One of the beautiful features of our Church life is our liturgical calendar. It has a very different flow from the seasonal monthly calendar that dictates our individual schedules. From Advent to Easter, the story of Jesus’ life and ministry is woven into the story of our community. After Pentecost we have this long section of time, sometimes called Ordinary Time, where we get to reflect on our responsibilities in the world as followers of Christ.
What makes this a potentially forgettable time of the year is that we’re mobile during Ordinary Time. Bethesda has a sizeable seasonal community who return to homes in cooler climates in the North and West. Even those who are year-round residents have vacations during this time. That’s why we tend to pull back on our formation program offerings until the Fall rolls around. We wait until the end of Summer to bring back all of the classes that are familiar including Sunday School, Confirmation Class, Adult Forums, and our Wednesday Night Middle Way.
This pandemic year has changed some of the ways we think about programs, however. As resources like Zoom or other internet meeting apps have become more a part of our lives, at Bethesda we’ve come to realize that these are tools that can keep us connected no matter where our travels take us. Our classroom meeting spaces are only as far away as your computer or phone.
- In this spirit, we’re continuing to offer classes and gatherings at Bethesda during the Summer that you may want to take advantage of. We have a Zoom Sunday School that meets at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings and is open to all children ages 3-10 years old.
- For adults, we have two online offerings during the summer, the Bethesda Movie Club which meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. to discuss a film selected by the group. It’s like a book club, just with movies.
- We also have Tom O’Brien’s Previewing the Lectionary on Thursday afternoons at 2:00 p.m. Each week, this class looks ahead to the coming readings for each Sunday and discuss the intersection of scripture and life.
- Finally, we continue to offer our Zoom Coffee Hour following the 10:00 am service on Sunday mornings. Since we have some folks who need to drive home before they can join that meeting, we begin that fellowship time at 11:30 a.m. each Sunday.
I hope that no matter where your travels take you this Summer, you will be able to virtually join us at Bethesda. To learn more about all of our offerings either call me at (561) 655-4554 x114 or email knight@bbts.org.
Greg Knight
Associate for Christian Formation