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The History of
Bethel Christian Church
Founded in 1885.
We will be celebrating our 125th anniversary in August, 2010.
The document below uses terminology such as "currently".
This document was prepared in 1984 & 1985 and does not necessarily reflect
the current programs and policies of Bethel Christian Church today. Thanks
to Paul Cronan who performed the research and prepared the document below.
CLICK HERE for a downloadable PDF file of the
original document with pictures.
Baxter Golightly, who founded Bethel Christian Church, traveled all over the
state of Georgia starting churches. The first meeting was held on
October 5, 1885. The area where the church met was a brush arbor.
Their first meeting was in this arbor.
There were thirty-five charter members. In the early years of the
church, when they had traveling preachers, they didn't have services at
Bethel every Sunday. They met at Bethel Christian Church on the
first Sunday of each month, and at other area churches the other Sunday.
The first Elders were James Summers and N.H. Capart.
The first Deacons were George Smith and George Harrelson.
On November 26, 1885, an agreement was made between David
Graham and a building committee of the church for a parcel of land at the
present church site as well as rights to the use of neighboring Indian Camp
Spring. The purchase price was $40.00. Signers of the
agreement from the church were N.H. Capeheart, G.T. Smith, G.P. Sigman,
P.M. Born and W.H. Trimble. The
original building was built of white clapboard and was dedicated May 3,
1886. During the building of the structure, the church met in the
brush arbor until winter, when they moved into an old log schoolhouse on the
property in the rear of the present cemetery.
On December 6, 1889, T.A. White gave the church "for love and in
consideration of the love to hear for the cause of Christ and his Church,
and from an earnest desire to promote his heritage on earth" the
property
adjacent to the building. The quote was taken from the original deed
for this transaction and is shown on the next page for your information.
On December 2, 1892, John H. Wood, who never ministered
to this congregation, was the first person to be ordained into the ministry
in the church. The first person to be baptized was Patrick H. Cooper,
who was also the first to be buried in the cemetery.
On January 31, 1891, the following was shown as a listing
of the budget:
| Collected for Pastor's Salary |
$61.45 |
| Incidental Expenses |
$9.70 |
| State Evangelistic Work |
$6.25 |
| Northeast Georgia District Work |
10.55 |
| By the Committee for Education Board |
5.00 |
| Total Collected |
$92.95 |
| |
|
| Pledge to Pastor's Salary unpaid |
$17.25 |
| Advanced by S.H. Wood District work |
$1.95 |
| WHEN COLLECTED WILL BE |
$112.15 |
The first homecoming was held in 1886. The first
Sunday in August was chosen because the first Sunday was their meeting day
and because August was between harvest time for the farmers. Until
recent years, Bethel has been a large farming area. The food crops
were harvested by the first of August and the cotton wasn't ready for
harvesting yet. Homecoming was a time of celebration and
thanksgiving. They were thankful for the food harvest which had
been put up for food for the winter to come. They anticipated a good
cotton harvest. Homecoming was a time of singing, testimonies and good
food. Former members of this congregation told of killing the chicken
on Sunday morning and then preparing it for the meal before church. We
continue the tradition of having homecoming the first Sunday in August
today. Until the Educational Building was built in 1984,
there were huge concrete tables between the Annex and Field Road.
Dinner on Homecoming was spread on these tables and everyone stood around to
eat. Homecoming lasted all day. After dinner on the
grounds, they had special singing and Christians gave testimonies of what
God had done in their lives. During later years, a tradition
began with a week long revival beginning on Homecoming and lasting the
entire week. Other congregations in the area associate Homecoming and
Revival at Bethel with the first Sunday in August. Everyone in the
area came because this was a time of fellowship. The 1930's,
which was the time of the depression, was a very bad time for the
congregation. A good attendance at services was 15 people. The
church almost died during this period, but the members stuck it out and the
congregation once again began to grow. A little faith went a long way.
During the period, the minister as D.A. Brindal. Mr. Brindal was from
Griffin; every Saturday he would ride from his home to Atlanta by train.
He would stay with a church member who worked in Atlanta and return home
again on Monday. Some Sundays the offering was so bad that one of the
Elders would stand outside after church and pass the hat among the men in
order to collect enough money for Mr. Brindle's train-fare home.
In 1948, the church began holding services every other week and soon after
began having weekly services, which has been enlarged upon.
In 1960, an addition was built onto the original church building. This
addition included a fellowship hall, a kitchen and rest rooms. In the
back and to one side of the original church sanctuary was a nursery with a
glass front. Mothers could sit in the nursery with their babies and
still be able to see and hear what was going on in the services.
In 1975, the
Church Board approved the sponsoring of a Kindergarten Program. They had a
4 and 5 year old program using ABEKA materials. The purpose was to train and educate
preschoolers in basic skills and to teach them about Jesus. The curriculum
included Music, Bible Stories, Memorizing Bible Verses, and structured
play. Each bible verse was supported
with a practical story to apply it to every day situations. Those who taught
were Beverly Key,
Lynda Gilbert, June
Cronan, and Midge
McCullough. The church discontinued the
program in 1981 when Public School Kindergarten grew to the point that there
was no longer a demand in the community for a private kindergarten.
In February, 1981, the church purchased 12
acres on Field Road across the road from the church. This property has had
extensive grading (volunteer work from members of the congregation) and
grass has been sown. In 1985, the land was used for the first time as a
baseball field. In January 1984, the church swapped 1/2 of the lake which
was part of the original purchase, for more land with road frontage.
In April 1982,
the church purchased a
van to
be used for church groups. Prior to that
time there had been a church
- bus formerly a school bus which,
the youth,
had used extensively, In the past there
had been area youth rallies, when the
youth-in all the area Christian Churches
would get together once a
month. The church bus had broken down and a van was purchased which
is still in use.
In July, 1983,
work began on the Education Building which is a large fellowship hall with
improved kitchen and rest room facilities and a large classroom. There is a
full basement which provide room for expansion. Much of the work on
this building was done by church members. Many times the same men were
there night after night after working all day at their jobs and then they
worked all day on Saturday. This building was dedicated to the Lord's
work August 3, 1984.
(The remainder of
this text has been scanned in and has not been entirely edited for errors in
the scan process)
Of course, during
the early years of the church, there were not cars for everyone to ride to
church in, so they had their horse and buggy. We knew that the early members
of this congregation had ridden to church in this manner. In 1983, when the
men of the church were sawing down trees to make room for the Educational
Building, they cut into two horseshoes in one of the trees. These horseshoes
were pointing up and had actually grown into the tree. These were used to
tie up the horse and buggy. Prior to the time when there was a baptistery in
the church building, the church baptized in Haralson Shoals, which is
a creek.
During the mid
1950's, the church saw a need to build a parsonage for the minister and his
family to live in. Grady and Eunice Piper were living in Milstead at the
time, but had purchased a piece of property close to the church to build a
home on. They donated an acre to the church and a 3 bedroom brick house was
built for the minister. Mr. Piper served as head of the building committee
and was in charge of the construction. The first minister to live in the
parsonage was Earl York. In 1965, the church budget was $113.79 per week. At
the Annual Church Meeting in September of 1965, a building program was
approved and plans began for a church building. Also at this meeting, rules
were approved for voting rights in the Church Elections. They were:
(1) Must be a
member of Bethel Christian Church for one year.
(2) Must be
an active member for the past six months.
(3) Must be
at least 16 years old. These are the only requirements,
still
enforced today.
In 1967, the
present sanctuary building was built with classrooms in the basement. The
first service was held in this building on Mother's Day, 1967. In 1967,
extensive remodeling began on the annex of the original church building. The
main part of the building which was built in 1886 was disassembled a piece
at a time by members of the congregation. The bulletin boards in the
foyer and the annex are framed with boards from the original church
building. This addition was then transformed to make room for the minister's
office, secretary's office, and a fellowship hall which was used until 1984
when the Educational Building was
completed. The
front porch was taken off of the side of the annex and one of the members of
the congregation volunteered the labor to brick the building to match the
sanctuary building. A new remodeled kitchen and remodeled rest room facility
was a part of the
building. Members of the congregation did all of this remodeling as well as
paneling the wall of the fellowship hall. The pews in the new Sanctuary
Building were paid for by members of the congregation and some were
dedicated to the memory of loved ones who had passed on. The names of those
who participated are engraved on brass plates at the end of each pew. They
are:
Mr. and Mrs. Tom
Sullivan
Mr. and Mrs.
James B. Baker
Mr. Frank Hays
Bertha Swords
T. Jeff Sullivan
Sandra Boyd
Mr. and Mrs. E.
M. Moon
Mrs. Mary Wallace
Mrs. Bernice
Graham
Mr. Nathan Eudock
Graham
Floyd Mitchell
Mr. and Mrs. Jim
Oglesby
Fred Corley, Sr.
Mr. and Mrs.
Clarence N. Cowan
Mrs. James M.
Dennard
John T. Dennard
Eva M. Dennard
M. L. Dennard
Frank Johnson
Mr. and Mrs.
George M. Day
Mr. and Mrs. W.
J. Johnson
The original
church building had a basement, but no indoor plumbing. In the
cemetery were two trees on opposite sides of the cemetery. On one side was
the ladies "out house" and on the other side was the men's "out house". Each
building had two sides. One of the men in the congregation regularly brought
the Sears
Roebuck Catalog
to Homecoming for use in these facilities. The tree beside the men's
building housed a pink condor, which is a type of bird. The original church
fathers thought this significant enough that they marked it on the original
cemetery plan.
THIS WELL AT THE CHURCH WAS THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF WATER UNTIL THE LATE
1970's WHEN THE CHURCH HOOKED ON TO CITY WATER. ONE FORMER MEMBER RECALLS
DRAWING WATER FROM THE WELL WHEN SHE WAS A CHILD IN BIBLE SCHOOL.
CEMETERY
On March 13,
1885, during a church meeting, a motion was made and carried to appoint a
committee to survey the property where the cemetery is. They agreed that
plots should be marked off and that a plat should be made. Anyone taking a
plot would have their name registered on the Church Book. It was ordered
that a plat be
drawn on the Church Record. The committee was composed of J. M. Summers,
chairman, W. H. Trimble, P. H. Born, and G. P. Sigman. On May 5, 1&88, a
plat of the cemetery was presented to the congregation. Patrick H. Cooper
was the first person to be baptized at Bethel. He was also the first to be
buried in the cemetery. His tombstone reads "FIRST MEMBER OF BETHEL CHURCH
AND THE FIRST
TO DEPART THIS
LIFE ....DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY". His son, Patrick H. Cooper, Jr.
was born after his father died. Since a full plat of the cemetery had not
been made since the original plat was made, with the help of members of Boy
Scout Troup 209,
I have drawn and included what graves are marked in the cemetery now. Many
graves are not marked or only have a rock for the head stone. I heard that
there are at least three graves in the woods but I was unable to verify
this. Around the turn of the century, a baby died in the church. Every baby
that was at that funeral died within a year. Many of the graves in the
cemetery along Bethel Road are, indeed, tiny ones. In the early days of the
church, babies were born at home, but many babies died in childbirth. Many
of the plots show where complete families with several young children were
wiped out within a ten year period. There were outbreaks of cholera around
the turn of the century.
The tombstones
bear quotes about the attributes of the deceased and are fashioned in the
shape of marble white hearts and other designs. One tombstone was carved
into a piece of wood , It marks the burial site of a member of an
organization called Woodmen of the World. People don't have the money to
spend on fancy
tombstones anymore. In June of 1984, Bethel Christian Church purchased
Underwood Memorial Gardens which joins Bethel Cemetery.
LEADERSHIP
Bethel Christian
Church is fortunate to have strong leaders. E lders
and Deacons are elected and
ordained each
fall. The Elders
see to the
spiritual welfare of the congregation.
The Deacons have assigned tasks.
Below is a list of
the
current
responsibilities of each one.
E DUCATIONAL
DEPARTMENT
-
John
Crawford
Includes
Bible
School,
Y outh
Groups,
Library,
Adult
Education, and Vacation
Bible School.
W ORSHIP
DEPARTMENT
- David Snyder
Baptism, Communion,
Music,
Flowers, and
Nursery
Committees.
EV ANGELISM
DEPARTMENT
-
Mickey
Farrin
and
Charles
Potts
Missions, Benevolenc e,
Visitation and Revivals.
B USINESS
DEPARTMENT
- David
Peek,
Grounds.
MEMBERSHIP DE PARTMENT
- Danny
Davidson,
Finance,
Building
and
Men's Fellowshi p,
Recreation,
Women's
Groups,
Fellowship
Dinners,
and Senior Saints.
The Church Treasurer
and his Assistant
keep
track of the finances and the church
clerk keeps
a record of the membership
and the minutes of all church
meetings.
The Bible School
Superintendent looks after the needs of the
Bible School and the Teachers.
The
Teachers and Youth
Coaches
plan
interesting programs
for their classes and they
plan outings in addition.
We
have
been fortunate to
have
very
capable
ministers to this congregation. Listed below are those who have served this
congregation:
Baxter Golightly
A. E. Sims
P astor
Cunningham
R.
Sims
N .
J. Tumlin P. Gibson
W .
A.
Chastain
N.
Puckett
E. L. Shelln ut
.
R.
Puckett
Pastor Lambert T.
Jones
G.
W.
Kelly
R.
Mann
D.
A.
Brindle E. York
R .
Cochran
T. R.
Proffitt
(my
grandfather)
C.
Turner (first full-time minister)
B ill
Hall
Bobby Key
J im
Irby
Dwight Haymon
We have had and
presently have many dedicated leaders. Thank you to all who serve so well,
we appreciate you. Belle Scaffe's baptism at Haralson Shoals .
SENIOR SAINTS
Over the years there
have been many occasions when we have honored the elderly members of our
congregation. There have been fruit baskets at Christmas time, banquets of
various forms, and more personal services. From time to time as
the need has arisen
the members of the congregation have ministered to the needs of the elderly
by washing windows, raking leaves, cutting grass, providing transportation,
and whatever other need there might be. In 1984, a regular program began
with a dinner every 3rd Wednesday especially for these special members of
our community. They even have their own band, they sing the songs
of their youth and
enjoy their fellowship; and, oh, don't forget the food; these ladies are the
best cooks in the congregation.
LADIES
Bethel Christian
Church has an active ladies program. In 1982, there were three circles. The
morning circle was known as the Circle of Joy and met twice a week. The
first week was a study and the third week of each month was a time of
service. Their mission was Ninos de Mexico which is a children's home in
Mexico. The Circle of Faith was a Bible Study Circle. Their most recent
study was the "High Cost of Growing" by Joyce Landorf. The Martha Circle
took their name from Martha, the sister of Mary and Lazarus. Their goal was
to serve as Martha had. They contributed much in the way of missions to
Christian City and to some of the local churches. Their most recent study
was from "Fragrance of Beauty." The ladies are active in the _
Western District Missionary
Society; they care for a foster child at Christian City; they aid churches
in need such as Clayton Christian Church and
Cleveland Avenue
Christian Church. The Martha Circle has what they call their "Special
Ladies" who they enjoy doing little extra things for. These ladies are
elderl y
and love the affection which they all
share. In 1985 there cease-d
to be three circles and became one under the name of The Martha Circle. When
there had been three circles, there had been a Women's Committee to oversee
the Ladies Ministry. The ladies work in many areas of the church many times
unseen by other members of the congregation. They prepare communion, keep
the baptismal robes cleaned, wash windows around the church, clean carpet,
and when the educational building was being built some of the ladies even
stained the trim and painted the walls.
Each year the ladies
have two major events; the Women's Retreat and the Mother/Daughter Banquet.
The Women's Retreat is a week-end away from home when they study, have
fellowship, and get to know each other better. The Mother/Daughter Banquet
is the time that the hard work of the Ladies of the church is recognized.
Each year a Woman of the Year is honored and a lady is added to the Bethel
Hall of Fame. This practice began in 1979 and 1980
respectively.
In the late Spring
of each year, the Georgia Women's Retreat is held at Atlanta Christian
College. This is an overnight fellowship with ladies from allover the state
of Georgia. The ladies of Bethel Christian Church are active and they show
that they love the Lord and really enjoy what they do.
MEN
The men at Bethel
Christian Church are busy in the Lord's work. They visit with prospective
members, help those in need, and anytime the senior saints need repair work
done they know that the men of this congregation will be there to help. The
men of Bethel worked hard to make the Annex, the educational Building and
the Ballfield a reality. They enjoy special times of fellowship also. They
have had father/son
campouts, retreats, and special meals just for them--no ladies allowed. Each
fall there is a Georgia Men's Retreat at Woodland Christian Camp which our
men enjoy. They enjoy the music, the fellowship, and the preaching I am told
is the greatest.
YOUTH
Bethel Christian
Church has always had a large youth program. I am told that during the early
years of the church, when people didn't have transportation to get around,
Bethel was THE place for the youth of the community to congregate.
Bethel had a large
Bible School and, of course, Vacation Bible School during the summer was a
big thing. Over the years, we have been fortunate in having very talented
ladies to write skits and perform other special services to the youth. There
were hay rides and weiner roasts. As they sat around the bonfire, they would
sing and have fellowship. As members and former members of this congregation
told of those days, their eyes would glisten. I couldn't help but feel that
they longed for those days. Bible School has grown at Bethel from those
days. Now there are classes for each age group with dedicated Christians to
teach and lead.
Vacation Bible
School is still a big thing in the community with boys and girls coming from
all around. There is always something big to close off VBS; things like a
picnic or an ice cream social with real homemade ice cream. ·
In 1984, a Prayer Breakfast began
on the 1st Saturday of each month. This is a time of fellowship with the
youth from neighboring congregations.
Woodland Christian
Camp is the camp that the church supports and the youth from the
congregation go there for a week or more during the summer. This is a
special time and many of our young people become Christians during that
week. Woodland has a swimming pool, a vespers area where the Word of God is
preached each evening, a recreation area complete with a ball field, and a
chapel. There are always special nights during the week for us to display
our talent, play games with the adults, there's the Galilean Service with
the cross out over the lake (it used to be in the ball field). This is a
special time and a very emotional time for all
involved. And, of
course, no week of camp would be complete without the faculty ball game or
the boys serenading the girls on Friday night.
The youth program
has grown at Bethel. Many of our youth groups, who meet on Wednesday
evenings, have their own retreats away from the church. This is always a
special weekend. Our activities have included such things as fishing,
tubing down the
river and Bible drills. When the youth groups began during the 1970's, the
goal was to add knowledge and build up our young people. Each
group builds on the
group before and the leaders work with the aim that these youth will be the
leaders of this congregation tomorrow. These leaders are equipping the youth
for Christian service. The groups are listed for your information and a
little information is given for each group.
NURSERY -
birth till walking well - these babies
are loved and cared for by adults who are dedicated to their service to the
church.
TODDLERS - under 2
years old - they play simple games, listen to records and hear Bible
stories.
ASTRO ANGELS - 2 and
3 year olds - they hear a Bible story and make a craft or a picture that
helps to illustrate the story. They are taught songs, finger plays, and
memorize real short Bible verses.
SPACE CUBS - 4 and 5
year olds - they study "Animal Ventures". They are taught a Bible Story,
make a craft o~ picture to go with the story and learn Bible verses. They
receive awards for their memory work, help during class, bringing visitors,
and paying
attention. If they earn awards for 6 weeks, they receive an iron-on patch
for the t-shirt. Sometimes they act out a Bible 'story,
play games or have a party.
WHIRLYBIRDS - 1st
thru 3rd grades - their programs vary from time. Sometimes their work is
done at horne. They earn awards by reading scriptures, memorizing, doing
helpful tasks at horne and inviting visitors. They have a cap that they put
their patches on. The first thing they earn to go on their.
hat is the plastic helicopter.
They have outings, go skating, have weiner roasts, take short trips and have
parties from time to time.
JET CADETS - 4th and 5th grades - they
have Bible drills, do memory work, have contests, do skits and play games.
They learn to pray, learn the plan of salvation and how Jesus wants them to
live both at home and at school. They learn to share
and help others at
Christmas as they deliver fruit baskets and sing Christmas Carols for the
elderly. They also help pick-up papers, etc. around the church. They are
rewarded for keeping clean, setting the table and taking out trash. They
also help with the Nursery and the little ones.
STARS - Middle
School age - they study things like peer pressure and how to handle getting
along with each other, study the Bible and learn how to apply it to their
lives. They have skits, games, devotions, plan their own outings and
retreats.
They are encouraged
to have their own Bible reading and prayers daily. They do service projects
for the senior saints without expecting pay. They help with the younger
children at church and baby sit for special events.
LM1BDA-CHI - 9th
grade and up - they discuss dating, forming habits, prayer, peer pressure,
and how they can be of service to others. They help teach other classes with
an adult to aid them. These young people are given a chance to work with
the Children's
Church programs driring the worship hour on Sunday morning.
During the 1970's a
Children's Church program began. The pre-schoolers and grade school youth
have their own church programs. Here they learn how to behave in church, how
to give to the Lord and what the communion service is all about.
MUSIC
Bethel Christian
Church is fortunate to have a well rounded music program. There are many
talented musicians in the congregation who fill in both with their
beautiful voices and with their ability on the instruments. The Adult Choir
is composed of some college age young people and adults. This choir is a
regular part of our worship services. They work hard to present almost
weekly special numbers as well as masterpieces at Christmas and other
special occasions.
The Teen Choir is
composed of Jr. and Sr. High School age young people. Under the capable
leadership of David and Gloria Vesser, many young people have had their
musical abilities challenged to reach their full potential. The Kid's World
Singers is composed of 1st through 5th grade young people. This group is a
marvel to watch. They enjoy working on musicals, and many of our-adults have
had a hand in making these pieces of music come alive. The Cherub.
Choir is t.~ cutest of all of the
choirs. This choir consists of ages 2 through 5. They are so cute and sweet.
To listen to them is like listening to the angels. Several times during the
year, the music department puts together a musical program on Sunday nights.
Some of
the programs that I
remember are; "The Old Rugged Cross" and "The Old Country Church."
In the past, there
have been special times of music when quartettes would perform and groups
from the community would take part. Many times special groups that are in
the area provide an evening of inspiration. We've been fortunate to have
such groups as The Gospel Lads, The Dill Family and choirs
from Atlanta
Christian College and Milligan College to name a few.
SPORTS
Bethel Christian
Church has an active softball program for men and women. There were informal
teams during the 1970's; however in 1982, the church became a member of the
Rockdale League. We have been fortunate to have dedicated coaches for both
teams. In 1983, the church board supported the erection of a
basketball goal in
the church parking lot bordering on Field Road. This small court is open to
the youth of the community as well as the church members.
FELLOWSHIP
There are many
opportunities to fellowship at Bethel. There are after-church socials from
time to time. February is Family Month at Bethel with the church services
aimed at the family and socials that give the church families an opportunity
to share together. There have been church camping activities as well as
cook-outs both at the church and in other settings. The Mother-Daughter
Banquet is a favorite time for the ladies. Sometimes the food is catered and
sometimes the banquet is held in restaurants in the area. The summer affords
some extra special times with vacation Bible School soon after school is out
and
Homecoming and the
Revival in August. One former member of the congregation
recalls fond
memories of Homecoming. She said that the ladies would get up early on
Sunday morning and kill the chickens and dress them. She described frying
them after soaking them in buttermilk.
-
As a youngster around Bethel she always
looked
forward to
Homecoming as "a feast".
With the fall, of
course comes Halloween and for the youth at Bethel, that means the "Autumn
Celebration". -This
is like a huge Halloween Carnival on Halloween night. The boys and girls in
the community look forward to that as much as they would look forward to
"Trick or Treat".
Each Thanksgiving, the church honors the
new members who have joined our congregation during the year at a "New
Members Meal" the Sunday before Thanksgiving. At Christmas, the congregation
formerly had a huge all church Christmas Party often with Santa Claus
himself in attendance. In recent years,
however, the church
has had an "All Church Birthday Party for Jesus". Instead of giving gifts to
one another in the congregation, now members bring gifts to Jesus in the
form of monetary donations to the church, art supplies to be used in the
classes, or supplies for the kitchen or other areas of the church.
New Years Eve
wouldn't be complete without the New Years Eve Celebration for the youth.
The teenagers stay up all night playing games, bowling, playing basketball
with other congregations, watching a movie, to name just a few of the
exciting things that have been enjoyed in the past. During the year there
are retreats for the youth, the ladies, and of course for the men. The Board
members have their own retreat which is a time of inspiration and renewal
for them.
SERVICE
There are many areas
for service at Bethel Christian Church. We could never do without the
volunteers who give unselfishly of their time; many times this service is
done without the knowledge of other members of the congregation. Members
keep up the buildings and cut grass, as well as keeping up the cemetery.
There are times during the year when a "Work Day" is called; lunch is
provided by members
of the congregation,
and everyone enjoys the fellowship of working side by side with other
members of the congregation.
The Educational
Building which was dedicated in 1984 was built largely by ladies and men who
gave many hours. Ladies spent countless hours staining trim, painting,
cleaning windows and many other tasks like picking up trash around the
building and hauling off rocks. Several men in the congregation spent many
hours after
working at their
jobs each evening working at the church, and then spent
all day on Saturday. These were
dedicated men who have worked
endlessly without expecting glory. Bethel Christian Church is fortunate to
have men who love the Lord so much.
The church office is run by ladies who
give of their time week after week in order that the church paper "the
Beacon" can be printed. The church paper has changed over the years.
Formerly the paper was called the "Bethel Bulletin"; however in 1980 it
became "The Beacon". The Bethel Bulletin combined a Sunday morning bulletin
with a weekly news bulletin. The Beacon is a news article; a separate
bulletin is handed out on Sunday morning. The printing of the church has
changed a lot over the years. The original printing press was a spirit
duplicator. From there they progressed to a stencil type duplicator. At
present we have an A. B. Dick Offset Press. In the past some of our
ministers have done the printing, but at the
present time members
of the congregation volunteer their time to print the literature that goes
out to the congregation. Other services which are volunteered by the
congregation are cleaning the baptistry, keeping it filled, keeping the
baptismal robes
cleaned and mended and preparing and cleaning up from communion to name a
few.
When the original
church building was torn down, members of the congregation disassembled the
building one board at a time. The bulletin boards in the church building and
in the annex are framed with the wood from the original building.
MISSIONS
"And Jesus carne and
spake unto them saying, 'All power is
given unto me in Heaven and in
earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even
unto the end of the world.'" - Matthew 28:18-20
The above scripture is known as the Great
Commission. Bethel Christian Church is active in Missions. At least 10 per
cent, which is a tithe, of the church's income goes to Missions.
The church has a
Benevolence Funds which is used first to help families in the church and
second to help those in the community who are in need.
A committee from the board oversees this
fund.
The church supports two foreign
missionaries. Lee and Sandra Jones in Hiroshima, Japan and Georges and
Laverne Carillet in New Guinea.
The Jones' are
preaching the gospel to the Japanese and are in hopes of building a church
building in which to meet in the near future. They have purchased a piece of
land for this purpose. The Carillet's are working with Pioneer Bible
Translators.
New Guinea has over
5600 different languages. As yet, the Bible still must be translated into
over 3000 of these. The Carillet's are excited at the possibility of working
on these translations.
The church supports
two children's homes. They support Ninos de Mexico, which is in Mexico and
they also support Christian City. At present the ladies circle is supporting
a child at Christian City. The church not only supports Christian City
Convalescent Center, but at least one Sunday per year we carry the church
service to them
complete with special music. Twice.
a year, members of the
congregation send money to Church Builders. This money is used to help build
Church Buildings in Georgia. Clayton Christian Church in the mountains
of north Georgia has been a mission of the congregation for several years.
They have built a building and have recently hired a preacher. A little over
a year ago, the church started helping Operation Housetop which is a prison
ministry.
Each spring the Missionary Rally is held
at East Point Christian Church. This event is exciting because many of our
missionaries are there with exhibits and sometimes they are among the
speakers. Bethel supports Atlanta Christian College; many of our ministers
have been graduates of ACC and many of our young people attend college
there.
Woodland Christian Camp is located in
Temple, Georgia. They have facilities for both girls and boys. There
is a wilderness type vespers area, a lake, a large dining hall, swimming
pool, chapel, and facilities to park campers. Woodland offers a wide variety
of camping possibilities; they have regular camp for 3rd grade thru high
school; 2 Appalachian Trail Camps; a Cumberland'
Island Camp and a Canoe Camp. They
are presently constructing a Railroad Camp which will open in 1986. This
camp is real railroad cars and is located on the other side of the lake from
the present camp. They plan to operate two separate camps at the same time
each summer. |
