Bethany Methodist Church sits on Todds Lane in Hampton, Virginia, where it has gathered a faith community since 1953. The congregation worships as part of the Global Methodist Church and keeps a simple line in its mission statement: "Reaching out in love to all God's Family."
From a Hampton Living Room
On February 22, 1953, seventeen people met in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Eastman at 17 Cornwall Terrace to organize a new church. The name came from the original title of its sponsoring church, Grace Methodist, which had been founded September 17, 1892 and is now Noland Memorial United Methodist Church. On April 3, 1953, nineteen charter members gathered for their first service and chose the name Bethany Methodist Church.
Worship continued in the Eastman home for several months, with Sunday school meeting in Mrs. Frances Brockett's home across the street. The Rev. John A. Rierson, Jr. became Bethany's first pastor, and Alfred Eastman served as its first lay leader. In 1954, Eastman left to study for the ministry and remains the only Bethany member to enter ordained ministry.
The congregation moved through a small building at Whealton Road and Mercury Boulevard, Parkview School, and the home of Mr. and Mrs. Claud A. Smith on Big Bethel Road before settling on Todds Lane. Bethany purchased 1.82 acres from Mrs. J.C. Roper in the fall of 1953, and the first service in what is now Wesley Hall was held on December 25 of that year. Additional land followed in 1955, a Sunday school wing opened February 3, 1957 with Bishop Paul N. Garber officiating, and the present sanctuary, narthex, classrooms, and offices were dedicated July 5, 1964.
In 1990, Tyler United Methodist Church merged into Bethany under the leadership of Rev. H. Braxton Allport, Jr. and Rev. Joyce Johnson. Tyler traced its own roots to a 1943 Sunday school at Copeland Park. The 1990s brought an expanded fellowship hall, kitchen, offices, commons area, and classroom renovations funded in part by the sale of Tyler property. That fellowship hall is now called Tyler Hall.
Two Sunday Services, One Sunday School
Bethany holds two Sunday services, at 8:15 and 10:30 AM, with Sunday school meeting between them at 9:15 AM. Fellowship follows in Tyler Hall at 11:30 AM. Worship is livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook, so members who are traveling or unwell can keep up with the service. The congregation uses an offering basket during worship and also offers online giving through Vanco, with checks mailed to the Finance Administrator at the church address.
The church sits at 1509 Todds Lane, Hampton, VA 23666, with a phone line at (757) 826-2493 and an email at bethanymc.hampton@gmail.com. Office hours run 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM, Monday through Thursday; the office is closed Fridays and holidays.
Bells and Choir on Thursday Evenings
Music has long been part of Bethany's life. The Bethany Bells handbell choir rehearses on Thursdays at 6:00 PM, and the chancel choir meets at 7:00 PM the same evening. Concert videos from the bell choir are shared through the church's YouTube channel.
Bethany Methodist Women in Service
All women who attend Bethany belong to Bethany Methodist Women, which meets on the second Wednesday of each month, September through June, at 10:00 AM in Tyler Fellowship Hall. The meetings combine a short business session with either a guest speaker from one of the supported organizations or hands-on work on a service project. Supported causes include Hilton Plaza Home for Adults, Kraft Elementary, Every Nation missionaries, Mercy Chefs, hospice, Nights Welcome Homeless Shelter, and "Trouble Dogs" given by first responders to children in crisis.
Two skill-based groups gather under the Bethany Methodist Women banner. Happy Hands Crafters meet on the first and third Wednesday mornings of each month to create items sold at the December Cookies and Crafts event. Sewing, Love in Action gathers on the second and fourth Tuesday mornings to make pillows, aprons, and bibs for hospice and cancer patients.
Neighbors Near and Far
Bethany's outreach reads like a long list of Hampton neighbors. The congregation supports Heart Haven, the Pumpkin Patch fundraiser, Hilton Home, and Fruit Baskets for Veterans at Thanksgiving. Past mission projects have included helping to sponsor Ivy Farms Child Care Center in 1974, working with the Virginia United Methodist Agency for the Retarded and the Sarah Bonwell Hudgins Regional Center on an infant and parent stimulation program beginning in 1975, providing bag lunches for H.E.L.P. and the homeless, free clinic support, Salvation Army sandwiches, and sewing kits for mission trips. Making candy Easter Eggs was an early fundraiser and continued for many years.
Bethany United Methodist Men sponsor Boy Scout Troop 915. In addition, the church hosts Cub Scout Pack 915, which meets on Mondays from 6:00 to 7:00 PM.
Open Doors Through the Week
The Todds Lane building stays busy outside of Sunday morning. Alcoholics Anonymous meets on Tuesdays at 7:00 PM and Narcotics Anonymous on Thursdays at 7:00 PM. A weekly Bible study gathers on Thursdays at 11:00 AM. The Class Meeting, a small-group fellowship, meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 9:30 AM in the morning and 6:00 PM in the evening.
Pastor Mary and the Mission
Bethany called Rev. Mary Sullivan-Trent as its pastor in 2024. She grew up in Shenandoah, Virginia, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical and Theological Studies from Regent University in 2013 and a Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary in 2016. Before returning to parish ministry, she managed a Starbucks store for two years. Her ministry passions include preaching, storytelling, connecting with the unchurched, helping believers share their faith, and creating engaging worship for all generations. She and her husband Justin have six daughters.
Rev. Bob Sharp serves as Bethany's Associate Pastor. Together they lead a congregation whose stated mission is to build a faithful community in the name of Jesus Christ through prayer, worship and fellowship, Bible study and Christian education, and service within the congregation, the local community, and throughout the world.