Mt. Bethel Methodist Church, Inc.

Mt Bethel is excited to announce and WELCOME our new Pastor Bradley Caldwell and his wife, Anita, to our church, to the Bethlehem Community and to NC!! Pastor Brad and Anita will join our congregation on Sunday, July 7 where Pastor Brad will deliver his first sermon and administer Communion.

Born in Albany, Indiana, Brad grew up with wonderful grandparents who set an example of faith. He primarily grew up on the coast in Biloxi, MS where he gave his life to Christ and was baptized. After high school, he received a B.A. in philosophy at Asbury College where he also joined The Salvation Army. At Wesley Biblical Seminary at the age of 21, he was sanctified and dedicated His life to ministry and foreign missions.

Born in Olean, New York, to Free Methodists pastors, Anita grew up near Eldred, PA. She was saved at the age of 7, rededicated her life at 15 while attending Mt. Carmel High School, Jackson, KY. At the age of 18, the Holy Spirit sanctified her, and she committed her life to ministry and missions. Serving under God’s Missionary Church, she served three years in Haiti before returning to the USA. After learning about The Salvation Army, she became a member and gave her time to serving the homeless and needy.

Anita and Brad were married in 1989. They became ordained ministers for The Salvation Army in 1993 and served together in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Moldova, Russia and the country of Georgia. After their overseas duties, we were Salvation Army pastors in Texas and Mississippi. In 2021, they were appointed to the training staff of Evangeline Booth College.

The Caldwell's have three sons and seven grandchildren who live in New York, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Texas. They love country living, sunsets, and the mountains. They are honored to be coming to Mt. Bethel Methodist Church. God has guided each step!

Please welcome Pastor Brad and Anita to our church family and community and they would love to see you on Sunday, July 7 at the service starting at 10am.

Mt Bethel

Blessed by everyone who came to Pastor Dale Bost and Hannah Harrington Bost’s Honorary Lunch!! There was plenty of delicious food and of course, desserts for all!! Pastor Dale’s last regular sermon is next Sunday, June 30th. There will be a small reception after the service for those who wish to share their goodbyes.

Pastor Dale Bost demonstrating “All for One” during the children’s lesson by making a train and traveling around the sanctuary. He was the Engine 😂 and Garison (Candy Millsaps) was the caboose 😂

The end of June is fast approaching and with it, the retirement of Pastor Dale Bost, our current Pastor for the last 7 years. Pastor Dale and his wife, Hannah Harrington Bost, will be returning to their home where he will begin a part time ministry at Rockwell Methodist Church. This Sunday, June 23rd (tomorrow), we will hold an honorary covered dish luncheon for Pastor Dale and Hannah. They have touched a lot of lives in the Bethlehem Community and we love & will miss them! We hope you will consider joining us for this lunch; bringing your favorite dish to share.

Treasure and Dirt

In Matthew 13:44 Jesus teaches the parable of the treasure hidden in the field. It says,
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from his joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

Consider what the man purchased in the parable. He bought a field which had a hidden treasure. A field is made of dirt and often has weeds, thistles and rocks. What he purchased was dirt, weeds, thistles and rocks. He was not looking at the dirt but the treasure. The treasure was of such worth to him that he was willing to take the entire field, dirt, weeds, thistles and rocks. When we come to know Christ and are bound for heaven, we still experience dirt in this life and at times it gets very rocky. This life can get hard, but as we keep our focus on the treasure, “The Kingdom of Heaven” the dirt is not so bad.

Think for a moment about how this can apply to marriage or any other close relationship.
When we are dating, we see a treasure in the person that we are dating. It is a hidden treasure and no one else sees but our eyes and heart only. For the joy we have over that treasure we pursue that person abandoning all that we have to marry them. We see the treasure and want to spend the rest of our life with that person. The treasure is great and worth our time and effort. We are so excited that we now have that treasure.

In marriage we often do not realize that we get dirt along with the treasure we see in the other person. Before marriage we look at the treasure and sometimes cannot understand why others cannot see the treasure we see. Then not long into the marriage we start to look more at the dirt. We lose focus of the treasure and soon the dirt covers the treasure and we only see the dirt, weeds, thistles and rocks. We forget that the treasure was hidden in that person when we met them but as we saw that the treasure it was worth forsaking all that we had to purchase the entire field to get the treasure.

We must keep our focus on the treasure. I often have people who come in for pre-marital counseling to make a list of ten reasons that they want to marry the other person. These reasons are some of the treasures that they see in the other person. My bride, Kay, will print those treasures on nice paper for them and I encourage them to frame them and place them in a prominent place in their new home. They will need to be reminded about that treasure.

So, when you start to struggle with the dirt, weeds, thistles and rocks in life, remember the treasure and speak of it to the other person, your Lord, your spouse, your children, and friends. We need to remind ourselves of that treasure and then let them know we still see it.
Dr. Archie L. Bost
© 2013...

What we believe shapes what we do!