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We are excited to announce that Bethany Lutheran Church is now officially open for Lutheran worship services only  We are now worshiping our Lord together in His house.  What a blessing that is after such a long separation!  God is certainly good to us!

***The Worship Service Setting***

This COVID Pandemic has thrown us all for a loop, but in many ways, we are coming together and reaching out in forms we never considered before and that is a beautiful part of God’s plan.  The church council wants to keep everyone informed on the continued functioning of our beloved church family and the decisions being made on the family’s behalf along the way.  Our state has moved into Stage 3, and really the only major change that affects churches is the ability to fill church buildings to 75% capacity.  However, the same restrictions still remain.  Social distancing still applies, sanitizing is still a necessity, and masks remain a requirement.  At each step, the safety of our church   family members and visitors remains a paramount concern to the council and our minister.  We are working together considering each step fully and researching the changes in policy and  restrictions.  Every last one of us wants to be in the church sanctuary again and are awaiting the day that can happen with eagerness, but in the meantime, we have to abide by the law and restrictions that all churches and organizations are facing. Some questions have arisen as to why we aren’t worshipping in the  sanctuary yet, and here are the reasons why that has not changed:

  • Wood surfaces can be sanitized, but it breaks down the wood.  Our pews, window sills and altar rails would be irreparably damaged by the sanitizing that we are required to do by the CDC.  The folding chairs in the Fellowship Hall are more suited to the cleansing and if they are damaged, it would be a fraction of the cost to replace those versus our Sanctuary wood surfaces.
  • We can seat 37 people in the Fellowship Hall and have the ability to add 3-4 more chairs beyond that with the safe distancing of 6 feet.  This puts us to 75% capacity already for that room with distancing maintained.  The Sanctuary can only hold 33 with all areas used, and the pews are not far enough apart with every other pew used to maintain the recommended distancing. 
  • All of the recording equipment would have to be taken down and put back up every week, whereas now it is maintained in situ so recordings can be done with little to no prep work. 
  • Our pastor’s health makes traversing the levels of the Sanctuary difficult, and we want to be sensitive to that.  The Fellowship Hall services are much easier for him to manage for a full service at this time with his health concerns. 

Our Fellowship Hall services are a success so far as a temporary measure.  While there have been some adaptations due to health restrictions, we are worshipping together again and have an  average of 20 people attending per service.  We have manynblessings to be thankful to our Lord for right now, and your       continued support and understanding during this time is certainly one of them.  As a family, let us spend some time in prayer this month thanking God for our blessings of love and provision and let us also pray that the day when we can all worship together again without concerns of health comes quickly. 

Regular Lutheran worship services have resumed at our normally scheduled service times of 8am and 11am.  During these challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, the church family’s safety is of primary concern.  While we are permitted to reopen, our church is under certain restrictions, and we ask for your support and patience with our safe federal, state, C.D.C. and L.C.M.S. South Eastern District reopening protocols.

            At this time, we are open for Lutheran worship only.  Meetings, classes, and other group and congregational gatherings will be permitted as restrictions are lifted.  Please pray for our church and for God’s children everywhere as we re-enter group gatherings to worship our Lord and Savior.  May God continue to bless you all. 

Continue to Worship with Bethany Lutheran on face book at Life at Bethany Lutheran Salisbury, MD

Life at Bethany Lutheran allows you to stay in touch with Bethany Lutheran Church’s worship services which  are available anytime you need them.

Welcome to Bethany Lutheran Church in Salisbury, MD on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Our doors and hearts are always open. We are eager to know you and excited to share with you the marvelous ways God is working in our church.

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Who are we?

We are a loving church family who follows the teachings of Martin Luther as expressed in Ephesians 2:8 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.“

What are we?

We are a Missouri Synod congregation, established in 1931, of approximately 150 communicant members.

Where are we?

We are located in Salisbury, MD on the corner of Camden Ave. and South Blvd.

Why do we exist?

We exist, as a church body in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to learn of Him through His Holy Scriptures, to worship Him only, and to serve Him by meeting the needs of others and by sharing the gift of salvation through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our verse for November:

“A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.”  ~Proverbs 15:30

 

The Bible is filled with verses that remind us to be   happy, joyful and content.  Continue to rejoice and be glad that we have been granted His gracious gift of   salvation which we can share as we witness to those around us.  Christ died for us – be filled with joy!

Practice Joy:

Thank God for each new day!

The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod

We are a member church of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Click on cross icon to visit L.C.M.S. website.