Bethany Community Church

Bethany desires to engage people in all stages of life.  For parents, our hope is to help develop stronger, healthier relationships as you grow spiritually and embrace God’s design for your relationships, family, and marriage.

Adoption & Foster Care Ministry

Second Tuesday of each month, September through May
7pm, Classroom A
This is a ministry for parents who have adopted, are considering adoption, or are interested in foster care.  We meet to discuss some of the challenges, joys, and sorrows surrounding adoption and foster care and encourage one another in our journey as parents.  Childcare provided.
Contact Catherine Seguin

Baby Dedications

At Bethany, we believe in baby dedications and base this view on the Biblical examples of Samuel and Jesus. We are told in 1st Samuel 1 that Hannah presented her son Samuel to the Lord. In Luke 2:22 we read that Mary and Joseph brought their baby, Jesus, to the temple in Jerusalem in order to present him before the Lord.

At Bethany, we do not believe that a child’s dedication is a guarantee of “salvation” (going to heaven) for the child; only a confession of faith in Christ does that. Before the age of accountability, we believe that all children are the Lord’s. We defer water baptism for children until they reach that age of understanding – the time when they can consciously and independently choose to make a public declaration of their faith in Jesus Christ and their desire to serve Him as Lord.

While we dedicate children to the Lord, in reality this ceremony is a dedication of the parents. Through this act, parents are presenting themselves before the Lord and committing to the Lord to raise their child in a loving Christian home and to teach them about Jesus Christ, both directly and through the example of their lives (Deuteronomy 6:4-7). The parents are also asking the community (the church) to help support them as they raise their child. Thus, dedicating one’s baby to the Lord is also a commitment on the parents’ part to ongoing participation in the Christian community. Finally, a baby dedication is an opportunity for parents to publicly express their gratitude to God for the blessing of their child.

Bethany is committed to supporting parents in their responsibility to disciple their children. As your church community, we are also joining with you to commit your child to the care of Jesus Christ and are praying a blessing over your life and that of your child. Recognizing grace for unique and extenuating circumstances, we believe it is best if both parents fully support and participate in this dedication. A baby dedication is a wonderful opportunity to gather with family, friends, and your church family to celebrate the gift of your child and your commitment to Christ to serve the child as Christian parents.

Baby dedications are held on the third Sunday of each month in all Sunday services. Please fill out the Baby Dedication Form and mail or e-mail it to Mary Maulding to begin the process of saving a date for your dedication.

Expecting Parents Registry

Supporting expecting parents and welcoming new family members.  We’d love to know about the new addition to your family, and our Bethany family.  Contact Sarah Tien to get information about services here at Bethany (nursery, MOPS, baby dedications, etc).  In addition, we’d love to bless your family with a few meals as you recover, adjust, and enjoy your new little one. This extends to our families who adopt a child(ren), so don’t be shy!  Let us know how we can support you!

If you would like to occasionally cook for expecting families, let us know!
Contact Sarah Tien