It's just common sense, right 


When asked what the most important commandments in scripture were, Jesus responded by saying,

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind.”  He then also said, “Love your neighbour as you love yourself.”

Jesus tells us to love him with everything we have.  

With our passion (heart).  

With who we are as individuals (soul).  

With our logic or common sense (mind).  

This command was based on Deuteronomy 6:4-5.  Jesus adapts it and instead of strength, he adds mind.  That’s interesting to me.

As Christians, we sometimes forget that one way to love God is to use our brains.  That can mean spending time understanding the Bible and bigger theological issues.  But the reality is that while that is vital and important, it isn’t for everyone.  Personally I think that loving God with my mind means using my common sense.  Sometimes we make following Jesus so very complicated, when actually, all we have to do is use our common sense, which is a gift from God.  Using common sense means exactly that. 

Isn’t it incredibly comforting to know that every time you use your brain and just simply do the most sensible thing, you are loving God.  We forget what a gift it is.

Here are some common sense ways to love God this week:

Don’t live beyond your means. Spend your money in common sense, practical, needs based ways rather than extravagant, nice but not necessary ways.
Don’t simply believe everything you read or hear from experts.  A little common sense goes a long way. At the same time, if someone is an expert and a person of integrity, maybe it is wise to listen to them.
Love your neighbour in practical common sense ways.  A smile. Taking time to chat, even if its just about the weather.  Let someone go ahead of you in a queue.
Get up and go to church. I don’t just mean on a Sunday.  Church is about meeting with other Christians.  Find a way to prioritise that.  We live in amazing times.  It has never been easier to contact people. Watch the service online (for services at Bethel, just search YouTube for “bethelinllantwit”. But there are so many other ways to meet with other Christians.

Following Jesus is not complicated but we don’t always find it easy.  It helps to engage your brain and use a little common sense. 

- Phil Hibbert

Glenys
Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello 


We know meeting someone for the first time can be intimidating and going to a new church for the first time can be nerveracking. We want to help make your first experience at Bethel a great one.

Where and When

We meet at the Chapel (details here) for our Sunday Service starting at 10:30am.
For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early.  As we don't have our own car park, you will have to find a spot in one of the many public car parks around town.  Don't worry, there is always loads of parking as it's Sunday morning and its.a very short walk.
When you arrive, you will be greeted by one of our welcomers at the door, who will show you where to sit and provide you with a "Contact Us" sheet should you want to us to contact you after the service.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There are disabled toilets in the church hall.

We see our services on a Sunday like a family get together.  We like to laugh and have fun.  Life can sometimes be very challenging, whether you are young or old; it helps to have support and a place to belong; so on Sundays we do just that.  

What you can expect on a Sunday morning at Bethel is:

A warm, friendly community of people
To be welcomed and included.    
To be supported.
To be given a chance.
To sometimes laugh and sometimes cry.
To be challenged and also to have fun.
To experience the presence of God in us and in creation.
To sing, because music is probably the best way we have of expressing our emotions and gratefulness to God.
A love for the Bible and the truths in it.

Bethel04














What about my kids?

We have a great programme lined up for kids of all ages:

Creche (0 months to 3 years). Children under 6 months are welcome but must be accompanied by their parent/grown-up at all times.
Sunday Club (4 -11 years)
Young people (11+ years) They have a group meeting one week and the next join in the service in the Chapel. 

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for the welcome, a song or two songs, notices and an all age reflection. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. At the end of the notices someone will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups.  We suggest that on your first visit, you go along with your child to drop them off and meet the leaders, before returning to the Chapel. 

The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.


Getting Connected


Home Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Small Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team. 

Other Ministries

We also run the following ministries:

Men's Ministries
Women's Ministries
Youth Group
Foodbank
Renew Wellbeing Cafe
 

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.
 
Name:
Telephone:
Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.
 

Leadership 

Phil    
Phil Hibbert    
Pastor    
 
We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.