A very familiar scripture: Psalms 95:1-3 "O come let us sing unto the Lord,
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before
his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great king above all gods.

The above verses are our goal in the music program at Bethel. We encourage
all people to give praise to Jesus Christ our Lord whether playing
instruments, praise band, singing specials or singing in the choir or
congregation.

We are blessed to have many good musicians to play piano, guitar, bass, drums or organ. Also, a good choir to sing a variety of music from down home southern gospel to contemporary. Our music ranges from the church hymnal to pieces from the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir and other great well-known choirs. On special occasions such as Christmas, Easter, Independence Day, we always do a very special piece or cantata or selection of songs.

Our music program is based on all-volunteer musicians/singers in which all
can participate to the fullest of his or her God-given talents. We encourage
you to visit us at Bethel and listen to what God has given us in our music.

The Bethel Missionary Baptist Church Prayer Ministry is that most important service of "standing in the gap" between God and our fellow man through intercessory prayer. The Prayer Room is staffed 24 hours a day by volunteer intercessors. This ministry undergirds our church, staff, church family and prays for people throughout the city, state, nation, and the world.

What Happens During My Hour in the Prayer Room?

1. Prepare for your prayer time by focusing on the Lord.
2. As calls come into the Prayer Room, the Intercessor will answer the phone, pray with the caller, record the caller's request and write PrayerGrams.
3. When not receiving calls the Intercessor will:
   a. Pray for urgent and church wide requests on the bulletin board.
   b. Pray a few minutes in each of these areas:
   1. Telephone request cards from phoned-in requests
   2. Prayer request cards from the church body.
   3. Long-term requests
   4. Church membership and prospects
   5. Church and government leaders, home and foreign missionaries.
   c. Thanksgiving and praise to God for answered prayers and thank-you letters
   on the board!

If you are interested in learning how you can become a part of this exciting ministry, please contact Wally Knight our Prayer Ministry Coordinator.

If you need prayer, please call us at (828) 648-2777.

Church Library

Bethel Baptist Church has a wonderful Media Center. This is open to all
church members on Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 7:00. There are many books,
videos, and cassettes available for check out. Our videos include Veggie
Tales, Mcgee and Me, and many other children and family videos. The books
include reference books, Christian living, commentaries, and many Christian
fiction selections. Please come by and browse for media by your favorite< br> authors.

Bethel Baptist Church is committed to fulfilling The Great Commission, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nation, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with You always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20.

Reaching our community for Jesus Christ is priority. We want our community to know that we care for them, and that we want to minister to them both physically and spiritually. Churches basically look the same from the outside looking in, it's the ministry that sets it apart.

One of the most important parts of outreach is following up with visitors. We have many visitors who are seeking God's will concerning a church home. We want to make sure they know how excited we are that they visited. We seek to meet them, answer their questions, and tell them about Christ's love for them.

Another important part of outreach is making contact with unchurched families in Haywood County. We have found that most people appreciate our contact and are very receptive.

Monday Night at 7:00 p.m. is visitation night. We meet in the fellowship hall, pray, assign visits, and go out in teams of two. We would love to have you join us. If this is new to you, we will send you with a person experienced in making visits.

If you have questions about outreach ministry, please call Kent Plemmons at (828)
456-5899; he will be happy to talk with you about this ministry.

Senior Citizens ("The J.O.Y. Club")

When Norma and I joined this church 18 years ago it was known as "The Senior
Adults". It was headed by Pastor Roy and Wanda Kilby. Usually we got
together for monthly meetings having covered dish luncheons and occasionally
went on trips not more than a couple of hours away.

The next leaders were Evelyn and Ezra Freeman. Norma and I followed the
Freemans and Bill Evans followed us. Then it was G W and Grace Jamison.

It was during the Jamoson's tenure that the name was changed to The J. O. Y.
Club. (J. O. Y. stands for Just Older Youth.( We meet monthly, usually on the
second Thursday at 11:30 A M. We still have our covered dish dinners with an
occasional trip` We love to go out to eat and we love each other's
fellowship.

If you would like to join our group and if you are age 55 or older and if
you like to have good fellowship with Christian Brothers and Sisters; we
would love to have you.

Using Matthew 25:31-40 as our guide, we started a Homebound Ministry. Very soon, however, we detected a little opposition to using the word "homebound" or "shut-in." We knew from how we felt that we were extending the love of church family to those who needed us. Hence, the term Extended Love was accepted.

Those included, as we define it, are those who are Transitional (Temporary) or Chronic (Permanent). Too, Caregivers are given a special consideration.

At present we have 36 persons who need our assistance and love. We administer to their needs from what we observe at visitation time.

Volunteers are needed.

For more information, please contact Becky Trull.

The Teller Committee is responsible for collection and counting of all monies brought into the church through offerings and tithes. All checks and cash envelopes are examined and funds noted. Two Teller Committee members count cash seperately and each runs a talley. Information is verified and given to the treasurer to keep a copy on file. All monies and information handled in the teller room is strictly confidential.

For more information, please contact Bill Holbrook at 648-5307.

Pro-Life Issues

Bethel Baptist Church believes in the Sancity of Human Life, every person from conception to final breath is of great value to God.

We have been involved with Haywood Pro Life by being a part of the Life Chain in Waynesville on the 1st Sunday of October. We have also been involved in the TLC Program with Haywood Pro Life. As a part of this program, Haywood Pro Life calls us with the name of a young mother that needs asistance with a new baby. We help support the baby as long as needed.