Re-opening Plans

Bethel Church is opening its doors for in-person services!!  

The last time we had in-person Sunday services was March 15! It’s been too long! God has been good to us, and to our Province. BC is experiencing a low infection rate, and many industries are re-opening. At this time, our Board and staff have deemed it safe to initiate a staged approach to re-opening our church building for in person Sunday services.  

We’re going to take it slow. So before you rush over, check out the details below:

When will in-person services start?

Limited in-person services will re-launch starting Sunday August 23rd.  

Services will be Sundays at 9am, 11am & 3pm. They will be approximately 50 minutes long.  

We will be hosting an outdoor lobby in the parking lot 30 minutes prior to every service. The church doors will open 10 minutes prior to the service. Once inside, please head straight to your seat. Sit with your family unit, and remain 2 meters from others at all times. After the service is over, the outdoor lobby will be open again for 15 minutes (weather dependant).  

For those who can’t, or prefer not to return at this time, we will continue to live-stream our 11am service on Facebook and YouTube. That video will remain available on demand any time thereafter.

How do I attend?

Anyone who wants to attend MUST pre-register. Registration for Sunday services will be available each week starting on the Tuesday prior at www.betheltab.ca/attend. Registration will be first come, first served.  

Those who do not pre-register will not be given admittance (sorry, no exceptions!). If you need help registering, please contact the church office.    

Attendance will be limited based on current government regulations on mass gatherings. Currently, that limit is 50 people. As that number increases, so will our service sizes.  

Because of limited space, we ask for the time being that you limit your attendance to no more than every second week. If demand requires it, we may introduce a fourth service time in the near future.

Who can come?

Everyone is welcome! Regulars, newcomers, visitors, young, old and in between!  

However, anyone experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 are required to stay home (coughing, fever, difficulty breathing, sore throat, etc). Additionally, if you have travelled outside of Canada within the previous two weeks, or been in contact with someone who may have COVID-19, you are required to stay home.  

We recognize that not everyone will feel comfortable returning under current conditions. That’s why we will continue to provide our live-streamed video service at 11am.

What about my kids?

Kids are absolutely welcome to join the service. In fact, we want them to! At the beginning, we will not be providing our regular kids church ministry. Kids will need to stay with their parents. However, we will be providing activity packs (Worship Kits) and other resources to keep kids engaged. Parents, you will receive additional information from Lisa Grant, our Kids Ministry Director.  

We are planning a staged approach to re-introduce Kids Church in the near future. Stay tuned!

What about cleaning?

Cleaning will occur before and after every service to ensure a safe and sanitary environment. We ask that everyone practice proper handwashing, and make use of the hand sanitizer stations throughout the building.

What’s next?

We will be following a staged approach toward a full relaunch of church programming. Look at the image below for a summary of the planned stages. Everything is subject to change, depending on how things progress in our province, and more importantly, the will of God.  

In the book of James, we are encouraged to humbly keep our plans in an open hand before God:  

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:14-15)  

Let’s continue to pray, seek God, walk humbly, and love each other. We’re in this together!  

Pastor Dave

Here is the video announcement from Pastor Dave: