Outreach programs at Bethel Church show our commitment to be a witness of God’s love in our community and to help meet the needs of others. In addition to the time and energy given by our dedicated volunteers, through our Faith Promise offerings we are able to support many organizations with monetary gifts.
Bethel Church Ministries
Coffee Break
Coffee Break is an interfaith Bible study for women of all ages. Society challenges women to be successful – in career, family, fashion, fitness….But what is excellence in God’s eyes? Join us in an exciting study entitled Becoming a Woman of Excellence. Coffee Break is also a great place for making new friends, enjoying food and having fun with other women. We meet each Wednesday morning from 9:50 to 11:30 a.m. You will be warmly welcomed and we look forward to meeting you.
And for the Children: Coffee Break is also a warm, secure place for children—while moms are enjoying each other’s company and learning more about each other and God’s Word, their children gather for singing, Bible stories, crafts and snacks. Staffed by loving and caring women, Story Hour is a group for four- and five-year-olds, Little Lambs is for three-year-olds, and a nursery is provided for children two years old and younger.
Homework Helpers
Adult volunteers meet in the Fellowship room with elementary school students from the community who need help with homework. For an hour each Wednesday afternoon during the school year, about twenty members of Bethel Church work one-on-one with these children to help them succeed in the classroom.
Quilting
A group of dedicated and industrious women meets every other Thursday afternoon downstairs in the Fellowship Room to make quilts and enjoy the fellowship and fun they have together. Over the years, quilts have been given to Cary Christian Services in Mississippi, and locally to New Way Ministries, Great Expectations, the Maberry Migrant Camp, the Whatcom Pregnancy Center, the Lighthouse Mission and Agape House.
Local Ministries
Retirement and Life Care Communities
One Sunday each month, a group from Bethel Church conducts an afternoon worship service at either Meadow Greens or the Christian Health Care Center. We minister to these members of our community who are unable to join with us for worship by leading them in singing and prayer, and sharing a devotion with them. For people who no longer drive, but are able to be with us Sunday mornings, we provide van service for residents of Meadow Greens as well as Lynden Manor.
Hispanic Outreach
Through our Faith Promise offerings, we support Amor Viviente, the new Hispanic church in Lynden. Together with that church, we minister to the children of seasonal migrant workers in Whatcom County. These children are given Bible lessons, and many girls have joined our GEMS club. The kids also take part in special activities during the year, including a special party at Christmas.
Christian Hope Association
Bethel Church helps support the Christian Hope Association, which provides crucial safety net and development services to North Whatcom County residents.
• Project Hope works with families lacking basic necessities — food, utilities, transportation, medical and clothing.
• New Way Ministries provides temporary housing to women with children who are usually homeless due to some form of abuse.
National & International Ministries
Short-term Missions
Each year many from Bethel Church serve on short-term mission projects. We have worked with Cary Christian Services in Mississippi and as a CRWRC Disaster Response team to assist in Hurricane Katrina cleanup and relief work. We have served in Zuni, New Mexico, as well as on projects in Mexico to help build an orphanage on the Baja peninsula and a church in Cancun.
Cary Christian Center
Cary Christian Services in Mississippi was founded in 1971 to minister to the spiritual and physical needs of the residents in one of the poorest areas of the United States. They provide many services, including a dental clinic, parent/child programs, thrift stores, home repairs and spiritual development. As a church we support them financially through our Faith Promise offerings, and many from Bethel Church have served short-term missions in Cary.
Crossroads Bible Institute
Several of our congregation participate in the inmate correspondence program offered by the Crossroads Bible Institute. It is a personal, in-depth and long-term program that is uniquely designed to help prisoners grow dramatically in a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ, preparing them for success upon release. The Institute mails Bible study lessons to the inmate, one at a time, and volunteer instructors from Bethel Church review and return the lessons to the inmate along with personal letters of encouragement.
Kidstown International
Kidstown International was formed in 1996 in response to the desperate need to help orphans in Romania. Initially helping 35 children in one orphanage, Kidstown now strives to provide long-term support to over 300 children living in 13 different Christian orphanages in Romania, India, and Nepal.
Kidstown endeavors to link families, couples, individuals, schools, churches, and businesses to children in Romania, India, and Nepal. Sponsors provide financial, emotional, and prayer support for the children. It is through these relationships that sponsors can make a positive impact on the lives of children and change the course of their futures.