Welcome to Bethany! Here is a little bit about us in no particular order . . .
A long obedience in the same direction is how someone described following Jesus. We like that.
We believe that we are on a pilgrimage of becoming certain types of people. In this journey of becoming, it takes discipline to be obedient. It takes a long time for obedience to God to take root. Becoming these kinds of people does not happen instantly.
Being a pilgrim means being a person who spends their life going someplace, going to God, going to Jesus, because Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). We believe this life of faith is a long obedience in the same direction and it’s in this journey that real life is found.
We won’t “WOW” you. Though we believe what we do in worship and as a church is to be done well and presented as an offering to a Holy God, our goal is not to “wow” you. Some would say we accomplish that goal very well.
Our goal as we gather to worship is to please God by being together in His presence and proclaim to God our trust, faith, and gratitude. We want to do that well. We want to do that with a variety and a balance of styles.
We believe how we treat each other and the kindness, grace and encouragement we extend to one another is as much an act of worship as the songs we sing, the prayers we pray, or the sermons we preach. Yielding to the preferences of others is, in itself, an act of worship to a Holy God.
We’ve been around for a while. Bethany started meeting as a church in September 1898. We have deep roots. We like deep roots. We appreciate the wisdom that comes with years and the insights we gain from those who have been walking in this long obedience for many, many years.
We are also blessed that those with experience also honor and value the insights and perspectives of those who are younger. At Bethany you will find those who are over ninety, babies in the nursery, and most every life stage in between. We call that church!
We like each other. Okay, that should be a given, but we really do like each other. Even those across the room that we have never met or maybe at this point can’t immediately recall their name, they are part of the family and they’re important.
We like to talk. We like to be together. Even those of us who are more introverted enjoy watching others talk and be together. We see ourselves as part of something bigger whether gathered on Sunday morning or shopping at Payless.
We want to provide a place for you to catch your breath. Whether you are here for a few weeks, a few months, a few years, or you never leave, our hope is that Bethany provides a place where you can breathe. Life gets hard. Sometimes we just need to be able to sit down and let others worship for us. Sometimes we just need to be present and listen and let others remind us we’re not alone.
We want to be the green pastures and quiet waters described in Psalm 23.
The Bible is important to us. We believe the Bible is God’s Word written and recorded for us. We do not claim to understand the Bible perfectly, but we study, talk, and learn so we can understand the Bible better.
Because God is God and we are not, we read and study the Bible with the desire to yield to God and shape our lives around what God has said. Again, we do not claim to do that perfectly, but that’s what we want to do together.
We don’t want to put more on your plate. Chances are, you’re already busy. Chances are you don’t need more to do, but less. Do we have places where you can help and places to serve. Sure we do! In every healthy family everyone has a role to play, but our goal is not to give you lots of jobs to do or lots of meetings to attend.
We don’t want to burden you with more, but free you to enjoy what you already have and to find within what you are already doing in life, work, school, and family a place to follow Jesus and express your faith. Do you want to help with our children’s classes, with students, in worship, teaching, cleaning, visiting, missions, marriages? Great! But first follow Jesus right where you’re living.
We live here. Sometimes people ask, “What are you doing as a church to serve our community?” We live here! We see ourselves as a group of people who are spread out all over our community as individuals, husbands, wives, moms, dads, parents, kids, neighbors, teachers, little league coaches, students, employees, employers, volunteers with local agencies, friends, and family. We serve our community by trying to love people and be like Jesus right here where we live with the people we encounter every day.
We are not the only church. Again, obvious, but we believe it. In the big picture there really is only one church which is made up of all those who follow Jesus. All over town and all over the world, one church reaching back through the ages and reaching forward to the future. So, yes there is only one church.
But when it comes to the various families of believers who meet in lots of different locations, we are one of many, not the only family. We hope that you find at Bethany a place to call home–we like us! But we also know that different people have different preferences in a whole lot of areas and another gathering of believers might fit you a little better. That’s okay. We are all in this together, regardless of where we meet or the particular traditions or non-traditions we hold.
We care. We’re not perfect, but working to become a caring group of people. Now, we can not read minds, so if someone is struggling we can only walk along with them if we know they need a hand. Every Sunday as we gather we recognize that we’ve all got “stuff.” We all have difficulties, struggles, bumps, bruises, and some baggage.
Caring doesn’t always mean we have an answer or that we can take the hurt away, caring means we can walk beside you and say, “Me too.” Caring means you can cry or complain or get mad and we will not walk away. Caring means we want to extend the same grace and understanding to you that we have received from God and His family.
Bethany basics might help you understand what’s happening. For example, we take communion (some would call it the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist) every Sunday. Other churches choose to share in communion less often, that’s fine. We prefer every week. Someone once said, “Doesn’t that take away from it’s meaning? Doesn’t it make it less special?” My favorite answer came from a gentlemen who said, “I kiss my wife more than once in a while and it never gets old!” Again, if you come from a tradition where it wasn’t once a week, we are not saying that we are right and others are wrong, just that this is our practice.
We also baptize by immersion (going completely under the water and back up). We know there are other groups of believers who practice baptism in other ways. We have our Biblical reasons for why we do it the way we do, but others do too. We will be glad to tell you why we immerse, but that’s the way we do it.
We mess up. This is true for us personally. In this long obedience in the same direction we don’t do it perfect. We want to, we try to, we are helping each other, but we’re not there yet.
“We mess up” is also true of us as a church. Though we hope to notice every one who visits, we sometimes fail to recognize you. Sorry about that. We sometimes blame it on having two services and since none of us knows everyone then we often think a new face is someone who’s been here longer than we have, but we’ve just not met them yet. Be patient or introduce yourself to us, that is so much easier!
We might not notice or respond in the way you might have expected. It could be we just missed it or it could be we had no idea. Again, let us know.
We would rather talk than just write it down. If you are looking for a Statement of Faith or a written Creed, we don’t have one. It’s not that we don’t believe certain things, but writing them down seldom gets to the heart of what they mean. So if you have a question about what we believe, feel free to ask. Think the best way to get to know us, is to sit down and get to know us.
We also believe the best way for us to get to know you is to sit down and talk with you. Feel free to catch us as we gather on Sunday morning, give us a call during the week, shoot us an email, but don’t let your questions go unanswered. You may or may not agree with where we land, but it’s always good for us to understand each other as we walk together in this long obedience.
Three miles per hour is the normal pace that we humans walk. In a world where bigger, better, faster, quicker is promoted as the way to get things done and where our attention is constantly being taken hostage, three miles per hour seems unproductive and lazy. But we believe that if we are going to walk with God we have to slow down to catch up with Him.
Three miles an hour, learning to walk through life instead of run, is a sustainable pace. It might not seem as though we will get as far, but we believe that’s not true. We also believe that living at three miles per hour allows you the opportunity to enjoy the scenery and experience the beauty all around us.
We believe that to live like Jesus we have to move at three miles per hour. Jesus moved through life at a pace in which he noticed His Father, noticed people, and could stop to share a meal, have a conversation, or bless the little children. Moving through life at a slower pace might seem like we are not taking advantage of every opportunity. But maybe the reality is that as we run through life we miss out on the real opportunities God places in our path each day. Three miles an hour might seem like an unproductive way to live, but we don’t think anyone would question the productivity of Jesus .
Trying to walk through life instead of run is a constant struggle, but we think it’s worth it!
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