The Bethel Reformed Church, located north of Aplington, has enjoyed a long history of serving the Lord.  A congregation of German speaking farmers was organized on June 21, 1885, as the Monroe Township Reformed Church. There appeared 22 names on the charter membership list. During the spring of 1886 a parsonage was built on a six acre plot purchased from W.S. Mead for the sum of $90 with the stipulation that a church had to be built on said property within two years. The Monroe congregation first met for worship in the Sessler Schoolhouse, one-half mile east of the original church which was built in 1887. The Pastor serving at that time was Rev. Frederick Schaefer. The next pastor to serve the church was Rev. Elit K. Russman. During his ministry the debt on the church and parsonage was paid off with the last payment being $47.75. In 1918 the Monroe Church began to be called the Bethel Reformed Church. Rev. Herman Achtermann started serving the congregation in 1921, coming from Chancellor, South Dakota. He served until 1931 when he accepted a call to the First Reformed Church in Bristow, Iowa. Upon his departure the church was vacant for almost two years. Rev Cornelius Bode began his ministry at Bethel Church in 1933 during which time the seating capacity of the church was enlarged and a full basement was put under the church. Rev. Peter Koenen was the next pastor of the Bethel Reformed Church. He moved to Aplington with his family in 1941 and faithfully served the congregation until his retirement in 1967. During his ministry here an addition was built to the church and a new parsonage was built. Upon pastor Koenen’s retirement, a call was extended to Rev. Norman Ratering from Danforth, Illinois. During his time at Bethel, the church updated it’s educational facility by building another addition. Rev. Ratering served Bethel Church until 1979. The next Pastor was Rev. Carl Gearhart, who began serving in 1980. In 1983 the south entrance to the church was enlarged, new windows were installed, and siding on the church was replaced with brick. Rev. Harvey Hertz arrived at Bethel in 1986 and served until 1996. During this time it became necessary to remodel the attic area above the narthex so two new Sunday school rooms could be added. The present pastor is Rev. Scott Summers, who arrived in Aplington with his family in January, 1997. In 2000 the congregation installed a new sound system along with a sliding glass window between the narthex and sanctuary. Shortly thereafter a screen and projector system was added in the sanctuary in order to allow for more contemporary style worship. However, on March 15, 2004 disaster struck. The building that had set in it’s place for 118 years was destroyed by fire. The determined cause was faulty electrical wiring. The Bethel congregation did not become discourage. They immediately got busy forming committees to oversee all aspects of the work that would need to be done to rebuild. During that time area congregations graciously let Bethel Church use of their facility for meetings. Worship services were held at the First Reformed Church of Aplington every Sunday beginning at 8:00 a.m. Sunday school classes continued to meet thanks to the hospitality of the Aplington Community Center and Kidquest. Land was donated to the congregation in a new location by Steve and Sherry Brouwer of Aplington, and a groundbreaking service for the new facility was held in July, 2004. Through much prayer and cooperation, hard work, community assistance, and by the favor of Almighty God, the church relocated to it’s present site at 29557 Hickory Avenue north of Aplington, and on Sunday, February 27, 2005, the completed facility was dedicated to spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. Through the power of the Holy Spirit at least 12 men have been called into mininstry from Bethel Church; Paul Achtermann, Ariel Achermann, Jim and Ted DeVries, Ekko Kampman, Walter Heyenga, Dick J. and Jake Sessler, Ben Fresenberg, Harm G. Schipper, and Leonard Kalkwarf as ministers of Word and Sacrament, and Jon Behrends as a missionary to Czech Republic. By the Grace of God the current membership of the congregation exceeds 300, and additionally we have been blessed with many visitors at our worship services, some having become very active in the ministry of the church. We look forward to a wonderful future of worshipping and serving the Lord together. May he find us faithful.  

• Reference: Aplington Directory

Contact Us:  bethel@bethelreformedchurch.org

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