WHAT TO EXPECT IN WORSHIP

Worship Services are a vital aspect of our life with Jesus at Bethany. While not the "main show" in the life of a Christian,

the worship liturgy (work of the people) informs the daily liturgy -- our service for Christ’s Kingdom the rest of the week.

We gather for corporate worship every Saturday at 5 pm and every Sunday at 10:30 am. Education Hour for all ages

begins at 9:15 AM (September through May). We also offer Adult Bible Study at 9:30 on Sundays and

Wednesdays at 10:30 am. During the summer months, we continue to gather on Sunday at 10:30 AM

and add a mid-week service on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM.

By following the church calendar, we also participate in the richness of special services such as Advent,

Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Lent, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter, etc.

The liturgy of the divine service attempts to tell the story of who God is and what he’s done each and every week.

Through singing, calls to worship, the reading of scripture, spoken confession/absolution, a space for personal reflection, various spiritual practices and meditations, profession of faith, sermon, prayer, Eucharist, etc. the work of Jesus and his means of grace (word and sacrament) take center stage in everything we do. The gospel story of CREATION, FALL, REDEMPTION, and RESTORATION create the base and form the outline for our gathered worship.

The gathered worship concludes with these words spoken responsively: "The worship is over" to which everyone responds "Let the service begin." In other words, let the main show -- how we live daily as Christians -- begin!

ABOUT THE PASTOR

Who Is Pastor Jason Reitz?

Greetings to all! I want to start by saying that Julie, the girls, and I are really excited to be part of your family, working together to spread the Gospel, and be part of your community. I suspect that this ministry, in this culture, is going to be an adjustment for me. While Julie, my wife of 21 years, was born in New Haven and grew up in Lakeville, MA. I am a Midwest boy from the start. From what Julie tells me, this transition will be worth it. If everyone is like her, I can’t disagree.

I’ve been a Pastor for 17 years now. After graduating from Concordia Seminary St. Louis, we moved to Ogden, UT to serve God’s people there. In December 2010, we started our ministry at Zion in St. Charles, MO. We came to Bethany in the midst of COVID in 2020 and are loving life in New England.

I have three girls. Berkley (19) is a sophomore at the University of New Hampshire. Charlotte (17) is in 11th Grade at Simsbury High School and plays lacrosse and basketball. Hazel (13) attends Henry James Middle School and loves life. Oh, and we have a dog too. His name is Moses. He is a four-year-old black mini labradoodle.

Julie is an amazing stay at home mom and wife, moonlighting as a D-1 Women’s Lacrosse official in the Spring. She loves to run, puts amazing food on our table, and makes me a better man/husband/father.

I was given a million questions to consider sharing answers to with you.

I chose five. Here they are:

What’s the funniest movie you have ever seen? I love a funny movie. The one that should give you some idea of what I think is funny is…. Christmas Vacation. That is the movie I never get tired of watching, but only watch between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Coffee or tea? Coffee, multiple times a day.
Claim to fame? I ate lunch with Muhammad Ali at McDonalds. He asked me!
If I could master one skill instantly, what would it be? There are a bunch, but I will only give two (the rules can’t contain me). To be able to fly a plane and professional golfer skills
What sport do you enjoy watching, and who are my “teams”? I will watch just about any sport (baseball on TV is my least favorite), but hockey is probably the most fun. I am a Michigan Wolverines fan. My professional teams are: Detroit Red Wings and Tigers. Chicago Bulls and Bears. I grew up in Michigan, but in the Southwest corner so we got the Chicago TV stations.

Bonus question: If I could pick someone to narrate my life, who would it be?

Probably Morgan Freeman, but the director/producer would be Ken Burns. I love his stuff.

God bless,

Pastor Jason

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