Our Mission
Creating community like Jesus, for all people (religious & non-religious), to turn hearts toward mutual respect, authenticity and love.
Our Vision
That our local community would know that Bethany United Methodist Church is a reliable, safe spiritual space where people come together with different backgrounds, beliefs and abilities to engage, challenge and connect with each other to address the needs of our community through the intentional love of God and love of neighbor as self.
Our Core Values
Service
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat…” – Matthew 25:35-40
When the congregation was asked what kind of community Bethany is, the top response was that Bethany is a place of service to each other and the Durham community. When we see a need in our community we respond with action. Whether it is responding to needs of hunger, sickness, homelessness, loss, disaster, education or inclusion, we come together and show support as one united community for those who may be in need. Jesus told his disciples that whoever wants to be great must become a servant (Matthew 20:26). We hope to achieve this definition of greatness in how we serve all people no matter their race, gender, status, ability or economic condition.
Unconditional Love
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear… Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar.” – 1 John 4:18 & 20
As United Methodists, love is central to who we are. We define perfection by the perpetual love of God and love of our neighbor as ourselves. And this is a love where nothing is expected in return. God loved us first without any proof that we would return such love. We love first in all ways. Our first response and our last response is always love, even if we never reap a reward for our words and actions. Love is when we seek to empower each other to flourish in life and to live out the full person whom God created us to be. This kind of love requires joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
Generosity
“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Give, and you will receive… The measure you give will be the measure you get back.” – Luke 6:37-38
God has given us everything: life, breath, nature, relationship, materials, all of creation. God has not withheld anything from us and given us everything we need to live in fruitful love with one another. We hope to live out this spirit in our lives as we seek to give all we are able to. Generosity is a huge part of Bethany in many ways. We give financially to individuals and organizations that we feel called to invest in. We give time and resources in service to the community. We give space for meetings and gatherings on our campus. We give our whole selves in love for God, neighbor and self.
Creativity
“In the beginning God created… God created humanity in God’s own image, in the divine image God created them” – Genesis 1:1 & 27
God is a Creator. God created all things, as Word and with a Word (John 1), including humanity and imprinted us with a spark of God’s divine image. If God is a Creator and we are made in the image of God, then we are also meant to be creators with the Word. We hope to continue God’s creativity through our gathered community at Bethany. When we seek to serve and gather together, we hope to do it in a way that is uniquely “us” and inviting new ways of doing the same things that Jesus, the Word, called us to do 2,000 years ago. We don’t want to just do ministry, we want to create it in new and exciting ways, in Word and deed.
Tradition
“When Jesus came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures.” – Luke 4:16
To ignore the past is to repeat the same mistakes as those who went before us. There is always something to be learned from our ancestors and meaning to be found in their words, actions and history. We hope to honor those who came before us in continuing on traditions that help build community like Jesus and to adapt those practices to today’s world in a meaningful way. We see that Jesus did this in his ministry through his disciplines and actions as a Jewish man (Luke 2:41, 4:16, 22:8; John 2:13; Matthew 5:17, 17:24-27). Like Jesus, we are able to learn and grow with each other through the traditions of Scripture, Communion, Baptism, Worship, Songs, Creeds, Prayers, Service and Witness.
Our Goals for 2025
1. Opening Up
- Determine the purpose of the Fellowship Center: what it is called and what it is used for?
- Revisit the opportunities of the Grant for a Table at Bethany.
- Have two opportunities this year to connect with local families and follow up intentionally with them.
- Create a small group ministry.
2. Going Out
- Partner with a new external organization for a community service event/function.
- Get to know our nearby neighbors: businesses, neighborhoods and other organizations.
- Hold an event in a neutral location outside the church.
3. Communicating Consistently
- Exploring alternate options to streaming our Worship Service.
- Keep the website up to date (both the aesthetic and information).