be having 

two Outdoor Worship Services

under a tent behind the church

Sundays at 10:00am and 11:00am

The 11:00am Worship will also be on Zoom

If you would like to attend Outdoor Worship in person, 

you must SIGN-UP in advance.

Each service is limited to 25 people.

BRING YOUR OWN CHAIR

Face Masks are Necessary for In-Person Worship

To sign-up to attend an Outdoor Worship Service, or to receive the link to Zoom, send an email with your preference to: bethanylutheranboone@gmail.com

"For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the MOUNTAINS and the HILLS before you shall burst into song, and all the TREES of the field shall clap their hands." - Isaiah 55:12

No Worship in the Building through June

Cancellations through end of JUNE

Bethany Council has decided to continue to suspend in-person worship and gatherings of more than 10 people in the building 

through the end of June.
A task force is being assembled to research and implement protocols to put in place for re-gathering in the future.  

We will continue to alternate Zoom Worship and email worship.  Worship plans and links will be communicated via email and on our church Facebook page.

Cancellations through May 31

Cancellations through end of May

Bethany Council has decided to follow NC Synod Council's recommendations to continue to suspend worship and gatherings of more than 10 people in the building 

through May 31.  

We will continue to alternate Zoom Worship and email worship.  Worship plans and links will be communicated via email and on our church Facebook page.

Homemade Face Mask Ministry

Watauga Hospital is now asking for homemade face masks.  Here's a message from them:

On Friday, April 4th, the CDC made an announcement regarding the use of homemade fabric face masks and recommended individuals wear these masks in addition to adhering to the 6-foot social distance requirements and frequent hand washing to slow the spread of the virus.

In line with guidance from the CDC, ARHS is encouraging the public to use a fabric mask to slow the spread of the virus. In addition, ARHS employees will be utilizing cloth masks alongside the OSHA approved masks when indicated. Therefore, we need your help in providing these masks! We would like to be able to provide two masks to each employee, in addition to having them available for patients who come into the hospital. Therefore, we need large quantities of homemade masks.

We have several individuals who are working on this project, but it is a huge project, so if you have parishioners who can support the project, we would be so appreciative! We also recognize that some congregations may be making masks for your own parishioners. A pattern is attached to this email. Mask makers do not have to follow this pattern, but this is a basic pattern for those who need it. Please remind folks to use clean 100% cotton cloth.

Again, ARHS wants to stress to the public that the use of fabric face masks is not intended to take the place of social distancing requirements and frequent hand-washing. It is a recommendation over and above these other protections.

Donations can be dropped off at the police check-point tents at Watauga Medical Center and at Cannon Memorial Hospital. Please mark the bag “handmade masks for donation.”

Pattern for making a face mask

Materials Needed

·         100% cotton fabric (if prints are used, keep in mind both male and female users)

·         ¼” flat elastic or similar

·         Sewing machine and thread

To make the mask

1.    Cut two pieces of cotton fabric 9” by 6.” This will make the front and back of the mask, so the two pieces can be different. Make sure any design is shown horizontally on the fabric.

2.    Cut elastic pieces to 7” each for large masks, 6.5” for small/medium masks.

3.    Place one piece of fabric right side up. Pin the elastic pieces to fit into the top and bottom corners of each side as shown. Make sure the elastic doesn’t twist.

4.    Place the other piece of fabric right side down on top of the fabric with pinned elastic. Re-pin the elastic including both pieces of fabric.

5.    Starting at the center of the bottom edge, sew a ¼” seam around the outside edge, making sure to include the elastic strips just at the corners. Reinforce the corners by sewing a few stitches forward and backward. Leave an opening 1.5” to 2” at the bottom edge for turning. Stop, cut the thread.

6.    Turn the mask inside out.

7.    Pin 3 tucks on each side of the mask. Make sure the tucks are all going the same direction.

8.    Sew around the edge of the mask twice for reinforcement. Remove pins and cut thread. Iron pleats in.

Cancellations through May 12, Covid-19

Bethany's Council, following the strong recommendations and expectations from NC Synod Council, is cancelling all in-person gatherings, including worship in the building and committee meetings in the building, THROUGH MAY 12. Once again, this decision is not about panic, but about protecting the most vulnerable.  We will continue to have Worship at Home.  If you would like to worship "with us" from your own home, and are not already on our email list, please send a request to: bethanylutheranboone@gmail.com. Stay tuned for some new online worship opportunities coming up for Holy Week and Easter.   This is not what any of us wanted.  But we hope you'll continue to stay engaged with your church family through Worship at Home and some of the other opportunities you'll be hearing about soon, through email and newsletter. God bless you and yours. In Christ's Peace, Bethany Lutheran Church

COVID-19 Update: Worship Cancelled through end of March

Beloved in the Lord!

Grace to you, and PEACE through our Lord, Jesus Christ.  The Bethany Church Council, in consultation with people who work in the medical and public field, has agreed to follow recommendations put forward by NC Bishop Tim Smith and CANCEL ALL in-person gatherings at the church, including WORSHIP, through the END of MARCH.  (You can read Bishop Tim's letter, below.)  To put it another way, at this point, April 5 - Palm Sunday - will be the next time we're in worship together, unless something changes.

This decision did not come lightly, nor did it come out of a place of fear or panic.  Rather, it came out of Christian love and concern for others.  It's about protecting the most vulnerable among us, AND our already over-worked healthcare system.  By each of us making sacrifices now, we can slow the spread of this virus to better get a handle on it.  Y'all.  This is amazing how humanity as a whole - the whole planet, really - is coming together to do this - to think of others more highly than themselves (Philippians 2:3).  For once, we're all on the same "side."  Praise the LORD!

And here's the thing: we can still worship together...Just from our own homes.  This is physical isolation, not social.  Here's what I propose.  Expect an email from me tomorrow morning with my sermon, some prayers and readings.  Then, at 11:00am - our normal worship time - we'll ALL pray and worship at the same time in our own homes.  Our voices will still be raised together in praise - even if we can't hear each other.  We are seeing the sacrificial love of Jesus playing out all across our globe right now, and - what a glorious reason to praise God!

Christ's Peace be with you, always,

Pastor Laura

----------------------------------------------

Bishop Tim Smith's Letter:

Dear NC Synod members, As you know, the past 48 hours have been a whirlwind. COVID-19 is officially a worldwide pandemic. Cancelling March Madness and banning all travel from Europe underscore the secular seriousness. To be clear, this is no longer merely a "fear." It is a reality that is already here and multiplying at light speed. How do Christian communities respond most faithfully? The governor said no gatherings of more than 100, including worship. My Methodist bishop colleague in Eastern NC requests that congregations not gather, including worship, for at least two weeks. The Virginia Synod, ELCA, strongly suggested the same today. Some of our congregations have already canceled in-person gatherings for the short term. Several synod events scheduled for this weekend, including an ordination, have been postponed. Unlike with some of our ecumenical partners, in the ELCA neither the synod nor the churchwide expression can dictate what you do. Congregations must make their own best decisions in their contexts. But the ONLY way to even slightly flatten the curve of infection and save as many lives as possible is through social distancing. I suggest, for the sake of the most vulnerable among us and with cumulative public health advice: No in-person congregational gatherings at least through March, including worship. Congregations, if possible, use live-streaming, FaceTime, etc. for worship & meetings.  That people 65 & over not go out in public, including worship, for the time being.  That folks make every effort to give online or mail in contributions to your congregations so that bills and salaries and local helping ministries are supported. That if worship is held there be no physical touching of any kind. Sick folks stay home.  Remember that as the economy sinks, the first and worst affected will be the poor, food insecure, etc. Check with your local food pantry for how to help/best practices.  Yes, I understand that the above measures seem rather severe. I do not recommend them in panic or reactively but as a measured consideration of the alternatives. Yes, our resources are and will be severely impacted. But if one person lives because a congregation takes these measures, wasn’t it worth it? Blessings to all who navigate these uncertain and frightening times, especially those with the virus, anxious about it, caring for someone with it, or grieving someone lost to this illness. We trust always that God, in Christ, holds these times and holds each of us. Your partner in ministry,

Bishop Timothy M. Smith

Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday

Join us for
 the beginning of Lent

Ash Wednesday Holy Communion
with Imposition of Ashes Service

Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 7pm

This service sets the tone for the season of Lent, as we receive the ashes from Palm Sunday's palm branches in the form of a cross on our foreheads, reminding us of our mortality, our fickleness, and our need for the Savior.

For more about the ashes, see this blog post.

And don't forget, the day before, 
Shrove Tuesday pancake supper

Tuesday, Feb. 25

5:30-7 pm

with traditional pancakes 
& buckwheat pancakes with sausage gravy!

If you didn't know...Bethany has a unique pancake tradition.  In addition to traditional pancakes, Bethany also serves (savory) buckwheat pancakes with sausage gravy - a tradition from the time when the Winebarger family used to bring fresh-milled buckwheat flour from their mill. 

Winebarger Mill

Worship Time Change, ONE Sunday ONLY

January 12th:

Worship at 10am

Annual Congregational Meeting at 11am