Welcome!
Thank you for visiting the Bethany Presbyterian Church website. It is our hope that you will find this site useful in your quest to learn more about us. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact the church office.
We are so excited you have taken the time to visit our website and look forward to you joining us in worship! We pray that you will find your niche here at Bethany. Our desire is to serve the Bethany community, Muskogee and surrounding areas by sharing God's love in worship, ministry, and outreach.
It's been said that if you can't spell, "Presbyterian," then you probably aren't one. We would like to help you get to know not only our particular Presbyterian congregation better--Bethany--but also our denomination. On our web page you will find a BRIEF list of historical highlights, a rough overview of the BASICS of our beliefs and a link to the PCUSA's website which explains more about our denomination.
So, look around & make yourself at home. Come and join us at Bethany Presbyterian Church in Muskogee, OK.
May God bless you!
We are so excited you have taken the time to visit our website and look forward to you joining us in worship! We pray that you will find your niche here at Bethany. Our desire is to serve the Bethany community, Muskogee and surrounding areas by sharing God's love in worship, ministry, and outreach.
It's been said that if you can't spell, "Presbyterian," then you probably aren't one. We would like to help you get to know not only our particular Presbyterian congregation better--Bethany--but also our denomination. On our web page you will find a BRIEF list of historical highlights, a rough overview of the BASICS of our beliefs and a link to the PCUSA's website which explains more about our denomination.
So, look around & make yourself at home. Come and join us at Bethany Presbyterian Church in Muskogee, OK.
May God bless you!
Mission Statement:
To Know Christ,
To Serve Christ,
To Share Christ!
To Serve Christ,
To Share Christ!
The purpose of Bethany Presbyterian Church is to know God through Jesus Christ and, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to make Him known to others through worship, fellowship, stewardship, ministry and service.
As we begin Bethany's next 100 years of ministry, we must cover this ministry and one another in prayer. Prayer is the foundation and cornerstone of any ministry. Our Lord Jesus set the example for us. He spent as much time as possible in prayer with the Father. We must do likewise.
We need to bathe our church, fellowship and ministries in prayer. Join the elders and myself in committing to spend a minimum of 45 minutes each day in prayer for Bethany and the ministries God has called us to undertake. And in all things, may we seek to glorify God!!
As we begin Bethany's next 100 years of ministry, we must cover this ministry and one another in prayer. Prayer is the foundation and cornerstone of any ministry. Our Lord Jesus set the example for us. He spent as much time as possible in prayer with the Father. We must do likewise.
We need to bathe our church, fellowship and ministries in prayer. Join the elders and myself in committing to spend a minimum of 45 minutes each day in prayer for Bethany and the ministries God has called us to undertake. And in all things, may we seek to glorify God!!
A Brief History Lesson:
The Early Christian Church
The Presbyterian Church, like all Christian churches, traces its roots back to the early church in Jerusalem. Many people consider modern Presbyterianism to be a rebirth of the early church in the New Testament.
Martin Luther
The Protestant Reformation moved forward in 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 thesis to a church door in Wittenberg, Germany. Luther fought against the pretensions of authority by the Pope and called for direct authority from God.
John Calvin
Calvin is called the father of Presbyterianism. Calvin converted to Protestantism in 1533. He interpreted the Bible as the revelation of God, emphasizing theology, worship, education, thrift, ethical behavior and representative government for his followers. From his home city, Geneva, Calvin's ideas spread throughout Europe.
John Knox
The Scottish Protestant John Knox fled persecution in his homeland and studied with Calvin in Geneva. He returned to Scotland in 1559 and established the Presbyterian church in his homeland.
Westminster Assembly
In England, the "Westminster Assembly" of 151 Presbyterians worked steadily between 1643 & 1649 to write doctrinal guides. Presbyterians now recognize these as some of their basic texts.
American Revolution
Presbyterians escaped persecution in Europe and settled in America. There were so many Presbyterians in America that the British called the "American Revolution" the "Presbyterian Revolt." At least 14 signers of the Declaration of Independence were Presbyterians--including clergyman Rev. John Witherspoon.
Presbyterians in the U.S.
The first presbytery in America was established in Philadelphia in 1706. During the 1800's, disagreement over slavery and evangelism broke the church into the northern & southern branches. The two branches reunited in 1983 to form the Presbyterian Church USA, or PCUSA for short.
The Presbyterian Church, like all Christian churches, traces its roots back to the early church in Jerusalem. Many people consider modern Presbyterianism to be a rebirth of the early church in the New Testament.
Martin Luther
The Protestant Reformation moved forward in 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 thesis to a church door in Wittenberg, Germany. Luther fought against the pretensions of authority by the Pope and called for direct authority from God.
John Calvin
Calvin is called the father of Presbyterianism. Calvin converted to Protestantism in 1533. He interpreted the Bible as the revelation of God, emphasizing theology, worship, education, thrift, ethical behavior and representative government for his followers. From his home city, Geneva, Calvin's ideas spread throughout Europe.
John Knox
The Scottish Protestant John Knox fled persecution in his homeland and studied with Calvin in Geneva. He returned to Scotland in 1559 and established the Presbyterian church in his homeland.
Westminster Assembly
In England, the "Westminster Assembly" of 151 Presbyterians worked steadily between 1643 & 1649 to write doctrinal guides. Presbyterians now recognize these as some of their basic texts.
American Revolution
Presbyterians escaped persecution in Europe and settled in America. There were so many Presbyterians in America that the British called the "American Revolution" the "Presbyterian Revolt." At least 14 signers of the Declaration of Independence were Presbyterians--including clergyman Rev. John Witherspoon.
Presbyterians in the U.S.
The first presbytery in America was established in Philadelphia in 1706. During the 1800's, disagreement over slavery and evangelism broke the church into the northern & southern branches. The two branches reunited in 1983 to form the Presbyterian Church USA, or PCUSA for short.
