Welcome to BethesdaWe're Glad You're HereWelcome to the Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea! We are an historic Episcopal parish that has served as a beacon of hope and love on Palm Beach for generations. Our parishioners come from a variety of communities throughout the area, and we would be delighted for you to join us on a Sunday.
Our parish name means House of Healing-by-the-Sea, and we strive to be just that. We are not a club, but a church that is open to all seeking to encounter and walk with Jesus Christ in their lives.
At Bethesda, you will find beautiful sacred space, enchanting church grounds, inspiring music in the Anglican choral tradition, a welcoming community, strong education programs for children and adults, opportunities to serve others, and hope-filled and inclusive preaching.
We think Bethesda is a pretty special place and encourage you to join us for worship either in person or online. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Peace,
The Rev. Tim Schenck, Rector
Join Us
Whether you join us for worship, attend a concert, take a class, or simply stroll our campus to be inspired by our beautiful building and grounds, we welcome you to Bethesda-by-the-Sea!
We would love to get to know you. Please help us by completing the Newcomer form so that we can be in touch.
Visitor Form
Membership at Bethesda
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 for you to join us on this journey!
To become a member of Bethesda, we invite you to embrace our Four Pillars of Connection:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
Want to Learn More?
We invite you to visit our Welcome Table during Coffee Hour to discover more about membership and meet our Membership Coordinator, Tisha Skeete.
You may also contact Tisha directly at tisha@bbts.org or (561) 655-4554 x113
For additional information, explore our Bethesda Vocabulary List and Membership Q&A below to learn more about our community and membership process.
Where to Park
On Sundays, free parking is available on the streets surrounding the church, as posted.
During high season (when the last service is at 11:00 a.m.), cars may stay on South County Road until 1:30 p.m.
During the summer (when 10:00 a.m. is the last service), cars may remain on South County Road until 12:00 p.m.
Handicapped parking is available on Via Bethesda and there is also a circular drive on this street for drop off, with wheelchair accessibility into the church.
We realize that walking into a new church can be bewildering
for even the most seasoned church-goer.
Below is some basic information about what to expect on a Sunday morning at Bethesda. Recognizing that you can never really get a feel for a place until you experience it in person, we hope this will make your first visit a bit more comfortable. Remember, no one will give you odd looks if you stand when you’re supposed to sit or kneel when you’re supposed to stand!
FAQs
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Our Sunday services are held at 8:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m., and 11:00 a.m. from November through April, and at 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. from May through October. From October through May, we offer a service of Choral Evensong at 4:00 p.m. on the first Sunday of the month.
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On Sundays, free parking is available on the streets surrounding the church. During high season (when the last service is at 11:00 a.m.), cars may stay until 1:30 p.m.. During the summer (when 10:00 a.m. is the last service), cars may remain until 12:00 p.m. Handicapped parking is available on Via Bethesda and there is also a circular drive on this street for drop off, with wheelchair accessibility into the church.
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The 8:00 a.m. service does not include music and lasts 40 minutes. The 9:00 a.m. service includes a quartet of singers and lasts about 50 minutes. The 11:00 a.m. service (or 10:00 a.m. during the summer) includes a full choir and generally runs for an hour and ten minutes.
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While children are always welcome to join us for worship (we don’t mind noise!), we offer nursery care during the 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. services (or 10:00 a.m. service during the summer). Children’s Chapel is held in the Parish Hall at 9:00 a.m. and Sunday School happens in the Sunday School wing at 10:00 a.m. There is no fee to participate in Sunday School and children are welcome to join at anytime throughout the year.
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First of all, please know that however you dress, you will always be welcome at Bethesda. Generally people do dress up a bit — you’ll see many in jackets and ties or dresses (sometimes even hats!). But there is no dress code to worship with us, and things tend to be more casual in the summer.
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Only if you want to! But you are more than welcome to simply come, worship, and sneak out afterwards. If you would like more information about Bethesda, you can fill out a Visitor’s Card in the pews and hand it to an usher or put it in the collection plate when it passes by. We also have Bethesda Ambassadors (identifiable by blue ribbons on their name tags) who are available before or after the service to answer any questions you may have.
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All baptized Christians, regardless of age or denomination are welcome to receive communion at Bethesda. If you would prefer to receive a blessing from a priest, you can simply cross your arms over your chest at the communion rail. And if you are not baptized, and would like to have a conversation about baptism, please speak with one of the priests.
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If you would like Communion delivered to your pew, simply let an usher know and a priest will bring it to you. During the late service, we often have Communion available in the chapel (on the left side of the worship space as you face the altar), which does not involve steps.
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There is no financial requirement to participate fully in the life of our parish. All of the ministry that takes place at Bethesda, however, is made possible through the generosity of our parishioners. Each February, we do invite people to make a financial pledge to support the church in the coming year and gifts are welcome at any time. For more information about giving at Bethesda, click here.
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We hold a service of Holy Eucharist on Wednesdays at 12:05 p.m. in the chapel. This service is immediately followed by optional prayers for healing and anointing by a priest. The brief (15 minutes) service of Morning Prayer is offered at 8:30 a.m. Monday through Friday in the choir stalls.
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During high season (November to May), we offer three Sunday services (8, 9, and 11:00 a.m.), with an Adult Forum at 10:00 a.m. in the Parish Hall. This is an educational opportunity that may highlight a particular ministry at Bethesda, engage with Scripture, or be a panel discussion on a spiritual topic of interest. The Forum lasts until 10:45 a.m. Coffee Hour in the Parish Hall also follows each service. Visit our Welcome Table during Coffee Hour to learn more about Membership & the ministries of Bethesda.
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Pets are welcome on campus as long as certain procedures and guidelines are followed. You can read about our pet policy here.
Still have questions?
WE'D LOVE TO ANSWER THEM!
Email us by clicking the button below
or call our office (561) 655-4554
Worship with us…Sunday Services
8:00 a.m. Spoken Service of Holy Eucharist with sermon
10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist, with sermon, hymns, and choir
Coffee Hour | Parish Hall
Sunday coffee hour after each service.
Join us for coffee and conversation in the Parish Hall, following each of our Sunday morning services. Stop by our Welcome Table to learn more about Bethesda, or to sign up to serve in one of our many ministries.
Sunday Forum
On most Sundays, from November through May, we offer an adult education session on a variety of topics at 10:00 a.m. in the Guild Room.
Weekday Worship & Prayer
Morning Prayer at 8:30 a.m. This informal, 15-minute service takes place Tuesday through Friday in the choir stalls.
Wednesday Holy Eucharist at 12:05 p.m. This 30-minute service meets in the chapel and includes optional healing prayers immediately following.
Sunday Livestream available at approximately 9:45 a.m.
