We are livestreaming our worship on Sunday morning (just like we did before Covid-19). You can find Pastor John live at 9:30 am from our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MiddletownsHealingPool/ and our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS5M5-A8fSmzwEjsTEFTiIQ?view_as=subscriber&pbjreload=10 (Bethesda UMCDE). Music begins at 9:15 am.
Below are the guidelines and directives that we MUST follow if you wish to attend in person. If you are in any of the categories that makes you susceptible for the virus, or if there are any guidelines on this list that will prevent you from coming to church in person, our Bishop and Pastor John encourage you to continue to watch services online. We appreciate your patience, understanding and cooperation as we move forward safely in order to ensure the health and safety of everyone.
To attend, we do require that you RSVP to allow us the ability to keep an accurate count. To RSVP, please send me an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. If you do not have email, please call the church office at 302-378-2313. In the subject line, write the date that you would like to attend, and the number of people attending.
When you arrive at church, please maintain physical distancing between you and the people around you. Please put your mask on before exiting the car, and maintain 6 feet of distance between you and the people surrounding you as you come into church.
There will only be one entrance and one exit open to access the church, and that will be the main church doors. The back doors and the glass doors by the hall will be locked.
There will be one greeter at the entrance to the church who will direct people to the Sanctuary and the restroom. Upon entrance, please give your name to the greeter, and they will check you off of the RSVP list for that specific date and check your temperature. People will not be permitted to stop and talk, and will be required to keep moving into the Sanctuary. No one will not be permitted beyond the doors in the lower hallway, or in any other areas of the building. The restroom in the nursery will be the only available restroom.
Families should sit together in a pew, balcony seating will not be available. If you are not living in the same household as the person next to you, you must keep 6 feet of physical distance between you and your neighbor, and sit in the adjoining pew.
Funerals will be planned and organized by the funeral home, and Baptism's and Marriages will be handled separately and adhere to the above guidelines.
Thank you for your understanding and patience as we move forward!
Bethesda Middletown UMC’s Fall Plans
We have a number of things coming up this fall - all events/studies will have an in-person as well as a virtual attendance option:
Every Tuesday Evening: Bible study, 6:30pm in the Sanctuary, Zoom or Facebook.
Every Thursday Morning: Mourning Dove's Women's Group: 10am in the Sanctuary, Zoom or Facebook
"Mourning Doves" will provide a safe space for women to talk openly about what they're experiencing in their lives. Pastor John will be discussing the different areas of our lives that women may be "mourning" in 2020, reminding us that we have ALL the necessary tools to cope with whatever it is we're facing (God has already given them to us, we just have to use them), and unpacking how scripture relates to all of it.
The Mourning Doves will begin with a 10 week session, and you may choose to attend in person, through Zoom (id 812-1341- 1311) or by tuning into Bethesda's Facebook page. No worries if you can't attend all 10 weeks- you can watch what you've missed by tuning into Bethesda's Facebook page at any time!
Following is a list of topics and scripture, by week:
Week 1: "Who Am I In Christ?" Luke 8:43-48
Week 2: "Woman at the Well" John 4:4-26
Week 3: "Women Took Care of Jesus" Luke 8:1-3
Week 4: "Best of Women" Proverbs 31
Week 5: "Sometimes, All You Need To Do is To Go Home" Luke 1: 26-45
Week 6: "Hannah: A Woman of God" Part 1 - 1 Samuel 1:1-28
Week 7: Part 2 - 1 Samuel 2: 1-11
Week 8: "Ruth and Naomi" Ruth 1:1-5
Week 9: "Mary" Luke 1:26-38
Week 10: "Elizabeth" Luke 1: 24-25
Sight & Sound Trip to see Esther: Reminder if you signed up and paid; Saturday, November 21st, show begins at 11am with a 10:15 arrival time.
Charge Conference will be Wednesday, December 2nd at 7pm. Due to Covid restrictions, this will NOT be a joint Charge Conference as it has in past years, this year it is limited to just us and our congregation.
Christmas Worship Service Plans
To do so safely, and to remain in compliance with the conditions set forth by our Governor and Bishop and to keep our congregation as healthy and safe as possible, we will be offering two services on Christmas Eve, one at 5 pm and one at 7 pm so that we can practice socially distancing as successfully as possible. Both services will have an in-person option and a virtual option.
In our current phase, we are permitted to welcome 108 people in person, so we will be prepared to welcome 108 people at each service. Please be aware that the number of people we are able to welcome is out of our control, and may change depending upon future changes made to Delaware's phasing.
As a result of having to limit each service to 108 people, as well as being able to conduct successful contact tracing should the need arise, we are requiring that you RSVP in advance of attending an in-person Christmas Eve Service at BUMC. To RSVP, you may: send an email: mikab@ bethesdaumcde.org with the time of the service that you would like to attend (5 pm or 7 pm) and include the names of the people that you will be attending with, and I'll add each name to the list, OR when you come to church on Sunday morning, you can add your name to the lists located on the bulletin board (please use one space per family member, so that we have an accurate count)
Just as a friendly reminder, to attend a service on Christmas Eve, you must be masked and take a temperature check upon your arrival. We will practice social distancing in the Sanctuary, and the church will be cleaned between services.
Thanks for your cooperation, grace and understanding as we plan the best Covid Christmas celebrations we've ever had (and hopefully the ONLY Covid Christmas celebrations we ever HAVE to have)!
Free Weddings in February: Do you know of a couple who had to push their wedding back to 2021 due to Covid restrictions, or someone who would like to get married but hasn't made plans yet? We're offering FREE weddings here at Bethesda for the entire month of February! The couple will have to complete 2-3 counseling sessions with Pastor John prior to the wedding. Help us spread the word, and please have them contact the church office for more details!