The legal name for Bethany is Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church. Bethany was organized in 1897, two years after the United Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church was formed. For a time, Bethany was associated with Dannevirke. In 1965, they became a dual parish with Bethany and in 1968, became one congregation with Bethany until Dannevirke voted to close in January of 1980. This left Bethany on its own for the first time in 83 years and 1981 was the first year Bethany did not receive a subsidy and/or share a pastor.
Bethany Evangelical Lutheran is a member church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), which came into existence in 1988. The congregation celebrated it's 100th anniversary on February 23 and September 28 in 1997. We believe the future of the Christian church will be even greater than the past.
More important than the buildings are the people of Bethany. For over 100 years, the people of Bethany have supported and sustained this congregation. Our people come from a variety of places, and some of those are rather unexpected. Some have been here for decades, others have been here for hardly a year. We work very hard to make Bethany a welcome place for anyone who enters. We believe that Christ's salvation is for everyone - from the poorest to the richest.
We invite you to become a part of the Bethany Lutheran family of Ord, Nebraska. Come experience the Joy that is yours in Christ Jesus!
