Bethany Christian Church is a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) congregation in Cleveland's Miles-Harvard area. Since its first worship service in 1956, Bethany has grown from 17 people in a living room into a church known for 9:30 a.m. Sunday worship, Bible-centered teaching, prayer, hospitality, music, and sustained outreach. Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Robin E. Hedgeman has led the congregation since 1997, while its present ministry life includes all-ages Sunday school, youth and adult participation, Hot Meals, and care for families in transition.
From 17 People to a Disciples Congregation
In December 1955, Robert W. Dickerson began discussing with trusted friends and associates the possibility of starting a new Disciples of Christ congregation in Cleveland. The proposed name, Bethany, reflected the biblical place where Jesus spent much of his time. In January 1956, Pastor R.W. Dickerson, Sr., Dorothy Dickerson, Lessie Penn, and George and Gladys Dickerson met at the home of Melvin and Lula Hampton to organize the church. They chose Matthew 17:20 as the church motto. The first worship service was held on February 15, 1956, at Pastor and Mrs. Dickerson's home, with 17 people in attendance. An offering of $10 was entrusted to Melvin Hampton, who served as treasurer with his wife for 24 years.
The second service was held at Grace Dickey's home, where five more people joined. She invited the congregation back for six consecutive Sundays. Attendance soon filled the living room, hallway and stairway, creating a need for more space. After three years, Bethany moved to A.J. Rickoff Elementary School at 3500 E. 147th Street. Its Bible School grew to an average Sunday attendance of 100, making it the largest among Black Disciples Churches. About six months into the church's life, approximately 35 churches of all denominations and the Interdenominational Ushers Association joined a Fellowship Day, with Dr. Waymon Parsons of Heights Christian Church as speaker.
Growth led to negotiations for a dedicated church building at 12306 Soika Avenue. Bethany raised $600 in two weeks and added $1,462 saved from its school years plus $3,000 received from the Cleveland Disciples Union. The first worship in that building took place on February 8, 1959. When the charter was obtained in 1961, membership stood at 145. The first two ministers ordained from the congregation were the Rev. William Hannah and the Rev. Arthur Hill. Other ministers from Bethany included the Rev. James Hannah, Elder Donald L. Jackson, the Rev. Dr. Joseph Crockett, Bishop Robert W.H. Dickerson, the Rev. Rodney Smith and the Min. Roderick Dickerson.
Early Morning Worship and a Move to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
In the early 1980s, six members who attended early worship elsewhere raised the idea of a Bethany morning service for people who worked nights. The first 7:30 a.m. worship drew about 10 people. Joyce Crowell played piano, the congregation sang from the hymnal, and Charles Dickerson soon organized a choir. The service gave night workers a fitting worship hour and became a gathering remembered for the love of its early members. The 9:30 a.m. service is Bethany's regular Sunday worship time.
In the late 1980s, leaders considered renovating the existing church but chose a new building to meet present needs and future growth. Plans were developed in house and refined by Harris Architects of Youngstown, Ohio. Groundbreaking came on October 13, 1990, and the first dedication services were held on March 8, 1992, after special permission from the city. The opening sequence began with the Black Ministers Retreat of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), followed by services of thanksgiving with friends and supporters.
After Elder Robert W. Dickerson's death in April 1997, the Rev. Dr. Joseph Crockett and the Rev. Dr. Robin E. Hedgeman assisted during a period of prayer, fasting and discernment. Bethany extended an interim call to Dr. Hedgeman in May and a full-time call on September 21, 1997. Before that call, she had served as Associate Regional Pastor for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) since August 1990, overseeing and advising area Disciples churches and supporting ministers. As Senior Pastor, she provides spiritual oversight for the church, its board, spiritual leaders, music ministry and ministry leaders. She also served as president of the National Convocation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) from 2000 to 2002.
Bethany retired the $1.1 million mortgage on the new building in 2001. Ground was broken on November 18, 2007, for The Joshua Project, an expansion plan seeking more space, classrooms, an elevator, easier access and more parking. Ribbon-cutting services followed on October 12, 2008. The resulting administrative and educational wing helped create the handicap-accessible facility at 3940 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. The project also expressed Bethany's five-star vision: excellence in service to God, humanity, community witness and worship, with each member exercising ministry with excellence.
A 9:30 Sunday and the Week Around It
Sunday worship begins at 9:30 a.m. at 3940 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. It can also be watched through YouTube worship broadcasts or Bethany's Facebook broadcasts. Bethany's teaching and preaching are engaging and inviting, and people are invited to come as they are. Both clergy and laypeople take part in ministry, with each person's gifts encouraged for service to others. Bethany practices baptism by immersion and celebrates the saving acts of Jesus at the Lord's Table every Sunday.
Sunday school for all ages begins at 11:00 a.m. and ends at noon. Adult and youth classes meet in the Fellowship Hall or Small Chapel following the morning worship service.
During the week, virtual Zoom Bible study meets Tuesday from 7:15 to 8:00 p.m. The Hour of Prayer is held at Bethany on Wednesdays from 7:15 to 8:15 p.m. and on Saturdays at 7:15 a.m. Participants dial 1-717-275-8940 and enter passcode 4735114 when prompted. Choir rehearsal is Thursday at 6:00 p.m.
Faith Confessed Through Word and Service
Bethany confesses Jesus Christ as the Son of the living God and proclaims him Lord and Savior of the world. Its faith places mission and service in Christ's name and by God's grace, rejoices in God as maker of heaven and earth, and affirms the covenant that binds people to God and one another. Baptism brings entry into newness of life and unity with the whole people of God. In the communion of the Holy Spirit, the church joins in discipleship and obedience to Christ. At the Table of the Lord, it celebrates Christ's saving acts with thanksgiving, receives the gift of ministry and lives with the light of Scripture.
Bethany's core values are:
- Bible Based
- Evangelistic Focus
- Family Oriented
- Committed to Community Outreach
- Respect for Diversity
- Encouraging Unity with the Body
The mission is both local and global. Bethany calls people of faith and prayer, bearers of the Good News in the church, community and world, witnesses to hospitality, and instruments of healing, liberation and wholeness through the Lord's favor. Its vision calls the church to be a change agent and instrument of hope while embracing the next generation. The Matthew 17:20 motto emphasizes faith as small as a mustard seed and the promise that nothing is impossible for the person who asks a mountain to move.
Prayer, Music, and Ministry for Every Generation
Choir and dance are part of the expressive life of the congregation. Choir rehearsal meets every Thursday at 6:00 p.m., and the Bethany DOC Praise Dancers meet every Saturday at 9:00 a.m. The early morning service also began with piano and hymn singing before a choir was organized, establishing music as a lasting part of Bethany's worship life.
The broader ministry rhythm makes room for many ages and roles. Youth Ministry meets on the second Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with Deacon Randall Howard identified as its organizer. The men's ministry meets on the fourth Saturday at 10:00 a.m., and men's and women's ministries are both named among the areas that expanded under Dr. Hedgeman. Ushers, greeters, ambassadors, deacons, elders, ministers, the Pastor's Aide and trustees also gather on recurring monthly schedules. These gatherings reflect Bethany's conviction that clergy and laypeople share ministry.
A youth summer enrichment program extends the church's educational work beyond Sunday. Earlier years also included a summer camp for Disciples and neighborhood children. Children and youth are included in the all-ages Sunday school, while the monthly Youth Ministry gathering gives younger members a distinct time together.
Hot Meals and a Ministry That Reaches Out
Bethany is intentional about both in-reach and outreach, with a mission that is local and global. Its work includes adopting schools, feeding displaced families, building bridges with families who need assistance and a youth summer enrichment program.
Hot Meals began in 2003 and has served thousands of meals annually. The monthly meal is held on the last Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. Bethany also prepares and delivers Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets, most of them to people who are not members. This food support is part of the congregation's ongoing ministry.
Reach Out and Touch, a community advocacy ministry, assists homeless families in transition. The church has adopted John Adams High School and Andrew J. Rickoff School. During Dr. Hedgeman's tenure, it also delivered more than 500 cases of water to Flint, Michigan. These efforts reflect the church's repeated emphasis on healing, liberation, wholeness, hospitality and service to people experiencing disruption.
Financial participation supports the same ministry through Givelify, including its mobile app, the Cash App code $BCC3940, and checks or money orders made payable to Bethany Christian Church. Online giving and mail gifts are both available, while the church's mission remains centered on carrying out ministry from its doorstep to the ends of the earth.
At 3940 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., Bethany's handicap-accessible facility supports worship, education, music, prayer and outreach. The congregation that began with 17 people in 1956 continues to center its life on witness and service to all people.