Welcome to Bethel Baptist Church!
We would be honored to have you join us for worship--we'd like to take a few moments to let you know what you can expect when you visit.
Arrival
Our doors open around 9:30 on Sunday mornings. Parking is available along Main Street and Fugate Drive, with cones marking
handicap access along Fugate Drive. You can enter through the main entrance on Main Street or either of the side doors on Fugate (the door to the basement Fellowship Hall remains locked for security purposes). Please feel free to "come as you are"--our church family is more excited to see Jesus than to see what someone is wearing!
Sunday School (9:45am-10:45am)
Our day begins at 9:45 with our Sunday School classes for all ages. We have a Primary Department with two classes for ages 3-6 and ages 7-12, a Youth and College class starting for age 13 and up, and an Adult Class for ages 21 and over. We'll be happy to introduce you to the class that fits your needs the best.
Morning Worship (11:00am-12:30pm)
Our Morning Worship service begins with singing to each other (Colossians 3:16) with a mix of music--from treasured hymns that connect us to our rich heritage, to metrical Psalms that enable us to sing God's Word in worship, to new music that focuses our attention on the beautiful treasure of Christ's work for us in salvation. We deliberately keep our worship music simple and accessible to all, with clear instrumental accompaniment led from the platform by the pastor.
Because we believe that God has perfectly spoken to us in His Word, the Bible, we are careful to "give attention to the public reading of Scripture" (1 Timothy 4:13). We read aloud together, either in unison or responsively, in one of the most ancient and time-honored practices of the Church through the centuries.
We also honor God's Word in the sermons that we preach. Our practice at Bethel is "expository" preaching--which means that we do our best to make sure that "the point of the passage is the point of the sermon". (You can hear some of our most recent sermons by clicking the links on our home page.) Sermons generally last between 30-40 minutes.
Children in Worship
We believe that one of the most powerful influences in a child's life is for them to see their parents engaged in worship (Isaiah 8:18). So we are deeply committed to enabling parents to keep their children with them in the worship service if you so desire. Please feel free to let your kids sit with you! We do offer a nursery that is staffed by qualified individuals, as well as a Junior Church class for kids through 2nd Grade that meets once a month during the sermon. We warmly encourage you to take advantage of whatever arrangement suits your family the best.
The Lord's Supper
On the first Sunday of each month, we celebrate the Lord's Supper together, which we hold to be a memorial of Christ's death (1 Corinthians 11:26). We practice a "limited" access to the Supper--you do not have to be a member of Bethel Baptist Church in order to participate, but we do ask that you participate only if you have placed your faith in Christ as your Savior and have been baptized as a believer (1 Corinthians 11:27-29). But whether or not you take the Supper with us, you are warmly invited to stay and observe.
Our prayer is that when you visit you will see the Gospel at work in our lives, and you will see Jesus Christ in our words, our worship and our fellowship. If you have any questions or would like more information, please send an email to us.
We're looking forward to welcoming you to worship with us!
