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What We Believe

Mission

Bethany Presbyterian Church is called to be a safe, inviting and progressive Christian community. We nurture and empower this community to: demonstrate grace, serve visibly, speak out with integrity and provide radical hospitality.

Vision

  • Be instructed by scripture, empowered by the Spirit, and challenged by God to heal the world and its people:

  • Be committed to following Jesus’ teachings of love, distributive justice, mercy, inclusion and nonviolent resistance to corrupt power.

  • Provide inspiring worship that encourages all to be instruments of God.

  • Work for peace by promoting a global consciousness and practicing social justice every day in tangible ways.

  • Seek the reconciling hospitality of God and experience the transforming power of Grace.

  • Live the Gospel for the sake of the world, humbly caring for each  other and the earth.

  • Search, with integrity, for the Divine in ourselves and others, in order to find a fuller view of God, and to

  • Celebrate and experience the joy of life and dream of God’s blessed community.

Inclusion Statement

Bethany is an LGBTQ+ affirming congregation. Our faith in Christ is lived out in the world around us with a strong belief in social justice, education, environmental concerns, acceptance, and equal rights for all of God's children. 

Presbyterian Affiliations

In addition to being a part of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Presbytery of the Inland Northwest, we have partnered with the following movements within the denomination:

 

Matthew 25

These are the three important focuses of the Matthew 25 movement:

  • Building congregational vitality by challenging people and congregations to deepen their faith and get actively and joyfully engaged with their community and the world.

  • Dismantling structural racism by advocating and acting to break down the systems, practices and thinking that underlie discrimination, bias, prejudice and oppression of people of color.

  • Eradicating systemic poverty by working to change laws, policies, plans and structures in our society that perpetuate economic exploitation of people who are poor.

We warmly extend God’s own welcome, and ours as well, to people of all races, nationalities, cultures, backgrounds, abilities, economic situations, marital conditions, sexual orientations, and political and theological viewpoints. Read about the PC (USA) Matthew 25 initiative.

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More Light Presbyterians

More Light Presbyterians' mission is to center and celebrate the lives, gifts, and leadership of LGBTQIA+ people in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and beyond. We accomplish this by igniting the prophetic witness of our ministry partners and by cultivating relationships rooted in mutual accountability and care. Together, we journey toward God's

promised liberation and flourishing for all creation. Learn more here.

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Covenant Network of Presbyterians

This network seeks an equity still not fully realized for LGBTQIA+ people in church and society, by 

  • Engaging the church to invite all of God’s children into safe and welcoming congregational spaces of affirmation, healing, dignity and purpose; 

  • Educating the church to expand our welcome of LGBTQIA+ people, to affirm their gifts for ordained office, and to uphold marriage equality for all; and 

  • Equipping the church to bear witness to justice through advocacy and activism at the international, national and local church levels; speaking a prophetic word in anxious and divided times; and standing with others in fighting hate and oppression against any of God’s children. 

Learn more here.

Land Acknowledgment

Bethany Presbyterian Church acknowledges that we exist on Spokane, Schitsu’umsh (Coeur d’Alene), Cayuse, Umatilla And Walla Walla (Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation), and The Ktunaxa Nation tribal land. We honor and offer our respect to these people for stewarding this land for centuries before us with intention, purpose, and divinity. Bethany acknowledges that it was a grievous act to remove indigenous people from their sovereign land and honor with gratitude the land itself, the people who once called this area home, and their descendants forever.

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