HISTORY OF BETHANY CHRISTIAN CHURCH

Bethany Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a multi-cultural and diverse congregation, has been located on the east side of Detroit since 1912 and at the 5901 Cadieux location since 1953.  It is affiliated with the Christian Church Michigan Region (Disciples of Christ) and with international level of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ.)

Twelve years ago the church completed extensive long-range planning and chose to focus on ministering to and serving the community and the residents of the east side of Detroit.  We work closely with East English Village Association where we reside and Co-Sponsor with them Seniors’ Group which meets monthly, a Tai Chi class which meets weekly, and we are a staging area for their annual Clean Up Detroit day.  We have sponsored a Community Fair and several Community Health Fairs.

We have always been willing to share our building with the community.  We were part of the St. John Hospital Parish Nurse program from its inception in 1993 until its close in 2008.  Presently, we have two Narcotics Anonymous groups and one Alcoholic Anonymous group who use our building weekly.  We have housed and worked with Peter Rabbit Daycare for 25 years and before that we housed a cooperative nursery school, Tots and Tykes. We were a Head Start site from 2005 to 2007.

The church has always been committed to justice issues such as anti-racism, anti-sexism, and Aids advocacy.  In 2008 the congregation voted to increase our emphasis on children.  We have worked with Search Institute materials and held a study using “Building Assets in Congregations:  “A Practical Guide for Helping Youth Grow Up Healthy,” by E. C. Roehlkepartain. We have also given financial aid and support to a reading program held in our neighboring church, Calvin Presbyterian.  We welcome the opportunity to educate pre-schoolers and to give them a strong foundation that will enable them to prosper and use their gifts to the best of their abilities.