Based on the most recent federal, state, and local recommendations, Bethel Church is planning to cease all worship, activities, and office hours indefinitely. Essentially, the building will be closed. The staff of Bethel will continue to work our hours in a combination of being at the church office or from home.
Our primary work, moving forward for the foreseeable future, will be to help care for our Bethel community and our greater Willmar community in whatever way we can.
We are setting up a phone tree as a staff so we can check in with our older adults, who have been most advised to stay home, about the help they might need moving ahead. That said, we are asking that any of you please help us be aware of any need for all ages/families as it arises.
We anticipate receiving more information about greater coordinated efforts from our state and local government that will likely be implemented in the coming days. We are willing to open our doors in a responsible manner for any greater helping effort in which we might be asked to participate.
Our communication will continue in both written and video form. We will do our best to provide some type of online worship/devotions in the time ahead. That said, our main worship will likely be the love we show and the service we do toward one another. Remember, the greater ELCA mantra is, “God’s work. Our hands.”
We will be using some of our financial resources for sharing with our greater community response. Because of the stewarding/giving we have done together, we have the capacity to help in this way. Thank you very much for that.
We will be checking the mail regularly if you would like to mail any of your offering gifts that normally have gone in the offering plates. If you need to alter your giving in any way, we understand. We are in this together.
We will be checking voice messages regularly when there are times with nobody in the office. We will have our cell phones with us when we are not at the office. Again, my cell # is 320.441.9100.
Continued Godspeed to each and every one of you. Love those closest to you very much and be smart about what you do to help the very important effort of “flattening the curve” for the greater good of all.
Pastor Jon
