We’re Glad God Has Brought You Here!
Bethel was founded in 1820 by a group of German Lutherans who migrated to this area from Pennsylvania. Since then, our community of faith has worshiped in four different locations, including the current location, situated on a beautiful nine-acre site in an area once known as Albin Village.
Bethel is a part of the Virginia Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Our Mission Statement
A community growing deeper in faith and wider in love! (Ephesians 3: 16-17)
Our Vision Statement
We embrace the Marks of Discipleship as the pathway to spiritual maturity
- Prayer (I Thessalonians 5: 16-17)
- Worship (Genesis 2:3)
- Read the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16)
- Serve others (John 13: 3-8)
- Relate spiritually in authentic relationships (Matthew 26:17-30)
- Give of ourselves, our time, and our possessions to the building up of God’s Kingdom (Luke 19: 1-10)
Who are Bethel Lutherans?
At Bethel, all are welcome and you’ll find a friendly and open community here. We pray that our time together will fill you with a sense of hope and peace. Whether you are a one-time guest or may be considering making Bethel your church home, we believe you will find a congregation who loves Jesus, loves each other, and loves participating in Jesus’ shenanigans of grace, mercy, hope and love (which most certainly includes you!).
Our worship will include traditional music, praise music, sacred music, formal liturgy, and less formal liturgy. We like to call what we offer here at Bethel No Labels worship! Our worship ensemble loves to praise Jesus and because we have been blessed with so many talented musicians and singers, we have simply decided to use them all — to the glory of God!
We offer the sacrament of Holy Communion weekly. We print each service entirely in our bulletin and both morning worship services are the same, so come to either, whichever suits your day!
What to Wear
At Bethel, you’ll see people in everything from jeans, to business casual, to dresses and suits. Wear what you would feel comfortable wearing. We are excited to have you, as you!
Children at Worship
Infants and young children are welcome at worship! We encourage families with young children to sit near the front of the church so they can fully participate. We invite you to pick up a Children’s Worship Bag at either of the two entryways to the sanctuary. These bags offer age-appropriate reading, coloring and craft materials related to Bible stories. And we often offer Children’s Sermons during worship as well.
We provide a fully staffed, professional child care for children on Sunday mornings from 8:15 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. Our well-trained nursery staff is eager to welcome young children! Using the nursery gives parents the ability to be attentive to the Word of God and it gives an active young child the opportunity to interact with peers, and to enjoy the friendly atmosphere of attending church. Please see an usher for assistance.
Sunday School
We offer Sunday School for all ages from September through May, starting at 10:45 a.m. Newcomers and guests are most welcome and even encouraged to join us.
We offer vibrant children and youth education. We have a special class for our preschoolers where they can learn and grow in age-appropriate learning and sharing with caring adults. School age children (K-5) meet in classes for their particular age group with loving and caring teachers.
Our middle school and high school youth have their own area — the Underground! Each meet separately in their own comfortable surroundings (i.e. couches, beanbags, etc.). Their time together includes meaningful conversation, always filled with laughs, and often overflowing with youth who are learning to love Jesus and serve the world in their own unique and special way.
For our adults, Pastor Dave offers an Adult Forum (held in our Discipleship Hall) that addresses many different topics and issues related to the faith. At times, we will have guest speakers who broaden our learning experience. Periodically, other leaders in the congregation will also offer additional adult classes as well (i.e. parenting classes, other Bible studies).