Throughout the spring and summer, Bethel’s Worship Committee met, with the goal of determining what worship times would currently be best for Bethel.  

In order to decide, the Worship Committee held two listening sessions, opened an online feedback form, and solicited feedback from families with children in Sunday School and youth who help in worship. They held numerous conversations with congregational members. They investigated what other churches around our size were doing and looked at churches with more than one site. Staffing, volunteerism, resources, feedback from musicians, considerations regarding Sunday School, financial considerations, shuttle service, worship attendance stats, time to travel between campuses, how best to reach those who are not yet worshipping with us, and other factors were all considered. The committee was aware that there would not be a perfect solution to accommodate everyone’s request or idea and that some people would undoubtedly be disappointed no matter what decision was made. The committee took this task very seriously.  

In the end, the committee was united in discerning that the best thing for Bethel at this time, would be to continue our current schedule of holding a 9am contemporary service at Highlands with concurrent Sunday School and having a 10:30am traditional service Downtown. The Church Council unanimously voted to approve this recommendation at their August 19th meeting. We will continue to livestream both our contemporary and traditional services on Facebook, through our website at bethelhudson.org and on our YouTube channel. In addition, one-week delayed broadcasts will continue on radio station WEVR and our services can be seen on the local CCTV broadcasts throughout the week. While this decision is the best thing for Bethel right now, it does not mean it will be the best thing for Bethel in the future. As conditions at Bethel grow and evolve, the issue of worship times may need to change in response to those situations. That is the reality of every church.  

Thank you to the Worship Committee for their time, dedication, and for their willingness to sort through a difficult and complicated issue, setting aside their personal preferences, to decide what would be the most beneficial for Bethel, using their filter to “reach the most people of all ages, with the highest quality services, so that they might come to know, love and serve the Lord.”  Well-done, good and faithful servants!  

Sincerely, 

Pastor Kris and Pastor Ladd