Join us this Sunday!

 
Welcome to Bethel!

We seek to be a loving, caring community of folks who follow Jesus. For over 135 years, people of faith have gathered here in this place, in God’s name to worship Jesus Christ, as the Spirit has led. Today, we love to worship, learn together at Sunday school, and enjoy fellowship with one another, as we care for those in need.

Come and join us! We look forward to greeting you in Christ’s name!

Pastor Shelley Nelson-Bridger
 

Directions to Bethel from I-95/Rincon/Savannah From I-95, take Georgia Hwy 21 North Travel through Rincon. Remain on the Hwy 21 Bypass, traveling thru traffic light at Laurel St and Hwy 119 We are located three miles past Hwy 119, on right-hand side. Turn right at the intersection of Arnsdorff Rd and Hwy 21. Turn an immediate left into church parking lot. You are welcome to park on the grass.

Bethel Lutheran Church, a rock of great faith…yesterday and today!

Today the people of Bethel Lutheran Church gather to worship and minister in Christ’s name. Our congregation is a member of the Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and is served by our pastor, the Rev. Shelley A. Nelson-Bridger. Pastor Shelley is new to Georgia having lived in Minnesota, Washington State, Kentucky and Ohio. As a graduate of Wittenberg University, Springfield, OH and Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, OH, Pastor Shelley is Bethel’s twentieth pastor. She is married to the Rev. Seth Bridger and together they have one young son, Noah.

Bethel’s history tells an unforgettable story of great faith… In 1734, Bethel’s founding fathers and mothers chose to leave Salzburg, Austria, in Europe, so that they and their families could worship God freely as Lutherans. Leaving their home land and life as they knew it, God guided them first to Germany, and then to new homeland in Georgia.

Our congregation was first formed as a branch of the church at Ebenezer, the Jerusalem Church around 1807. People in our area walked or rode mules to attend church at Jerusalem, some 10-15 miles away. Sometime later, families in the Bethel area began gathering on Sunday mornings holding their own service under what was known as a “bush arbor.” This was mainly for the benefit of the aged and people unable to make the journey to the town of Ebenezer to worship at the Jerusalem Church. Soon it became obvious – a need to establish a church near the county seat of Springfield. The first church called “Bethel” operated by the Ebenezer Trustees appointed the Reverend Ernest Bergman as Bethel’s first pastor. People continued to gather at Bethel every Sunday morning and on special occasions for worship. The church became a part of the Southeastern Synod of the Lutheran Church in America in 1872.

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