Greetings in the name of Christ!
Welcome to the Bethel Presbyterian Church Website! We are delighted that you desire further knowledge about us, and we hope that the information you access here will be helpful in learning more about our congregation and the ministry and mission to which we are called as bearers of the Good News in Kingston, Roane County, and throughout the world.
Let me introduce myself. My family and I moved to Lawnville Road in Kingston in August of 2001. We have four children – a son and three daughters. My wife, Melanie, is a pediatric physical therapist. I have served churches in North Carolina, Virginia, and Massachusetts. I have degrees from Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia Columbia Theological Seminary, Appalachian State University, and the Doctor of Theology Degree from Harvard Divinity School. I am interested in the theological and spiritual dimensions of dying, death and grief. To that end, my doctoral thesis examines practical theology during these rites of passage. An essay, forthcoming in 2005 from the University of Tennessee Press, considers pastoral ministry during the crisis of death in the southern Appalachian cultural context.
The Bethel Presbyterian Church is one of over 10,000 congregations in the United States that belong to the Presbyterian Church USA, the largest denomination of Presbyterians in our nation, and one with roots that go back to the Protestant Reformation in 16th Century Europe. We are a connectional denomination, meaning that we value cooperation and shared governance among ordained ministers and ordained lay leaders, also known as elders and deacons.
Unlike some other Presbyterian denominations, we fully support the role of women in the leadership of the church, and for many years we have been ordaining women to the offices of minister, elder, and deacon. We are very interested in proclaiming the power of the Gospel to transform individuals in their relationship to God; yet, we also affirm that the message of Jesus is one that calls us to work to change the structures and systems in our society that fail to care for the downtrodden and the dispossessed. While we are loyal to our denomination, we also affirm Christ's call to ecumenical ministries, especially the urgent need to work for and to display the unity of the body of Christ in all that we do and say. This means that we partner with other churches in our community as a way of bearing witness to the diversity and unity of the Church universal.
Bethel is an active congregation where mission in the local community matters a great deal. Our budget reflects a strong commitment to giving to others, both in Roane County and, through the witness of East Tennessee Presbytery and our denomination, to the far corners of the world. Many members are involved in efforts to feed the hungry, visit prisoners at a nearby correctional facility, provide short-term assistance to those unable to pay such things as utility bills, and give leadership to the nearly fifty Boy Scouts who gather weekly in our facility.
Monthly fellowship suppers and lunches keep members in touch with one another. At Bethel, our Christian education program for all ages on Sunday morning and the children's and youth bell choir and senior high youth group on Sunday evening demonstrate our desire to stretch the mind as well as the heart.
Since every Sunday is intended to be a “little” Easter, the celebration of our new life in the risen Christ during worship is the primary reference point that guides and sustains all that we do. In worship, we bring to God the best we have in response to the abundance of all that has been given and done for us. In music, prayers, time with children, the sermon, the offering, the affirmation of faith, minutes for mission, the celebration of the sacraments of baptism and communion – everything in worship reflects our belief that we belong to God, and that God in Christ has entrusted us with ministries of love, justice, reconciliation, and compassion.
Recently, we have undertaken a major visioning process for discerning God's future for our congregation. Mission Initiative work groups have formed around
| 1. | developing a gifts discernment emphasis |
| 2. | exploring ways to support ministry with children and youth |
| 3. | enhancing our mission in ecumenical partnership |
| 4. | promoting a Bethel Learning Center, with an emphasis in our Headstart program and tutoring “at risk” children |
| 5. | exploring the need for a second worship service |
Additionally, an ad hoc committee, with the aid of a church consultant, is looking at renovation/expansion issues related to our church facilities.
As we travel the road ahead, join us as we minister to the whole person – body, mind, and soul; join us in being part of God's new creation here in the beauty of East Tennessee; join us as we share the joy of deepening faith and joyful fellowship. Come celebrate with us as we journey in faith and in partnership with Christ! In the words of one of our hymns:
Come, sing, O church, in joy!
Come join, O Church, in song!
For Christ the Lord has led
Us through the ages long!
In bold accord, come celebrate
The journey now and praise the Lord!
See you in Church!
Marc Sherrod, Pastor
Bethel Presbyterian Church
