Our target? Healthy families in a healthy church!
The relationship we enter into with both God and each other upon our salvation and integration into the church is likened in Scripture to a family relationship (see, for example, 2 Cor 6:18). The unity of the church, the cohesion and the health of the “household of God” which is the body of Christ at Bethel, depends largely on how each family finds its place and all its members understand their role as “men of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). This is why families are important to us. In the context of the extended Bethel family, not only do individuals find their place in service, but families, as individual units, are also valued and given special attention. This begins even before the family unit is formed, through the marriage preparation course, which is mandatory for all those who want to tie their destinies at Bethel. Over the almost 15 years since this course has been running, we have found that those who have taken it have much more stable families.
We live in times when the family is constantly under attack (unfortunately this year we, as a church, have also experienced these attacks), therefore it is necessary to close ranks and watch over one another, supporting and encouraging one another. The Thursday prayer program through which we pray for each of the church families, covering the entire membership in one year, is one of the forms of family support. Child blessing services are opportunities where we are reminded that not only the family, but also the entire church takes responsibility to watch over and assist parents in raising their children in Christian teaching. Sunday school group fellowship evenings in which the entire family participates aim to strengthen relationships between church families and encourage each other. We periodically organize conferences for families in which both parents and children are involved and in which special teaching is given to ensure a full family growth, because a healthy church is made up of healthy families. Pastoral visits, in turn, are opportunities not only to encourage church families, but also to detect possible problems that can then be addressed in pastoral counseling meetings. Even though the trend in society is worrying regarding the stability of families, we know that if we operate based on biblical principles, our families will remain standing, which is why working with families will continue to be of central importance within the ministry of our church.
– Petru Bulica