Church celebrates 50th anniversary

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Northline Baptist Church at 23695 North Line Road in Taylor began in the summer of 1962 on the lawn at the front of its current property.

By Shannon Rossi

Ryan Bettinger (center), lead pastor at Northline Baptist Church in Taylor, along with Rachelle Butts and Mark Young of Dorsey Schools, look over the more than 5,000 cans of soup collected during one of the church?s ?Souper Bowl? events. Bettinger said church members make it a point to be involved in the community. Photo by E.L. Conley

Northline Baptist Church in Taylor celebrated a milestone with a special worship service Oct. 28. The church marked its 50th anniversary by showing several videos of the congregation describing how their lives have been impacted by the church.

?A few weeks ago we asked everyone to write down in one to three words how God had impacted their lives since coming to Northline,? Pastor Ryan Bettinger said. ?Then we filmed them holding up a piece of cardboard with those words written on it and put the video to music.?

For the anniversary service, Bettinger, who uses a lot of video during his services, also showed video interviews with various members of the congregation. Some had been there since the church began in 1962 while others had just become members in the past few years.

To honor the two members of the congregation who have been at Northline Baptist since the beginning, Bettinger presented them with clocks engraved with their names.

?We wanted to thank them for their early investment in the church and how they?ve stayed with us all this time,? he said.

Northline Baptist, at 23695 North Line Road, began in the summer of 1962 on the lawn at the front of the church?s current property. Members of the congregation met each week under a tent until the weather got too cold to meet outside.

When winter came, the congregation moved into the building of what is now the Taylor Sixth Grade Academy. They worshipped in that building for three years until the church, as it stands today, was completed in 1965.

?Unfortunately, the pastor died of a heart attack before the new church building was completed,? Bettinger said.

Since then, the church has had eight pastors.

?The unique thing about me being pastor here is that I?m 34 years old and I?ve been here my whole life,? Bettinger said. ?This is my home church.? Continued...

Bettinger left the Downriver area to earn a degree in youth ministry in Missouri.

?When I graduated, the pastor here asked if I would come back here and work with middle- and high school students,? he said. ?From 200 to 2004, I was the youth pastor.?

The opportunity to become lead pastor first came in January 2004. The lead pastor had resigned and Bettinger was asked to take over the position.

?I was 25 at the time,? he said. ?I felt like I was way too young. I didn?t feel equipped to handle the responsibilities of lead pastor.?

During the next nine months, though, Bettinger began taking on more and more responsibilities, including filling in at worship services, making hospital calls and keeping the church motivated. Several people were brought in during the search for a new pastor. For one reason or another, none of them were the right fit for the church.

?By October, I?d worked through all of my excuses not to do it,? Bettinger said with a laugh. ?I told myself that if the church wanted me as pastor, then I would accept. I guess the rest is history.?

Though the church has thrived under his leadership, he?s faced some personal hardships during his years as pastor. Bettinger, a father of four, and his wife lost a child.

?That was a hard time for us,? he said. ?It was awesome to have our church family as a support group, praying for us, bearing it with us. We didn?t have to go through that alone.?

Just as the congregation helped Bettinger?s family through hard times, he has helped members of his congregation through many hardships.

?Since I?ve been here, I think there were four members of the congregation who had told me that they?d contemplated suicide,? he said. ?Then they ended up coming here and feeling the love and warmth and acceptance of God and the church. Those people decided they had a reason to live again.? Continued...

The church has come a long way in the eight years that Bettinger has served as pastor. When he took over in 2004, only about 50 people made up the congregation. Today, the number stands at about 200.

Northline Baptist is a church that makes a point to be very involved in the community.

Each year, just before school starts, the church holds its Free Family Funapalooza. At the event, children from the community can enjoy games and bounce houses, and also receive a backpack full of school supplies to start the year.

?We gave out 300 backpacks this year,? Bettinger said.

At this time of year, the church begins preparing for its annual Community Christmas Party.

?Members of the congregation adopt families that wouldn?t have otherwise had a Christmas,? he said. ?Families shop for them and bring the gifts here. We?ve had the party over at the Sixth Grade Academy the past few years. Families get the opportunity to enjoy the Christmas season.?

Everyone is welcome at Northline Baptist. The church has a good mix of all ages and several young families have come into the congregation since Bettinger became pastor.

?We?re a faith family, more than a church,? he said. ?The doors are open. Our motto is that the church is a place where people matter. All people matter to God and all people matter to us no matter their background or what they?ve been through.?

Northline Baptist also makes a point not to compete with other churches.

?Other churches have their own goals,? Bettinger said. ?Other churches reach people in a way that we might not be very good at. The goal is to work in cooperation with other churches to positively influence the city of Taylor together.? Continued...

He added that Northline Baptist has something for all ages.

The congregation meets at 10:30 a.m. Sunday mornings. A special children?s service also is held at that time.

At various times during the week, members of the congregation meet in Life Groups, which are based on ages or life stages. These groups meet to help each other and study the Bible. Each week, the church welcomes Narcotics Anonymous to use the building.

In the future, Bettinger hopes Northline Baptist can continue to stick with its mission to positively impact the community.

?At the 50th anniversary service, we took the time to remember what has been, but also to look forward to what is to come,? he said.

The goal is to see and minister to the needs of the people, to share God?s love with all people in a relational and practical way, he added.

?We?d love to have anyone come to any of our regular meeting times, at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays or at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays,? Bettinger said. ?Northline Baptist is an environment where people can be themselves. Come in jeans or whatever you?re comfortable with. It?s not about the outward appearance, but what?s on the inside.?

Call 17342873544 or visit northlinechurch.com to learn more.

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Source: http://www.thenewsherald.com/articles/2012/11/17/life/doc50a67a4767a01441337707.txt

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