Bethany: The Story Part 3

Reverend Hadley began to plan for a massive homecoming service. He contacted all of his members, asking not just for lip service, but also for “butts in seats”. He hoped for their full commitment to come back. People flew in from places as far away as Washington D.C. and California, traveling back from twenty-three other states. 250 people attended the service, clear evidence that although many parts of the building were lost, the true church (the community of followers of Christ known as Bethany United Methodist) remained strong.
With the help of partner United Methodist churches, Bethany was able to get folding chairs, hymnals, and many other worship components. The people of Bethany did a tremendous amount of the restoration by themselves, though. Reverend Hadley asked each member to buy choir chairs or pews as investments in the new Bethany. Together they purchased the very pews that they worship in today, in spite of the fact that most were living in FEMA trailers and struggling to rebuild their own houses. Piece by piece, the congregation assembled their house of worship, bought an organ, and completed the interior. They still recall the first service with air conditioning. “We just about could have stayed there all day,” Hadley recalls. As the facilities were repaired and more people returned home, Bethany became a place of community for those struggling to rebuild their lives. As Hadley has said many times in his presentations about Bethany’s revival, a community needs schools and churches to get up on their feet. As a church serving the community, Bethany has persevered through their hardest times, still providing aid to local housing projects through underwear, socks, and pajama drives. With the congregation spread across the country, their facilities mainly ruined, and their houses upturned, it is staggering to observe what kind of Christian community and what kind of church Bethany has created in just a few years. They are leaders in the midst of a storm that is far from over. Their strong faith and commitment to Christianity serves as a foundation upon which they can rebuild their lives and their greater community.

John Ingraham and Rachel Heredia