Bethel United Methodist Church Information

Bethel United Methodist Church was founded in 1805 and has grown into a thriving congregation "on the move for Jesus. For more details click to see A Time Line of Our Church History. Rev. Jim Johnson began his ministry in 1998. He has served Dublin United Methodist Church in Harford County for 14 years and joined with a second church, Darlington United Methodist Church to form the Dublin/Darlington Cooperative parish in 2014. Jim has been active in all aspects of ministry from children and youth to older adults. He has taught ecumenical bible studies, developed small groups and a visitation program. He is active in both youth and adult mission projects and enjoys reaching out and participating in the community. Jim is the Chair for Equitable Compensation for the Baltimore Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church. He loves the outdoors, and regularly goes on remote wilderness canoe trips into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Northern Minnesota and the Quetico Wilderness Area in Canada. Jim and his wife Debbie have been married 34 years. They have two children, Elizabeth who teaches at the Hanna Moore School in Baltimore, and Matthew who is a High School Senior. Chris Phillips serves as the Director of Christian Education. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Millersville University in 1992 and Master of Arts degree with Honors from Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, D.C. in 2013. As a lifelong United Methodist, Chris is firmly rooted in Wesleyan theology and seeks to help others grow in faith and their understanding of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Chris resides in Chambersburg, PA with his wife Michele, three children, and their Golden Retriever named Hope. Courtney Eckard is the Administrative Assistant. Courtney is happily married to Patrick Eckard and is the proud mom to Chloe and Emma. She is an actve member of the church and attends the Contemporary Service. She enjoys baking, crafting, and playing with her daughters. Custodian Kathy Rice: Kathy has been a member since 2006 when she married Steve Rice and has been a part-time custodian since 2007. She and Steve have a spoiled rotten chocolate lab "Jesse" who thinks she's the Boss! Kathy's hobbies include drawing and painting. In her spare time she and Steve enjoy fishing, going to flea markets, and camping. On a Sunday morning you will find them both in the Adult Choir, singing their hearts out! Custodian Mel Weaver: Mel has been married to Liz Weaver for 51 wonderful years. They are both very active members at Bethel church. He has been a part-time custodian for 10 years. He is retired from Giant Foods and Lomos Armor. Mel now has time to enjoy his family, which includes 5 children, 11 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. You can often find him watching ballgames, especially baseball.