Bethany United Church of Christ

Bethany's Vision

"Bethany United Church of Christ is a faith community filled with
friendly people striving to be open to all people. We are a community that gathers around God's word and the sacraments. We are a community that enjoys learning and growing together through God's word and through Christian fellowship.

We are striving to be a faith community where families feel at home,
where individuals feel at home, and where those who are distant are made to always feel a part of the community. We are striving to be a community that nurtures its own young so that they may grow in faith and spiritual maturity. And in so doing, know the grace of God, the forgiveness of God, the Love of God, the Joy of God, and the Hope of God in a way that empowers their lives to reflect God in whatever they do and say. 

We seek to be a holistic people looking at every part of our life as that which is given unto God from the youngest life to the oldest life coming together to lift one another up and be lifted up by one another in God's love and grace. We wish to be a faithful community of integrity where who we are on the inside is reflected in who we are on the outside as we strive to love one another as God has loved us."

Bethany's Purpose

The purpose of this Church shall be to provide a safe and welcoming place where people can come together to: worship God; proclaim the Gospel of Christ; celebrate Holy Communion and Baptism; realize Christian fellowship and service; nurture and be nurtured; grow; journey in faith; strive for righteousness, justice, peace, forgiveness, and love for all humankind; proclaim the kingdom of God; reach out into Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the United States, and the world, proclaiming the love of God; connect with the United Church of Christ as a whole and with the Church Universal; and pray for salvation to all of God¹s creation.

Faith: This Church acknowledges as its sole head Jesus, the Christ, Messiah, Lord, and Savior of all. It acknowledges as sister and brother in Christ all who confess Jesus as their Lord and Savior. This Church looks to the Holy Bible as a testimony about God and the faith proclaimed by God's followers, each in their own time and place. It looks to the scriptures for revelation of God, guidance, and insight into who God is. This Church also relies upon the Holy Spirit, who is present in the life of all those who Confess Jesus as Lord. It relies on the Holy Spirit to call together the faithful, to strengthen the faithful, to open the hearts and minds of the faithful, and to guide the faithful.
This Church claims the historic Christian Creeds and insights to the
faith of the church reclaimed in the reformation by the Protestant Reformers as guides in enabling us to give name to our confession here in our own time and place. It believes that it is the responsibility of each generation to give confession to their faith and proclaim the word in accordance.  This Church, in accordance with the teaching of Jesus found in scripture, and the prevailing practice of Evangelical Christians, recognizes two sacraments: Baptism, whereby one enters the church, and the Lord's Supper (or Holy Communion), whereby one experiences the presence and grace of God in their life. The creeds and confessions of the historic church are guides for us here today in helping us make our own confession of faith. As each generation changes and has its own unique character, we are open to people striving to find new expression for what we believe. What is important is that we are on a faith journey and not living a spiritually stagnant life. What else is important is that we are committed to Christ and to the faith community in how we live out our life, no matter how we are struggling to define our faith confession. 

Covenant- We are covenanting with each other and with God, that we will listen to, respect, pray for, nurture, build up, and support each other while still allowing each of us to be our own unique individual. We are covenanting to journey together in faith as we struggle to be a people and community who reflects God and God¹s love in everything that we do both toward each other within this faith community and as representatives of God and this faith community to the world.