Bethany Mourns the Death of Anna Bissette

With the death of Anna Bissette Tuesday, Bethany lost a friend and long-time member. Anna was 99. We express our Christian love and sympathy to her family.

Visitation will be at Cotten Funeral Home in New Bern from 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, May 27, followed by a funeral service at 11:00 a.m. First Baptist Church of New Bern will host the family. A grave-side service at the National Cemetery will follow the funeral service.

Construction on the New Church Building to Begin Next Week

C.A. Lewis, the general contractor for Bethany's new building, wants to start construction the week of May 18. According to Chairman Floyd Hardison, the trustees are in the process of signing the contract now. Due to lower-than-expected subcontractor costs, the total construction cost will be slightly less than the amount presented in the congregational meeting in which the project was approved.

Tony Lewis of C.A. Lewis has requested that we stay away from the construction site, except when there for legitimate business, in which case the contractor should be notified in advance. He notes that construction-site safety rules will apply.

Construction progress will be updated regularly on this website, with frequent photographs. Praise God, and thanks to all who have helped us in any way to get to this point: The journey home has begun!

Trail Ride Succeeds, Fall Encore Planned

Sixty-five riders from all over eastern North Carolina rode the 12.5 miles of the Bethany CMF Trail Ride Saturday. According to James Hardison, the success of the event is owed to the organization and hard work of Trail Boss Mark Lee, Jeanette Lee, June Harris and Kip and Tammy Banks of the Pamlico County Horse Association, as well as to the men of the CMF, the women of Bethany, Nickey Cannan and Merritt Watson.

Many of the participants camped out Friday night at the site. The ride began at 10:00 a.m. Hot dogs, drinks and snacks were offered riders at the midway point. One hundred attended the barbecue dinner at 4:00 p.m., which was preceded at 3:00 p.m. by country music performed by Barbara Jarvis and Beau Hacker.

After the music, door prizes were awarded, including the half-and-half prize won by Pam Hardison, who donated the prize back to Bethany.

Comments on the event at www.nchorsenews.com confirmed that participants had a great time. Among the comments were, "The trails were wonderful…I am looking forward to the next one," "The trails rocked and we look forward to the next one," "What a beautiful destination," and "Just loved the ride. All the work that went into it was well worth it on our part (the riders)."

The CMF raised $1,200 clear, and because the event went so well, plans are for another trail ride in the fall, probably on a Sunday.

1st Annual Bethany/Arapahoe Trail Ride

The first annual Bethany/Arapahoe Trail Ride will take place Saturday, May 10 (rain date May 11) at 10:00 a.m. at Bossy Hardison Farms, Highway 306 South, Arapahoe. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Bethany Christian Church rebuilding fund.

The fee for the event is $20.00 per person, and includes a catered barbecue supper with all the fixin's at 3:00 p.m. Bethany youth will offer drinks and other items for sale. In addition, primitive camping is available for $5.00 per night Friday and/or Saturday. No alcoholic beverages are permitted. Negative coggins required for all equines.

Those interested in the event may contact Bossy Hardison, 252-249-0187 (email james.hardison@ncmail.net) or Jeanette and Mark Lee, 252-249-0226 (email painthorse@pamlico.net).

Group 5 Offers Prints of Old Church Building

Bethany's Group 5 will sell prints of a pen and ink sketch of the old sanctuary building by artist Ronnie Avery April 27 and May 4, immediately after worship service.
The prints will be available in two sizes, 8" x 10" and 5" x 7", and in gray, white and cream backgrounds. The 8" x 10" prints are $25.00 each, and the 5" x 7" prints are $15.00 each. The original drawing will be donated to the church.
Those wishing to place orders may call Janci Cahoon at 252-249-1767.

Groundbreaking Scenes

Over a hundred people from many churches and many communities joined Bethany to break ground for a new sanctuary and fellowship hall, Sunday, April 6. Evelyn Beeman, who served as youth director for so many years, did not let her infirmities keep her from using a shovel. Tommy Banks brought one to her car as Cassie Coppedge looked on.

Groundbreaking Scheduled Sunday April 6

Bethany Christian Church in Arapahoe will hold ground-breaking ceremonies for a new sanctuary and fellowship hall, Sunday, April 6, 4:00 PM. Fire from faulty wiring completely destroyed the 95 year-old church building at the crossroads of Arapahoe, June 25, 2007.

Church members have worked the last ten months to raise funds for the new church from a variety of fund-raisers. Under-insured, the church's insurance proceeds will cover about 40 percent of the cost of a new structure.

According to Floyd Hardison, chairman of the board at Bethany, "We have sold barbecue plates, held raffles and conducted a Capital Campaign. We are about eighty percent of the way there with enough funds to build our building. We still have to raise more money for pews, a sound system, and all the other necessary furnishings. But we're confident that donations will see us through so we are starting construction.” The fund is $200,000.00 short of the amount needed to fully furnish the church.

John Beeman, chairman of the re-building committee, said, "We made an extensive effort to hear from our congregation their individual preferences for the style of the new building. Overwhelmingly, many members wanted to retain as much as possible the traditional style of the old church which served us for almost a century. We visited new churches all over Eastern North Carolina, consulted with a variety of architects, and now we have a plan that we hope carries the best from the past into the best for the future."

Hardison issued an open invitation to the public to come and share in the joy of the ground-breaking for a new church. "We want all to come and share this joyful time with us. It will also be a time for us to thank all those who have contributed to our work for the Lord. Our work is not done and we still have great needs, but the people of Bethany are building a new church because of the importance of God in their lives."

Fro the last ten months, the congregation has held services at Camp Caroline on Dawson's Creek near Arapahoe. The new church is expected to be completed in less than a year.