Welcome to our little corner on the world wide web! We
are a church that really wants to serve God in our community and our world.
And guess what? We are user friendly. That may sound a little
funny but what I mean is that we are just regular people. We don't use
churchy lingo when we talk, we just share from our hearts about what Christ
has done in our lives. The people who worship here are from all walks
of life, with all types of backgrounds. We want you to know you are
welcome at Bethel. You may have never attended church before in your
life, or you may come from a church background. Whichever, you are
welcome here. What to wear, you may ask? We are a casual church!
If you want to dress up you can, but jeans and a sweatshirt is fine with us!
I usually dress casually. (But I wear a suit once in a while, too).
We just want you to be comfortable worshiping with us. We are interested in
you. We don't care what your ethnic background is or where you grew
up, but we do care about you! We are here to assist you and your
family in discovering the wonders of God. He has changed our lives and
has given us hope and purpose in a world that is not so encouraging today.
What Can I Expect if I Visit
Bethel?
What can you expect on Sunday when you arrive? Our
main entrance to the auditorium is on the south side of the building.
We have a sign on the side of the building that points you in the right
direction. For those with a disability, (wheelchair or power chair) we
have a nice new entrance ramp for you with wide doors for you to enter.
Once inside the auditorium, please feel free to find a place to sit that
suits your needs. We do have guest brochures for you that gives you
the scoop about our church and what we believe along with a guest card that
if you feel comfortable filling it out, you can just drop it in the offering
bag later in the service, but don't feel you have to do so. OK?
As the service begins, we have announcements, then some
music and other items during the actual service. I bring a message on
a particular subject based on the Bible. If you are a guest, please do
not feel obligated to give anything to the offering. We do not
emphasize money. We feel that as God leads an individual to give to
His work, the follower of Christ will do so as he or she feels led.
So, relax, we don't want your money. We want you to experience God's
presence and leadership in your life. If God leads you at a later time
to give to His work, that's cool. That is between you and God.
Following the message, we have a time of what I like to call
a time of invitation. We invite you to interact with God, either
silently where you sit or stand, or by coming down to the front of the
auditorium where I will be standing and you can discuss with me what God is
leading you to do. It is all according to what you want to do.
Then we pray and that's it! But don't feel obligated to come to the
front unless you believe God is leading you. I'm just there to assist
you if He does.
Right now we have a more traditional flavor to our services,
but we are slowly working to make it a blended worship/music service.
What I mean by that is we are going to add some newer music and choruses
along with our traditional hymns. We want to have something for young and
old alike.
Fully Staffed Nursery
If you have nursery and preschool children, we have a fully
staffed nursery. When you enter the auditorium at the back, you will
find a stairway that leads downstairs. When you pass through the door
at the end of the stairs just a slight turn to the right will take you right
to our nursery. You are welcome in our nursery anytime. If you
want to slip out of the service and check on your son or daughter, please do
so. Or you may keep your young child with you during the service.
We just ask that if the little one starts to cry that you might go out in
the little foyer or downstairs in the fellowship hall until they quiet down.
We love kids. We know they act up from time to time and make noises.
I'm a father. I understand.
Child Safety
I also want you to know that we take child safety very
seriously at Bethel. All of our workers with children 18 years of age
or lower submit an application to work with children and undergo a very
thorough background check. We also provide them periodic training in
working with children. Our last training session was furnished by
Guide One Insurance Company. We have a two person rule with all of our
workers and we just recently installed windows in all of our classroom doors
so you, the parent, can look in on your child and the class anytime you
would like. If you would have any further questions, please feel free to
ask. We want you to feel welcome and know that safety is important to
us.
Restrooms
Our restrooms are very small and are downstairs in the north
fellowship hall. Just follow the overhead signs. Unfortunately, our building
is aging, but we are working on building a new facility in the not too
distant future. We hope you don't mind some of the features in our
current building. Just know we are working on it.
Well, that is it for now. I'm sure you are tired of me
rambling on. But I just wanted you to know a little about us.
For years our slogan was "The Friendly Church on the Hill." And that
is certainly true. This is a very loving, caring and friendly church.
I have been here as Pastor since March of 2006. The congregation has
taken my family in and made us feel at home and welcome. We want to do
the same thing for you. Please come and be a part of our worship
experience next Sunday! I will look forward to meeting you.
Pastor Harold
"Caring Hearts in the Heart of America"
We are affiliated with the
Clay/Platte Baptist Association, the
Missouri Baptist Convention, and the
Southern Baptist Convention.
Other Affiliations and Information:
Baptist Faith and Message 2000
(For PDF of the BF&M2000,
click here)
© 2007 Bethel Baptist
Church All rights reserved
