From Twenty-Three Charter Members to a West Side Landmark
Bethany English Lutheran Church sits at the corner of Triskett and Lorain Roads in Cleveland's West Park neighborhood, and its story reaches back more than a century. In 1902, twenty-three individuals signed the charter roll and chose the name Bethany English Lutheran Church to emphasize that the new congregation on Cleveland's west side would be an English-speaking church. The first building rose in 1904 on West 89th Street and Willard Avenue at a cost of $7,200, and a series of pastors shepherded the young flock until the arrival of Pastor John H. L. Trout in 1924. Under Trout's leadership, the congregation grew so quickly that the original building could no longer contain it, and Bethany made the decision to build a new church at its present location. The Gothic-style sanctuary, with magnificent stained glass windows designed by R. Tolan Wright using Chartres blue as the dominant color, was dedicated on November 3, 1929. The new building opened with 302 members and an $80,000 mortgage; within three months, 100 new Sunday School pupils had enrolled, and church membership quadrupled over the next twenty years. Even the Stock Market Crash of 1929 could not stop the determined early members, who paid off the first mortgage in 1949.
The Building and Its Welcome
The sanctuary remains the heart of Bethany's identity. Worshipers enter through a building that has been shaped over decades to serve a changing congregation. In 1952, the cornerstone was laid for a Christian Education building that was completed in 1954, expanding classroom space for the growing Sunday School. In the early 1990s, members recognized that the church needed a more welcoming entry and an accessible path into the sanctuary. A new addition completed in 1993 brought a Welcoming Room, an elevette to assist worshipers, a handicap restroom, a kitchenette, and a Music Room. Today, Bethany is wheelchair accessible, with ample handicapped spaces available in the parking area beside the church. Large print worship materials are available, and an elevette assists worshipers who need it. A professionally staffed nursery is available during the school year for the youngest members of the congregation. In 2004, Bethany purchased the adjoining Mandley-Vetrovsky Funeral Home property, and in 2013 the building was demolished to make room for additional parking.
Two Traditional Sunday Services, Plus a Quiet Monthly German Service
Bethany's Sunday rhythm centers on traditional Lutheran worship grounded in the Lutheran Book of Worship. Two services are held each Sunday at 8:30 and 11:00 am, each including liturgy, music, Holy Communion, and a sermon from the pastor. During the summer months the schedule condenses to one combined service at 10:00 am. Worshipers may choose wine or grape juice and regular or gluten-free wafers when they come to the altar, and Lutherans believe that the body and blood of Christ are present in, with, and under the consecrated bread and wine. All who believe are invited to partake. Large print worship materials are available for those who need them, and children are welcome in the sanctuary or in the professionally staffed nursery. A quarterly German-language service, a living legacy of the 2014 merger with the former St. Thomas (Teutsch) Evangelical Lutheran Church, is led by Pastor Susanne Carter and is followed by a tea or coffee hour of fellowship. The sanctuary comes alive in particular seasons: Ash Wednesday at 7:00 pm begins the forty-day journey toward Easter, with Wednesday evening Lenten services preceded by the popular Soup Suppers at 6:00 pm. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday close the somber Lenten journey, and Easter Sunday brings festive 8:30 and 11:00 am services with choir, special music, and the pastor's message. Advent is marked by the lighting of candles and traditional carols, and Christmas Eve is celebrated with candlelight services at 7:00 and 10:00 pm. All Sunday services are livestreamed through the church's video player so that members at home can worship in real time.
Learning for Every Age
Christian education has been a Bethany priority since the 1950s, and the congregation offers a rich set of programs for children, youth, and adults. Sunday School classes for children from age two through high school meet at 9:45 am from September through May. A Children's Church option is offered during the summer, when children are dismissed from worship after the children's sermon for their own Bible lessons and crafts in the nursery before returning to receive a blessing at communion. Each summer, Vacation Bible School welcomes children from age three through sixth grade for a week of stories, songs, crafts, and games, drawing kids from Bethany and the surrounding community. In preparation for receiving the sacrament, children take Holy Communion instruction during Lent, and Confirmation in the Lutheran tradition, usually by seventh and eighth graders, is taught weekly by Pastor Diana and Melissa Todd as a two-year study of the Bible and Luther's Small Catechism. A Holy Communion and Confirmation Sunday each year marks this important step. Bethany's Youth Group is active in the church and the wider community, planning service activities and fundraisers along with recreational outings such as bowling and laser tag. Adult Forum meets Sunday mornings at 9:00 am in the Assembly Hall under Pastor Diana's leadership, exploring topics such as the ELCA social statement on human sexuality. A long-running Wednesday Morning Bible Study runs from September through May, working through the Bible with instruction and reflection in the Assembly Hall. For those wanting a deeper, more comprehensive study, the Bethel Bible Series offers a two-year, Monday- or Thursday-evening overview of the entire Bible under the teaching of David Ferro. Visitors considering membership are invited to New Member Class sessions held periodically throughout the year and led by the pastor.
Music That Fills the Sanctuary
Bethany has a long and rich tradition of musical excellence. The Chancel Choir, open to anyone who enjoys singing in worship, rehearses on Sunday mornings and sings at the 8:30 am service on the first Sunday of each month and at the 11:00 am service on remaining Sundays. The Rainbow Ringers, the children's handbell choir using color-coded bells, perform occasionally throughout the year under the direction of Sue Chamot. Special vocal and instrumental music enhances worship during Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and the summer months. Music Director Jesse Lange, a lifelong Lutheran, leads both the Chancel Choir and the handbell choirs and also serves as vocal music director at Cleveland Heights High School. Organist Jason Aquila, the Music Director of the Voice Performance program at the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music, holds a Master of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and has performed with internationally acclaimed artists including Metropolitan Opera soprano Jennifer Rowley.
Faith in Practice Across the Community
Bethany's reach extends well beyond its walls. The West Park Meals on Wheels program, established in 1975 with Bethany as its distribution site, prepares two meals each weekday morning for elderly and homebound residents, and volunteers from the church serve in the kitchen and as drivers. Bethany Quilters have been making quilts for Lutheran World Relief for more than twenty years, gathering on Thursday afternoons at 1:00 pm to sew and ship quilts across the world to those affected by natural disaster and war; no experience is necessary and the group welcomes newcomers and donations of fabric, batting, and thread. The Community Engagement Team organizes ongoing collection drives for the Fairview Food Pantry (currently requesting pasta, pasta sauce, and canned vegetables), the Community West Socks Program (donations of new socks for local homeless shelters), winter clothing for college students in need, and women's and children's clothing for Laura's Home Women's Crisis Center at the City Mission. The school supply drive in August supports children in the West Park community, and a partnership with Good Knights of Lorain County has members building beds for families in need. Bethany hosts American Red Cross blood drives several times a year, and a long partnership with Building Hope in the City has supported refugee families and a Christmas toy drive. Other outreach includes Meals That Heal lunches for a local shelter and a drive to support Lutheran High School West.
WELCA, Men's Fellowship, and Life Together
Bethany Women, also known as Bethany WELCA, belongs to Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and meets monthly at the church, in homes, or other locations. Members support local charities and educational programs, attend Cleveland-area cluster gatherings with women from other WELCA groups, and take seasonal trips together to such places as the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, Holden Arboretum, the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, the Liberty Aviation Museum, and the Frostville Museum. The annual Ladies Christmas Tea and a Valentine's Day luncheon are long-standing traditions, and the Women of the ELCA Spring Gathering has been hosted at Bethany. A Men's Fellowship group, recently being revitalized, gathers for breakfast planning meetings and outings such as Cleveland Monsters hockey games and a Hofbrauhaus Christmas party. Together, members serve on the Church Council, which consists of nine elected members meeting the third Tuesday of each month to give direction to committees such as Finance, Property, Worship and Music, Outreach, Stewardship, and Fellowship. Liturgical Assistants, Communion Assistants, Readers, Acolytes trained after First Communion, Altar Guild members, and ushers all play their part in the smooth running of worship. Bethany's Angels, the church's Eucharistic Ministry, brings the sacrament to those unable to attend.
Worship Schedule and Practicalities for Visitors
Worship is held at 8:30 and 11:00 am each Sunday from September through May, with a single 10:00 am service during the summer. Sunday School classes meet at 9:45 am, and Adult Forum begins at 9:00 am on Sundays. All Sunday services are livestreamed through the church's video player, and recordings of past sermons are available online. The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm and is closed on Fridays; voicemail is checked regularly. Visitors can find ample parking beside the church, with handicapped spaces close to the entrance and an elevette to assist anyone needing to reach the sanctuary. Children are welcome in worship, and the professionally staffed nursery is available during the school year. Large print worship materials are available for anyone who needs them, and worshipers may choose wine or grape juice, regular or gluten-free wafers at communion.
Staff, Affiliations, and Giving
Bethany is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States, and is part of the Northeastern Ohio Synod. The Rev. Diana Thompson joined Bethany in March 2026 as the congregation's pastor. She has served in ministry for more than twenty years and is celebrating her twenty-fifth anniversary of ordination in September 2026. She studied history and secondary education at Capital University in Columbus and earned her Master of Divinity from The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Her spiritual gifts and passions include pastoral care, teaching, preaching, worship leadership, and stewardship. She is married to the Rev. Timothy Muse, another ELCA pastor, and they have one adult daughter. Melissa Todd serves as Christian Education Director, Sarah Todd as Financial Secretary, Jesse Lange as Music Director, and Jason Aquila as Organist. Members are asked to complete an annual Pledge Card expressing their commitment of time, talents, and financial support, and contributions can be made through offering envelopes or through the Simply Giving online program. Donations can be directed to specific areas of need such as Current and Benevolent Ministries, Lutheran Education, Hunger, or the Onward and Upward II campaign for building improvements. Memorials, estate planning, and the Bethany Endowment Fund provide lasting ways to remember loved ones and support the congregation's future.
A Continuing Story
In 2013, Bethany and St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church (formerly Teutsch Evangelical Lutheran Church, founded by Transylvanian Saxon immigrants after the First World War) began exploring a closer relationship. That relationship culminated in a merger celebrated on Pentecost Sunday, June 8, 2014, with a worship service that began at St. Thomas and concluded at Bethany. Today, more than a century after twenty-three charter members laid the foundation, Bethany English Lutheran Church continues to thrive as a community of faith in Cleveland's West Park. The mission of the congregation is to help people grow in their relationship with God and others by knowing Christ, worshiping Christ, following Christ, and sharing Christ. Whether in the sanctuary with its Chartres-blue stained glass or around a quilting frame on a Thursday afternoon, members gather in the same spirit that built this church in 1929 and that continues to welcome neighbors and strangers alike.