On Sunday, January 30 we announced an exciting next step in the life and ministry of Bethany Community Church--worshiping together in one service on Sunday mornings starting February 27, 2011.

After an eleven-year experiment with worshiping in two distinctive worship services, we believe it is right for us to return to our roots as a church family and begin worshiping together. While there have been some blessings along the way in worshiping in separate services, divided along musical styles (and largely along generational lines), we believe that the blessings and benefits of worshiping together as a church family across the generational lines and honoring a wide variety of musical styles far outweigh the challenges of worshiping together.

Our new Sunday morning schedule beginning February 27 will be:

9:15-10:30  Worship together in the Worship Center,

                  Children's Ministries

10:45-12:00 Children's Ministries, Student Ministries,

                   Adult Faith Communities

This schedule allows us to start the day together as one body in worship and celebration, sing and praise together, hear the Word together, hear Faith Stories, witness baptisms, baby dedications and receive communion together, then scatter to Faith Communities for face-to-face friendships, fellowship, equipping and teaching.

Our goal is to offer Children's Ministry programs both hours (9:15 and 10:45) to all children--birth through Grade 5.  While children are always welcome to attend worship with their families, having two hours of children's programming will provide families more individual options for younger family members.  Each hour of children's programming will be age-specific and unique to provide a child who stays throughout the morning with different experiences both hours.

The new start time of 9:15 signals that we haven't cancelled one service and preserved the other, but are doing a new (actually old!) thing at a new time--worshiping together!

We considered many different schedule configurations and have adopted this one believing that it best serves our purposes of coming together for worship and then scattering for community life.

What about music? Bethany has historically been a church that worships through both contemporary and time-tested hymns and songs. Worshiping together means that we will worship with both new and familiar hymns and choruses that are contemporary to the time we are living in, as well as utilizing the best of older worship hymns, songs and choruses. Our musical catalog will include everything that is true, beautiful, accessible to our congregation and that will bring glory to the One we are worshiping.

I am excited about this next step in our journey as a worshiping, serving and loving community of believers. Sunday, February 27 will be a great day for Bethany. Come praying and expecting a fabulous time in the presence of our great God and Savior!

Richard Hendrix

Pastor

On January 16, Bethany's team of middle school students, high school students and adults completed the P.F. Chang's Half Marathon in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe!  Every runner was able to run within the required time limit and earn an incredible finisher's medal.  I am so proud of everyone for their three months of hard work in training.  And here's the best part of all . . . we did it all for the glory of God and to benefit the homeless of Tempe! 

The athletes exceeded their goal of $1,000 by raising just over $1500 for IHELP!  I am so excited about how God will use this money to feed, house and otherwise provide love and care for the homeless of Tempe!  Please join me in congratulating these students and adults! 

After the race, we all joined friends and family at Barro's and ate as much pizza as we could . . . guilt free.

You can read more about iRUN for IHELP in this AZ Republic article.

-Josh Harper, Middle School Pastor