These words are more than a casual greeting. They speak of the very atmosphere in which Bethany seeks to live.

Grace speaks of “warm embrace”, receiving welcome by God when we could never earn it ourselves.

Peace speaks of something more than just absence of conflict – it refers to “health” and “wholeness” and “reconciliation”, indeed “life in all its fullness”.

These words capture the essence of the good news of Jesus Christ. When we place faith in him (putting the weight of our lives in his hands), we receive forgiveness, new life, and full acceptance. Amazing.

Having received, we are now called to extend the same to each other. That’s what the church is about.

That’s our calling at Bethany Baptist.

Truthfully, we’re just learning. Very often we do it imperfectly. But these 2 words are the banners under which we seek to live.

We’re disciples together, “learners” who keep on looking toward Jesus, extending his “warm embrace” to one another, and stepping more fully into the wholeness of the life he gives.

As we do, we know that we are called to sacrificially spill forth that same grace and peace into the world around us, both near and far.

So, we have a Mission, a Vision, and a Calling:

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Our Mission
To glorify God by making Disciples of Jesus Christ

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Our Vision
Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we seek to reach out cross-culturally, winning, equipping, and empowering people for ministry.

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Our Calling
CALLED TO WORSHIP: We seek ways to worship Jesus Christ with a lifestyle of praise, adoration, reverence, thankfulness, and awe.
(see Worship, Choir)

CHALLENGED TO GROW: Through consistent Bible teaching, discipleship and growth groups we strive to assist each other as we learn and experience God's grace and peace in our lives.
(see Children’s Ministry, Adult Christian Education, Small Groups)

COMMISSIONED TO WITNESS: We want to share with others God's plan of salvation and the exciting life that He has for each of His followers.
(see Alpha, Missions, Youth, Children’s Ministry)

COMPELLED TO SERVE: We attempt to reflect God's loving and caring nature so that Christ's compassion can be extended to those in need.
(see Missions, First Gift)

COMMITTED TO GIVE: Giving is a tangible means of acknowledging God's ownership of all things and expressing our thankfulness for his grace in our lives.

COMMANDED TO CARE: We endeavour to express concern, compassion and the love of God on a person-to-person level, with counseling and involved care.
(see Small Groups, DivorceCare, Pastoral Care)

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Our Beliefs
· The basis for our belief is the Bible, which is the inspired Word of God.  As an unerring authority, the Bible is our source of teaching and guidance.  Through the Scriptures we learn about the nature of God and His plan for the world.  As the Bible teaches, there is one God who exists eternally in three persons - known as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Each possess all the attributes of deity.

· We believe that God created humans to have fellowship with Him, but that they defied God by sinfully going their own way.  Sin continues to be a barrier that keeps us from enjoying fellowship with God.  As a result, we need God to overcome the barrier with saving grace.  It is God's action - not human effort - that ends our alienation, and allows us to come to God, putting ourselves into His care with repentance and faith.

· We believe that Jesus Christ is the unique Son of God who came to earth, lived a sinless life, and voluntarily paid the penalty for our sin by dying on the cross as our substitute.  When we trust Him, we accept the fact that His death cleared the path for us to come to God without the shame and stain of sin.  We also believe that He rose from the dead and is the only mediator between us and God.  The Bible says that He will return to earth to end history as we know it.  There will be a final accounting for all of life and eternity which will begin - all at His command.

· We also believe that the Holy Spirit is active in human lives.  He draws people to Christ, works through human conscience to make people aware of the effects of their sin, and moves people to trust Christ.  He equips believers to grow in their faith and ably serve God.

· Membership at Bethany is open to those who have personally experienced the saving grace of Jesus Christ, and have publicly displayed their commitment through baptism.

· We also believe that all believers are able to participate in ministry and able to demonstrate the growing influence of God's Spirit through their life.

For more details please feel free to ask for our complete Statement of Faith.