A ordination is our way of simply recognizing and affirming God’s call on someone’s life to ministry. It consists of ordained men (both Deacons and Pastors) gathering to “approve” a young man for the task of ministry by questioning him, then laying hands on him and praying over his life and ministry as well as preaching a charge to him and to the listening congregation.

Justin has been serving at Bethel as Youth Pastor for about a year and a half now. We’re honored to have him and his zeal at work for our ministry!

This presents  another question:  “How do I prepare my child for the unknown?”.  Answer: “By presenting them with what is known”.    Within a few weeks Awana programs will be starting all across our nation.  What is Awana?  The word Awana is an acronym that stands for “Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed”.  This is taken from 2 Timothy 2:15 in which God’s Word states to “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman needeth no to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth“.  The program Awana is a way for a church, such as Bethel Baptist, to help you as a parent present your child with what can be known…And that is God’s Word!

At Awana, your child will learn not only what God’s Word teaches us, but also what He promises to us when we put our trust and faith upon His Son Jesus and the sacrifice that was made for you and me.  It is the Gospel…the Good News!  Your child will work hard, but not without the element of FUN!  Throughout the year, we have fun activities such as: crazy hair night, trunk-or-treat, Awana fair, and even a wooden pine car derby!

So, when does Awana start?  Our Awana program will start Wednesday, September 9th, at 6:30 pm and we will dismiss right before 8:00pm.  This same schedule will be followed every Wednesday night throughout the school year.  We have four possible age groups for your child: Puggles (2 to 3 yr. olds), Cubbies (preschool), Sparks (K to 2nd), T&T (3rd to 6th).  If you have any questions regarding your childs involvement in the Awana program at Bethel Baptist or if you would like to be a volunteer, please contact David Stewart @ 479-644-7592 or david@bethelbentonville.com.  We are willing and would love to help you prepare your child for the unknowns of life.

As we grow, you’ll notice that though we aren’t changing the ministries we offer too radically, we are consolidating the vision of our children’s ministries under a name that clearly identifies kids as part of our larger church community – the “kids on the hill.”

Bethel is “the church on the hill.” That’s partly because we’re on a hill, but also because of Jesus’ statement that a city set on a hill cannot be hidden. We want our lights to shine, which is the desire we have for the children to whom we minister also. So if your kids don’t have a place to go, we’d love to have them on this hill!

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.”