“It is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.” Romans 8:16-17

Dear Children of God!

As a parish we continue to worship and pray to God daily, for indeed, the church is not the building but the people. In spite of the unprecedented times we live in, we march on confident in the hope of the resurrected Lord, and as the baptized children of God, we are empowered with the knowledge that we are inheritors of God’s goodness.  As you know, we have distanced worship and enforced recommended safety measures purely out of love for our neighbor.  Our witness to this, the cross we have had to bear because of it, has led to some suffering, but again, we are empowered because we are children of God!

We are currently in Phase One which limits gatherings of 10 people or less, with an eye toward gatherings of 20, then 50.  We are now moving into Phase Two and offering prayer services for groups of 20 or fewer in our churches, and we are inviting YOU to worship with us!  This is an exciting opportunity for our parish to get back in our sanctuaries and be with one another at a safe distance, and this will also be a great chance for me to get to know more of you since I only had one month “in person”!

What will the service look like?

We will have a 40-minute service based on daily prayer in the ELW hymnal. We will gather for prayer in the sanctuary and have informal discussions based on the lectionary (bible reading), our lives, our faith, and connect with one another in a physically-distanced way. On a personal level, I want to get to know who is in our congregation and I want you to get to know your pastor! It is my hope that we can instill daily prayer habits so that we are “praying without ceasing,” as is our baptismal call.

Please note: This will not be our regular worship service. Worship will still be offered online on Sundays.

I encourage you to consider coming back to the church building keeping in mind your health and wellbeing. I invite all who are interested to come and meet with me—get to know the person behind the camera! I have certainly been longing to meet you.

In Christ’s Name,

Reverend Emily K. Stelling

• We ask that everyone register with Jane at the Bethany office (715-349-5280) so we can keep to our 20 or fewer group sizes.  

• You are welcome to attend services at either church – pick dates and times that are most convenient for you.  This is also a great opportunity for us to get to know one another across our parish. 

Note:

-Your health and the safety of others is a top priority.

-Masks or face shields continue to be required.

-Physical distance measures will be taken.

-Fellowship before or after services is not available at this time.

Here is the link to the letter above: 20PPLprayerservice.pdf