Generations Series Starting at Bethel

This week we embark on a new series called “Generations.” This series is the bubbling up of some exciting values that are growing in our congregation.
At Bethel Church over the last year we have begun to talk about being a church that is “inter-generational.” We have even begun pairing young people and adults together in mentoring relationships for “doing life together.” Currently there are approximately a dozen such mentoring relationships, in which a teen or young adult will connect with an older adult at least once a month to talk about life together. So far this has been a pilot project but now we hope to find many more mentors for the large group of teenagers and young adults who still need them
But what does being “inter-generational” as a church that actually mean?
It means that we are committed to valuing the unique experiences, giftings and ideas of each age segment in our church family. We acknowledge that children have something to offer to seniors, and the middle-aged folks to our youth. We acknowledge that the teenagers are not just “the church of the future” but ought to be an integral part of our church today.  When we view church on Sunday as a gathering of “God’s family” - like a family we live, learn and grow together. We get to see God, perhaps in a new way, through witnessing Him work in each of us at different stages in life.
During this series of messages, we will seek to let God's Word speak uniquely to each generation, and we hope to create opportunities for the generations speak to one another.  It is our prayer that this series of messages will lead to conversations and ideas among us all of how we can better care for, learn from, and value one another at each stage in our lives.
 
-Pastor Ryan

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