Our DenominationWe are a part of the Presbyterian Church USA, which has more than 2.5 million members and roots that date back to the 16th century. Bethel Presbyterian Church is a member of Pittsburgh Presbytery, which connects us in faith and in partnership with a diverse community of Presbyterian churches across the region- allowing us to exhibit together, a greater vision of what it means to be Christ's church today.
|
|
|
Our congregation has accepted the PC(USA)’s invitation to follow Jesus’ teachings in Matthew 25 by becoming active disciples and making a difference in our community and the world, pledging to embrace one or more of these three areas of focus:
|
- Building congregational vitality by deepening and energizing our faith and growing as joyful leaders and disciples actively engaged with our community as we share the gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed.
- Dismantling structural racism by fearlessly applying our faith to advocate and break down the systems, practices, and thinking that underlie discrimination, bias, prejudice, and oppression of people of color.
- Eradicating systemic poverty by acting on our beliefs and working to change laws, policies, plans, and structures in our society that perpetuate the economic exploitation of people who are poor.
We live out this commitment in our life together, our engagement with the community, and in creative partnerships with other congregations and ministries in our region and around the world.
|
We believe that the purpose of the Church in all times and places is to glorify God and serve Christ by the guidance of the Holy Spirit- loving the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and loving our neighbor as ourselves. We believe God is calling Bethel Presbyterian Church, in this time and place, to fulfill this purpose by authentically:
|
Whether it's participating in mission, worshiping, or gathering together in fellowship we know that we are called by God to be a part of Jesus' mission and ministry in Bethel Park and beyond.
Our Faith
In life and in death we belong to God. Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel, whom alone we worship and serve.
We trust in Jesus Christ, fully human, fully God. Jesus proclaimed the reign of God: preaching good news to the poor and release to the captives, teaching by word and deed and blessing the children, healing the sick and binding up the brokenhearted, eating with outcasts, forgiving sinners, and calling all to repent and believe the gospel.
Unjustly condemned for blasphemy and sedition, Jesus was crucified, suffering the depths of human pain and giving his life for the sins of the world. God raised this Jesus from the dead, vindicating his sinless life, breaking the power of sin and evil, delivering us from death to life eternal.
We trust in God, whom Jesus called Abba, Father. In sovereign love, God created the world good and made everyone equally in God’s image male and female, of every race and people, to live as one community.
But we rebel against God; we hide from our Creator. Ignoring God’s commandments, we violate the image of God in others and ourselves, accept lies as truth, exploit neighbor and nature, and threaten death to the planet entrusted to our care. We deserve God’s condemnation.
We trust in Jesus Christ, fully human, fully God. Jesus proclaimed the reign of God: preaching good news to the poor and release to the captives, teaching by word and deed and blessing the children, healing the sick and binding up the brokenhearted, eating with outcasts, forgiving sinners, and calling all to repent and believe the gospel.
Unjustly condemned for blasphemy and sedition, Jesus was crucified, suffering the depths of human pain and giving his life for the sins of the world. God raised this Jesus from the dead, vindicating his sinless life, breaking the power of sin and evil, delivering us from death to life eternal.
We trust in God, whom Jesus called Abba, Father. In sovereign love, God created the world good and made everyone equally in God’s image male and female, of every race and people, to live as one community.
But we rebel against God; we hide from our Creator. Ignoring God’s commandments, we violate the image of God in others and ourselves, accept lies as truth, exploit neighbor and nature, and threaten death to the planet entrusted to our care. We deserve God’s condemnation.
|
Yet God acts with justice and mercy to redeem creation. In everlasting love, the God of Abraham and Sarah chose a covenant people to bless all families of the earth. Hearing their cry, God delivered the children of Israel from the house of bondage.
Loving us still, God makes us heirs with Christ of the covenant. Like a mother who will not forsake her nursing child, like a father who runs to welcome the prodigal home, God is faithful still. We trust in God the Holy Spirit, everywhere the giver and renewer of life. The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith, sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and neighbor, and binds us together with all believers in the one body of Christ, the Church. |
|
The same Spirit who inspired the prophets and apostles rules our faith and life in Christ through Scripture, engages us through the Word proclaimed, claims us in the waters of baptism, feeds us with the bread of life and the cup of salvation, and calls women and men to all ministries of the church.
In a broken and fearful world the Spirit gives us courage to pray without ceasing, to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in Church and culture, to hear the voices of peoples long silenced, and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace.
In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit, we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks and to live holy and joyful lives, even as we watch for God’s new heaven and new earth, praying “Come, Lord Jesus!” With believers in every time and place, we rejoice that nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
A Brief Statement of Faith- PC(USA) Book of Confessions 1983
In a broken and fearful world the Spirit gives us courage to pray without ceasing, to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in Church and culture, to hear the voices of peoples long silenced, and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace.
In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit, we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks and to live holy and joyful lives, even as we watch for God’s new heaven and new earth, praying “Come, Lord Jesus!” With believers in every time and place, we rejoice that nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
A Brief Statement of Faith- PC(USA) Book of Confessions 1983
BPC prayerfully seeks to be a place of hope, truth, encouragement, and peace in an uncertain time, as people are searching for something and someone to hold onto.
|
Bethel Presbyterian Church has a rich history within our community, long before the existence of Bethel Park. The Rev. John McMillan, D.D., a missionary in Western Pennsylvania, crossed over the mountainous terrain on his third missionary journey to our region. He noted in his diary on November 5, 1776, "Tuesday preached at Peter's Creek, baptized five children."
This date is the first recorded date we have of a preaching service in what is now Bethel Presbyterian Church. Originally known as the Peter's Creek congregation, from the location at the headwaters of Peter's Creek, it eventually divided into two congregations known as the Eastern Division and the Western Division. |
|
Sometime between October 18, 1785 and April 18, 1786, the name of the Eastern Division was changed to Lebanon and the name of the Western Division was changed to Bethel. These were faithful, biblical names. Bethel Presbyterian Church was officially incorporated on March 11, 1907.
Soon after, our current building was erected and dedicated in May 1910. Along the way, there have been many changes and many faces who have passed through the church, but one thing has been consistent: a desire to serve the Lord Jesus Christ in all we do.
Soon after, our current building was erected and dedicated in May 1910. Along the way, there have been many changes and many faces who have passed through the church, but one thing has been consistent: a desire to serve the Lord Jesus Christ in all we do.