New Church Opens Doors to Community
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| Building to God's Glory |
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Wappingers Falls, New York, November 1, 2009 - Bethel Missionary Baptist Church continues "Celebrating the Miracle" with an Open House and Guided Tours on Saturday, November 7, 2009 followed by a Service of Thanksgiving on Sunday, November 8, 2009. The events will take place at 2607 South Avenue on the corner of Prospect Place in Wappingers Falls.
During the Open House and Guided Tours, scheduled for Saturday, November 7, 2009, 10:00am - 4:00pm, visitors will be guided through the newly constructed three-level edifice by docent members of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church (BMBC) Black History Ministry.
"Visitors will enter the main foyer and register, a docent will then escort a group of ten throughout the church floor by floor every 30 minutes, and each group tour will end in the downstairs reception hall where visitors will exit through the back door," says Jacquelyn Harper, one of the docents. "Also exhibits of the church history will be on display along with a video presentation that captures the heart-the people and the place- of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church."
"Celebrating the Miracle" continues on Sunday, November 8, 2009, 3:00pm, with a Service of Thanksgiving in which Bethel Missionary Baptist Church (BMBC) will show appreciation and gratitude to the community and donors who have made financial contributions and offered moral support.
"During this service offerings and collection plates will not be available. However, we will give the River Church a donation. God has blessed us with a new church, while the River Church is still without," says the Rev. Dr. Edward L. Hunt. "We want to extend the same support that we received."
During pre-dawn hours of Sunday morning May 11, 2008, a suspicious fire totally consumed BMBC's future home and burned it to the ground. The construction of BMBC's new church was about 60 percent complete and members were planning to open the doors of the new church to the community in October 2008 when Bethel would celebrate its 42nd Anniversary.
One year later, Bethel Missionary Baptist Church rejoices "Celebrating the Miracle" as the new edifice is complete.
Church member, friends, and family along with village and church officials and dignitaries of the Wappingers Village observed the completion with a Service of Dedication on Sunday, October 11, 2009 at 3pm. The Dedication Service commenced with a professional from the current building to the new building, a building located at 2607 South Avenue on the corner of Prospect Place in Wappingers Falls. After the Service of Dedication, the Prayer of Consecration took place inside the sanctuary.
The processional included liturgical dancers, a choir, church leaders, and members carrying the communion alter table, alter candles, Christian and American Flags, the Cross, and the Rev. Dr. Edward L. Hunt, Pastor carrying the Pulpit Bible to the front of the new church building. Next, a Prayer of Consecration was offered, followed by the unveiling of the cornerstone and then a ribbon cutting ceremony.
"Celebrating the Miracle" Open House and Guided Tours and Service of Thanksgiving are open to the public. The events will take place at 2607 South Avenue on the corner of Prospect Place in Wappingers Falls.
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| Pastor Hunt stands in the balcony of new sanctuary |
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| About Bethel Missionary Baptist Church
Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, founded in 1966, is a faith-based organization dedicated to teaching and supporting the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, as well as keeping, with diligence, the commitment of the Great Ordinances of the Church, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper. The mission of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church is to serve its membership and community with love and encouragement through the sharing of God's Word and Christian fellowship in the Mid-Hudson Valley, national and international regions, and to promote an environment that is conducive to all races and cultures for Christian worship and spiritual development. Among many programs and events are the Annual Martin Luther King Commemorative Community Celebration, Scholarship Luncheon, Vacation Bible School, Christmas Musicale, liturgical dance performers, educational seminars and training, and youth drama productions.
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