Don’t miss
Sat7Nov
Men's Prayer Breakfast
Saturday, November 7 · 8 AM to 10:30 AM
At Bethany, 6700 W Gunnison St
Devotional and prayer at Bethany, then out to breakfast together. No need to sign up, just show up! Questions? Contact Eugene.
Harwood Heights, Illinois · Since 1979
A contemporary church leading people to life in Christ
Genuine community, solid preaching and vibrant worship. If that’s what you’re looking for, you’ve found it. You might even enjoy a bit of humor!
Who we are
We pursue whole-life worship: at home, in community, and to our world.
Church worship is a powerful way to connect with God and with one another. Teaching and music are biblical and relevant for real people in real life. Our expository sermons work progressively through books of the Bible in an engaging preaching style.
Bethany is affiliated with Converge (formerly Baptist General Conference), and our heart is for the lost, across the street and across the globe.
- 1979
- two churches became one family
- 20%
- of every dollar goes to global outreach
- 10:30
- Sunday worship, communion on first Sundays
An intentional progression in faith
One sermon. All week long.
A sermon isn’t going to help you if you don’t understand it. So at Bethany, Sunday’s message doesn’t end at noon. It follows you through the week, like a long-play record.
Sunday
Relevant teaching
Expository preaching through books of the Bible, with humor along the way and a printed word search to keep you engaged.
Watch Sunday's sermonThe week after
The Long Play
The sermon, boiled down to a 300-word, three-minute sermonette and emailed to you, so you carry it through the week.
Read the Long PlaysOn your commute
For those on the run
Sermons and Long Plays as podcasts or downloads. Sometimes the message sinks in on the drive.
ListenBefore next Sunday
Sermons in high-def
Sermon HD small groups study next Sunday's passage before it's preached, with carefully planned questions from the teaching pastor.
Find a groupAnytime
Questions? Text Pastor Dave
After the sermon, text any question about the Bible or theology. Pastor Dave answers on the fly.
Text (708) 443-1291
Now preaching through Matthew
Falling Before Our King: the Good News of Matthew
I'm new
Your first Sunday at Bethany
When you know what to expect, visiting a new place is easy. Here's the whole morning.
Sundays at 10:30 AM
We gather at 6700 W Gunnison St, Harwood Heights, IL 60706, and usually finish between 11:30 and noon. Plenty of off-street parking on-site.
Coffee in hand, dress as you are
Expect a smiling face at the door, and grab a cup of coffee or tea to enjoy during the service. There's no dress code.
Modern songs, an old hymn, solid teaching
Several modern praise songs, some older favorites and at least one hymn each week, then preaching that works through books of the Bible.
Say hello
Stay for refreshments in the Friendship Center. Fill out a Connect Card in the pews, or come to Pizza with the Pastor to learn about membership.
Planning to visit?
Let us know you’re coming. We look forward to meeting you!
Pastor David Cross
Meet the pastor
From the Arabian Gulf to Harwood Heights
“In all sincerity, it is a privilege to be at Bethany Church, where I am challenged to be the best leader I can be.”
Pastor Dave spent over twenty years in missions work to Muslims. He and his wife Cheryl served in the Arabian Gulf, planted a ministry team in Minneapolis, and he led as VP of IT in a large mission agency and as president of two smaller ones. He’s just completed his doctorate in Christian apologetics and culture, and he and Cheryl have five children.
Author and contributor to five books, with another on the way.
Kids, students, young adults
A family for every age
At Bethany, we love one another as family. Beyond Sunday, we want you to be encouraged, and to be an encourager in someone else's life.
Sunday mornings
Nursery and Kids Church
Nursery for infants through age 2. After a few songs of worship, ages 3 through 5th grade head to Kids Church for song, activity and lesson.
Wednesdays, 6:30 to 8:30 PM
Awana Clubs
Ages 3 to 6th grade, September 16 to April 28. $1 a week per child.
Register for Awana
7th to 12th grade, Fridays at 7 PM
Anchored Youth
A safe place for students to meet God, and a hope that holds in the stormy seasons of life (Hebrews 6:19).
Ages 18 to 26, weekly
Young Adults
Studying the passage for the upcoming sermon, and the core of the faith in light of modern issues.
Events
The church has left the building
What's next at Bethany, straight from the church calendar.
- Tue, Nov 35 PM to 7 PMOpen Pickleball
- Wed, Nov 46:30 to 8:30 PMAwana
- Thu, Nov 510:30 AM to 12:30 PMThursday Prayer and Bible Study
- Fri, Nov 67 PM to 9 PMAnchored Youth Group
- Sat, Nov 79:30 AM to 12 PMLadies Prayer Breakfast
Plus Sermon HD small groups through the week, studying next Sunday’s passage before it’s preached.
20%
of every dollar Bethany receives goes to global outreach
Missions
We have the greatest message in history, and we’re serious about sharing it
Bethany has sent and supported missionaries since its beginnings, with a focus on unreached people groups who haven’t yet heard of Jesus. Four of our missionaries are from our own church, and we support six others around the world. Each Sunday we pray through a Prayercast video for a country of the world.
Closer to home we strive to be salt and light in Harwood Heights and Chicagoland: Thanksgiving meals, free car washes, prayer walks, sports ministries, and partners like Bread of Life Ministries, Caris Pregnancy Counseling and Refuge for Women.
Our story
Two churches. One family. Since 1979.
1979
Two churches, one family
The Church of the Open Door and Bethel Baptist unite on Bethel's Harwood Heights site, under Pastor Fred Lutz.
1982
Room to grow
Under Pastor Bernard Tanis: a new west wing, the nursery and the Friendship Center, and the start of Bethany's long history in missions.
1994
A gym and a new sound
Pastor Rob Nelson leads the gym and basement projects, and worship moves from traditional to contemporary.
2017
Elder-led and faithful
Under Pastor Rick George, Bethany becomes elder-led and comes through COVID with every missionary commitment kept.
Today Bethany is led by Pastor David Cross and the elder team, still with the heart that started it: missions.
What people say
96%
of the 24 people who reviewed Bethany on Facebook recommend it
“This is the first church where I really felt accepted. Friendly people. Loving church family.”
“It is a church that teaches the Bible as truth.”
Partner with us
“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.”
Jesus, Acts 1:8
We impact our immediate area, our region, and our world. Your generous and consistent giving allows us to share the Good News through our church, to our city, and the world.
Plan your visit
We’d love to meet you
Join us Sunday at 10:30 AM. When you arrive, expect a smiling face at the door ready to greet you and help you find your way around.
Questions? Call (708) 867-9111 or email office@bethanybc.com.
6700 W Gunnison St, Harwood Heights, IL 60706