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A MESSAGE FROM OUR PASTORS

Welcome to Bethesda Christian Church! We are so thankful to cross paths with you, and we trust that you’ll find us to be a church community ready to walk with you as you follow Jesus Christ.
– Pastors Pat & Julie Visger

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OUR MISSION

KNOW THE WORD
LIVE THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD

Our mission at Bethesda Christian Church is to KNOW THE WORD, LIVE THE WORD, and SPREAD THE WORD. Our goal as Christians must be to deepen our understanding of God’s Word that we may apply it to our lives, developing a relationship with Jesus Christ and answering His call to spread the Gospel.

WHAT WE BELIEVE

• We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God.
• We believe Jesus is the Son of God. He paid for our sins with His death and rose from the dead, overcoming the grave and offering us eternal life.
• We believe that we must come to Christ with faith and repentance to receive the eternal life He offers.
• We believe in following the scriptural command to be baptized after coming to Christ in faith and repentance.
• We believe in the infilling of the Holy Spirit and in practicing the gifts He has given the church.
• We believe Jesus Christ is alive and active in our world through the power of the Holy Spirit. He can and does heal sick bodies, minds, and emotions.
• We believe Jesus will physically and visibly return to Earth and will resurrect those who’ve died in Christ.
• We believe that baptism, the Lord’s Supper, footwashing, anointing with oil, matrimony, dedication of children, and confirmation are sacraments to be practiced reverently.

MEMBERSHIP

After Jesus resurrected, His Church grew as the apostles began preaching and teaching about Him. As believers were added, the apostles established regional or local bodies, places for Christians to learn and grow, worship, pray, serve, build relationships, and receive guidance and discipline from spiritual leaders. As a Christian, you have a place to belong. The Bible is clear on the benefits of belonging to a community of believers structured and governed in accordance with New Testament principles and practices. As a local church, Bethesda is a place to be established and strengthened in the faith as we meet regularly to worship and to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

MARRIAGE

Christian marriage is a God-ordained, lifelong covenant entered into publicly by a man and a woman with mutual consent and vows of faithfulness, uniting them both physically and spiritually. Scripture uses the sacrament of marriage to explain the covenant relationship God desires with His people, emphasizing the importance of purity. The Bible tells us that husband and wife become one flesh; any union other than a man and woman within marriage is sin, and a Christian should also not seek a marital bond with an unbeliever (2 Corinthians 6:14-15). As Christians, husband and wife are equal before the Lord (Galatians 3:28) and are to submit to Christ and to one another (Ephesians 5:21), moving beyond previous family bonds and beginning a new family.

BAPTISM

Acts 2:38 tells us to “repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ.” By turning from the old lifestyle of sin and being immersed in water, a believer comes to relate to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus: “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4). If you have repented of your sins and made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life but you have never been baptized, we would like to help you take this next step.

DEDICATION

“Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him” (Psalm 127:3). Being entrusted with one of God’s greatest gifts is an awesome and momentous responsibility. At Bethesda, we encourage parents to bring their children to the altar and dedicate each one to God, acknowledging Him as the Giver of life as church elders lay their hands on the child and pray a prayer of dedication and blessing. Dedication also serves as a way for parents to publicly commit to raise their children “in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4) while trusting the Holy Spirit to draw their children’s hearts to eventually receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

ROOTED

Rooted 1 focuses on questions and answers that are foundational to Christianity. Where did the Bible come from? Why should I read the Bible today? Who is God? Who is Jesus? Does the death of Jesus have anything to do with me? Did Jesus really come back from the dead? What is the purpose of my life? Can I be assured of life after death? The Rooted 1 journey explores the answers to these questions and many more. As each question is posed, clear concise answers give a revelation of God’s plan and purpose for life.

Rooted 2 picks up where Rooted 1 leaves off, providing meaningful answers to living out your faith daily in every context of life–relationships, work, finances and more. As you make application in these areas of life, you will be strengthened, rooted deeper and built up in Jesus Christ.

Learn MoreRooted

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GIVING

Every dollar we receive at Bethesda helps us deliver the Gospel and bless individual lives through our ministries and our missions. We bring our tithes and offerings to the Lord as acts of worship and obedience, knowing that everything we have is from Him: “‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it’” (Malachi 3:10). Just as God was able to multiply the loaves and the fishes in Mark 6, we trust Him to use our offering in miraculous ways.

YourBCC Staff

PAT VISGER

SENIOR PASTOR

Julie VISGER

EXECUTIVE PASTOR OF MINISTRIES

barry allen

CARE PASTOR

ROB SUSAN

DIRECTOR OF FAMILY MINISTRIES

JASON BELLINGER

DIRECTOR OF MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS

ROBIN CARLEY

CORPORATE SECRETARY

TODD CARLEY

BUSINESS MANAGER

MATTHEW KLUG

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

LILA PLACE

HEAD OF PARKWAY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

PEGGY SUSAN

FAMILY MINISTRIES ADMINISTRATOR

BRIAN SWARTS

FACILITIES MANAGER

HEATHER ALLEN

DIRECTOR OF WORSHIP MINISTRIES

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Pastor Pat

The eighth of nine children, Patrick Visger was a ten-year-old Roman Catholic boy when his family first attended Bethesda in 1973. When Pat’s father died unexpectedly in 1980, just after Pat completed Bethesda’s Young Adult Catechism class, Pat began questioning the things of God. He went to college to study engineering, and along the way he met Julie, who he married in 1985. Their first daughter, Heather, was born a year later. Pat worked full-time while attending Lawrence Technological University until he earned a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. After Emily, their second daughter, was born, Julie suggested that she and Pat attend Bethesda’s Adult Catechism class. During that class in 1993, both Pat and Julie began to earnestly pursue God and ultimately turned their lives over to Jesus Christ. Soon after, they fully committed to Bethesda as their home church and began serving in various departments including nurseries, high school, Catechism, adult education, and the church council. During those years, Pat began to attend the Bethesda Bible Institute to deepen his understanding of the Word of God. When Bethesda was seeking a full-time ministry director in 2003, he discerned God prompting him to respond. In March 2003, Pat transitioned from his 18-year mechanical engineering and software development career to work at Bethesda full time. He was privileged to serve as Director of Catechism, Adult Education, and Men’s Ministry and was commissioned, licensed, then finally ordained as a minister. Along the way Pat also earned a Master’s degree in Biblical Studies from Trinity Theological Seminary. In 2016, he transitioned into the role of Senior Pastor with Julie serving alongside him as Executive Pastor of Ministries. When preaching and teaching the Gospel, Pat employs relatable life illustrations by drawing from his unique background. He and Julie are both thrilled and humbled to be leading the Bethesda congregation, and they are anticipating great things for the church and the surrounding community.

Pastor Julie

For many years, Julie Visger questioned the significance of Jesus. She grew up in the Catholic faith, yet she was far from understanding what a genuine relationship with Jesus looked like. She met Pat during her senior year of high school, and they married in 1985. The next few years included the arrival of two daughters, and Julie thoroughly enjoyed being a wife and stay-at-home mom while Pat worked as an engineer. She had absolutely no inclination that God had other plans for her future. In 1993, Julie began seeking a true relationship with Jesus and enrolled in Bethesda’s Adult Catechism class with Pat. She came to understand God’s grace, received salvation, and was filled with the Holy Spirit. After Catechism, Julie began serving the church wholeheartedly. She volunteered in the nurseries, served in the dining room, taught a class for women, and assisted in the high school department. In 1999, Pat and Julie developed the curriculum for a new class that they started together called New Journey, and in 2002 were welcomed onto the church council. Julie joined Bethesda’s staff in 2003, hired to direct the Visitors Ministry and Women’s Ministry. Later she took on the responsibility of overseeing the Men’s Ministry, Singles’ Ministry, Family Ministry, and Young Adult Ministry. Meanwhile she progressed from a commissioned to a licensed minister while completing studies at Trinity Theological Seminary, earning a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Pastoral Ministry. When Pat transitioned into the role of Senior Pastor in 2016, Julie took on the role of Executive Pastor of Ministries. The desire of her heart is to see people from all generations come to the saving grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, be filled with His Spirit, grow in His Word, and use their God-given gifts and talents in His church. She is looking forward with great anticipation to all that God has in store for the future of Bethesda Christian Church.

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