Bethany United Methodist Church

United Methodist Church serving Clio, Michigan

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You are here: Home / Community / Our Response to the challenges of the novel Coronavirus
Our Response to the challenges of the novel Coronavirus

Our Response to the challenges of the novel Coronavirus

March 15, 2020 By ClioBethany

Dear Friends,

First of all, I hold all of you in constant prayer as we face the challenges of the Coronavirus. It is a stressful time, made more difficult by our own fears and vulnerability. Prayer is essential, but so is clear, informed, and wise action. I want to share with you how Bethany UMC will respond.

We (names listed below) came together on Friday morning to consider our best course of action on behalf of our congregation and community. We chose to be proactive, compassionate, and respectful of the most current guidelines from the CDC/WHO and our own Bishop. These are the decisions we have made, which are effective immediately.

  • All Sunday School Classes and Worship Services are suspended through April 5. Pastor Cathi will offer prayer, updates, and her sermon online through Facebook at 10:30 each Sunday. For those who request it, a CD/DVD will be available and delivered to your home. Please call the church office if you wish to receive one. Prayer requests may be called into the office or emailed to Pastor Cathi at any time.
  • All Youth/Children’s activities are cancelled until April 8th. This includes: CORE, Wednesday Night Live, Easter Craft Day (may be rescheduled), Easter Breakfast, and the Spring Break party scheduled for March 30. Marc will connect with the Youth on YouTube to provide updates and continue his lessons.
  • NEW Office Hours – the office will be open ONLY from 9:00am to noon. For the health of our staff and others, gathering in the office for group conversations will not be permitted. Please honor this guideline to prevent the spread of disease, and to allow Barb to complete her work in the shorter hours.
  • Roller Skating is done for the season.
  • Bible Studies, Men’s Night Out, Knitting Group, Prayer Group, Music Group rehearsals, and our Lenten Evening Service on March 29th are suspended until further notice. Committee Chairpersons will call only the most essential meetings, keep them brief, and should consider meeting by phone or internet if possible. The UMW Circles are strongly encouraged to suspend their meetings until the virus has been controlled.
  • AA Meetings will be permitted as long as they choose to gather.
  • Food Pantry will continue to serve the community, with these precautions: Carts are to be wiped down before and after every use, gloves will be worn when filling the food request and recipients will receive the food at the door and return the empty cart.
  • All employees will continue to be paid, and to do their work as needed. Employees are expected to sanitize their own workspace and to wipe down all surfaces they have touched before they leave each day.
  • Suspending our Sunday Worship Services may directly affect our cash flow, as we will not receive weekly offerings. Please consider mailing or dropping off your contributions for March 15 – April 5, since we will still need to pay our employees and our bills.

During these weeks of reduced activity and use of the church, we will focus on sanitizing the building as much as possible. Volunteers and staff persons will go room to room disinfecting pews, tables, chairs, books, instruments, door handles, railings, etc etc etc. After a room has been disinfected, it will not be available for use, with 3 exceptions: 3 tables in the lounge, the 2 single restrooms near the offices, adn the staff offices. The kitchen, Prayer Room, all Sunday School Rooms, the basement level and the entire Worship Wing will not be used until further notice. This will help us avoid having to re-sanitize multiple times.

As church leaders, we will continue to meet and re-assess the current situation over the next 3 weeks. As new guidelines come to us from the CDC/WHO/Governor Whitmer/Bishop Bard, we will review our response and keep you informed of any changes or updates.

Having said all of this, I also want to encourage and reassure you. It is important to remain calm, and to follow best practices for hygiene and contact with people. Wash your hands often, avoid touching your face, and be careful about shaking hands or hugging. Wipe down surfaces that you touch and if you have any symptoms of the flue or think you may have been exposed, contact your doctor immediately. Refrain from panic shopping (especially toilet paper!) and avoid large crowds. If it is warm enough, open your windows briefly to exchange fresh air.

Be careful, yes, but above all, just B.R.E.A.T.H.E. Find creative ways to enjoy the change in schedules, to rest in the reduced busyness, and feed your heart and soul with quiet and prayer. Pray for those who are ill, for those who are treating them, and for those trying to manage and control the virus. Pray for those who will face a financial crisis, child care issues, or increased domestic violence. If you need food, household essentials, or a ride to the doctor, please call the church or the pastor and we will do our best to help. Stay connected to friends and family by phone or internet and check on one another often. Be informed by credible sources, but don’t let it overwhelm you. We will make it through this, by working together and choosing wisdom over fear.

God continues to bless us all,

Shalom,

Pastor Cathi

Karen Ferguson (Finance Chair)

Laura Gray (Trustees Chairperson)

Marc Middleton (Director of Children’s / Youth Ministries)

Mavis Miller (Chairperson of Worship & Music Arts)

Diane Weaver (Lay Leader)

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Filed Under: Community, Member Care, Tower Notes

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Connect online with Bethany Youth & Children’s ministries

Connect online with Bethany Youth & Children’s ministries

Rewatch previous video worship with one of the following links:

Visit our Facebook Page Videos Tab to view all of our recent videos

Epiphany – Sermons from the Sunday after Christmas until the start of Lent

Prepare Ye Series – Advent 2020 (From 11/29 thru Christmas Eve)

Special Sundays (including All Saints and Stewardship Sunday)

Changing Colors – Fall 2020 Series

The Blessings of Sabbath – September 2020

View all past online worship experience choices

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Missions

Mission Projects – 2020

Everyone can participate!

  • Ongoing – LOVE Pantry – Accepting cash donations and non-perishable food donations
    • Fill a grocery bag from the gathering area labelled with a current need
  • Knitting with Jesus – Meets on Thursdays @ 1pm
  • Aluminum & Steel Tabs and Bottle Caps – Den & Karen Nichols collect these in support of Ronald McDonald House, University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The monies earned from this collection go to providing a place for families to stay at Ronald McDonald house while their children are being treated there.
  • Ongoing – Collect items for Operation Christmas Child.  Toys, hygiene products, crayons, hats, gloves, etc. must be able to fit in shoe box, no liquids, and no weapon or war like toys. Bring them to church office or youth ministry!

If you have a need or can fulfill a need in our community, please connect with our church office.

Regular Worship Activities

Bethany United Methodist Church - Clio, MI

In Person worship & activities temporarily suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  Please stay in touch with us here on our website and on our Facebook page where we worship together online.

Watch and See!

Sunday:

9am – Sunday School – Join Online

10:30am – Online Worship on Facebook

Learn about Activities for Youth & Children


1st Sunday (when in person) – Communion – The UMC has an open table.

1st Thursday of every month – Grief Support Group at 7pm Meeting digitally for now, contact us for details.

Praise God through Bible study, music, and fellowship. Bible study groups for youth and adults available.

Prayer Requests

Are you in need of prayer? Do you want a member of our congregation or pastoral team to contact you, a family member or a friend? Please feel free to reach out to us with your prayer requests, or to share your joys or the ways that God is working in your life.

Prayer Request Form





Prayer Requests
Join Bethany United Methodist Church in Clio, Michigan on the mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors

Keep in Touch!

Bethany United Methodist Church
353 Vienna Street
P.O. Box 327
Clio, Michigan 48420
Phone: 810-686-5151
Email Us!

Current Office Hours (December 2020) Mon & Wed 10am – 1pm

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Meet Pastor Cathi

Pastor Cathi HuvaereWould you like to visit with Pastor Cathi? We could meet in your home or in a nearby restaurant during the day or early evening. If you would welcome a visit, please let me know. Just call the church office to set up a time. I look forward to getting to know you!

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