Welcome!
We’re delighted you have expressed an interest in making Bethesda-by-the-Sea your spiritual home. This community has much to offer those seeking to grow in faith, connect with others, and follow Jesus. We’d love you to join us on this journey!
To become a member of Bethesda, we invite you to embrace our Four Pillars of Connection:
Worship Regularly
Sunday worship is the central act of our life together. To “worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” is how we express our gratitude to God. Through it, we lift up our prayers, hear and respond to God’s Word, are nourished through the Eucharist, and sent forth into the world to love and serve the Lord.
Pillar 1:
Serve Joyfully
We connect to God, to one another, and to the church by serving in one of our many volunteer ministries. Whether assisting with worship, serving the broader community, or sitting on a committee, ministry opportunities abound. Our hope and expectation is that all active members of Bethesda take part in at least one of our many ministries.
Pillar 2:
Pray Unceasingly
Whether formal or informal, we believe that prayer changes lives, deepens our relationship with Jesus Christ, and sustains our community in new and life-giving ways. Active members avail themselves of our many opportunities to grow in their faith, such as daily Morning Prayer, spiritual formation classes and retreats, and Bible study.
Pillar 3:
Pillar 4:
Give Generously
We believe that all that we
have is a gift from God. Sharing our financial resources — ideally by making an annual pledge (estimate of giving) — helps us fund the many ministries that take place at Bethesda. We can’t do this without the generosity of our parishioners.
To assist you on this journey, we offer the following Membership Checklist as you walk the membership pathway at Bethesda-by-the-Sea:
First Steps:
☐ Attend Bethesda 101 (sign up for a name tag)
☐ Join our Online Directory
☐ Make a Financial Pledge
☐ Volunteer for a Ministry
☐ Sign up to Receive our Weekly E-news
Next Steps:
☐ Episcopal 101 — to learn about the Episcopal Church
☐ Alpha Course — to learn more about Christianity
☐ Sunday Church Tour — to learn about our history
