The Bible is our central authority we turn to as we seek to know God more and to understand the incredible act of mercy and grace shown through Jesus Christ.  We must never lose sight of this truth. And yet you’ll find some who use the Scriptures as a foundation for supporting their views of who…

Hey Bethany friends! In our Bethany Beyond Walls Ministry, we are regularly posting helpful information and inspiration about ways we can do more to love our neighbors and serve the community around our church. Let’s strive to grow this “movement” at Bethany! We can do that by simply helping spread the word! Please invite your…

This is an interesting article in Relevant Magazine:Remember, the Bible Never Mentions a Building Called ‘Church’https://relevantmagazine.com/faith/remember-bible-never-mentions-building-called-church/ The author makes many valid points. Note that I am not anti-institutional-church, in sharing this, but rather just wanting to remind us that we each individually ARE the church, and where we go, we take “the church” with us.…

Our church campus is at the heart of our ministry, and is, for many, the first connection with visitors from around our community. Let’s be always mindful of how we welcome and love our neighbors who happen to come to our campus. There are so many things we can do to make our campus and…

When we look at the mix of individuals Jesus chose as His followers, we gain an insight into the reality that the way of Jesus was a bit perplexing to many, especially to the “religious elite” of the day. His followers were ordinary people, who saw something in this Jesus that was compelling enough they…

During April 29th morning worship at General Conference, Mountain Sky Area Bishop Karen Oliveto, called on attendees to make God’s love visible in all they do and to embody the fullness of God’s love with justice and mercy. “Jesus makes it plain that we are to receive one another, treat one another, serve one another,…

Here’s an important video of the Bethany U.M.C 4/28/2024 worship service with guest preacher Rev. Ray Altman from The New Wineskin Initiative: After the late service, our Inclusivity and Beyond Walls Ministry teams had an opportunity to have lunch with Ray and his wife and several people involved in The New Wineskin Initiative.

I just love this quote: “Jesus . . . wants us to see that the neighbor next door or the people sitting next to us on a plane or in a classroom are not interruptions to our schedule. They are there by divine appointment. Jesus wants us to see their needs, their loneliness, their longings,…

You may have heard the story in the Bible about Zacchaeus.  The context is important.  Zacchaeus was a tax collector in the city of Jericho.  Keep in mind, tax collectors were despised by fellow Jews because they cheated people by overtaxing them.  So in the story of Zacchaeus, remember he would be considered the villain, the sinner, and certainly…

An insightful quote by Donald Miller worth sharing and reflecting on: “Sometimes I think it is easier for you and me to believe Jesus is God now that He is in heaven than it might have been back when He was walking around on earth. If you would have seen Jesus do miracles, and if…

“Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, ‘“’Friends, haven’t you any fish?’”’”No,” they answered.He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul…

Hi, This is a message from Kevin Gourley, Bethany’s Beyond Walls Ministry Team Coordinator (and maintainer of this website). I am excited about the future for Bethany United Methodist Church! 2024 is our year to grow and mobilize our efforts to pursue some exciting new endeavors to love our neighbors more, connect with our community,…

Here’s a great blog article by Jake Thurston from Indiana Wesley University. Link: The Gathered Church and the Scattered Church I just wanted to highlight this part of the article: “The Church was never meant to be confined to a group of people who meet in a building for an hour once a week. The…

Some of us have been members of a church for many years, maybe even since childhood. (That’s definitely not always the case. I, for example, have only been a Christian for a little over half of my life. Prior to age 28, I was not a Christian.) Once we get involved in a church, at…

Hey friends, I had something unexpected happen. As I was reflecting on what I was giving up for Lent, I discovered the answer was forced on me. I was giving up my eyesight, at least for a season, for my right eye. A suddenly detached retina, led me to an emergency surgery and long projected…

Social media is yet another opportunity where we, the church, can reach out and connect with the world around us in a positive way. I sincerely believe WE at Bethany could do some intentional work to focus on ways we can express the love of Christ through social media. BUT we have to do it…

Jesus demonstrated with his words and actions the inclusive nature of God’s love. He spent a lot of time with the marginalized and outcasts, the “sinners,” the broken, the people judged and condemned by religious leaders or society. To fully live into this objective of being a church that is leading people to experience God’s…

You might find this blog article interesting. “The Loneliness of Being a Millenial in Church” by Sarah Howel-Millerhttps://sarahshowell.wordpress.com/2017/02/20/the-loneliness-of-being-a-millennial-in-church/ An insight she shares:“I hear people long for the days when everyone came to church because that’s just what you did. But was the church really so much better off when people came because “that’s just what…

This video is about a little church in a rural area in England. They have had tremendous success in impacting their community by doing “church” quite a bit differently than the “traditional” church model. If you find yourself stuck in thinking that we must only do church in the ways we’ve always done church, you…

Something to reflect on… VIDEO: Teaching With The Chosen: Jesus teaches of new wine & new wineskins, Matthew 9:14–17, Luke 5:33–39 A quote by Verlon Fosner – Fresh Expressions: “Jesus told an interesting parable that I find is misunderstood all across the land – the parable of the wineskins. In the story, Jesus made it…

As we consider the possibilities of what we might do to connect with the community around our church more, to not just talk about God’s love but to demonstrate God’s love, it can be overwhelming. Opening our eyes to the possibilities, and opening our hearts to following Jesus, we might come up with all sorts…

This quote by Paul Tillich is an important reminder: “The first duty of love is to listen.“ In this busy world, it’s far too easy to come up with all sorts of wonderful excuses as to why we don’t have time to deal with the inconveniences of other people’s problems. We don’t have time to…

You may be familiar with the “Parable of the Good Samaritan.” (Luke 10:25-37) Jesus was explaining what has become known as “the great commandment” (“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”) An…

Let’s be the church that Jesus created and tear down our walls between us and the world around us. Let the truth be told: Come as you are. Welcome with open arms and compassion for every person because every person is loved by God. Lyrics: Truth Be Told by Matthew West There’s a sign on…

What does it mean to be a ministry that goes beyond the walls of our church? Well, let’s say we offer some ministry at Bethany, and then do some effort to invite people in the community to come to our church. That’s great! Let’s always be doing that, a lot of that! But note that…