Our communal time of praise/thanksgiving is wide-open but traditional. Over time maybe clear patterns emerge - there is sometimes cadence and rhythm. That isn't meant to lull anyone to sleep but to enhance worship and offer a diverse experience.

Some patterns that shape worship:

• Seasons like Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, etc.
• the lectionary, a 3-year Scripture cycle that covers most of the Bible
• the United Methodist calendar which highlights social-justice, missions, and more...

One specific role on Sunday mornings is that of the lay reader. Lay readers are those who feel called to assist the minister in leading a portion of worship. The task usually includes opening the service with the announcements and the "passing of the peace", then later the Old Testament reading.

Lay readers are not volunteering themselves to preach, but those with such a desire/call might pursue becoming Certified Lay Speakers in the Rock Hill District.

But overall, to simply be a lay reader at Bethel there is no other qualification than the desire to honor God in this particular way. Contact the church office for details.

United Methodists everywhere uphold the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper. At Bethel, the first Sunday of every month features Communion. And we celebrate when anyone is baptized into the life of the Church, from infants to adults.

Baptism and Communion are vital experiences of God's grace, meant to be practiced and remembered.

The pastor would love to meet with anyone who might be interested in baptism or reaffirmation/confirmation, as well as persons willing to serve during Holy Communion. Contact the church office.

Every Sunday morning, worship begins with a time of gathering that features the sounds of contemporary Christian artists. Then, the hub of Bethel's worship music flows from the choir and the congregation, with selections from the UM Hymnal, The Faith We Sing, etc.

If you'd like to participate, the choir is always accepting newcomers. Practice is on Wednesday evenings. Contact Patti Garrison at (803)417-7708 for details.

Sometimes the worship experience is enhanced by groups/individuals offering dramatic performance. Whether skits or a pastoral monologue, or productions like The Living Last Supper, we try to mix-it-up when it comes to understanding our faith and Scripture.

For the first time this year, will see a new dramatic resource during Advent that particularly highlights these weeks that herald our celebration of the birth of the Messiah.

If you'd like to participate, or especially if you have other ideas for dramatic presentation, contact the Worship Chair, Annette Vasher, at (803)487-5749.

In what ways are you gifted? What particular offerings can you bring to our worship together? Do you have the desire/ability to present special music/drama one Sunday morning? Or artwork, poetry, inspirational reading?

Worship is a time for us to lift one another up by the power of the Holy Spirit, and to be lifted, and to turn our eyes to our mighty God.

If you have something to be shared during worship, contact the church office.

Different volunteers rotate with the children's sermon each week. It's only a few minutes during our worship, but it's vital. Are you or someone you know gifted to communicate with kids, and ready to find creative ways to minister to them?

It's no easy thing to capture a child's attention, or to teach in a way that engages youth, but if you feel up to the task, contact the church office to volunteer.

Small groups are forming/re-forming throughout the year. Meeting week nights, they center on study, accountability, and close-knit fellowship. Recent topics include:

The BLT is the "Bethel Lunch Team". All are welcome to meet the second Wednesday of every month at 11:30am, at a local eatery of the group's choosing.

It's a great way to sample local cuisine and spend some time with one another. See the calendar for our next location.

← (this is the other kind of BLT)

Bethel has a devoted group of United Methodist Women. The UMW meets socially but their projects have also touched many different service/mission organizations all over the state, from Asbury Hill Camp and Epworth Children's Home to local food banks and nearby Northside Elementary School. Women of all ages are invited to attend meetings in the Bethel Gym, the first Tuesday of every month.

 

While no organized men's group currently meets at Bethel, we're working towards it. In the near future we'll be having our first "Man's Breakfast", to be a monthly gathering for men, young and old, to meet one morning at a local Bojangles. Men, be on the lookout for announcements.

The Rock Hill district includes York, Lancaster, and Chester counties (and beyond). "this thing" is a young adult fellowship time for anyone ages 18-35 in the district. Calendar events range from large meals to sports/games and trips, like the September paintball excursion and the winter ski-trip.

Visit the website at www.tiny.cc/thisthing for details and the schedule.

Sukkot, or the feast of tabernacles, is traditionally a Jewish holy time every fall. It commemorates all sorts of themes, but especially the wilderness wandering time of God's people. As Christians we use this time to try to live a little more rustic for a week, camping out together one or every night, sharing meals, and more.

It's a way to shake off materialism and comfort, to remember people groups all over the earth who struggle to meet basic needs, and to encounter God's presence in the wild.

This year, Sukkot is October 2nd - 9th. Intensity is the Spring version and will be during Lent in 2010. So, get your tent ready!

While there isn't currently a regular youth meeting at Bethel, throughout the year different events are designed for our kids/youth.

Some of these are:

• Vacation Bible school in the summertime
• Block parties, like our recent back-to-school bash
• Ice cream socials
• the Christmas party, feat. music and Old St. Nick

More family fellowship happens every third Friday night of the month, when folks can meet in the gym for a combination of snacks/desserts/drinks, and their favorite family games. Bingo, board games, cards, Farkle, Nintendo Wii...the possibilites are endless. Bring your favorite game and/or snack.

The soup kitchen is open every Thursday from January through March. What began as an outreach to its own shut-ins, Bethel's soup day is now a popular city-wide event that serves some 600+ servings every time its doors are open. People from local industry, offices, churches and even the mayor are common faces on soup Thursdays.

While it's not restricted to the hungry/homeless like a typical soup kitchen, there is no charge for the meal - everything from soup to corn bread, sandwiches, drinks and dessert. So ALL are welcome. Still, we welcome any donations, which in turn go towards our missions/outreach projects like Salkehatchie and the Men's Homeless Shelter.

Over the past two years, Bethel has been increasingly involved in the issue of men's homelessness in Rock Hill. Having participated in National Homelessnes and Hunger Awareness Week, members at Bethel sought to use a portion of the gym as a warming center.

This year, Bethel will partner with several other groups to serve as the primary seasonal men's shelter in the city, opening every night this winter. The combined effort is becoming known as "the Bethlehem Project", and volunteers/support are much needed. For more information, visit here.

Salkehatchie is a construction-based mission that occurs at dozens of different sites all over South Carolina. From Saturday to Saturday one week out of the summer, youth and adult leaders gather to repair/renovate/rebuild homes for those in need. Bethel has been attending the camp at Penn Center in Beaufort, SC for the past few years. If you're interested in joining the team, contact the church office.

Don't forget to check the "media" section to find pics/video from our recent trips.

UMVIM is the United Methodist Volunteers In Mission, which organizes short to long-range worldwide missions. Bethel is highly active in the local UMVIM group, which meets regularly each month and embarks on several mission trips each year.

Recent destinations have been the Blackfeet Reservation near Browning, Montana; gulf coast relief trips to the Mississippi area; and several trips to the Caribbean and Central America.

This February our group will be heading to Costa Rica. With the UMVIM, Bethel fund-raises, prays, and hosts a time of sharing for those we send abroad. Contact Ken Hudson or Bill Hutchinson at (803)283-8406 for info.

The York County Crop Walk is the oldest and most-fund-raising walk in all of South Carolina. Church World Service is an international, interdenominational organization that began the Crop Walk as a way to generate funding and awareness related to hunger.

The idea is "we walk because they walk" - as in, people walk a 10k in Rock Hill in recognition and solidarity that so many across the globe have to walk miles simply for clean water or food sources. Those who participate also raise as much money as they can for worldwide hunger, with up to 25% staying in York County for local food banks. Walk with us this year!

Relay For Life is similar to the Crop Walk as a tool for generating awareness/fundraising for a great cause - the fight against cancer. The American Cancer Society organizes the relay as a time to remember and honor those persons and families battling some form of the disease.

It's a time to setup tents and tailgate in fellowship, as well as sell goods and make donations for the ACS. Each year Bethel honors its cancer survivors and fighers, recruits a relay team and attends this excellent one-night event.

Periodically, we participate in church-hosted blood drives for the sake of replenishing local blood supplies. Bethel just hosted a drive in August and will be doing so again soon. Check with the church office for details.

We're constantly on the lookout for new ways to serve. Whether it's canned food drives, or support of the nearby Children's Attention Home, work days at the Winthrop Wesley Foundation, etc., Bethel wants to have an effect on its surroundings for the glory of God. If you have new ideas, or an interest to participate somehow, call the church office and let us know.