We are God’s people: young and old, long-time believers, or those just starting our faith journey. Maybe we are tiny children new to the earth. Some of us just now have begun to understand there’s more to life than the physical world.
What we all have in common is fellowship brought about by God who has taken strangers and aliens and drawn us to himself.
Bethel has been in northern Virginia since the late 1970s. In that time, we’ve celebrated births and graduations, new jobs, and weddings. We’ve mourned with each other through illness and death. This is no meme or trend that lasts only a moment. We are united in Christ now and through all eternity as we worship the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit.
You are welcome here without somehow making yourself ready. God transforms our lives through the power of his Word as it is faithfully preached week in and week out. Here you can find rock-solid beliefs that don’t shift with the latest whim. You can be in a loving community that endures forever.
Children at Bethel
“If I try maybe I can spin five times.” Maybe. “Or climb the highest at the playground!” Or sing the most joyfully!
From babies to teens, children are welcome at Bethel. Programs specifically geared toward kids vary based on the interests and the talents we have in the congregation. At various times, we’ve had adults who could teach film-making, self-defense, cooking, and other skills.
The goal to any “children’s program” is to teach our young ones the vital truth of God’s Word and how it can be applied in all aspects of life. We hope to see them grow from covenant children to communicant members.
We encourage children from a young age to participate in worship. We understand that sitting can be difficult for very small children and offer a nursery to assist when needed. Expect to hear the occasional fuss or joyful noise!
As children grow, they are encouraged to find ways to develop their talents and serve. Our teens are a vital part of our congregation helping with greeting, running the sound system, and even organizing events for the whole church.
Over the years, we’ve had great joy in watching our children grow as individuals and as life-long friends.
Adults working with children complete a youth protection program.
Bethel’s history
Can you really start a church in your living room? Why would you want to?
Go back 40 years, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a church near Loudoun County that believed in historic Presbyterianism. For that matter, churches across many denominations had moved away from their roots and abandoned teachings such as the authority of Scripture in all of life, and the fall of man and his need for a redeemer in Christ alone.
Do you remember that living room group we mentioned? Given Bethel’s eventual place in Leesburg, most people don’t realize the founding members first met in Herndon. These couples craved a deeper knowledge of God and a whole-souled commitment to Christ. As they grew in their commitment to their Savior, they prayerfully launched Bethel Chapel in the Herndon Municipal building led by Ed Urban. In 1969 The fledgling church moved from Herndon to a large historic house near downtown Leesburg where it shared space with the tiny, new Leesburg Christian School.
Just one year later, in 1970, Bethel became a separate and self-sustaining church within the Presbytery of Philadelphia. As more churches joined the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, new Presbyteries were created and Bethel became, and remains, a part of the Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic.
In 1980, the growing congregation dedicated a brick church building on a large lot just south of Leesburg. That big piece of land is significant because it would allow the church to continue to grow physically. In the fall of 2010, with programs such as vacation Bible school overflowing the existing facility, construction crews broke ground on an extension to house new offices, Sunday School rooms, and a huge fellowship hall. Work crews expanded the sanctuary in 2014.
Bethel continues to worship Christ and to serve the Leesburg community. We would love to have you become a part of Bethel's continuing and developing story!