23rd Sunday After Pentecost
Halloween, Reformation Sunday
October 31, 2021

Pastor: Ralph Wrightstone Bulletin . Insert . Photos Music Director: Travis Oaks
On this Sunday of October 31, we find a "logjam" of holidays. Of course, first and foremost in the minds of the young among us is Halloween which will be recognized at Bethel with the "Trunk-O-Treat" event this evening at 5:00 pm that we hope you will include in your plans for this day.

But the Liturgical Calendar has this as the first day of the 3-day season of "Allhallowtide", including: "All Hallows' Eve", "All Saints' Day" (always November 1) and "All Souls' Day"; which is a "time to remember the dead, including martyrs, saints, and all faithful departed Christians."

To complicate matters further, Martin Luther chose "All Saints' Eve" in 1517 as the day to post his "Ninety- Five Theses" that influenced the reform movement that split the western church of Rome. Thus, this day is also celebrated as "Reformation Day".

Fortunately, those who develop the liturgical calendar strove to simplify the matter by designating "Reformation Sunday" as the Sunday on or before "Reformation Day" for that celebration and "All Saints Sunday", the Sunday on or after "All Saints' Day" (making it, more simply, the first Sunday of November), for commemorating the faithful departed Christians.

Thus, the UMC will be observing "All Saints' Sunday" next week and, although Methodism was not a part of the reform movement started by Martin Luther, today will recognize the importance of the separation with "Reformation Sunday" on this "Reformation Day". We hope you will find the background articles on our Resource Page helpful in understanding its significance.
Looking forward to "All Saints Sunday" next week, it is customary to have a time during the service for those attending to mention ones among their family or acquaintances that have passed in the year before. As our online attendants are "virtually present" we would like to invite you to make your submissions by email or phone contact to the addresses at the bottom of this page. All names submitted will be presented in a Memorial List of Recently Departed to those attending either online or church services next week.
Click on the "Bethel United Methodist Church" script above
for links to some Resource materials for today's service.
We are also having a service at 11:00 this morning in Bethel's sanctuary. An insert to the bulletin, provided by a link above, presents Bethel UMC's policy regarding these gatherings during the time of COVID-19 restrictions.
:
For those unable to attend the services at the church, a new service will be available here online before 10:00 am each Sunday morning, using the same format as the on-site service. So you may "gather" here for an "Early Service" at 10:00 or the traditional service at 11:00...actually it will be available here at any time all week. We hope that you will find it a refreshing place to come into God's house.
NOTE: Each part of this online service consists of an audio file and, for most, a Link to a pdf file of "projection slides". Click on the symbol to play the audio file under a separate browser tab or in a new window. Then select the "Bethel 10/31/21 Service" browser tab or return to this window to open the Link to the "slides". It is best to stop the playing of one Audio segment and close its tab or window before starting another.

Thank you for coming. Our prayer will be that we will soon all gather again for worship in Bethel's Sanctuary, but until then we'll be here for you on Sunday morning.
Please let us know of any problems you have with or suggestions about this site by sending an email to "bumctlh@gmail.com". If you have any announcements or prayer concerns you would like included next week you may contact Pastor Ralph Wrightstone directly at: 850-591-9785