Sunday Morning Worship at Bethany Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) begins at 10:50am.  We also have occasional evening worship services throughout the year for special religious days such as Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Christmas Eve.

It's not always easy to enter an unfamiliar church for worship the first time, especially if one goes alone. Let's face it: that first church visit can be intimidating or uncomfortable!

Most of us who have been reared in the Christian tradition, however, think that we ought to go to church; that church participation is the "right thing to do;" and that churchgoing pulls us closer to God than a morning in bed, reading the funnies, going out for brunch with friends, or even watching television church.

So we are faced with making that first visit. And I must be honest: We have all visited churches where we received no greetings, no smiles, and no signs of recognition. This left us feeling cold and even unwanted. Let us tell you what we hope you can expect at Bethany.

1) A WARM WELCOME. We will be genuinely glad to have you come. Please do! We need enthusiastic participants in our congregational life.

2)A TRADITIONAL SERVICE. We try to make our service comfortable for everyone in attendance. Many of the hymns will be familiar, although we do try to learn new ones and we usually sing some praise choruses at the beginning of worship .  There won't be any loud shouting or wild emotional displays. We tend to be rather rational and think religion is as much a matter of the mind as of the heart. We don't jump up and down and seldom is there a jarring surprise in worship.

3) A BULLETIN. The bulletin guides us in our worship, so we always know what's coming next. There is much congregational participation in worship, so the printed material in the bulletin informs everyone of his or her part.

4) TIME LIMITS. Have you ever attended a service which you thought would never end? At Bethany, brief announcements begin just before worship at 10:50 am. Worship itself will last just an hour or a very brief few minutes longer. We try to respect your busy life and realize that most people today live on a schedule. We don't think longer is necessarily better than shorter.

5) A VERY GOOD SMALL CHURCH CHOIR AND A FINE ORGANIST/PIANIST (Carolyn Blackstock). Expect a wide variety of choral and instrumental music that helps the spirit soar Godward.  Our choir is always looking for new voices!  We also have a couple of hand chime choirs.

6) ADEQUATE SEATING. Seldom if ever does anyone have to stand. We will always have room to seat you comfortably.

7) SERMONS: brief, to-the-point, related to daily life, thoughtfully prepared, from the texts of the Revised Common Lectionary, and occasionally varying from the lectionary for specific sermon series or holiday series.  Sermons lift up the name and teachings of Jesus Christ as Lord and God as Loving Creator.

8) THE CELEBRATION OF THE LORD'S SUPPER EVERY SUNDAY. We believe that Christians must regularly and faithfully meditate upon Christ's death upon the Cross and upon Jesus' resurrection from the dead. Better than any other way, Holy Communion makes this possible.

9) LEADERSHIP IN WORSHIP AND CONGREGATIONAL LIFE BY MEN, WOMEN, YOUTH AND CHILDREN. We believe that everyone is equal in the eyes of God. Although we strongly believe that the men of the church need deep involvement in Christian leadership, so do the women. A person's gender will not be reason for excluding a person from any role in Christ's fellowship.

10) A SENSE OF HAVING DONE WHAT GOD EXPECTS YOU TO DO- AND OF HAVING GLORIFIED JESUS CHRIST.