Dear Friends,
Thank you for visiting our website. It is our desire at Bethel Community Church to extend a warm welcome to you. Everything we do at Bethel aims at reflecting what our logo represents – the exaltation of our glorious God, the edification of the people of God, and the evangelism of the world. We are committed to the Bible as the inspired, inerrant and infallible Word of God believing that it is our sufficient rule and authority for all of life. We are wholeheartedly committed to the local church and we seek to do this in a way that glorifies God. Our website does not replace the need for every Christian to find a place in a local church and to be of service in that local church. You will find a large array of resources on our site, which we pray will be of spiritual benefit to you.
We believe very strongly in exalting God. The Westminster Shorter Catechism’s very first question aims at the glory of God. Our enjoyment of God both in the present and in the future is directly linked to our glorifying of God. In view of our desire to worship God seriously we desire that the people of God be edified through the proclamation of the Word of God, through prayer, through observing the Lord’s Supper and through fellowship with each other. We also exist for the purpose of evangelism. It is the responsibility of every Christian to be a witness for Christ, in the workplace, in the home, at school or in visiting with friends and family.
We have a passion for loving each other in our church, but more importantly we love the Word of God, and this in turn is why we love each other. In fact this is one of the things that people always comment on when they visit us. Another very important fact is our commitment to the powerful, solid, biblical exposition of the Word of God. We are committed to preaching and teaching the Bible, so that God’s people can be established in their faith and can be more effective as they serve Christ in their homes, school or workplace. As a church, we are greatly supportive of missionaries. We have a number of experienced missionaries in our own congregation in addition to providing support for others on the field around the world.
We would love to see you visit Bethel, especially if you live in Sarasota, Florida. We want to develop in the local church, a passion for the local church, so please feel free to come and see us and worship with us.
Yours in Christ’s Service & for the Glory of God,
Russ Atmore
Pastor (Minister of the Word)
Elders: Russ Atmore, Paul Watson
Deacons: Rick Bellamy, Luke Kaster