Bethany Presbyterian Church

What are services like?
At Bethany, we believe that Sunday worship, which is an opportunity to gather together to worship as a body, is a special time. (“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Matthew 18:20 (ESV)). We invite all to “come as you are” and experience authentic and genuine fellowship with God and one another. Sunday worship is held at 2 pm in the ECC Chapel, located upstairs in the Korean Church of Boston building at 32 Harvard Street in Brookline, MA. Our service lasts for approximately one and a half hours, and we celebrate the Lord’s Supper every Sunday. Our service is a mix of the traditional and contemporary; the liturgical structure of our service and inclusion of traditional hymns connects us to the history and universality of God’s larger Church, while the contemporary style of our musical worship allows us to connect with God in a more personal way. The times of teaching and praise are essential to Bethany’s worship and spiritual health, transcending differences in personal preferences for worship style. Sunday service is less focused on being impressive and more about being authentic and vulnerable to the working of the Spirit, as congregants are free to be as expressive (or inexpressive) as they choose to be. Our Musical Worship We believe that worship involves interactions that are both vertical (between us and God) and horizontal (among and between worshippers). In our time of praise, which lasts for about 20 minutes at the beginning of the worship service, we try to keep in mind Paul’s exhortation to “…be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…” Ephesians 5: 18-20 (emphasis added). Our choice of music is generally inspired by the message and scripture for the week, and is comprised primarily of praise and worship songs, as well as some traditional and contemporary hymns. Like the rest of the worship service, we hope this time is a safe space to commune with God, as well as to stretch and grow by occasionally moving outside of our comfort zones.

What is the community like?
Bethany is a small church comprised mainly of young professionals and young families living in the greater Boston area. We started out in 1989 as the English-speaking ministry of the Korean Church of Boston. Fourteen years later (in September of 2003), we were chartered as a brand new church called Bethany Presbyterian Church. Since January 2012, we have been blessed to have Pastor Bart Kelso as our interim pastor, and have recently begun the process of searching for a permanent pastor. In a denomination that is trending more “liberal,” Bethany self-identifies as evangelical/conservative, holding a high view of Scripture and believing it to be the inspired word of God. In spite of the heated debates around certain issues such as homosexuality and abortion within the greater Church and outside of it, we do not believe it is right to be excessively preoccupied with certain “hot-button” sins over other sins. Whatever differences in personal opinions exist at Bethany, this diversity has not diminished our unity in Christ, our appreciation of our shared values and characteristics, or hindered our sense of loving community. We all struggle with sin, and we believe our role in each other’s lives is to love, pray for, encourage, and when necessary, challenge each other through these struggles. Bethany invites all to “come as you are” and experience authentic and genuine fellowship with God and with one another. Informal but deep relationships are at the heart of what Bethany has historically been, and newcomers are encouraged to participate in the elements of community that help define Bethany. So if you are new to Bethany, we hope you will take us up on our offer to join us for a meal, hang out in the fellowship hall after service, or attend a growth group meeting! As a church we are by no means perfect, but we believe God has placed a special call and role for us as part of the universal church, in the world, and in the Boston area. So come as you are, and join us as we keep listening for the ways God is calling us to help build his kingdom.