About Mt. Bethel

Mt. Bethel was constituted on Saturday, February 13, 1836 with 15 members. The church met for worship on the second Sunday of the month. Services were held for some time under a brush arbor. In 1837, a small log house was built for a place of worship. Because the only flooring which it boasted was wheat straw over the bare ground, it was given the name "Straw Pen". Some years later a larger and more substantial building was erected at a total cost of $40.00. This building was used until 1873. By 1838 the total membership had grown to 35. The first burial in the cemetery was a fifteen year old young man in 1838. Later in 1839, the church baptized 24 and had a total membership of 58.

By the year of 1848, the mailing address was shown as the Craytonville Post Office. The membership had risen to 63. The church continued to progess over the next years. Sunday School was organized in 1870 with 30 members. In 1873, the third building was erected to seat 400 people. This building was made of wood with clapboard siding. The church progressed the next couple of years to 173 members. As hard as it is to believe, the pastor's salary was $50.00 per year in 1877. The membership was 242, and a gift of $2.65 was given to foreign missions. In 1880, they gave $10.00 to foreign missions, 85 cents to home missions, and $44.00 to Association. By 1882, the pastor's salary had risen to $100.00 per year. In 1883, Mt. Bethel reported having 2 Sunday Schools in 2 locations with one school reporting 61 enrolled and the other school reporting 88 enrolled. In 1885, a new school house was built on church grounds. During 1888, the church obtained 2 services a month on the 2nd and 4th Sundays. In 1891, the church raised $25.00 for the purpose of assisting in the building of an orphanage as well as $5.00 for the purchase of a Bible.

From those first formative years, God put everything together for Mt. Bethel. As they gave to missions and took care of those around them, God blessed and the church grew in spirit and number. In April of 1912, a baptismal pool was constructed on church grounds. 1924 brought a new brick building that would seat 1000 at a cost of $12,850.00. It was dedicated in May of 1925 and was debt-free. Membership had climbed to 626. The church was being blessed and continued on. In 1946, the church added a parsonage and the first full time pastor was added. A new educational building was built in 1962, and the cost of this building was $57,944.00.

God's hand was upon the church. They had built the buildings and continued to grow. The 70's, 80's, and 90's brought growth, and yes, some hard times. Then the years of 2000 came. God had a Family Life Center and a new bus. We have watched as the church continues to progress forward. God is adding to the church daily. We are an old organized church that was, and is even now, reaching people for Christ.

Dr. Ron Culbertson is our senior pastor.
"Preacher Ron" came to Mt. Bethel in March of 2002. He is a native of Greenville County. Ron has been in the ministry since 1984 and has had the privilege of pastoring several churches in the upstate. "Preacher Ron's" heartbeat is people -- which is shown each week in his Biblical preaching and his ministry to people. By his side is his wife, Deloris. They are the parents of two sons, Steven and Blake, who are both in college.

Mrs. Theresa Fleming has served as Administrative Assistant at Mt. Bethel since September of 1997. Previously she was employed at Timken for 13 years. She is a native of Charleston, SC and a 1981 graduate of Berkeley High School. She's been married to Mike for 24 years, and they have one daughter, Heather, who is married to Nick Fassett. Nick and Heather have one son, Ethan. In her spare time, Mrs. Fleming enjoys reading, writing and spending time with her family. Her favorite verse of scripture is “Call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not.” Jeremiah 33:3

Dr. Leslie Boucher has a Bachelor of Music/Music Education from Indiana University, a Master of Arts in Ethnomusicology (World Music) from Long Island University in Greenvale, NY, and a PH.D. in Music theory and history from the University of Georgia. Her hometown is Charlotte, N.C. She has taught public school music on all levels in NC, NY, and SC, and is currently teaching music theory and history-related courses at Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, GA, where she chairs the Music Department and is the dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. She has directed music for a total of 11 years, 6 of which have been at Mt. Bethel. She plays the piano, harpsichord, organ, violin, viola, cello, and bass, and is also an accomplished soloist. She has taught privately for 25 years, and is currently composing songs, many of which are based on personal experiences. She feels God’s calling upon her life to minister to as many people as possible through her songs and music ministries at church and at college. Dr. Boucher and her husband, Walter, have been married for 26 years. They have one daughter, Andrea, who lives next door and is married to Jason McClam.