Bethlehem United Methodist Church sits on a quiet stretch of Bethlehem Loop Road on the south side of Franklin, Tennessee, in Williamson County. Though its location is a little off the beaten path, the congregation has worshipped and served from that same ground since 1848, and that long tenure shapes everything about the place. It is a United Methodist church with blended worship, a fully licensed preschool, a robust children's and youth ministry, six adult Sunday School classes, and one of the more visible Room in the Inn hosting rotations in the Nashville area. Visitors are welcomed at a single Sunday morning worship service at 10:15 a.m., with Sunday School for all ages beginning an hour earlier at 9:00 a.m.
A Franklin Congregation Since 1848
Bethlehem UMC traces its roots to a small group of Methodists meeting in this corner of Williamson County in the middle of the nineteenth century. The congregation has stayed on the same piece of land for the better part of two centuries, and its members describe that longevity in generational terms. Each successive generation, they say, has looked to the future and acted as servants to determine how to best minister to the community, and the present congregation considers itself a direct beneficiary of the giving and vision of those original trustees. The current vision statement is plain about the inheritance: a passionate, serving church inspired through worship of Jesus Christ, a home for learning where all are empowered, where children, youth and adults grow spiritually and are in ministry to the community and the world, and a sanctuary for all.
That commitment was tested financially in 2015 when the congregation raised money to retire the mortgage on the campus. When the campaign exceeded its goal, $60,000 was seeded into a permanent endowment that has since grown to more than $313,000. The church also holds the Diane Glavin Memorial Scholarship Fund, established in 1999, which has distributed $106,400 to seventy students over its lifetime. Together those vehicles make up the Lighthouse Endowment Fund, the church's primary legacy-giving channel.
Sunday Mornings at 10:15
The Sunday schedule is simple and easy to remember. Sunday School meets at 9:00 a.m. for every age group, and worship follows at 10:15 a.m. in the Sanctuary. Worship is blended: traditional hymns accompanied by piano sit alongside modern praise music accompanied by a band. The chancel choir and a handbell choir round out the musical palette, with a bluegrass band and a ladies' ensemble taking their own turns in the rotation. Communion is celebrated by intinction - dipping the bread in the cup - on the first Sunday of each month as well as on Maundy Thursday, Easter, and Christmas Eve, and a gluten-free option is always available. The table is open to everyone.
First-time visitors are pointed to the south side of the building, where a sign directs them to the Sanctuary and reserved guest parking sits immediately in front of the main entrance. Dress is whatever makes a guest comfortable - suits and ties, shorts and sandals, dresses and jeans all appear in the pews. No one is publicly singled out as a guest, though a few friendly greeters will probably introduce themselves. The service is livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube and is available on demand afterward.
Bethlehem Preschool, Founded 1967
Bethlehem Preschool was established in 1967 and is a fully licensed program with the State of Tennessee. It is a separate mission arm of the church, and both members and non-members are welcome. The school follows the Creative Curriculum philosophy, with classes for children aged twelve months (by August 15) through pre-Kindergarten. Classes run from 9:30 to 2:30 - younger children come on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while older threes, fours, and pre-K come three days a week - and the calendar tracks Williamson County Schools for holidays and inclement weather.
Children's development is assessed in four key areas: social-emotional, physical, cognitive, and language. They also participate in Music and Movement classes and a weekly Chapel following a biblical curriculum from Creation to Easter. The church's mission statement for the preschool is that each child is a child of God and should have every opportunity to develop to their fullest potential, growing physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and spiritually in a Christian atmosphere.
Children's Ministry
The children's ministry is directed by April Jackson, a mother of three. Children are welcomed into the sanctuary for the start of worship and then dismissed to Children's Church before the sermon. Children's Church is designed for children in third grade and younger. A nursery in the children's wing is open from 8:45 a.m. until the end of the worship service for infants and toddlers, and worship bags with quiet, hands-on items like wikki sticks, coloring pages, and fidget tools are hung on hooks in the main hallway so that children of any age can stay engaged in the pew.
Sunday School classes for children meet concurrently with adult classes at 9:00 a.m. Annual traditions run deep. Each fall every third grader receives an imprinted Bible of their own, with kindergarteners receiving a Bible Storybook; the children gather for a Lunch and Learn to learn how to use their new Bibles. A children's Christmas Eve service at 4:30 p.m. retells the Christmas story with children serving as angels, shepherds, wise men, and animals. The Saturday before Easter brings an Easter egg hunt on the church grounds with an Easter Story Walk of fifteen stations, and during the summer a Vacation Bible School is offered for children from four years old through graduated fifth graders.
The children's ministry also leans into service. Children support causes like Feed America First, Kiva.org, and Williamson County Animal Control, and they have packed school kits and worked with adults and youth to make t-shirt jump ropes for Operation Christmas Child. Worship bags, an acolyte program, and a small birthday gift for every child round out the rhythm.
Youth Ministry and UMYF
The youth ministry is built around the United Methodist Youth Fellowship, or UMYF, a community for students in sixth through twelfth grade. Alison Bocking, who has served in youth ministry for more than twenty years, directs the program. Sunday mornings start with cinnamon rolls and conversation in the Youth Hall at 9:00 a.m., and the curriculum currently walks through a series called The Broken Kingdom, examining the fall of Israel and the prophets.
On Sunday nights during the school year, the youth gather from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. for a shared supper ($5), fellowship, games, and a study that alternates between social topics and spiritual formation. Confirmation is offered every other year for sixth and seventh graders, with the next class beginning in January 2027. Two anchor events fill out the year: Harvest Fall Retreat, a weekend of worship, campfires, and high ropes, and Discovery Weekend, a winter renewal retreat modeled on Chrysalis and Emmaus but held at the church itself, with high schoolers leading middle schoolers alongside a team of adults.
The youth are deeply involved in service. They partner with Society of St. Andrew, Second Harvest Food Bank, and Room in the Inn, and within Bethlehem they participate in Church Has Left the Building, Kathy's Backpacks, College Care Packages, and the Rice and Beans food-packing work. Summer mission trips have taken the group to Mayfield, Kentucky; Biloxi, Mississippi; Atlanta, Georgia; and Hayesville, North Carolina. Fundraising is built into the rhythm, with the fall Chili Cook-Off and Souper Bowl Sunday underwriting trips and retreats.
Music Ministry
Music at Bethlehem is varied and intentionally intergenerational. The Chancel Choir and the adult handbell choir are the backbone, with the handbells rehearsing on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in CLC 202 and the choir from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary. A Ladies' Ensemble, a Praise Band, and a Bluegrass Band fill out the rest of the program. Dann Childers directs the program as Director of Music, with Joe Smyth serving as Associate Director of Music and Arts for Adult Choirs and Adult Handbells. Reading music is not a requirement for joining either ensemble, and Jônatas Margiotta leads the technical side of worship as Worship Media Leader.
Six Adult Sunday School Classes
Bethlehem's adult formation centers on six Sunday School classes that all meet at 9:00 a.m. The classes are intentionally varied so that almost anyone can find a fit.
- Contemporaries - a class that enjoys lively banter and discussion, often focused on family, children, and the state of Christianity and the church universal.
- Fenton Warren - named for a former Bethlehem minister, this class skews toward empty nesters in their late sixties and older but welcomes all ages. Members rotate as teachers and engage with authors like Adam Hamilton, Barbara Brown Taylor, Amy-Jill Levine, Tom Berlin, and Rob Fuquay.
- Mary/Martha - a class of adult women of all ages who study contemporary Christian literature by authors like Adam Hamilton, Max Lucado, and Andy Stanley.
- New Wine - mostly members in their forties through sixties, drawing the class name from Matthew 9:17. The class is casual, studies modern theologians like Adam Hamilton, Andy Stanley, Bob Goff, and Amy-Jill Levine, and centers on scripture's relevance to everyday life.
- Omni - a compassionate group of men and women in their seventies through nineties who take turns facilitating lessons on life lessons, Methodist history, Advent and Lenten studies, and other religions.
- Path to Abundance - Bethlehem's newest class, multigenerational and open to singles, couples, parents, and empty nesters.
A seventh class, the AV Club, meets in the Small Youth Room and considers films, media, music, and current events through the lens of scripture.
Groups and Small Group Ministry
Beyond Sunday School, a constellation of smaller groups meets throughout the week. Soul Sisters, a women's Bible study, gathers on Mondays at 1:00 p.m. in the Upper Banquet Hall. A men's study group meets Monday evenings at 6:30 p.m. in CLC 208, while a Tuesday morning men's group meets offsite at the Chick-Fil-A in Cool Springs at 6:30 a.m. The Bethlehem Women's Book Group meets the fourth Wednesday of most months at 6:30 p.m. The Visitation Ministry Group calls on homebound members as needed, and Prayer Warriors gather on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 2:00 p.m. in Conference Room 2 to lift prayer requests. Love Cooks keeps a freezer stocked with casseroles that members and staff can deliver to anyone going through a hard time.
Stephen Ministry
Bethlehem is a Stephen Ministry congregation. Stephen Ministry organizes, equips, and supervises a team of lay caregivers - called Stephen Ministers - who offer high-quality, one-to-one, Christ-centered care to people in the congregation and the wider community who are navigating grief, hospitalization, divorce, financial stress, terminal illness, or other life difficulties. The local Stephen Ministry group meets the second and fourth Tuesday of each month in Conference Room 2, and a new training class is in the offing. Pat Smith serves as the primary contact.
The Bridge: Bridging Generations, Building Community
The newest ministry at Bethlehem is The Bridge, a twice-monthly intergenerational gathering that launched at the end of August. The Bridge meets in the Banquet Hall from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Sundays and is designed for young and midlife adults, children, and youth to build relationships, share a meal, and grow in faith. Whether single, married, raising kids, or simply looking for community, anyone is welcome. The gatherings begin with a shared meal, after which the youth and children break off and the adults spend time in conversation and formation. Volunteer sign-ups to provide meals are coordinated through the church office.
Serving the Neighborhood and the World
The missions program at Bethlehem is wide-ranging. Twelve named partnerships shape the rhythm of the year.
- Feed America First, founded by a Bethlehem member, addresses local hunger relief. The church purchases and packages rice and beans and shares the feast with neighbors at Thanksgiving through the Share the Feast effort, where thousands of canned goods collected by local schools are sorted into more than 600 boxes and distributed to families in need. Bethlehem also underwrites the purchase of turkeys to go with those boxes.
- Operation Christmas Child packs shoeboxes each November that share the love of Jesus with children around the world.
- Love on Wheels, also founded by a Bethlehem member, provides a new suitcase full of supplies to children entering foster and kinship care, with the church providing hands-on support through Church Has Left the Building.
- Project Transformation brings Bethlehem members into local schools for one week each summer to share a love of reading with young neighbors.
- Angel Tree, begun at Bethlehem in 1997, hangs angels from a Christmas tree each Advent representing infants through elderly community members in need of Christmas gifts. Angels are adopted by Bethlehem members and gifts are distributed through Bridges Domestic Violence Center, Room in the Inn guests, and local Franklin families.
- Room in the Inn hosts ten unhoused men every Saturday night through the winter months - a rotation that the church describes as having earned a five-star rating among guests, in part because overnight hosts do their laundry for them.
- Kathy's Backpacks packs and delivers backpacks full of school supplies to local elementary, middle, and high school students each year.
Sunday School classes and individuals also support Miriam's Promise, which serves families facing unplanned pregnancy; Mid-Cumberland Meals on Wheels; One Gen Away; Graceworks; and Heifer International, which addresses food shortages internationally. The congregation participates in the United Methodist Committee on Relief and holds the annual Church Has Left the Building service day on the Sunday after Easter, when the entire church scatters into the community for projects like Cookies for Schools, Chemo Care Boxes, and Love on Wheels Luggage Tags.
The church also participates in a monthly mission collection during worship, rotating through items like beans and rice, pasta and pasta sauce, and other staples.
Lighthouse Endowment Fund
The Lighthouse Endowment Fund, established on November 4, 2004, is Bethlehem's vehicle for legacy giving. Only the earnings on the principal can be distributed, and grants are reviewed through a formal application process. In recent years the fund has supported flood relief, COVID-19 relief, Feed America First, One Gen Away, Mayfield Tornado relief, and the youth mission trips. The Diane Glavin Memorial Scholarship Fund, which the church has stewarded since 1999, is the most visible example of long-term endowment impact: a $106,000 scholarship program for seventy students over twenty-five years.
Beliefs and United Methodist Identity
Bethlehem identifies as a congregation of the United Methodist Church, a worldwide Christian denomination of more than twelve million members whose shared mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. The church's own summary of its faith is that United Methodists are committed to putting faith and love into action; that Christian faith is grounded in the love and grace of God, experienced through Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
The congregation is also a Safe Gatherings congregation, which means anyone working with children, youth, or vulnerable adults has been screened and trained. The Safe Spaces Policy is published and available for review.
Visiting, Joining, and Getting Connected
Anyone interested in joining is invited to contact the pastors directly to explore the journey of discipleship and membership. Membership classes are scheduled periodically, and the next sessions meet in Room 201 at 9:00 a.m. on three consecutive Sundays. Visitors who want to give online can do so through the church's giving page, with options for one-time and recurring gifts via Electronic Funds Transfer or debit and credit card. The Lighthouse Endowment Fund has its own giving link for legacy and mission gifts.
Worship services are livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube, and sermon notes are posted each week. The church communicates through a weekly email newsletter called Bethlehem News and a separate Along The Way daily scripture guide. Anyone can request to be added to the email list by contacting Pat Smith. A digital bulletin and current announcements are available online.
The church office is open during the week, but for safety all exterior doors are locked - visitors who arrive during the week are asked to ring the doorbell or call 615-794-6721 for assistance. The congregation continues to gather on the same piece of Franklin ground where it began in 1848, sustained by a long memory and a steady commitment to the community beyond its walls.