Bethany Covenant to Shutter Doors After 109 Years of Ministry

After more than 100 years of ministry, and 50 years in Richfield, Bethany Covenant Church will hold its final worship service Sunday, July 28.

See Patch's calendar for more on the last worship.

On Sunday, May 12th, members of Bethany voted to become a Living Legacy Church. This means that we will close with dignity in order to pass on our assets to the Northwest Conference and the Evangelical Covenant Church for the starting of new churches in our conference. This has been a difficult process for our community as we weighed our alternatives. When it came to the end, we realized that we don’t have enough energy or resources to be a Healthy Missional Church; consequently, we will dissolve our church that has been a spiritual home for us, and has seen good and godly ministry over the years since its planting in 1904.

Bethany has had a long life (we celebrated our centennial in 2004), and has produced life change in many individuals and families – our church has also nurtured several people who have chosen to serve as ordained and consecrated pastors and missionaries. However, as our members aged and some moved away and the neighborhood changed we became less able to relate to the culture around us. Ministry that used to be effective and touch lives, now had decreased impact. As membership and attendance declined giving followed suit, even with a building we own and a small staff, budgets became tighter and tighter.  All of this was happening as we were digging into what it means to be a Healthy Missional Church. God was doing a new thing in us personally: we met God, were changed, and desired to change the world. Although we are planning to wind up our ministry here and are telling stories of how God used Bethany in the past – good things happen in our present: new small groups are forming in order that we continue to grow in Christ and even one person for whom we’ve been praying for years just accepted Christ as his Savior!

So, it is with a desire to see lost people found and hurting people helped that Bethany will turn over its assets. It is with a desire to see the gospel preached here and abroad in ways that are currently impossible for our congregation that we have decided to become a Living Legacy Church. As Pastor of Bethany in its last days, I am proud of the selfless, courageous Christ-followers that God has raised up who are willing to die to self, willing to take up our cross and follow Jesus in such a way that others, too, will come to know Him as Lord and Savior. We were planted in 1904, we will die in 2013 that others may have life – abundant and eternal. May this will be our legacy!

To God be the glory!

Greg Ellis

Pastor of Bethany Covenant Church 2009-2013

All are invited to attend the final service at 9:30 a.m. July 28. The church is asking for RSVPs, which can be done at http://bit.ly/RSVPJuly28.