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*Edit/Update: We have moved our Indoor Worship limit up to 50 people, effective March 21*

Beginning March 14, we will have two worship services. 

10:00am will be Indoor Worship, limited to 25 people, sign-up in advance, wearing masks and distanced with no singing. 

11:00am will be Zoom-Only worship in our current format, with singing. 

If you would like to sign-up for Indoor Worship or be added to our email list for Zoom links, please send an email to: bethanylutheranboone@gmail.com.

Why are we doing it this way?  We've prepared some FAQ's to answer that and other questions regarding Worship decisions.

If you prefer to watch a video - you can watch the answers to the FAQ's here.  Otherwise, keep reading, below...

FAQ’s      

  • Why are we doing two services instead of Zooming the in-person service?
    • A couple of reasons.
      • 1) Technology: it’s less work from a tech perspective.  We don’t have an IT department and there were a number of tech issues when we were Zooming in-person worship last Summer and Fall, which caused people at home to miss out on Worship on several occasions.  It also requires fewer assistants on a Sunday morning to do it this way.
      • 2) It’s more participatory and less of a spectator event – P. Laura and the people on Zoom can interact when she’s in front of the laptop instead of up front. 
      • 3) We can still sing hymns on Zoom-only, which has been a blessing. 
    • Please know this is an experiment.  If it’s just not working, we’ll switch it up.
  • Why 25 people?  Is the Bishop making us do this?  Is the Governor making us do this?
    • No to both.  The decisions about worship at Bethany since May of 2020 have always been at the discretion of Bethany’s Council.  Since May of 2020, churches in NC have been legally exempt from all of the Governor’s gathering limits.  And ELCA Bishops have no power to make us do anything.  Since last May we have been “free” to gather as many as we wish.  However, what is legal and what is wise are sometimes different things.  Bethany’s Council has considered all aspects in trying to determine the best course of action on a month-by-month basis.  At times we have followed the Synod Council’s recommendations, at times we have followed the Governor’s limitations on indoor gathering limits (even though this doesn’t legally apply to churches), and at times we’ve done something different from both.  At this time, we are choosing to follow the Governor’s indoor person gathering limit of 25 people because that seems prudent, given the number of people vaccinated v. the new more contagious variants arriving and community spread to those not in our congregation.  It’s a balancing act, and there’s no perfect solution.
  • Why do we have to wear masks?  If many of our more vulnerable population has been vaccinated, why do we still have to follow these safety protocols? 
    • While many of our 65+ members have been vaccinated, we are all in contact with many people who haven’t been vaccinated, some of them high-risk.  The new variants of Covid-19, which are more contagious, are also now present in NC.  Even for those who have been vaccinated, while they are protected from getting sick, the evidence is still being analyzed as to whether those who have been vaccinated can still transmit the virus.  While there is still a mask mandate in NC, even if that weren’t the case, Bethany’s Council took the above reasons into consideration on this matter.
  • Why can’t we sing for in-person worship?
    • Studies have shown that singing spreads aerosol and droplets much further than speaking, even through a mask.  For the reasons in the previous question, we still need to be concerned about community spread, even as we slowly and prudently take steps towards normal.
  • Why is in-person worship first?
    • Mainly because P. Laura will be singing, unmasked in the sanctuary for Zoom worship, and doesn’t want people at the in-person service to walk through her aerosol cloud.  (File this under the category of things you never wanted to think about!)  It also works better logistically with her, Nick, the laptop, camera, etc.  Again, it’s an experiment, and we’ll change course if needed.
  • Who is offering guidance for Bethany Council’s decisions?
    • Bethany’s Council is looking to a number of sources for guidance.
      • As stated above, we have taken into consideration the recommendations of the North Carolina Synod Council.  They can’t make us do anything, but we trust their guidance.  At times we have stuck with their recommendations to the letter; at times we have followed some and strayed from others, feeling we were safe enough to do so in our context here at Bethany. 
      • We also take the Governor’s Executive Orders into consideration.  As stated above, many of them don’t apply to us, legally, as churches are exempt from gathering limitations, but we have looked at other gathering limitations to be our guide at times.  The County Alert map that NC has been using has been a very helpful tool for gauging trends. 
      • We also take more local sources into consideration – the Covid-19 Dashboard of AppHealthCare (our local health department) which has up-to-date numbers, as well as the Covid-19 page of Appalachian Regional Healthcare System. 
      • Some of our Council members have access to community information through their places of employment, and each Council member is encouraged to do independent research on their own, so that we can come to our meetings armed with the best information to prayerfully consider these decisions. 
      • Which brings us to the most important source of guidance – the Holy Spirit.  We pray at the beginning of these meetings for God’s Spirit to be with us, to guide us in making these decisions on behalf of Christ’s Church here on Big Hill Road, and that all our decisions may be to the honor and glory of God’s name.
  • We are in a fairly safe community, why can’t Bethany meet in person in larger numbers?
    • The numbers in Watauga County and in our community are fairly good compared to a lot of places.  As a church, we are concerned about the most vulnerable in our community, which leads us to take actions to try and protect people.  The fact is that several of the outbreak clusters of Covid cases that Watauga County has seen have come from church gatherings.  We would like to be a witness in protecting people, especially the vulnerable, whom Jesus called the “least of these.”  In his temptations, the devil tempted Jesus to cavalierly throw himself in harm’s way, quoting Scripture and saying that God will protect Jesus, for “he will send his angels so that you will not dash your foot against a stone”, and Jesus responds, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”  We trust in God’s provision and protection, and yet we don’t take reckless risks which put God to the test.  So we balance the very real need to be together in worship with the need to protect our community in this moment.  This has led to the decision to remain cautious in our gatherings for now.  But we do see positive trends, and are moving one step at a time in that direction.
  • So, how long will we be restricted from full participation worship?
    • We don’t know.  Using the tools God has given us (as outlined above) we are looking at many sources – ecclesial (church), scientific, governmental, and independent, as well as our God-given reason and compassion to make decisions that we believe are best.  To be clear: Lutherans believe Worship is the central thing we do as Christ’s Church.  Everything revolves around and flows from our corporate worship of the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  We are thankful that virtual worship is an option in our time, but we are acutely aware it is not the same thing as being physically together.  That is the goal we press on towards, but not in a cavalier manner that puts God’s protection to the test.  We use the tools God has given us, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to make the wisest and most faithful decisions we can (knowing we will always be imperfect) while keeping that goal and that hope of worshiping physically together always fully alive in our minds.  We believe we will get there.  The trends are looking good.  “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some consider slowness.” (2 Peter 3:9).  We pray for a measure of God’s divine patience as we wait with eager longing for the day our voices can once again be mingled in praise.