For 150 years Bethany UMC has faithfully served the greater
Summerville area. The Church’s growth has paralleled the
growth of the community. We have truly been blessed in many
ways. The scriptures remind us that with a blessing comes a
responsibility (Luke 12:48b): "From everyone to whom much
has been given, much will be required; and from the one whom
much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded."
So what is expected of us in the years to come? The
scriptures are clear on this point and are reinforced by the
Discipline of the United Methodist Church (our
"constitution"). The purpose of church is to make disciples
of Jesus Christ and bring people into a closer relationship
with Christ. To me, this means that we must continue to
minister to our growing community and, in turn, plan to
continue to grow ourselves.
In late 2001 the Church Council charged the Long Range
Planning (LRP) Committee with developing a 10-15 year vision
for Bethany. That committee has shared its thoughts with the
Church Council and developed a sound plan for our future.
(Click here
to see the proposed development plan.)
We are early in the process, and there will be many
opportunities for input by Bethany members.
Summerville continues to grow, and Bethany needs to be
prepared to grow as the community grows. It is important to
remember that our real concern is a healthy, vital church,
not numbers, per se; however, statistics show that healthy
churches are, in fact, growing churches.
In order to alleviate current crowding and accommodate
future growth, the concepts under consideration include two
parts:
