Bethlehem baptist church

We give opportunities to worship and learn about Jesus:

Bible Study/Sunday School for all ages at 10 am.

Blended (Traditional/Modern) Worship with Biblical Preaching is at 11 am in the Sanctuary.  A Kids Church option is available in the Fellowship Hall at 11 am. 

Wednesday meal, Bible Study and Prayer for all ages at 7 pm.

We believe that followers of Jesus are expected to serve others so we give everyone a opportunity to better our community:

1. Provide food in our "Blessing Box" to the needy: "Give what you can, take what you need." (Year round)

2. Host of "Family Movie Nights".

3. Host of "Bingo Nights".

4. Host of "Bethlehem Community Valentine's Party/Dinner" with games, food and fun for children, youth and adults in February.

5. Participate in "Spring Clean" Community Trash Pickup in March/April.

6. Host of "Community Easter Egg Hunt" in March/April.

7. Hand out free water & hand fans during the "Poultry Festival" in May.

8. Provide VBS for the children/youth of the community in June.

9. Plant a "Community Garden" to provide fresh fruits & vegetables for the needy (April-Sep).

10. Host for "Homecoming" and Dinner on the grounds (2nd Sunday in September).

11. Host a "Community Day" with food, big tent, dunking booth, bounce house, games.

12. Host a BBQ Chicken fundraiser for "BBQ for Missions" in October.

13. "Feed the Panthers" sports teams (August-May).

14. Outreach to the community at our "Harvest Festival" by providing free games and candy to the children of Batesburg-Leesville.

15. Host of "Community Christmas Party/Dinner" with games, food and fun for children, youth and adults in December.

What are our beliefs?

1. The Bible...We believe the Bible to be the pure Word of God (Ps. 12:6), wholly true (John 17:17), from which nothing can be subtracted and to which nothing can be added. We believe in the complete, verbal inspiration of the Scriptures in their original manuscripts (2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Tim. 3:16-17). No pastor or staff member may be called to the ministry of this church who does not fully ascribe to this position on the Scriptures and to the doctrinal statements contained in these bylaws. The same holds for those indicated for service as deacons and teachers.

2. God...We believe in one God (Gen, 1:1; Deut. 6:4; Is. 45:5-6; 46:9) eternally existing in three persons: God the Father: God the Son; and God the Holy Spirit: yet being only one God (Matt. 3:16-17; 28:18-20; John 10:30; 15:26; 2 Cor. 13:14; James 2:19).  

3. Christ and His Kingdom...We believe in Jesus Christ, the second person of the God-head, co-equal and co-eternal with God (John 1:1;8:58). God's unique Son (John 1:14; 3:16), as the God-man born of a virgin (Matt.1:18 25), sinless in His life (Heb. 7:15); that He died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, as a substitutionary sacrifice for us ( 1 Cor. 15:3-8; John 11:49-51; 18:14; 2 Cor. 5:14-15: Rom. 5:6-8; 1 Thess. 5:10; 1 Peter 3:18) that all who believe in Him are justified on the grounds of His shed blood and reconciled by His death (Rom. 3:21-30; 5:9-11); that He not only died on the cross for our sins, but that He resurrected bodily for our justification (Rom. 4:25); that He is now at the right hand of God the Father (1 Peter 3:22; Heb. 10:12), acting as our High Priest (Heb. 3:1,14-16; 5:6,10; 8:1 2; 9:11-27) and our Advocate (1 John 2:1-2) before the Father; that He is coming again in power at any time to rapture His church by raising the dead and translating the living believers (1 Thess. 4:13-18). After the Great Tribulation on this earth, He will come again to establish His millennial kingdom upon earth (Rev. 20:4-6), to judge the world (Rev. 20:11-15) and to establish His eternal kingdom (Rev. 21:1-27; 22:1-5) with commensurate rewards for the believers and punishment for the unbelievers (1 Cor. 3:12-15; John 5:28-29). 

4. The Holy Spirit... We believe in the person of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead (John 14:16-17; 15:26; Acts 2:32-33), co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father and God the Son (2 Cor. 13:14) and who exists in the world today to reveal the fullness of Christ (John 15:26), convicting the world of sin, of righteousness and judgment (John 16:8-11), regenerating (John 3:3-8; Titus 3:5-7), sanctifying (1 Peter 1:2) and sealing forever (Eph. 1:13-14) those who have been born again through faith in Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:21-26). We believe that no one can be saved from sin or be born again without a supernatural activity of the Holy Spirit in his life. We believe that no one can attach himself to the Body of Christ unless the Holy Spirit energizes that attachment (1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 1:13; 4:30) [See Section 5: Salvation). 

5. Salvation...We believe that each individual is born in sin, and therefore is a sinner by nature, having nothing whereby he might justify himself before God the Father (Rom. 3:9-18; 5:12); that each individual must therefore receive the death of Jesus Christ and the shedding of His blood on the cross as for himself (John 1:12; Rom. 3:21-26; 4:16-25; 5:1-2), and in repentance must ask God's forgiveness for his sins (Matt. 3:2; Mark 1:5; Acts 2:38; 17:30; 26:20); that having received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior by faith, he is spiritually saved or born again (John 1:12; 3:4-5; Rom. 10:9-10, 13); that in regeneration the Holy Spirit is sent to permanently indwell, enable and empower the believer to walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4; Eph. 2:1-10). Each believer is thereby a child of God and a member of the family of God for time and eternity (Rom. 8:1-39).  

6. The Universal Church... The Universal Church of Jesus Christ consists of those who have personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:13-14), who are born again, and baptized into His Body by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13). These believers constitute the Body or Bride of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12-27: Eph. 5:25-32: Rev. 19:7-10; 21:2). This universal church consists of individual believers meeting and worshiping as groups of believers anywhere in the world (Heb. 10:25; Rev, 5:9-10). No one belongs to the church of Jesus Christ universal simply by virtue of belonging to a local Bible-believing and Bible-preaching church. In spite of minor doctrinal differences and practices existing among local churches, members of the body of Christ are to love, appreciate and bear the burdens of other Christians (John 15:12: 1 Thess. 4:9-10: Rom. 15:1-7). 

7. The Local Church... In the New Testament, there were churches made up of individual believers who lived in certain areas which constituted the church at Corinth, at Berea, at Philippi, etc. It is in this sense that Bethlehem Baptist Church exists and is known as such. The local church is composed of born-again believers who have voluntarily united together for the purposes of worshiping God, ministering to the saints (fellow believers), evangelizing the world, and discipling new believers (Acts 2:42; 1 Thess. 1:2-10). It provides an opportunity for those who are of the same mind in Christ to meet together for the study of God's Word, common prayer, social contact and mutual uplifting (Heb. 10:25).

8. Doctrinal Distinctiveness of This Church...The preeminence of Jesus Christ as our risen, living Lord and Savior (Col. 1:15-18; 2:6-7).  

The supreme authority and profitability of the Scriptures. We believe in the complete, verbal inspiration of the Old and New Testaments in their original manuscripts (Matt. 7:28; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21). 

The competency of the believer in direct approach to God (Heb. 10:19-22). 

The priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:5,9). 

The necessity of a born-again membership (John 3:3-8; 1 Peter 1:3,23). 

The symbolic ordinances of believer's baptism by immersion (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 8:36-38: 9:18) and the Lord's Supper (1 Cor. 11:23-28) to be held as often as possible. The physical element of water in baptism does not save the sinner, but is a voluntary external testimony to the work which the Holy Spirit has already done in the heart of the believer. Following the Lord in baptism is an act of obedience and has its proper reward as such. It does not save the sinner. In Acts 10:47-48 the Gentile believers were baptized with water after they had been spiritually baptized with the Holy Spirit. We believe a person is baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ upon conversion (1 Cor. 12:13). 

The physical elements of bread and the fruit of the vine are not the actual body and blood of Christ but are symbolic of Christ's body broken for us and His blood shed for our justification before God (1 Cor. 11:24-29). Observance of the Lord's Supper is an occasion of remembrance and self-examination for believers. 

The autonomy of the local church. This means that each local group of believers is itself responsible to follow the direction of the Lord Jesus as given by Him in His Holy Word by His Holy Spirit (Heb. 13:7.17: Rev. 2-3). No autonomous local church is to be governed by any ecclesiastical organization or body of churches outside that local church but should always in a spirit of humility be open to Scriptural counsel, encouragement, teaching, rebuke and/or correction where needed from a sister church or churches (e.g. Acts 15:22-35). 

Participation in fellowship with other believers (Acts 2:42)

We have two requirements: Wear clothing and come with a heart ready to worship the Lord.

We have a "Come as you are" attitude so we have some who dress in their "Sunday Best" but most others wear blue jeans and T-shirts. We are not hung up on what you wear as long as you are here.