Posted by Brandon on January 3, 2009 under Bethel News | 
Pastor Brandon has been preaching through the Bible, book-by-book since April of 2007 and is now entering the book of Numbers. “If I could add a subtitle to the book of Numbers, it would be Failing Forward with God’s People. In Numbers, we see God’s people making some huge mistakes only to see God’s awesome hand at work, guiding them toward His promised blessing.” We hope you’ll join us as we learn from our own failures that we serve a God of mercy and redemption and blessing.
Posted by Brandon on December 1, 2008 under Bethel News |
I’ve stepped away from preaching through the Bible from now through the end of this year. We finished the book of Leviticus just a week or two ago. During the month of December, I’ll be preaching a series of sermons called GOOD TIMES. These are difficult times for the world economically and politically, but when we know Christ, these are good times for family, for giving, for hope, and for receiving.
For a few more details, visit my blog post about this special Christmas sermon series.
Posted by Brandon on November 21, 2008 under Bethel News |
Thanksgiving is life-changing! I mean that literally. Expressing gratitude is scientifically proven to release seratonin in the brain, the “happy hormone.” We feel better when we are thankful. The times in which we live aren’t necessarily the easiest economically or spiritually, yet we have so much to be thankful for. I’m reminded of the apostles’ words concering their undergoing severe persecution. They praised God that they were “counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.”
At Bethel, we’re celebrating Thanksgiving with some special times and I wanted to pass along some announcements concerning this week or two of ministry.
- We will have only one morning worship service on Sunday, November 23, at 10:45 a.m.
- Lunch will follow. We’re covering the meat and asking our church families to provide the rest and we know we’ll have plenty for everyone.
- There is no choir practice Sunday afternoon.
- Our evening service, at 6:00 p.m., will be a thanksgiving testimonial service.
- There will be no Tuesday morning Bible study.
- There will be no Wednesday services on the 26th.
And last but not least, we’re having a food drive. The last day to bring food is Sunday, November 23, but food we have left over will be stored for an upcoming food ministry (more about that later). I certainly hope you can join us this Sunday to express thanksgiving to God!
Posted by Brandon on October 17, 2008 under Bethel News |
Bethel Baptist Church has experienced a nice problem - we’re running out of room. Some Sundays, it’s difficult to find a place to sit if you’re a first-timer, so we’re making room without spending a million dollars by adding a second service at 8:45 a.m. When? Sunday, October 26.
It’s been a long journey and a revealing discussion coming to this decision. Few of us who are in leadership at Bethel really want to go to two services, but it finally boiled down to the issue of evangelism. If we want to love and reach more people, we have to have room for them. We’re not moving to a two-service format to create distinctly branded worship styles. In fact, Pastor Brandon feels strongly that this would be a misunderstanding of the nature of biblical worship, which can’t really be described with terms like “traditional” or “contemporary.” And we’re not offering a second service out of convenience. It’s simply to make room.
We hope and pray you’ll join us at either 8:45 a.m. for early worship or 10:45 a.m. for later worship, and 10:00 a.m. for Sunday School. And we also hope to keep reaching people and loving them for the glory of God!
Posted by Brandon on September 25, 2008 under Bethel News |
Bethel Baptist Church is affectionately known by its membership as “the church on the hill.” The church sits on a picturesque setting overlooking a little valley where North Walton Boulevard runs by. Many people don’t realize there’s more to the campus than what you see from the road. There’s a second building that houses a gymnasium, fellowship hall, offices and classrooms that you can’t see unless you turn in and drive up. But it isn’t the building that really matters… it’s the people.
We’re not a perfect church by any means, but we’re on a journey toward becoming a place where lives can be impacted in greater ways by the truth of God’s Word. And God is blessing His Word. Pastor Brandon began preaching through the Bible a year and a half ago and the church has seen about five dozen new members in that amount of time. Why does he believe that this growth is coming?
It’s not that the preaching is so great, it’s that God has promised to bless His Word. We live in an age when people are looking for solid, timeless answers, yet often God’s spokespeople hold back even though we possess the only source of absolute truth on earth. So we’re proclaiming the ‘whole counsel of God,’ with love and compassion. No question is off limits, no subject out of bounds. God’s Word addresses it all, so we’re addressing all of God’s Word. - Pastor Brandon
Wherever you may be in your spiritual life, we hope and pray you’ll seek answers from the one source of absolute truth that God left us - His Word, the Bible.
In addition to a strong emphasis on the centrality of the Scriptures to worship, Bethel also loves kids and students. As the church has made investments in these areas, God has responded by pouring out a blessing. When we added a Director of Children’s Ministries, our Awana program and Children’s Church ministry grew. When we added a Pastor of Youth and Outreach, our student ministry increased. And we’re convinced that God will continue to reward a risk-taking faith that presses onward.
We hope you’ll join us soon at the “church on the hill.”
Posted by Brandon on July 20, 2008 under Bethel News |
Bethel voted overwhelmingly to call Justin as our Pastor of Youth and Outreach tonight. Pray for Justin, his wife Katie, and their son Kaleb as they pray about God’s will for their lives. You can read more details about Justin at his website: www.refugeministry.tripod.com.
Posted by Brandon on July 17, 2008 under Bethel News |
Last night, we replaced our usual Wednesday night Bible study with a devotional and ice cream. It was an opportunity to get to know our candidate for Youth Pastor, Justin Williams. It was nice to gather with the entire church family in a fellowship setting and hear the heart of Justin as he explained his philosophy of youth ministry. You can read more about Justin on his web site - Refuge Ministries. We’ll be voting on Justin this coming Sunday evening.
