What to Expect

What is Bethel like?

Bethel is a warm and welcoming church family that crosses all generations. You can expect a safe and welcoming environment to worship and fellowship.

Our style would be considered “traditional” or formal by some. You’ll sit in a pew, experience a structured worship service, and see distinct roles played out by men and women in the meetings. More about that here.

What do I wear?

Many people choose to dress up for worship meetings and wear their “Sunday best.” But this by no means excludes anyone who prefers a more casual dress style. We want you to feel welcome to join us in worship, regardless of what you wear!

You will notice most women wearing headcoverings. This reflects our understanding of the biblical role of women in worship meetings as presented in the New Testament. If you’re a visitor and new to headcoverings, we don’t expect you to wear one when you come. If you want to find out more about the meaning of headcoverings, please read about them here or talk to one of our elders.

Who is your pastor?

We don’t have a pastor, as we don’t see the example of a ‘one man ministry” displayed in the Bible. Instead, we have a group of elders who share responsibility for the spiritual leading and shepherding of those who attend Bethel. As part of their role, the elders preach/teach at Bethel as well as some other assemblies.

What is your preaching like?

Since we don’t have a sole teaching pastor, you’ll get to hear a variety of teaching styles and subjects on a Sunday morning. Preachers include the elders, other capable men from Bethel, as well as visiting speakers from other assemblies. You’ll typically hear an expository (i.e. explanatory) sermon from God’s Word that is around 40 minutes in length.

If a continuous teaching series is more your style, you may be interested in our mid-week prayer meeting & Bible study. The study portion of this meeting typically covers a specific topic (e.g. salvation), book of the Bible (e.g. Romans) or character from the Bible (e.g. David) over a number of weeks. Video studies are also sometimes used during this meeting.

What is your music like?

You’ll most often hear us worship God through classic hymns, accompanied by the piano (except for at the Lord’s Supper where singing is without instruments). On occasion, we’ll also sing a more contemporary song or two or join with the children in some Sunday School choruses before they head off to Sunday School classes. Sometimes we have special music where someone will play a different instrument (e.g. guitar, violin) or a soloist/small group will share a song they’ve prepared.

Do you have a nursery?

We have supervised nursery available for young children (under 3 years old) during the Family Bible Hour. Parents can check their young ones into the nursery before the meeting starts and get comfortable prior to the announcements and singing.

Is your building accessible?

Yes! The building can be accessed at ground level and the foyer includes a lift up to the main level which includes an accessible washroom. Just let us know if you need a hand, and we’ll get someone to help you with the lift.

What if I have a question that’s not answered here?

Go to our Contact Us page. We’d be happy to answer any questions you might have.

OUR MEETINGS

THE LORD’S SUPPER / BREAKING OF BREAD (COMMUNION)

We partake in the Lord’s Supper together every Sunday. This meeting kicks off our Sunday gatherings and is an hour in length. It’s a precious time of reflecting on the Lord’s Jesus sacrifice for us and partaking of the elements that commemorate this sacrifice, the bread and wine (loaf of bread and small wine cups). Men share short devotional thoughts and pray audibly while women pray silently. We also sing some hymns together.

Anyone is welcome to attend, but partaking of the Lord’s Supper elements is reserved for those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus and have made a personal commitment to Him. Find out more about what we believe regarding the Lord’s Supper.

FAMILY BIBLE HOUR / SUNDAY SCHOOL

The second meeting is when the preaching happens. This meeting is an hour in length, with the first 20 minutes including announcements and congregational singing for all in attendance. The final 40 minutes is dedicated to preaching/teaching from the Word of God. Preachers/teachers for the adults include the elders at the assembly, other capable men from Bethel, as well as visiting speakers from other assemblies. This meeting often includes a focus on the gospel, the good news of Jesus coming as our Saviour from sin.

While the preaching time is going on in the sanctuary for the adults, the children (up to 16 years old) go downstairs for Sunday School. There are classes for different ages where the children will receive age-appropriate biblical instruction from the teachers.

During this meeting there is also a supervised nursery available for young children (under 3 years old).

MID-WEEK PRAYER MEETING & BIBLE STUDY

Prayer is very important to us and features prominently in our mid-week meeting. During this hour-long meeting, the time is split evenly between prayer and studying God’s Word. This meeting is more informal than the Sunday meetings in terms of dress and structure.

Anyone with a prayer request is welcome to bring it forward at the meeting, and notes/letters from missionaries and Christian organizations are shared to highlight items for prayer. Men who feel led are encouraged to pray aloud while the women pray along silently. The assembly also shares prayer requests via email list as they come up during the week and we pray for each other in this way as well.

The Bible study portion of the meeting is often a continuous teaching series covering a specific topic (e.g. salvation), book of the Bible (e.g. Romans) or character from the Bible (e.g. David) over a number of weeks. Video studies are also sometimes used during this meeting.