New To Bethany First Church?
Who We Are
Bethany First Church began in 1909 with the founding of the City of Bethany. The people of Bethany gathered for worship each week and extended hospitality and care to those who needed it.
Over the years, Bethany First Church has grown, but our beliefs and values as a community remain the same. We exist to become more like Jesus and to help others come to know Him.
Today, Bethany First Church is home to nearly 2,500 weekly attenders and extends ministry to our local community and many world areas through outreach, partnerships, and giving.
What We Value
These are the core practices that we value as a church community
Being With God
Worshiping together and spending one-on-one time with Him.
Being With One Another
Doing life together in groups.
Living Generously
Sharing our resources and serving
with abandon.
Being With People Who Don’t Know Jesus
Sharing our faith.
We Have A Rooted History In The Bethany Community.
In 1909, the town of Bethany was built by C.B. Jernigan, his wife Johnny, and other Nazarenes in the area.
Oklahoma Holiness College (now Southern Nazarene University) was established, and Bethany First Church of the Nazarene was organized during those first few months. A Nazarene orphanage for girls was built, grew, and became the Bethany Children’s Health Center in 1998.
How We Came To Be
On October 14th, 1909, Bethany Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene had its first meeting where a few families worshiped together in the parlor of a girl’s dormitory at Oklahoma Holiness College. The congregation grew and tabernacle was later built on Asbury and 36th Street a few months later. Bethany Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene eventually became Bethany First Church of the Nazarene, and built a permanent home in its current location on NW 39th Expressway.
