A very Brief History....... (In descending date sequence)
"Make no small plans because they have not the power to move men's souls"
Lord willing, much more to come.......... Check back later!!
November 17th, 2024 - Praise the Lord 3 people were baptized today! Jessica Williams was baptized after giving her life to Christ during Revival. Also Jimmy Davis from Florida (who had married Pastor Tim's niece Brooke) had given his life to Christ and was baptized. Also, Bill Bates from the GLC had been attending church recently, gave his life to Christ during Sunday Morning Bible study and was also baptized. God is soooooo good!
October 26th, 2024 - A Trunk or Treat was held and well attended by the community.
September 27th - 29th - Jimmy Dooley was in Revival and one person gave their life to Christ!
September 19th, 2024 - Larry Vaughn and John Huhn are to begin a 'every other week' Bible study at Provision Living. More to come.
September 8th, 2024 - A group of folks had the 1st Bethesda-led Sunday service at Provision Living in Richwood. It was a good first day and Mich Sears brought the Message.
September 7th, 2024 - Micah Sears and Tony Gross began a weekly Bible study at the Grateful Life Center. This is a great outreach for the men who live at the GLC and we are seeing some of these men in church. Praise the Lord!
July 29th, 2024 - A KBC-sponsored event for Pastor's wives was held at Bethesda, hosted by Judy Freimuth and Betty Fightmaster. There were about a dozen ladies in attendance.
July 28th, 2024 - Praise the Lord that Zoey Bowling was baptized today after giving her life to Jesus in VBS.
July 8th - July 12th, 2024 - A VBS was held with about 15 kids and 10 special needs folks attending each night. We had previously passed out over 1,000 flyers in the surrounding neighborhoods with literally no one coming. That was obviously disappointing but one of our own was saved and we celebrated God's grace and love!
June 23rd, 2024 - Praise the Lord that 2 men were baptized today! Brian Perkins had rededicated his life and was now following that commitment up in Baptism. Elliot Smith had made a profession of faith a few weeks prior and was baptized as well.
May 16th - 20th, 2024 - The Menistry of Northern Ky had their annual event at Cave Run Lake and many of the men of bethesda participated in this great weekend of male bonding, fellowship, camping, Bible Study, guest speakers, and devotion time.
May 5th, 2024 - A man named Joshua Sledge had given his life to the Lord at Fairhaven Rescue Mission the previous Tuesday night when the men's group was there to serve and conduct a worship service. He came to church Sunday and was baptized. Praise the Lord!
April 28th, 2024 - What a day it was in the House of the Lord! Praise the name of Jesus! We had a full house for worship, we recognized Terri Moses for Administrative Professional's Day, as Terri volunteers her time and talents to manage the office at church. And the following 3 people were baptized: Asure Sears by his daddy Micah, Dillion Allen, and Sonya Bamforth!
April 14th, 2024 - Corbyn Sandmann was baptized today! Praise the Lord!
March 15th, 2024 - The 1st AA meeting was held at Bethesda with Micah Sears leading this group.
November 6th, 2023 - Olivia Fightmaster officially came on board as the Next Generation leader. Olivia spent part of her teen years in the Bethesda Youth Group, had been at another church in a training and support role, and being led into ministry, has been called of the Lord to lead the youth at Bethesda. Welcome Olivia!
October 31st, 2023 - Some folks from Bethesda made our 1st trip of more to come to Fairhaven Rescue to help with dinner and have a church service afterwards. It was a great time of ministry and worship of the Lord! Currently we are on the schedule to go whenever there is a 5th Tuesday.
October 19th - 22nd, 2023 - Melenia Benken completed Walk #124 on the Emmaus weekend and came back Spiritually full and rejuvenated. Praise the Lord. Also, during the same weekend, the Menistry (Northern Ky Men's ministry) had their annual camping trip at Cave Run lake and many men and churches were represented, including a number of participants from Bethesda.
October 6th - 8th, 2023 - We had a weekend Revival with a Fall Festival on Saturday afternoon. We had about 33 children for the festival (which included also a community dinner) plus adults, and it was a great time of fellowship.
The Revival was Friday and Saturday nights at 7 PM and Sunday morning. Jimmy Dooley led us in worship as well as bringing the Messages, which were Spirit-led and dynamic in touching hearts, praise the Lord! Words cannot express the way the Holy Spirit moved in the meetings. There were many people praying at the altar, letting go of stuff, wanting more of Jesus, rededicating their lives, and at least one new believer. Braxton Evans was baptized on Sunday October 8th after making a profession of faith in that service. This revival touched so many lives!
And another God-thing - During Jimmy's Message Sunday morning, he was testifying how his nephew Bennett (4 years old at the time) who the doctors gave no chance of survival, was delivered from cancer by the Lord. At that moment, a phone call came in to the church about a prayer meeting to be held that evening at Persimmon Grove Baptist church for a young boy who had survived cancer but the doctors think it may have come back. So 11 people loaded up in the church van and drove to California, Ky to pray for that boy. We are believing God to heal him.
September 10th, 2023 - In the middle of the Message that day, the Holy Spirit spoke from 2nd Chronicles 7:14 that we needed to start praying every night at church for the upcoming October Revival. So groups of people began praying every night at 7 PM, beginning that very day, the largest group being 15 people.
September 10th, 2023 - AJ Bostic, whose son Sebastian started coming coming to Bethesda earlier in the year and himself was baptized in March, was also baptized. This after attending for several week and making her profession of faith. God is so good!
September 3rd, 2023 - Eric Platt was baptized today after making a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Eric is a pre-teen who has been part of the children's ministry at Bethesda for several years now. Praise the Lord!
July 29th, 2023 - Bethesda has joined other Nicholson Christian church as well as some other churches throughout Northern Ky to partner together to do men's ministry. This effort is named MENISTRY. On this date, an event was held at Bethesda in which many other churches were invited to join in a shrimp-boil dinner, fellowship, worship, music, with some guest speakers. 60+ men were in attendance and we hope this is the start of something bigger.
July 10th - 13th, 2023 - A CEF led VBS was held. It was exciting to see the young people in the CEF Youth ministry lead the children.
May 21st, 2023 - Jerry Miles Sr brought his youth group from Heritage Academy as they put on the Judgment Day Play. There were probably about 160 people in attendance and there was a church-wide altar call. Praise the Lord for an awesome moving of the Holy Spirit.
May 13th, 2023 - A Ladies Banquet was held for the ladies in honor of Mother's Day and the men werved. A Great time of food and fellowship!
May 5th, 2023 thru May 7th, 2023 - A group of men, in partnership with other churchs in the Northern Ky Men's Ministry (Menistry) participated in a 3 day event at Cave Run Lake.
April 27th, 2023 - Annette Oldiges and Kaci Stilley completed their Emmaus walks (Walk #122) at Westport, Indiana, and like the men, had an awesome weekend, and came back on fire for the Lord!
April 20th, 2023 - Larry Vaughn, Ron Weyman, and Adam Mahan completed their Emmaus walks (Walk #121) at Westport, Indiana. All 3 men had an encounter with Jesus on the weekend and came back on fire!
March 26th, 2023 - Praise the Lord! A young man named Sebastian White who had recently started coming to church (on his own and he did not previously know anyone at the church), was baptized after making a profession of faith. God is so good!
February 26th, 2023 - The Lord continues to bless. Chastity Duncan, who had been adopted by James and Pearl Duncan from DCCH, was adopted into the family of God when she gave her heart and life to the Lord. And she was baptized February 26th as a result of that saving faith! Praise the Lord for He is good all the time!
January 29th, 2023 - Over the years we have had a special relationship with DCCH (Catholic orphanage). We had a lady in our church that was employed there. We have had several families adopt children from there. And now one of our men, Jim Mosser, began mentoring a teen from there. Jim brought this young man named Matthew Alvarado to church, and as the Lord spoke to Matthew, he made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. And a few weeks later he was baptized. Praise the Lord!
January 8th, 2023 - Dr. Charles Frazier, the new DOM for the NKBA came to preach an uplifting Message from Philippians chapter 1. Welcome Brother Charles and Vicki.
December 4th, 2022 - Bro. Tim finished the verse-by-verse preaching of the Book of Revelation that had begun May 22nd.
December 3rd, 2022 - We again had a float and booth at the Independence Christmas Walk. We handed out a lot of free hot chocolate and church flyers.
November 27th, 2022 - Brother Richard Collins from Great Commission Fellowship Ministries was here to preach the Word and share all the wonderful things that have been happening with the ministry in Utah to the Navajo nation.
October 20th, 2022 - Nikki Weyman, Pam Overton, Patty Platt, Charlene Gray, and Lisa Caudill all completed their 'pilgrimage' on the Emmaus Walk. WOW! They were blessed and came back on fire for the Lord!
October 1st, 2022 - We had a Fall Festival, it was a beautiful day, and the event was well attended. Praise the Lord!
September 19th, 2022 - Our 1st Grace Marriage Gathering with 9 couples! Facilitated by Ron and Nikki Weyman.
August 28th, 2022 - Monte Scott was baptized and the entire church celebrated with him in His decision! Praise the Lord!
August 5th, 2022 - Herb Valentine tendered his resignation as Discipleship Pastor. We want to thank Herb and Shari for their 3+ years serving in this ministry and wish them all our love and the Lord's blessings in the next part of their journey. God is faithful and He will take care of Herb, Shari, and Bethesda moving forward.
July 14th - July 17th, 2022 - 21 ladies went on a lady's retreat to Knoxville. A great time in the Lord!
April 28th - May 1st, 2022 - Jessi Hicks, Marianne Leland, and Sue Mosser attended Emmaus Walk #118 at Westport. Another awesome walk and the ladies came back fired up!
April 21st - April 24th, 2022 - Donnie Hicks, Dave Leland, and Jim Mosser attended Emmaus Walk #117 at Westport. Wow what an awesome weekend and the men came back on fire for the Lord!
April 16th, 2022 - Tim and Judy Freimuth celebrated their 40th Wedding Anniversary at church.
February 27th, 2022 - Ron Berttsch from DCCH was here to share about their work with adoptions throughout Northern, Ky.
January 30th, 2022 - Bethesda celebrated it's 17 year Anniversary. A 'Singspiration' was held Sunday evening.
January 15th, 2022 - Daryl and Mary Spaulding celebrated their 50th year Wedding Anniversary with a great turnout of family and friends!
January 9th, 2022 - Heather Graham and Nicole Weyman were both baptized today! What a joyful celebration!
January 8th, 2022 - A Celebration of Life was held for Steve Oldiges at the church. The church and parking lot was full as there were somewhere around 300 people who passed through the line. Several hundred more watched the service on the live-stream. The Service was uplifting, full of family and friend's testimonies and stories, the best being that Steve was a born again child of God! The Holy Spirit touched and moved in our midst. There was also a dinner afterward. Praise the Lord in what He had done in Steve's life. Our loss is Heaven's gain. We all terribly miss Steve but know we will see him soon and be together forever more. Praise God!
January 2nd, 2022 - Dave Leland was ordained as a Deacon. To celebrate the day,, we also had a church-wide dinner after the Service. It was a very good day!
December 24th, 2021 - This was the most well attended Candlelight Service we have ever had. Praise the Lord!
December 19th, 2021 - The Children put on a Christmas play that was just awesome. Thank you Pam and team for putting all this together. And thank you children and parents!
December 5th and 18th - Christmas concerts by Jimmy Dooley and the Florence Chorus respectively.
December 4th, 2021 - Bethesda built and entered a float in the parade at the Independence City Christmas Walk. We also set up a booth, handed out hot chocolate, bible tracts, and invited folks out for church. It was the most people we had even seen at this event!
November 20th, 2021 - The Youth Group took a trip to the Creation Museum and then headed over to the Freimuth's for a time of fellowship, food, and fun. Praise the Lord!
October 10th, 2021 - Greg Fightmaster was unanimously confirmed at a specially called business meeting to officially come back on staff as Pastor of Outreach. Greg had previously left 'for a season' to help another church plant and was now back at Bethesda to serve full time. Praise the Lord!
October 2nd, 2021 - Daryl and Mary Spaulding, Paulette Hensley, Nicole Weyman, and Tim and Judy Freimuth attended the NKBA Rooftop prayer meeting in Covington at the Radisson Revolving restaurant. There were about 75 people in attendance and we are looking forward to the global event being planned for 2022. Everyone came back with a different perspective on praying for the lost in and around our city.
August 14th, 2021 - A 1 day VBS was held with 6 special need and 20 children in attendance. The theme of the day was the story of David and it was an awesome day!
August 8th, 2021 - 20 Backpacks were put together and donated to children in need through individual teachers.
July 10th, 2021 - The Gazebo was moved from the back of the church to just outside of the fellowship hall (where it will get much more use). This was part of an ongoing transformation of the children's play area. Previously the Youth building had been taken down (mold issues), concrete added for a basketball court. Later a new swing-set was also installed. And new lighting will be coming soon!
June 27th, 2021 - A Specially called business meeting was held to vote on Ron Weyman to serve as a deacon. To the praise of God, the vote was unanimous! Brother Ron had been previously ordained as a deacon.
March 2021 - This month marked the end of a 5 month 'period of change' for Bethesda. For the 1st and only time in our church history we had a significant amount of people leave the church. It was a tumultuous and stressful time in so many ways, and Covid certainly exacerbated the situation. POST UPDATE -------> Not every time in history is considered good, especially at the time, but hindsight has shown God made good to come out of it (Romans 8:28). The church continued forward in faith, and after a time of smaller changes and healing, began to grow again, even larger in number, and more so in the Holy Spirit and in love, than before. God is faithful!
January 17th, 2021 - Greg Fightmaster announced that he was resigning from the position of Next Generation Pastor, and also the role of Elder effective immediately. Greg said he had been in ministry for 40+ years, with 75% of it being bi-vocational, and it was just time. Greg has been mentoring a young pastor of a church plant and will now have more time to devote to that. He and Betty plan to maintain their membership at Bethesda, and still be available to help and council as needed. Praise the Lord for Greg and Betty, and all they have contributed to the Lord's work in and through Bethesda. They are much loved and appreciated, and we wish and pray for them all the best!
January 11th, 2021 - After much prayer and consideration, we are moving away from 1 mid-week prayer service that had become sparsely attended. In its place we will develop and move toward small prayer groups that will meet at various times throughout the week. We are calling these 'prayer pockets'. There is no limit to how many we might have. This is 1 step toward the 'do what works and change what doesn't' mantra for 2021.
November 22nd, 2020 - The church provided Thanksgiving meals for several families of Beech Grove Elementary children.
November 3rd, 2020 - At a Wednesday evening prayer service, CEF was on site with us to pray together for children on the International Day of Prayer.
November 2nd, 2020 - Pastor Tim had the privilege to bring the Moderator's address at the Annual Meeting of the NKBA.
October 24th, 2020 - Some folks attended a prayer meeting in the Ft Mitchell Baptist parking lot for Northern Ky. Great to pray with other churches!
September 20th, 2020 - The Staples and Spaulding families attended the National Prayer March held on the Washington Mall. Others watched the live stream. A powerful time of prayer!
July 9th, 2020 - 18 ladies went on a retreat to Mahseh in Indiana. They reported back to the church body an awesome time in the Lord!
May 24th, 2020 - Our 1st Post-Covid service. We celebrated with a delayed Easter Service. Chairs were kept 6 feet apart by family and everyone had to wear masks. But we worshiped our Risen Savior!
March 29th, 2020 - The church put together Easter Baskets for the Children while observing 'social distancing'.
March 22nd, 2020 - Our 1st Live stream of Sunday Morning Services! We broadcast on Facebook and Youtube. This is something we had wanted to do but had not yet done. The Pandemic forced us to mobilize and we plan to live stream until the Lord comes back!
March 15th, 2020 - Church services were cancelled due to COVID-19 Corona Virus. This began a period where the church was forced to live-stream via Facebook Sunday morning services and conduct other events virtually using the Zoom software tool. During this time we created a You Tube area where Sunday morning videos would also be posted. The Live streaming and You tube posts were something we needed to do anyway to reach more people with the Gospel, so that is a good thing that came out of something bad (Romans 8:28).
January 12th, 2020 - Maliesa Jones was baptized after giving her life to Jesus the week before. What an awesome day and display of God's grace upon a young lady!
January 5th, 2020 - John Luster was baptized today after rededicating his life to the Lord! It was a great day and John was smiling ear to ear!
December 16th, 2019 - Through the Angel Tree, the church provided Christmas presents for 10 children, again through the Beech Grove Resource center.
December 15th, 2019 - Jimmy Dooley led a Christmas concert at church that was just awesome!
December 7th, 2019 - 50 backpacks were filled and distributed, half of them at an event on site for the children, and half through the Covington School system.
November 24th, 2019 - We were able to help 10 families through the Beech Grove Resource Center with Thanksgiving day boxes. Some people came to pick them up and others were delivered.
November 13th, 2019 - Changing things up a bit to hopefully increase attendance for mid-week services, we began serving a meal and offered tutoring, along with the normal children, youth, prayer, and discipleship opportunities. First night was a big success as we had over 40 people!
November 4th, 2019 - Bro. Tim was moderator-elected at the annual meeting of the NKBA.
October 6th, 2019 - Moriah Wills was baptized after giving her heart to the Lord in a Holy Spirit filled service a few weeks prior. An awesome day! The Message this day was called "Hallelujah" and one of the songs sung was "I raise a Hallelujah" by Bethel Music.
September 8th, 2019 - A great celebration as Rebecca Gulick was baptized. Awesome day in the Lord!
July 14th, 2019 - For 4 days, a Mission Team from the Chesterfield Baptist Association (coordinated by Randy Shaw) of South Carolina: was on site helping us finish much of the work on the property. Words cannot express the labor of love, the fellowship, the moving of the Holy Spirit, and the tremendous cooperation that occured during this time. All of the outside work was accomplished, the fellowship hall, and bathrooms were remodeled, as well as a lot of remodeling in children's rooms. And the framing, rough-in electric, and much of the insulation was completed in the basement. (Also see notes from January 27th). God is good!
July 11th, 2019 - 24 ladies attended a Women's retreat at Mahseh and came back on fire and praising the Lord for the 4 days!
July 7th, 2019 - Pastor Greg Fightmaster had the rare privilege of baptizing 2 grandchildren on the same day! Dylan Tucker and Katlyn Fightmaster were both baptized on this very special day! Praise the Lord!
June 28th, 2019 - The Incredible Race VBS was held with attendance ranging from 30 to 40 children.
June 17th, 2019 - A great youth camp at Camp Chautauqua with 1 young man giving his life to the Lord! We also had 2 French exchange students attend.
June 16th, 2019 - Wow, another good and God story! Right about the time our former Pastor of Education was called elsewhere, Herb and Shari Valentine started attending Bethesda. Herb had served 2 other churches previously as pastor/interim pastor and has a tremendous heart for Discipleship. And Bethesda had a tremendous need for someone to lead in that area. God is so good, providing all our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus. But more than just filling a need, we have come to love Herb, Shari, and their daughter Mallory so much. And on this day, at the recommendation of the Elder body, Herb was approved by church vote to his position as Pastor of Discipleship. So with great joy we welcome Herb and his family and look forward to what God has in front of us! Praise the Lord!
June 2nd, 2019 - Tom Elliott, like the other 2 men the past few weeks, also enjoyed the tremendous privilege of baptizing his son, Jason Fletcher. This was a very special day in the life of both Tom and Jason. Praise the Lord for the way He worked and is working in Jason's life!
May 19th, 2019 - Travis Wills had the privilege of baptizing his daughter Leah! Praise the Lord and what a special day it was for Travis, Cara, and family.
May12th, 2019 - Greg Fightmaster had the privilege of baptizing his grandson Gage! Praise the Lord and what a special Mother's Day it was for the Fightmaster family!
February 17th, 2019 - Praise the Lord! Krisleen Smothers who had made a profession of faith in Jesus, was baptized!
January 27th, 2019 - January 30th, 2019. Bro Tim was in Revival at Mexico Baptist Church in Mexico, Ky through January 30th. While there, Lord told Bro. Tim to 'pay it forward', meaning all offerings for Evangelist would go back into their mission fund. Remember this is the church that sent a team here for 1 week to help us on the new church building. The next day we find out from our DOM Jim Woolums that a Mission Team from South Carolina will be joining the NKBA in an associational project to finish all outstanding construction work at our building (basement, fellowship hall, bathrooms, etc). Bro. Tim shared story with congregation February 3rd with summary that "you cannot out-give God."
January 27th, 2019 - A girl named Candice made a profession of faith and was baptized. Praise the Lord!
December 8th, 2018 - We had made 100 backpacks to be given to children who could use some assitance. This year, we were a host church. CEF partnered with us and conducted a children's Good News Club type session in which 4 children were saved! We also had food, crafts, and of course backpacks for the children. There were 32 of the backpacks that also made their way to the 'Casa Hogar Emmanuel" orphanage in Naco, Maxico by Travis Wills, who went on a mission trip there with his friend, Pastor Mike Cabell. Pastor Tom Elliott also took some backpacks to the race track and handed them out. And 6 more went to some other local familes along with other needed items. So the backpacks were used to touch many lives, to the praise of His name!
December 3rd, 2018 - A special concert was held as an annual fund raiser for Child Evangelism Fellowship. A string orchestra from the Czech Republic performed consisting of 20 students playing a variety of string instruments. They are called Smiling Strings Orchestra. Pastor Michael Sust, originally from the Czech Republic and a renowned opera singer, also sang and it was just a tremendous night!
November 11th, 2018 - A special Veterans day as the ladies made quilts for those whom served. On one side was the branch of service and the other the Word of God quilted in squares. Similar to the many sent all around the world to individuals, as well as to nursing homes, hospice care, cancer care centers, etc. An awesome ladies ministry!
November 4th, 2018 - Our 1st ever Christian concert on a Sunday morning, led by Jimmy Dooley. A very good crowd and a great day of worship and fellowship!
October 31st, 2018 - Our 1st Trunk or Treat. We had candy-land tables set up through out the church, food in the fellowship hall, a bouncy house in the Sanctuary, a balloon animal table, and more. Praise the Lord it rained and we had a pretty good turnout since it was indoors.
August 7th, 2018 - In an effort to reach the Hispanic community in Florence, Bethesda began hosting an ESL class (English as a 2nd Language) held by Pavel Urruchi, the NKBA Hispanic Outreach Director. We hope to begin a Hispanic church on site some day.
June 29th, 2018 - June 31st 2018 - Another awesome VBS!
June 24th, 2018 - The Church celebrate the elder ordination of Les Moses with a Sunday morning service and dinner immediately following. Brother Les is a lay elder and leads the Prayer Minsitry. An awesome day for the church and for Les and his wife Terri.
June 18th, 2018 - June 22nd, 2018 - Youth Camp.
April 29th, 2018 - Building Dedication Sunday. We had mornring services, followed by a brunch, followed by a 2pm Dedication Service. The Holy Spirit moved amongst what was almost a full house. Jim Wollums, our DOM, brought the Message, based on the Great Commission and the tremendous opportunity the Lord has put before our church. A great day!
April 1st, 2018 - What an Easter Service! There was 126 people in attendance, a fantastic Easter Cantata, and the following people were baptized: Tyler Ricken, Kara Price, Alitta Barnett, Noah Allen, and Allison Allen. Praise the Lord for an awesome day!
March 25th, 2018 - 40 Easter Baskets were prepared and taken to Beech Grove Elementary School.
March 10th, 2018 - 30+ ladies attended the 1st ever "Bibles & Brushes - God's Masterpiece" event. The Message was proclaimed and Paulette Hensley shared her painting skills with everyone who had the opportunity to create their own masterpiece. Great time and fellowship in the Lord!
March 5th, 2018 - After 12+ years serving the Lord at Bethesda, Reverend Jerry Miles, Sr. and his wife Jenny are moving on to their next place of service. The Lord has been leading them out but allowed them to stay through the building being completed. We ask the Lord's blessings on the Miles family and are grateful for their ministry, service, friendship, and love.
March 4th, 2018 - 1st Service in New Building. Praise the Lord we had our highest attendance yet with about 130 people! Pastor Tim preached from Ephesians 3:20-21. Our God is able to do abundantly more! There were salvation deciscions, folks joining the church, much prayer, and praise.
February 21st, 2018 - Praise the Lord we obtained our Occupancy Permit for the new Building addition. This has been an answer to persistent and lengthy prayer!
December 19th, 2017 - Several members participated in the backpack giveaway at the Moore Activity Center (South Side Baptist Church). We were given the opportunity to meet the children, open their backpacks with them, and then share the Gospel Message. It has given us an idea to host a party in 2018.
November 19th, 2017 - Praise the Lord for 2 baptisms! Sarabeth Grant and JJ Miles were both baptized. It was a great day to see these 2 young people please our Heavenly Father by following up their professions of faith in Jesus Christ with a baptism!
October 5th, 2017 - October 8th, 2017 - Shelly Johns-White from the KBC completed Emmaus Walk #106.
September 28th, 2017 - September 30th, 2017 - Pastor Tim had the privilege of serving as the Spiritual Director on the SEI Emmaus Men's walk #105. Erik White (Shelly's husband) completed his Emmaus walk.
July 30th, 2017 - Praise the Lord that Matt Hodge was baptized by his brother Dale. Matt was new to Bethesda and had made a profession of faith a few weeks prior. And since the water was ready and the Holy Spirit was moving........ Jordi Miles, who had made a profession of faith while with traveling in the car with with his parents Jerry Miles Jr. and Shelly and brohter JJ, decided he wanted to also be baptized. So to the praise of our Lord, his grandfather Jerry Miles Sr. had the privilege of baptizing Jordi, and he went home wet! What an awesome day!
July 27th, 2017 - 16 youth and 7 adult leaders went to the 1st ever Bethesda-based youth camp. God moved in a mighty way!
July 24th, 2017 - Mexico Baptist Church from Marion, Ky arrived for the week to help with the construction of the new church building. Weather shortened their trip but they were able to get the shingles, windows, and soffetts installed, which got us dry! It had been an extraordinary wet July! These folks were amazing and a blessing to be with throughout the week. Mid-week we had a great Prayer and Praise service with the team. Praise the Lord for Dennis and Charlotte, Danny, Jamie, Greg, Tyler, Jack, and Baron!
July 22nd, 2017 - The Praise and Worship Team played at a faith-based community event at Grant County park. They were awesome!
July 13th, 2017 - Todd Gray, KBC Director of Evangelism and Church Planting Team visited the new building site and presented Bethesda a check. The monies came from Todd's team as well as some from Church Revitalization. The NKBA had also provided financial assistance to Bethesda! Praise the Lord!
July 6th, 2017 - The Ladies went on another retreat to the Manseh Center in northern Indiana and came back Spiritually uplifted and refreshed.
June 17th, 2017 - A 'Dads and Dudes' Dinner was held where the women served the men dinner and provided some cowboy-based entertainment. A great time of fun and fellowship!
May13th, 2017 - A Mother's Day Banquet was held. We had prayer, music, food, and fellowship as the men served the ladies.
May 8th, 2017 - Digging officially began on the new building.
May 6th, 2017 - A one-day VBS called Operation Arctic was held with 35 children in attendance.
April 30th, 2017 - A full day of activities with Sunday School, Morning Worship, lunch, the Ground-breaking ceremony, followed by a Florence Choir concert, and ice-cream social. The Ground-Breaking service was held under a tent on the site of the new building. Our Director of Missions shared some comments, Bro. Tim reiterated Bethesda's Vision, and the Elders, Deacons, and Building Committee all broke the ground! A Great day!
April 24th, 2017 - New Building Update!!! On 3/27 we were turned down by a local bank for financing the new church build. This had happened several times with other institutions. We had been working this for 3 years+ and felt 2017 was the time to build, without doubt and delay. On 3/28 Bro. Tim in his devotion read from Joshua 3:13 where the priests carrying the Ark across the Jordan had to touch the soles of their feet upon the water before the river would divide. After a 4/4 elder meeting confirmation, the elders and deacons met 4/9 and agreed to move forward in a 'self-finance' mode. This meant we would build what we could and someone inside the church (known then to church but anonymous for historical purposes as desire is to keep focus on the Lord) was going to obtain and loan the money to the church to finance the build. On 4/10, Kentucky Bank calls Bro. Tim and offers to work with us to try and secure a loan. We begin that process, one last time. On 4/16 (Easter Sunday) the 'self-finance' plan is shared with the church. On 4/20 we sign the contract with Wright construction - point of no return. On 4/21, Kentucky Bank sends us a letter confirming their offer to finance the loan. And not only that but even for more money than we asked! Our God is able to do immeasurably more - Ephesians 3:20...... The proposal was reviewed and signed 4/24 so the remaining appraisal process could begin. Meanwhile a ground-breaking service was planned and the 'dig' for the new building was being planned for early May. This 'test of faith' was similar to our beginning - both awesome testimonies to His faithfulness! God was faithful then and He remains faithful now! Praise Him!
April 20th, 2017 - Tom Elliott, pastor of Solid Rock Baptist Church in Walton, went on Emmaus Walk #103. Bethesda sponsored him as a gift of agape and with the hope his church would connect with the Emmaus community.
April 15th, 2017 - An easter egg hunt was held for the children and well attended.
April 9th, 2017 - Praise the Lord as Abigail Holt was baptized after confirming an earlier acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ! An Easter Contata was held by the choir and it was absolutely wonderful.
April 3rd, 2017 - Dozens of Easter baskets are deliverd to Beech Grove Elementary.
March 14th, 2017 - Ladies hold a session called "Perfect your Gift" where ladies are encouraged to discover and use their gifts from the Lord.
March 11th, 2017 - Men make a trip to Wright Patterson Air Force Base.
February 25th, 2017 - Church hosts a "God's Love for All" church-wide and more, banquet at Beechgrove Clubhouse. Well attended and great evening of fellowship.
February 18th, 2017 - A number of youth attend WinterJam and this has become an anuual event.
January 15th, 2017 - Wow what a day! 5 baptisms to the praise of His name! One guest told Pastor Tim that while she so enjoyed the baptisms, that she also felt the Lord had anointed and baptized the entire congregation! He did!
Frank Branstutter Sr, who had asked the Lord in his life while in the hospital was baptized with 2 of his great-grandchildren, Stevi Riley and Hunter Duncan. This exemplified the magnitude of God's grace! James Duncan, our deacon chairman, baptized Steve and Hunter as he is their 'papaw'. Mamaw Pearl has been praying for salvation for her family for several years since she was the 1st in the family to start attending Bethesda. She saw her father and 2 grandchildren baptized today. The Lord answered and blessed her faithfulness!
Travon Miles was also baptized after making a decision for Christ. Pastor Jerry Miles Sr., Travon's adopted father, had the priviledge of baptizing his son. A very special moment for Jerry, Jenny, and family.
Alexis Grant, a precious 7 year old girl, was also baptized after making a decision for Christ. Ed and Shirley Neville, former members who had retired to Tennessee, came back to join their son James Gulick and his wife Jennifer (Alexis' parents), in this very special day for the family.
Bill Schreiner was our Gideon speaker. He and his wife Bonnie really enjoyed being part of the service with us. They are also part of the Emmaus Community.
January 8th, 2017 - Tim Sheehan and his wife Lisa are captains in the Salvation Army and were special guests for the day. Tim delivered the Message and shared a great deal about the Salvation Army ministry which was very enlightening. Wendy Smith's sister Dannie Simmons, whom we had been praying for, and who has been in the Salvation Army's Rehabilitation program for addictions, had recently given her life to the Lord! So literally from the streets of Covington to on her way to the streets of gold! Praise the Lord and bless the Salvation Army!
December 18th, 2016 - A Christmas dinner was held with absolute capactiry for the space we were in! We had a great dinner and a host of people singing and playing musical instruments. A great night of fellowship!
December 11th, 2016 - Les Moses shared his personal testimony and a Message about Jonah, in what was a great service, all to the praise of God.
November 20th, 2016 - The Church provided Thanksgiving boxes for 6 families, and the food was well appreciated.
November 19th, 2016 - The last Emmaus event was held at Oldenburg, Indiana. The building we had been using was sold and we will be moving the Emmaus walks to the Southeastern Indiana Baptist Boys Camp.
October 27th, 2016 - Rose Croley and Terri Moses both completed Emmaus Walk #102 and were blessed as a result. Praise the Lord!
October 20th, 2016 - Linza Croley completed his Emmaus Walk on #101. Praise the Lord for Linza's step of faith!
August Disaster, 2016 - Bud Wills from the Disaster Relief team, along with his son Travis, took materials and a church offering to a West Virginia family who had lost most of their home due to flooding. The family was very grateful.
July 23rd, 2016 - A one-day VBS titled Ocean Commotion was held and it was an awesome day!
May 4th, 2016 - A group from Bethesda joined the nearly 6,000 people on the steps of the Capital Building in Frankfort to pray for our country. It was called the Decision America Tour and was hosted by Franklin Graham.
May 1st, 2016 - Praise the Lord that Steve and Annette Oldiges were both baptized, having previously given their lives to Christ. It was a great day of celebration, all for His glory!
April 14th, 2016 - Two men (Les Moses and Daryl Spaulding) took a big step of faith and attended Emmaus Walk #99 in Oldenburg, Indiana. Les rededicated his life and Daryl also testified to how awesome the weekend was. Both men came back on fire for the Lord!
March 27th, 2016 - Great attendance for Easter Service - 111 people. Praise the Lord. Really good considering we have 80 seats in the Sanctuary!
March 12th, 2016 - Youth served with Lifeline ministries in delivering furniture to families in the area. We were blessed!
February 10th, 2016 - Youth attended 'Winterjam' at US Bank Arena in Cincinnati. A great and worshipful experience!
January 31st, 2016 - 'Blessing Boxes' provided to families of Beech Grove containing essential winter items.
January 25th, 2016 - A team participated in the service at the Racetrack and Bro. Tim shared a Message. Great experience.
January 17th, 2016 - The movie 'War Room" was shown. Anyone reading this history and have not seen it, check it out!
January 2nd, 2016 - People from our church participated in a statewide 'event' where the Bible was read in its entirety in the state's 120 counties over a period of 4 days beginning at midnight New Year's Eve/Day. The following people read at the Independence Courthouse: Paulette Hensley, Les and Terri Moses, Bud and Debbie Wills, Mary Spaulding, Saundra McLoney, Travis, Cara, Micah, Bekah, Leah, and Moriah Wills, Tim and Judy Freimuth. It was especially awesome to witness the children reading God's Word!
December 27th, 2015 - We had a church-wide birthday party for Ms. Ina Adkins who turned 80 Years old. Praise the Lord for a full house and great time of fellowship!
December 20th, 2015 - The 1st Bethesda Family Christmas event. We had a great meal and numerous people shared stories, sang songs of praise, and Stevie was the first person to play a dulcimer at BCC!
December 8th, 2015 - A group went to Potter's Ranch for lunch and a concert by the Kentucky Dulcimers.
November 1st, 2015 - We packed 90+ Christmas shoe boxes and sent them to Great Commission Fellowship ministries for the children on the Indian Reservation near Monticello, Utah.
October 25th, 2015 - A sad day for Bethesda as this was Troy and Amy Wills' last service at Bethesda. Troy has been our worship leader and Amy our piano player since the church started in 2005. But God has other plans for them and has been revealing this to them for a while now. We will miss them terribly but trust the Lord will bless their obedience and His church as well.
September 27th, 2015 - A special service. We dedicated 3 babies (Joel Merkle, CJ Hodge, and Zoey Bowling). There were 2 baptisms, one being Olivia Spaulding who made a profession of faith a few years prior and was not ready to take the next step in her walk. Her grandfather Daryl Spaulding was also baptized and shared an awesome testimony of being baptized at an early age with not much memory of it. Being in church his whole life, it was in the last few years that he really began to grow in the Lord and realize the grace and freedom found in the Lord Jesus Christ. He encouraged the body immensely with his testimony!
September 26th, 2015 - A Ladies luncheon was held with over 50 ladies attending. The biggest one thus far!
September 23rd, 2015 - Bro. Tim and Judy participated in the "See you at the pole" event at Cooper High school. Christian students and adult encouragers/leaders meet at 7 am to sing and pray around the flagpole before school.
July 25th, 2015 - A One day VBS was held with 50+ children attending!
July 18th, 2015 - Pastor Tim retired from his secular career June 30th and began full time ministry as Senior Pastor. A Retirement party was held and it was a particular hot day but a lot of fun!
May 9th, 2015 - A Mother's Day Dinner was held, hosted by Dale Hodge and the Men's Ministry. Great Music, food, fellowship, and the ladies were waited on by the men. A fun evening!
April 30th thru May 3rd, 2015 - Melissa Rust completed Emmaus walk #96 at Oldenberg and rededicated her life over the weekend! Wow did she ever come back fired up!
April 16th thru April 19th, 2015 - Tim Covey and Dale Hodge completed Emmaus walk #95 at Oldenberg. Praise the Lord!
April 12th, 2015 - The choir, for the 1st time, did an evening Easter Cantata, which was just awesome, to the glory of He who rose!
March 2nd thru March 5th - The Pastors and their wives (Jerry and Jenny Miles, Greg and Betty Fightmaster, Tim and Judy Freimuth attended their 2nd Refresh conference in Pigeon Forge, a gift from the church for Pastor Appreciation. These conferences have been wonderful and fruitful times for the pastors and wives.
February 1st, 2015 - We celebrated Bethesda's 10 year anniversary with a special presentation showing all the things the Lord has done, which turned into a time of praise. After the service we had a nice dinner and time of fellowship. The Church was full Sunday morning and we are looking forward to writing some more history with the Lord!
December 14th, 2014 - The Children's Christmas program called David's Dynasty was held to a full house, all for the glory of God. It was such a tremendous blessing!
October 16th thru October 19th - Eva Covey and Paula Hodge both completed Emmaus walks #94 at Oldenberg. Praise the Lord!
October 12, 2014 - The Florence Community Choir sang in the afternoon and it was an awesome time together.
October 1st, 2014 - Praise the Lord the NKAPC approved our conditional use permit for the new church building!
September 27th, 2014 - Ladies Luncheon held with 30 ladies attending.
September 13th, 2014 - Gospel group "In His Hands" sang an outdoor concert at Bethesda with about 80 people in Attendance. It was a great time of worship, food, music, and fun.
August 24th, 2014 - Sheralyn Duncan was baptized today. Praise the Lord!
August 9th, 2014 - A One Day VBS was held and it was a good day!
May 10th, 2014 - The first ever Mother's Day dinner was held with the men of the church serving the ladies dinner. It was a big hit and the food was pretty good as well!!
May 4th, 2014 - Praise the Lord Dale Hodge was unanimously approved by church vote to serve as a deacon. Dale was previously ordained, has been serving on the Building Committee, and leading the men's ministry.
April 20th, 2014 - A full house for Easter! Message was 'Go Beyond the cross' with primary thought walking in Resurrection Power (John 14:12). Easter baskets had been prepared and taken to Beech Grove the prior week. God is good!
April 13th, 2014 - Praise the Lord in the morning service Allie Willoughby was baptized!
March 30th, 2014 - Saundra McLoney and Heather Staples attended Emmaus Walk #92 at Oldenburg. Another awesome weekend for those involved. Judy Freimuth and Mary Spaulding worked the event. Also on this day in the morning church service, Julian Ingram was baptized! Praise the Lord for a great day!
March 16th, 2014 - A defining Visioning Service was held that evening to discuss the new church building. Things are moving forward with plans to break ground in the next few months and complete the building sometime in the fall. Needless to say, satan has started attacking, to the praise of God! And especially when the men roped off the new building for everyone to see and get a clear picture of where we will be physically worshipping come fall. God is our strength and a whole lot greater is Jesus in us than the old devil of this world!
March 3rd, 2014 - The Pastors and wives (Tim and Judy Freimuth, Jerry and Jenny Miles, Greg and Betty Fightmaster) all attended a REFRESH conference led by Sherwood Baptist Church. It was awesome and everyone came back refreshed.
February 15th, 2014 - A great time of fellowship at the Valentine's banquet at the Beech Grove club-house!
February 11th, 2014 - Judy Freimuth began leading "The Daniel Plan" Bible study on Tuesday evenings.
February 9th, 2014 - Praise the Lord as Gina Owens was baptized after making a profession of faith!
February 8th, 2014 - Our first Emmaus Community gathering, led by Jerry Miles was well attended. We plan on coordinating people to be involved in future walks, as well as have some scheduled gatherings in our own church, as well as the normal SEI gatherings.
November 25th, 2013 - 11 Thanksgiving boxes were delivered to some families in the Beech Grove community.
November 10th, 2013 - 182 shoe boxes were packed and shipped to Utah through GCFM Ministries.
November 3rd, 2013 - We hosted the CMA (not the Country Music Awards but rather the Christian Motorcycle Association) and Rev Dan Hillard brought the Message. The house was full and it was a good day!
October 17th thru 20th, 2013 - Two women, Bobbie Wilson and Mollie Deo, attended Walk #90 at Oldenburg, Indiana. It was an awesome weekend for them and the 30+ other women who attended. Plans are underway to formalize the Emmaus Community at Bethesda. We plan to have chosen directors, regular gatherings, and more, to promote the walks with the SEI Emmaus Community,
October 6th, 2013 - Praise the Lord as Heather Staples was baptized, from a decision during the Revival!
September 29th through October 2nd, 2013 - We had out first Tent Revival with Bro. Scotty McDowell from Edifying Christ Ministries as evangelist. The Services were awesome, several decisions were made, and attendance was good. Praise the Lord for the time of refreshing, re-dedication, and renewal!
September 22nd, 2013 - Donald Spicer, upon a rededication of his life, was baptized. When asked if he had anything to share, he did so in the form of a prayer, to the praise of God! And then unexpectedly, as the Holy Spirit was moving in the hearts of people, Jacob Rust asked the Lord into his life and was also baptized! He did not want to wait or plan his baptism, so he did it right then! God is awesome!
September 8th, 2013 - Suzanna Wills was baptized! It was a glorious day seeing what God has done in this child's life and the church was full, to the praise of His glory!
September 2nd, 2013 - 19 members plus 4 other friends took a train trip to Charleston. This was the 3rd year of this annual event. Several walked or ran in a 5K Charleston benefit for wounded warriors. We had church in one hotel room, sang on a street corner, visited the Capital, and just had a great weekend of fellowship!
August 18th, 2013 - Sharon Turner, a charter member now living in Michigan, shared her recent mission trip to Honduras. About 2,000 people went into the schools, churches, and neighborhoods for one week. Amazing stories of people being healed! Also of salvation as 26,000 people made professions of faith in the one state Sharon was in, and the missionaries were spread across 15 states!!!!
July 21st thru 26th 2013 - Another awesome VBS called Kingdom Rock!
June 2nd, 2013 - Praise the Lord as Brooke Shoupe who had recently made a profession of faith, was baptized!
June 1st, 2013 - With the Men's ministry taking the lead, there was a church-wide pig roast with games in a picnic type setting. About 125 people or so attended and it was a fun day!
May 13th, 2013 - The first Men's Softball team began playing at Mills Park in Taylor Mill. Volleyball teams had started playing at Hickory Grove sometime the prior winter.
March 28th, 2013 - 40 Easter baskets were delivered to Beech Grove for distribution to families through their resource center. They were very appreciative and we also were able to help some families with some groceries. Its all good!
March 3rd, 2013 - 3 men from the church, Bud Wills, Travis Wills, and Malachi Miles spent one week working in West Liberty building homes that had been damaged and/or destroyed in tornadoes. This was a coordinated effort of the KBC Disaster Relief teams working with Habitat for Humanity.
January 20th, 2013 - Praise the Lord, Donnie and Kim Littrell were baptized today!
December 16th, 2012 - We delivered Christmas presents to 10 children from Beech Grove Elementary.
December 9th, 2012 - The Christ-giving Dinner and Children's Christmas Program were held at Beechgrove Elementary School because the church could not physically accommodate the approximate 125 guests. We had a wonderful dinner, time of fellowship, and were blessed by the children. A great night!
November 18th, 2012 - 10 boxes filled with turkeys and other essentials were taken to families in the neighborhood. Everyone that delivered the boxes praised the Lord because of how they were blessed.
November 4th, 2012 - To the Praise of God, 200 shoe boxes were prepared and shipped! In years past, we had been able to do ~100 so this was a huge blessing to be part of.
October 18th thru 21st, 2012 - Three women (Ina Adkins, Paulette Hensley, and Shelly Miles) attended Walk #86 at Oldenburg, Indiana. Another awesome walk!
October 11th thru October 14th, 2012 - Two men (Donald 'Mac' Spicer and Jerry Miles Jr.) attended Walk #85 at Oldenburg, Indiana. This was another awesome weekend and these men were blessed to have been a part of the weekend and now be a part of the growing Emmaus Community at Bethesda!
October 7th thru 10th, 2012 - Bro. Richard Collins from Great Commission Fellowship preached God's Word, and Greg Krull led the music during this fall Revival. God blessed and spoke to all that were there as many were at the altar each service. Praise the Lord for this time of refreshing and renewal!
September 23rd, 2012 - We held an ordination service for Nathan Bruins into the Elder ministry and Jerry Miles Jr into the Deacon ministry. There was a great turn-out with a dinner after church. Praise the Lord for these 2 men and God bless them as they begin their new ministries!
September 16th, 2012 - Praise the Lord as 3 young people were baptized today! They were Libby Wenz, Isabella Wills, and Micah Wills. God is good!
September 5th, 2012 - Wednesday services were changed to 6:30 pm so the little ones could get home and to bed on time!
August 26th, 2012 - The church, at the recommendation of the acting elder body confirmed the following changes: Reverend Jerry Miles, already licensed into the Gospel ministry, to fulfill a staff position as Pastor of Education. Reverend Greg Fightmaster, also licensed with prior pastoral experience, to fulfill a staff position as Pastor of Outreach. Nathan Bruins to be ordained and serve as a lay elder, also assuming the men's ministry at Bethesda. And Jerry Miles Jr to be ordained and serve as a deacon. Praise the Lord the vote for all 4 men was confirmed!
July 23rd through July 27th - The Amazing Wonders VBS was the best one yet! There were 75 children registered. On average there were 53 children in attendance each night plus 36 workers. High attendance was Monday night (60 children and 31 workers). We collected $324.95 to send to the Alaskan missionary, as well as the 450 items collected and to be mailed! And most importantly - there were 12 children who raised their hand at an invitation to have Jesus come into their hearts! Praise God for He is good!!!
June 9th, 2012 - A church-wide picnic was held and even though many had already started their summer vacations, there were about 75 people in attendance.
May 28th, 2012 - A large group of folks participated in the city of Independence Memorial Day parade, handing out VBS fliers, and candy to the people who came out.
May 20th, 2012 - In a bittersweet moment, Amy Wills, our church pianist held her last piano student recital at BCC. She had been teaching piano and having her recitals every spring at church. Amy is putting her piano teaching 'on hold' for now.
May 19th, 2012 - The annual spring Men's Wild Game night was well attended. No, there were no wild games, but there was a lot of wild game that we ate! There was alligator, elk, kangaroo meatballs, you know the normal stuff you fix for family dinners! The food was adventurous and fun! Brian Berger was the guest speaker and shared an awesome testimony and word of encouragement. A good evening to the glory of God!
April 14th, 2012 - 5 ladies attended the Women of Faith conference at the Taft theater in Cincinnati. Later that day, there was a large post-Emmaus gathering in Rising Sun, Indiana. A busy but awesome day!
March 29th through March 31st - Four women (Bev Staples, Donna Merkle, Pearl Duncan, and Carla Newman) attended the Emmaus walk #84 at Oldenburg, Indiana. This was another awesome weekend and these ladies came back to the Bethesda family refreshed and anew. Like others before them, they gave awesome testimonies of what God had done. And we look forward to seeing all that God is going to do through their experience!
March 22nd through March 24th, 2012 - Three men (Jim Duncan, Aaron Greene, and Tony Merkle), like those before them, with a pioneering spirit and big step of faith in the Lord, attended the Men's Emmaus Walk. Their walk was #83 and was also held at Oldenburg, Indiana. They also returned testifying unto the Lord what He had done for and through them. They were and will continue to be encouragers for others to follow!
February 24th, 2012 - 3 ladies participated at a ladies-lock-in at West Chester Baptist Church. After a night of fellowship and study, with some sleep, they culminated the trip with a little shopping at a local outlet.
February 14th, 2012 - 2 more youth (Malachi Miles and Nick Miles) attended Chrysalis. Malachi testified as to what the Lord had done in his life. Praise the Lord!
January 29th, 2012 - Praise the Lord Alex Graber, who had attended BCC for a few weeks, was baptized.
January 14th, 2012 - Angelica Turner-Merkle became the 1st student to attend Chrysalis (the youth version of the Emmaus walk). Praise the Lord for her leadership and example for others to follow! She gave the church an awesome testimony as to how the Lord had grown her!
December 17th, 2011 - The ladies held a cookie exchange and a good time was had by all!
November 20th, 2011 - Thanksgiving boxes, with turkeys and all the sides, were sent to 10 families in the area who needed a little help. Names were provided through the social services department of Beech Grove Elementary School.
November 16th, 2011 - 100 shoe boxes were prepared and shipped through Samaritan's Purse. Praise the Lord for this ministry. It is such a blessing to see our children work so enthusiastically in the preparation, along with the ladies knitted hats, and so much more.
October 20th through October 22nd, 2011 - Four women (Jenny Miles, Carolyn Campbell, Mary Spaulding, and Roxanne Shannon), also with a pioneering spirit and a big step of faith in the Lord, attended the Women's Emmaus Walk #82 at Oldenburg, Indiana. They also came back refreshed, anew, and testifying to the glory of God! And their enthusiasm has already been catching! Praise the Lord for these faithful women!
October 13th through October 15th, 2011 - Three men (Nathan Bruins, Jerry Miles Sr., and Don Bridges), with a pioneering spirit and big step of faith in the Lord, attended the Men's Emmaus Walk #81 at Oldenburg, Indiana (Southeast Indiana Emmaus Community). They came back testifying unto the Lord what He had done for and through them, which was quite evident by the way! Praise the Lord for these men who will be a source of encouragement for others to follow.
September 25th, 2011 - The church celebrated the retirement of our first Church Office Manager, Debbie Wills. There was a meal, hymns of praise, testimonies, and gifts. It was a celebration for one who so faithfully served our Lord and our church so well. Debbie is going to remain a member of Bethesda and will continue to serve the Lord, just in other areas. Thanks Debbie and we praise the Lord for you!
September 24th, 2011 - The Men's Seafood Feast was held with all kinds of things out of the lakes and oceans that one would not normally eat! There was a full house and the men were encouraged in their faith walk. A good night!
July 18th through July 24th, 2011 - The Big Apple Adventure VBS was held during the week with a commencement on Sunday July 24th. It was an awesome week with record highs in attendance. 7 children made professions of faith in the Lord during the Evangelism-focused service! Praise the Lord.
July 3rd, 2011 - Jake Staples made a decision for Christ and then 'schemed' with Bro. Tim to have a 'surprise' baptism this Sunday morning. Everything went great and there were many tears of joy when the congregation learned of Jake's decision. Jake had previously built the podium and the cross, and helped in various projects around the church. He had really always been a part of us! In recent months he had begun playing drums in the Praise Band. Praise the Lord!
June 5th, 2011 - Cara Wills was unanimously approved by the acting elder body and church vote to be the new Office Manager following Debbie Will's resignation to pursue other interests within the church. Praise the Lord!
April 18th, 2011 - 40 Easter Baskets were prepared, prayed over, and delivered to Beech Grove Elementary School for children who are in need.
April 10th, 2011 - Aaron Greene was baptized after rededicating his life to Christ 2 weeks before. Praise the Lord! That evening the church prepared 40 Easter baskets for children at Beech Grove Elementary.
March 17th through March 20th, 2011 - Bro. Tim attended the Emmaus walk #79 of Southeastern Indiana at Oldenburg. It is hoped that many more from the church will follow. Judy attended the women's walk the following weekend.
March 13th, 2011 - A great day as Jerry Miles was ordained into the Gospel Ministry. Jerry had been approved by the church body for licensing and also for serving as our first lay elder. Bro. Tim brought the Ordination Charge and after laying on of hands, Bro. Jerry preached his 1st Message as an ordained minister of the Gospel. A meal and fellowship came after the service and the church was full, to the glory of God!
February 20th, 2011 - A special day! Kevin Richardson addressed the church in the morning service regarding Sunrise Children's Home. Last year we had given them a 'mile of pennies' and are prayerfully considering supporting them on a monthly basis. In the evening, 3 men (Travis Wills, Jim Duncan, and Chuck Smith) were ordained as deacons. God's house was full and a fellowship also pursued. And Travis's grandmother Virginia Wills shared privately with Brother Tim (now it will not be private anymore to the Praise of God), this story... In 1952, she, a prayer warrior from New Banklick named Coella Callen, and the owner of the church property (Ms Wills could not recall her name), met here (in the owner's home), and prayed that someday there would be a church on this very site. Ms. Wills shared with Bro. Tim through tears of joy, how God had answered that prayer, and the joy she had since her son, her grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, are all attending Bethesda! God answers prayer! Praise His Name!
February 12th, 2011 - A very special Valentine's Banquet was held with Bro. Tim's former pastor, Rev Randy Wallace from Oak Ridge Baptist Church coming to play music and sing.
January 30th, 2011 - A great day in God's House as we celebrated 6 years, the birth of Bethesda! Bro.Tim preached a Message on Servant Leadership. The following men were recommended by the acting Elder body and confirmed by church vote as follows: Travis Wills, Jim Duncan, and Chuck Smith to serve as Deacons. Jerry Miles to serve as an Elder and also to be licensed into the Gospel Ministry, having a calling upon his life to preach. God confirmed through much prayer, speaking to different people at different times with the same Message, and the vote of the church. With the recent announcement of the formation of a Praise and Worship Team, these are very exciting days at Bethesda. Praise Him!
January 16th, 2011 - Praise the Lord as Damion Catteran was baptized!
November 20th, 2010 - The Nehemiah project ended with great results! Just some of the accomplishments:
Parking Lot Expansion
'Shutter and Gutter' type work completed on Church building
Outside grounds cleaned, new grass seed, etc.
Continued work on Prayer Garden
Sanctuary painted, added praise banners, anew sound booth, and organized music area
Children's rooms given a fresh coat of 'paint and polka-dots'
Bathrooms and Kitchens painted, organized, and given some fresh updates
Hallways painted and reorganized
Foyer painted, reorganized, decorated, and secretary's office moved to front
And much more!
But beyond the physical work, there was a great deal of spiritual bonding as people came together for a great cause. It was a true joy to experience!
November 7th, 2010 - 110 Shoe boxes were packed to be sent through Samaritan's Purse, to the glory of God!
October 17th, 2010 - Carolyn Campbell was baptized. It was a great day in the Lord's house!
September 30th, 2010 - The Nehemiah project began which was a 52 day project scheduled to end November 20th. Like Nehemiah who built the walls of Jerusalem, we were doing some major renovation on the property and buildings. 12 teams were assigned with leaders and 'wall builders'. And we were literally living the word as Bro. Tim preached a Sermon series from Nehemiah during this time.
August 22nd 2010 - Awesome Service. 2 families joined the church, 2 people rededicated their lives, and the following 3 people were baptized: Hannah Newman, Rebekah Wills, and Randall Miles. Praise the Lord for an awesome day!
July 17th 2010 - Work began on the Prayer Garden.
June 21st thru 25th 2010 - Another great VBS called Saddle Ridge Ranch. 6 children made professions of faith. Praise the Lord!
April 16th and 17th, 2010 - Several ladies attended an Escape retreat and were blessed!
April 2nd, 2010 - We made Easter baskets and took them to the Women's Crisis Center and also some to St. Elizabeth Pediatrics.
March 14th, 2010 - Reverend Troy Cates resigned his Associate Pastor position. Troy, his wife Camille, and 3 children served Bethesda well for 3+ years. They had left a paid position in Georgia to come here to serve bi-vocationally. A business venture failed, and while continuing to pray about what the Lord would have them to do, He told them it was time for them to move on. Brother Troy established the Youth and Young Adult programs in his time here. We wish them all the best!
March 7th, 2010 - A Big day in the life of Bethesda as Sunday School started. There were 50 people in attendance and every room in the original building including the Sanctuary, and also the Youth building (original garage) was used.
February 27th, 2010 - We took grocery bags to needy neighbors and were blessed in the process!
January 31st, 2010 - What an awesome day! Bethesda celebrated its 5 year anniversary. We had a special AM service with a commemorative video that showed just how far God has taken us in the first 5 years. In the evening we gathered at Beech Grove Elementary with a dinner, a wonderful cake, a video, some heart-felt testimonies, and a Message from our guest speaker, Rev. Harold Pike from the NKBA. God reminded us that day of His faithfulness, His provision, His care, and His love. What a day! PTL!
December 27th, 2009 - On this day at the Campbell County Detention Center 22 people made professions of faith and/or rededications to the Lord Jesus Christ. PTL! This ministry Bethesda is privileged to be a part of with many other local churches. We get a 'turn' to go in about every 6 weeks and there are decisions for Christ all the time!
December 24th, 2009 - Bethesda's first Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. Praise the Lord Brother Tim preached for only about 8 minutes! The Service was very well attended, almost full.
December 20th, 2009 - The Children's Christmas Program this year also included the adult choir and it was another awesome night, praise be to our God!
November 22nd, 2009 - William McCall and Zac Richards were baptized, Praise the Lord! We also took 9 Thanksgiving meals to families in need. The names of the families were received from the Beech Grove Elementary Resource Center.
November 8th, 2009 - 100 shoe boxes were prepared and sent to children through Samaritan's Purse.
September 27th, 2009 - The 1st Servant Appreciation banquet was held. This was a chance for all those who serve to be able to reflect on the service of our Lord and be refreshed with a good dinner and a message from George Shanks, our guest speaker. George coordinates the Disaster Relief efforts for the NKBA and works a lot with Bud and Daryl, 2 of our deacons.
September 12th, 2009 - At the end of a long work day, the original church building stood completed. The stone was completed on the front porch, new siding and shutters installed, and painting finished. This represents a significant milestone as the original building was now completely remodeled as well as the original garage converted to a Youth Center.
June 26th through 29th, 2009 - Another awesome VBS! We had the VBS each evening Wednesday through Friday, then a commencement, dinner, and celebration on Sunday. To the glory of God 3 children made professions of faith in the Lord!
May 25th, 2009 - We loaded up the Boomerang Express (VBS theme) and participated in the Independence Day Parade. We distributed over a 1,000 each of fliers and plastic boomerangs! Even though it 'rained on our parade' we had a great day in the Lord! Well attended and well received!
April 8th, 2009 - Delivered 25 Easter Buckets to the Campbell County Boy's Club. Also this week we delivered 25 buckets to Fairhaven Women's Ministry.
April 3rd - 4th, 2009 - 16 ladies attended the 'Escape' Retreat and came back energized for the Lord!
March 29th, 2009 - An awesome Visioning Service. Well Attended. Many ministries reported such inspiring results, including 48 people being saved during the Disaster Recovery efforts earlier this year.
March 20th through March 22nd 2009 - Bro. Tim preached at 'The Meadow 33 day Revival' in Maryville, Tn. This is the new ministry start of the Raucci's.
February 22nd, 2009 - Movie night showing 'Fireproof'. This movie touched a lot of lives!
February 8th, 2009 - Another great time at the Annual Valentine's Dinner!!
January 18th, 2009 - Praise the Lord! Rebecca and Zach Hutchinson (siblings) were baptized today!
December 31st, 2008 - The 1st New Years Eve Service. We had a great time of testimony, singing, some games and fellowship, food, and then we prayed in the New Year. Thanks to Ed and Shirley Neville for coordinating the event.
November 9th, 2008 - Praise the Lord for another great celebration of His grace! Eric Bradshaw and Christian Brown were both baptized on this day! That evening the church packed 100 shoe boxes for Samaritan's Purse.
October 12th, 2008 - Another great day! The church ordained Bro. Ed Neville as a deacon. There was also a music sing-a-long and ice cream social afterwards.
October 11th, 2008 - Our first Pastor Appreciation dinner held at Ockerman Middle School due to number of people attending. Praise the Lord and a special thank you to Wendy Smith for obtaining the school, Debbie and Amy Wills for cooking and many others!
September 28th, 2008 - Our first Gideon speaker, Tom Melhorn shared with us on Sunday morning,
September 21st, 2008 - Our first Mission Recognition Service for children.
June 25th thru June 29th, 2008 - VBS theme of Outrigger Island culminating in a Luau on Sunday after morning services.
June 1st, 2008 - Another awesome day! The following 3 people were baptized: Kathy Vannarsdall, Jennifer Vannarsdall, and Sarah Evans.
May 2nd, 2008 - Our first Independence Day Parade! Bro. Dan Ison from True Vine Church loaned us a tractor. Many of the folks from Bethesda participated in the decorating of our 'float' as well as walking the route and giving out leis, candy, VBS fliers, and a lot of Aloha's since the theme was Outrigger island. It was a good time, we handed out about 600 leis and 400 fliers, as well as several buckets of candy.
April 20th, 2008 - The prior week saw 6 people join the church and 5 of those 6 also requesting Baptism! The Baptismal Service was held on Sunday morning. Bro. Tim had the privilege of baptizing Janice Carpenter, Gloria Kerns, John Kerns, and Pearl Duncan. Bro. Troy Cates had the privilege of baptizing his first person at Bethesda, Samantha Lutes. Many families and friends were in attendance and it was another awesome day!
March 22nd, 2008 - In what has turned into a yearly ministry we took 25 Easter baskets to the Women's Crisis Center. We also took 8 baskets to Homeward Bound, the runaway shelter in Covington.
February 13th, 2008 - Our first official Youth Bible Study. Troy Cates and Zac Richards led the study on sharing your faith. There were 9 youth in attendance. PTL!!!
January 5th, 2008 - Bethesda got into the church rotation manning a booth at the Richwood Flea Market, where we share the Gospel, give tracts and Bibles away, and pray with people. Zac Richards is leading this ministry.
December 16th, 2007 - Another first for Bethesda! The children put on a Christmas Musical and Play that was absolutely awesome! Cara Wills led this effort along with the help of many others. Jack Cheek made a 'Happy Birthday Jesus' cake that everyone also enjoyed!
November 9th - 11th, 2007 - Pastor Ed Ainsworth from Generations Church in Lubbock Texas led us in a weekend revival. The Services were absolutely awesome as the Spirit of God moved in the lives of the believers. 3 new believers were also added to the Kingdom!
October 1st, 2007 - Folks collect change totaling $347.48 that is donated to Beechgrove Elementary School to help children pay for lunches that otherwise do not have the money.
September 24th, 2007 - 50 dresses sewn together as part of the 'hemmed in prayer' ministry are sent to South America for children in need.
September 17th, 2007 - The official launch of the Outreach ministry. The 'G' team will meet the 1st Monday of each month and the 'O' team will meet the third. Folks begin meeting at the church at 6:30 pm. some would pray, and some would go to visit and encourage people.
August 19th, 2007 - James and Heather Raucci leave Bethesda for Tennessee where they are being led of the Lord to start a new work called 'Blessed Hope Church'.
July 22nd, 2007 - Jim Duncan and Sydney Ricken were baptized. Praise the Lord for an awesome day!
May 20th, 2007 - Michael Rust is one of our members serving in the military in Afghanistan. We sent Michael 200+ small children's toys that he could then pass out to the children he comes in contact with there. We had prayed the 91st Psalm over Michael when he left for active duty in January of 2007 and commissioned him as also a missionary for the Lord.
May 5th, 2007 - (Cinco de Mayo) Pastor Edgar Morales and the Spanish Mission Church from Covington came to Bethesda and baptized 6 people in the front pond. We also had a service and a cookout and enjoyed just a wonderful day of God's Spirit moving over us and each other's company!
March 25th, 2007 - Rev. Steve Pettit preached on Sunday morning and also presided over Bro. Tim's ordination service in the afternoon. Much hard work was put into the preparation by the whole church and it was an awesome day in the Lord! All of the construction on the original building was finished just in time, much food and desserts, along with an awesome array of flowers, and much more was prepared. The Sanctuary was full as many friends and family came to share in the celebration. The questioning was at 2:00 and the council (Rev. Troy Cates presiding, with an acting elder body of Roby Mink, Jerry Miles, Daryl Spaulding, and Bud Wills) unanimously recommended approval of the ordination which began at 3:00 PM. Afterwards there was much food and fellowship. Praise the Lord for another awesome day in the life of the church!
March 4th, 2007 - Jim Duncan, a neighbor who started coming to church in February gave his life to Jesus. This was so awesome because the Lord is truly reaching the community!
February 25th, 2007 - After securing the 'portable baptistry' and setting it up, the first Baptismal Service was conducted with the following people being baptized: Shirley Krull, Holli Trumbo. Chelsey Campbell, Elijah Rust, Kevin Davis, Malachi Miles, and Cierra Mink.
February 3rd - 4th, 2007 - An awesome Men's Breakfast Saturday morning! We prayed with a man at the altar struggling with an addiction. That evening a pipe that had evidently frozen in the corner of the kitchen/sanctuary wall burst and flooded the entire sanctuary. The prayer chain was started and many people came to clean up the water. Last one left at 11:15 pm. We had an awesome service Sunday with a message titled 'Are you dating the church?'. People came for healing, baptism, dedication, etc. God moved! Later on Sunday afternoon, Roby Mink, Jerry Miles, and James Raucci went with Gary Fitterrer to the Campbell Count Detention center to minister to the ones there. This was Bethesda's first time of a regular rotation with other churches. 7 young people (5 boys and 2 girls) received Jesus Christ as their savior! The next month, 10 more were saved! Our God is awesome!
January 21st, 2007 - Our first canceled service due to inclement weather.
December 24th, 2006 - Bethesda's largest service to date with about 87 people in attendance. Bro. Troy Cates was voted in as Associate Pastor with an emphasis on Youth and Young Adults. Bro. Troy and his wife Camille, along with their children Phoebbe, Sophie, and John James comes to us from Columbus, Georgia. Troy and Camille are originally from Amarillo, Texas, have served in Northern Kentucky previously, and have also been International Missionaries serving in the Seychelles islands. Welcome to the Bethesda family, Troy , Camille, and family!
November 19th, 2006 - 7 families were given Thanksgiving boxes and we had the opportunity to share a word of encouragement.
November 17th, 2006 - Debbie Wills and Mary Spaulding took breakfast to the teachers and staff at Beech Grove school. They got up early that morning and we received very positive feedback and appreciation. PTL!
November 13th, 2006 - 101 shoe boxes were sent for Christmas through Samaritan's purse.
November 12th, 2006 - The Christian Motorcycle Association (CMA) joined us in the morning service and we had a great time of worship with them. Bro. Jerry Spegal sang a special and spoke about the CMA while Bro. Paul Ballinger brought the Message.
October 29th, 2006 - A Pastor appreciation dinner was held and the church enjoyed a great time of fellowship!
October 25th, 2006 - About 2,000 tracts with candy was given to trick-or-treater's.
October 7th, 2006 - Men's first prayer breakfast with following members (Roby Mink, Ed Neville, Greg Krull, Bud Wills, Travis Wills, Jerry Miles, Bro. Tim) and two guests (Charlie Miles, Asher).
September 27th 2006 - After approximately 6 months of collecting items, working with DHL who provided reduced shipping costs, working with local churches, and seeing God's awesome faithfulness, we were able to ship a 'container' via boat to Brother Booker Banda in Lilongwe, Malawi. They had experienced famine and difficult times in 2006. Within the container were Bibles, First-Aid kits, clothes, rice, beans, mortar mix, bicycles for the pastors, toys, and many other essential items. Each of the 700+ items were sent with a Bible verse attached. The total shipment was 19,000 pounds! This was an awesome time in the life of our church, seeing our people work with other local denominations to pull this shipment together! Hebron Church of Christ allowed us to park the trailer for loading on their parking lot. Florence United Methodist and Florence Baptist Temple also provided various resources (people, money, and items to ship) and they share in the joy of working side-by-side with us in this mission project. Other individuals and groups like the local NKBA office and WMU also pitched in with financial assistance. Heather Raucci coordinated this ministry outreach and was a real blessing! We worked very hard in loading the entire trailer in a 36 hour window. The trailer being picked up by DHL was covered by the local ABC news station. It was truly humbling to see God at work in so many ways! He is SO good! Please read Matthew 25:35-40.
September 17th through September 20th, 2006 - Our first Revival was held with Bro. Don Browning as the evangelist and Broken Vessel Ministries leading the worship. There were over 3,000 people invited with personal invitations, mailings, etc. and while attendance was not what we had hoped, the people of Bethesda experienced Revival. The final night's Message was especially uplifting, encouraging us that 'we shall not be moved', based on Psalm 16:8.
August 7th through August 12th, 2006 - We held VBS and a block party on Saturday with Broken Vessel Ministry supplying the music. We raised $627.08 in VBS mission offerings for a shipment of supplies to Malawi, Africa. There were 50 - 60 people at VBS each night, 70 people at the block party, and we enjoyed an awesome week in the Lord!
June 18th, 2006 - Roby Mink and Jerry Miles were both ordained into the Deacon Ministry and the service was held in conjunction with the Father's Day Sunday Morning Service. It was an awesome day! There were many guests and we totaled about 75 people in attendance.
June 4th, 2006 - Our first baby dedication. Praise the Lord for the children! The following children were dedicated: Isabella Wills, Suzanna Wills, Jerry Alan Miles III, Malachi and Randall Miles.
May 14th, 2006 - Our first service in the new sanctuary of the original house. It was an awesome day! Praise the Lord! We dedicated the building through prayer and anointing. We had Mother's Day recognition, and Bro. Tim preached a message called 'The Ebenezer' from 1st Samuel chapter 7, verses 3-13 with an emphasis on verse 12 since 'Thus far the Lord has helped us'. We had about 60 people in attendance which was our largest crowd to date. Mr. Jake Staples built the wooden pulpit and surprised Bro. Tim with it! Many people had spent countless hours tearing out walls, plumbing, mudding, drywalling, etc and the sanctuary was beautiful. God is SO good!!!
April 16th, 2006 - Our first Easter service at Mt. Zion Road. While we were still meeting in the 'fireplace' room of the original house, we were very crowded, Praise the Lord, with 55+ in attendance!
April 2nd, 2006 - The Son Light team from Eastern Kentucky University shared with us in drama, song, and reading of the Word. It was an awesome day and first visiting BSU Missionary team.
February 27th, 2006 - Work began in the southern wing of the original house. What was 2 bedrooms, a large dining room, a laundry room, and a master bath will become a sanctuary!
February 25th, 2006 - Bro. Tim hosted the first Financial Seminar at Bethesda and invited other churches to participate.
February 12th, 2006 - The first Valentine's Banquet.
January 29th, 2006 - Bethesda celebrated its one year anniversary with a dinner, video, and fellowship with 50+ people in attendance.
January 27th, 2006 - Church sponsored a 'free soup Friday' for local business workers.
December 20th, 2005 - First Annual Ladies cookie exchange. Praise the Lord 24 ladies had a great fellowship!
December 2nd, 2005 - At the Independence Christmas walk we made a lot of contacts, gave out 100 hot dogs, and shared the Gospel.
November 15th, 2005 - Bro. Tim and Judy Freimuth attended their first KBC annual meeting representing Bethesda in Frankfort. The church was voted in to full membership! We had already obtained 501c3 exemption through the SBC in October.
November 14th, 2005 - 107 Christmas boxes were shipped to children around the world through the Samaritan's Purse program. Later, we received correspondence back from a girl in Africa! Praise the Lord! Mary Spaulding brought this ministry to Bethesda.
October 31st, 2005 - Candy and Gospel tracts were handed out at 3 different homes.
October 17th, 2005 - Bethesda was voted into the NKBA (Northern Kentucky Baptist Association) during the Annual meeting. Debbie Wills, Judy and Bro. Tim Freimuth attended the meeting. Praise the Lord!
October 2nd, 2005 - 29 'Welcome Neighbor' baskets were handed out to the Mt Zion neighbors between Route 25 and Bristow. Included in the baskets was church info, a Jesus video, soup in a jar, towels, tracts, etc. They were very well received!
October 1st, 2005 - The first hay ride was well attended! There was a bonfire and roasted hot dogs!
September 4th, 2005 - The first Sunday morning service on Mt Zion Road. We used the room with the fireplace as the sanctuary construction had not yet begun.
September 1st, 2005 - We obtained our permanent occupancy permit from the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission. This had been a matter of intense prayer. Praise the Lord!
August 22nd, 2005 - Bro. Tim and Judy Freimuth, Debbie Wills, and Roby Mink, representing our church, meet with the NKBA Credentials Committee. Bro. Tim shared the Bethesda vision.
August 15th through 19th, 2005 - Bethesda's first VBS. Theme was 'Construction Zone' which went perfectly with the state of the Church property! The last day there was a block party which was well attended. A temporary permit had been obtained to have this VBS. The offering for the week was about $800 and was given to DeMossville Baptist Church as they were building a much needed playground.
July 19th through 21st, 2005 - Bro. Tim and Judy attend a church planter conference in Louisville sponsored by the KBC.
July 17th, 2005 - The church voted for 4 men by secret ballot and individual name, each being ratified unanimously by the body to serve as deacons - Bud Wills, Roby Mink, Daryl Spaulding, and Jerry Miles. Bud and Daryl were already ordained. Roby and Jerry would be ordained once we moved into the new church.
July 15th, 2005 - Bro. Tim writes letter to NKBA and KBC requesting membership.
June 27th, 2005 - Debbie Wills first day on the job as Office Manager.
June 22nd, 2005 - In the prayer meeting that evening, the By-Laws were ratified.
June 19th, 2005 - Our first church vote! Debbie Wills was voted in unanimously to be Office Manager working part-time. Bethesda's first paid servant!
June 9th, 2005 - We closed on the property at 989 East Mt. Zion Road. The purchase price was $280,000. Praise the Lord!!!! That evening we had a fellowship and dedication of the land.
June 8th, 2005 - Without the DOT permit, we could not widen the driveway, not meet the requirements for the conditional use permit, and therefore not close on the property! Fellow preacher named Dan Black from Immanuel Baptist Church stopped by to do some work a day early and explained to Bro. Tim that the Lord led him there for some reason. As the DOT man was measuring the road to ensure we had enough visibility, Bro. Tim and Bro. Dan stood in the road and prayed. This was a 'Moses at the Red Sea' moment per Bro. Tim! The DOT man measured and measuring 318 feet, said we did not have enough. Bro Tim reiterated (several times) it had to be enough! After a few moments, the man re-checked his book , from the truck, after realizing the speed limit was actually 35MPH instead of 45MPH. As he showed Bro Tim the chart, the number needed for 35MPH? Yes, it had to be! Exactly 318 feet! Just what he measured! God is so good!!! This was a God moment to say the least! In the Prayer meeting that night, we ratified our Church Constitution.
June 7th, 2005 - Planning and Zoning Meeting approved and granted us a Conditional Use Permit with stipulation we widen the driveway to accommodate 2-way traffic. This put us under the gun to talk to the DOT and obtain a permit by the end of the next day!
May 29th, 2005 - Charter Membership Sunday. The Spaulding and Miles families came forward for membership. Everyone on the membership as of this date will sign the original church constitution. Praise the Lord!
May 18th, 2005 - Piner Baptist Church voted to sponsor us as a church. Praise the Lord!
May 15th, 2005 - Roby Mink preached his first sermon. Praise the Lord for a great message on the faith of Abraham. Mrs. Bessie McPeek was here to share her diaper bag ministry and the church gave her a love offering to help in her ministry. She became one of our regularly supported North American Missionaries.
May 1st, 2005 - The official Church launch. Bro. Tim preached a message from John chapter 5, verses 1 through 9. Broken Vessel Ministries led the worship and the music was awesome! Approximately 800 fliers were sent via email, snail mail, and door-to-door, as well as advertising on the local Christian radio and TV Stations. While not as many people showed up as we had hoped for, GOD SHOWED UP. We had 70+ people for the service and God moved. He 'enlarged our borders' with some people joining the membership and several others who are planning on visiting with us again. There were testimonies of people after the service who said their hearts had been touched by God with the message'. Praise God for the good day that he gave us. He is indeed worthy of our Praise!!!
April 19th, 2005 - Bro. Tim submits plans for the initial church infrastructure plans (sign, parking lot, etc.) to Kenton County Planning and Zoning.
April 16th, 2005 - At the property, Bro. Tim meets with a man he had known for a couple of years to make plans on where to put the new church sign. This was needed for Planning and Zoning. The man accepts Jesus as his personal savior and he and Bro. Tim pray in the parking lot. Praise the Lord! Talk about a sign!
April 15th, 2005 - Bud Wills, Roby Mink, and Bro. Tim Freimuth, the 3 trustees as designated by the Articles of Incorporation sign an offer to purchase the 7.2 acres and house at 989 East Mt. Zion Road.
April 14th, 2005 - Bro. Tim speaks with Bro. Bill Class from Ashland Avenue Baptist Church for the purpose of forming a partnership on mission projects and church collaboration.
April 13th, 2005 - Bro. Richard Collins from Piner informs us the staff and deacons voted unanimously to sponsor us and Piner will officially vote as a church May 18th. We rejoice and await the vote.
April 11th, 2005 - Roby Mink, Tim and Judy Freimuth, meet with Barry Rieselman from Batson and Associates to review the architectural changes we want to make to the property at 989 East Mt. Zion road. Conclusion is that we have to add a support beam in the basement and we will be able to remove all interior walls in newest home addition in order to create a sanctuary large enough to hold 80 -90 people! God had known when this addition was added on years ago that it would someday be a church, because the building was much more up to commercial code than required.
April 10th, 2005 - In the evening, we have a prayer walk on the East Mt. Zion property. Bro. Tim shares a Word from Joshua chapter 1. We believe we have found the place where the Lord wants to build Bethesda!
April 3rd, 2005 - The first of many more services was held at Twenhofel Middle School.
March 29th, 2005 - Bethesda Community Church incorporated.
March 27th, 2005 - The first Easter service and Lord's supper.
March 25th, 2005 - The first home-mission project! 40 Easter baskets with Gideon Bibles (supplied by Terry Marshall, a friend of Bro. Tim's) are sent to the Women Crisis Center and Pediatric division of St. Elizabeth Hospital. This ministry project became an annual event.
March 13th, 2005 - The first of 3 services were held at Harvest Hill subdivision's clubhouse in Independence.
March 11th, 2005 - Judy Freimuth departs for a 10 day mission trip to La Puerta, Venezuela.
March 6th, 2005 - The first liability-type insurance policy was issued. Services were held in the home of Sharon Turner.
February 27th, 2005 - Michelle Dicks, a co-worker of Bro. Tim's, shared her testimony regarding her 40 day fast and how God healed her, physically, spiritually, and in every way. It was a powerful message!
February 20th, 2005 - In the afternoon, the following people representing the majority of the congregation went to the property at 989 East Mt. Zion Road to view the property and pray: Bro. Tim and Judy Freimuth, Sharon Turner, Roby and Michelle Mink, Bud and Debbie Wills, Troy and Amy Wills, Travis and Cara Wills, Earl and Judy Cooper, Tom Robbins, Denise Brown, and Cassy Raabe. We discussed what the Lord was leading us to do as a body regarding the possible purchase of the property. After much discussion and prayer, the majority received confirmation that the Lord was in fact leading us to purchase this property. We discussed zoning, insurance, the pond on the property, a future church, using the existing house for the interim, and other related topics. An offer for the property was submitted. Of course we had no real money, only faith!!
February 14th, 2005 - Bro. Tim speaks to Bro. Richard Collins requesting sponsorship from Piner Baptist Church, Morningview, KY.
February 13th, 2005 - Bro. Don Browning preaches the Sunday service, becoming the first guest speaker as Bro. Tim was ill.
February 8th, 2005 - Bro. Tim and Judy meet with Bro. Larry Baker at the Kentucky Baptist Convention in Louisville to share the vision for Bethesda. Bro. Larry commits to prayer and also to help us with all of the necessary paperwork for incorporation and IRS considerations. Later that same day, we look at a property at 989 East Mt. Zion Road. It consists of a 3,100 Square Foot Ranch home and 7.2 acres of land. We look at the property and begin to earnestly pray.
February 6th, 2005 - The second service is held with 38 people in attendance. Praise the Lord! There was meal shared after the service.
January 30th, 2005 - The first service is held with the following 22 people in attendance: Bro Tim and Judy Freimuth, Juanita Huff, Sharon Turner, Troy and Amy Wills, Roby, Michelle, Cierra, and Kari Mink, Adam, Melissa, and Bella Wills, Travis, Cara, and Rebekah Wills, Bud and Debbie Wills, Geri Campbell, Tom, Tracy, and Paige Robbins. Bro. Tim preached from John 5:1-9.
January 26th 2005 - During the prayer meeting, the core group decides to have the first service January 30th. The next few days bring a barrage of activities. The Kensington Park clubhouse is procured for 5 weeks of services. A portable pulpit is purchased. A web site is brought up (BethesdaCommunityChurch.org). A Worship team is assembled. A PO Box is opened (Po Box 414 Florence KY. 41022-0414).
January 12th, 2005 -The first regularly scheduled prayer meeting is held at 71 Wellington Drive, the home of Bro. Tim and Judy Freimuth.
December 29th, 2004 - The Lord confirms to Bro. Tim and others His desire for a new church start in the area. Bro Tim shares this with Bro. Richard Collins, pastor at Piner Baptist Church, and Bro. Rick Robbins, Director of Missions for The Northern Kentucky Baptist Association. They both commit to pray about the new work. A Tax id is acquired and a checking account is opened at The Bank on the corner of US42 and Pleasant Valley Road.
November 7th, 2004 - Piner Baptist Church conducts licensing service for Bro. Tim Freimuth. After discussions with Director of Missions Rick Robbins and Bro. Richard Collins, he leaves Piner to pursue a new church work or an Associate Pastor position with one of the Northern Kentucky Baptist churches. Bro. Tim and Judy begin to visit churches in the area, perform pulpit supply as opportunities arise, all the while praying about the new church start.
October 2004 - In a Deacon meeting at Piner Baptist church, Bro. Collins reveals that the Lord was calling Bro. Tim to at some point begin a new church work. The deacons laid hands on and prayed over him.
February, 2004 - Piner Baptist Church votes to license Bro. Tim to the Gospel Ministry. About this time, the Lord was beginning to reveal His desire for a new work to several different people.
