Our Staff

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  Pastor

  Rev. Julia Webb-Bowden

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  Welcome! In Christian scripture we learn that Bethany was the place Jesus always found welcome, hospitality, and rest. Those who encountered Jesus at Bethany were changed; they learned to engage their God-given gifts. Mary and Martha learned it was OK to have different gifts and live out of them fully! Lazarus received new life. Bethany was a place of love and learning, and Bethany United Methodist church IS a place of love and learning. We are a congregation of the United Methodist Church. We embrace our roots of personal and social holiness. Our lives are centered on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which shapes our lives of personal and communal devotion and leads us to lives of service and love. We pray that your journey will lead you to Bethany. Stop, rest, and live! .... Peace, Pastor Julia Webb-Bowden

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  Minister of music

  Sam Marion

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  Sam has been involved in church music almost continuously since 1965 when he was asked to be the organist at his church, Oak Hill Friends Meeting, in High Point, NC. He served there from grades 8 through 11. He graduated from UNC-G in 1973 and 1975 with BM and MM degrees in piano performance. He served as organist to Parkway Baptist Church and Rankin Baptist Church in Greensboro, NC between 1972 and 1983. In 1985 he moved to Durham, NC and served as organist/choir director at Lakewood UMC 1987-1989. He has served as organist/Minister of Music at Bethany UMC since May 1993. Sam is a member of the Durham chapter of American Guild of Organists. He has been teaching piano privately since 1971. From 1974 to 1985 he taught beginning piano to adults, piano majors, and music appreciation at Rockingham Community College. He is an active member of Durham Music Teachers Association, North Carolina Music Teachers Association, and Music Teachers National Association. He was the founder and first president of the Rockingham County Music Teachers Association. He is currently studying piano with Barbara Lister-Sink of Salem College (http://pianoandorgantechnique.com) who is a world renown pianist and expert in the bio-mechanics of playing the piano. He has also been studying Alexander technique in the pursuit of retraining his piano technique (http://alexandertechniqueworkshops.com) Since 1986 Sam has been involved with presenting music appreciation classes and sing-a-longs at retirement communities in Durham, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Raleigh. Sam feels very fortunate to be working with the community at Bethany UMC because of the church's long-standing support of music in ministry. For more information about Sam, please visit his website http://www.marionmusicstudio.net

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  Administrative Assistant

  Connie Kirby

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  Connie Kirby has been a member of Bethany since 1974. She retired from Duke Power Company (Duke Energy) after 36 years of service. When the position of secretary came open, she decided this was one way to help the church and stay involved. Involved she is ..in many leadership roles of the church. As an active leader of Stephen Ministry, this position gives her the opportunity to use those skills. She is very involved in the Triangle Luncheon Civitan Club where she has held many offices locally and in the area and district and earned many awards for service. She and husband, Earl, are the proud parents of two children and two grandchildren. You can contact her at bethanyumc1@gmail.com or cdk4371@nc.rr.com.

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  Handbell Director

  Pat Crispell

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  I was born and raised in rural upstate New York. Music was important to me, from band, chorus, and piano in high school to wind ensemble in college. I was greatly influenced by a high school band director who actually taught music theory to five of us at 7 AM twice a week, before school started , and introduced me to many different types of music. There are also fond memories of accompanying my grandfather in little rural churches all over the Southern Tier of NY as he sang “How Great Thou Art” in a wonderful tenor voice. After graduation from Syracuse University with a BS in Nursing, I lived in Denver, Colorado and Houston, Texas. My husband and I moved to Durham and joined Bethany UMC in 1976. Our three sons grew up at Bethany. In 1979 we were introduced to handbells by a group from Raleigh who came to put on a handbell concert at Bethany. Our first two octaves of handbells were ordered and I was asked to be the director. The Raleigh director became my mentor. I learned about handbells by going to their rehearsals, and attending the National Festival of the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers with them in Knoxville, TN that summer, where I could attend classes. After one year we started raising money for our third octave of bells. Now we play 5 octaves of handbells and 3 octaves of choir chimes. We participate in an annual Epiphany Ring with other choirs in our area and have participated in the Methodist Handbell Festival at Methodist University in Fayetteville, and AGEHR Festivals in NC. We have played at weddings, at nursing homes and for Christmas caroling. Many of our members started without knowing how to read music. We have all learned together.

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  Financial Secretary

  Cathy Portaro

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  Catherine S. Portaro, Financial Secretary/Treasurer of Bethany UMC since 1989. Retired Accounting Instructor/Program Director from Durham Technical Community College where I received the first Excellence in Teaching Award and taught for 32 years. Active member/volunteer of Triangle Luncheon Civitan Club where I have received the Rookie of the Year Award, the Citizenship Award, and several Special Recognition Awards for work done for the club. Creative Memories Senior Consultant--I love helping people preserve their photos and the stories of their lives in photo albums and storybooks to leave a lasting legacy for their loved ones. Proud Nana of five grandchildren, soon to be seven. Email: portcd@aol.com.