History: 

We have a long history and a bright future.

Bethany was founded in New Britain in 1884 by a group of Swedish immigrants who believed the best response to the Bible’s message about Jesus was a “Spirit-energized life” marked by fellowship and joy. Bethany is a member of a larger family, the Evangelical Covenant Church, a protestant denomination of over 850 churches and 120,000 members in the United States and Canada. The Covenant has experienced 25 years of continual growth in membership and churches.

In order to better fulfill our mission, we left our long-time home in New Britain and moved to our new facility on Mill Street in Berlin in 1997. Our present building was expanded in 2004 to include our worship sanctuary and both early childhood and adult classrooms. Our vision includes addtional facilities for youth activities and office space. Our congregation continues to grow in numbers and vitality.

Bethany Covenant Church affiliates with the Evangelical Covenant Church of America, whose roots are in historical Christianity as descendants of the Lutheran Church of Sweden and were influenced by the spiritual awakenings of the nineteenth century. While at one time we were identified as a “Swedish Church”, today, we reflect a rich blend of many backgrounds and religious traditions. We recognize the value of our heritage, which makes us uniquely a Covenant Church, but the breadth of our ministry crosses denominational lines.

Mission:

Where People Come to Life through Jesus Christ

Purpose:

We invite people into a dynamic Christ following Community where we can engage with God, with one another and with opportunities to make a difference in a changing world.