About Bethlehem
You Will Grow at Bethlehem
The wisest decision we can make each day is this: I will walk with God today. At Bethlehem, we're committed to walking with you.
You Belong Here
Christianity is more than a belief system; it's a belong system. At Bethlehem every individual matters. We look out for each other and wholeheartedly welcome visitors.
Meet Our Pastor
Pastor Randy Koppen loves Jesus and chocolate, including but not limited to M&Ms and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. He enjoys garden flowers and a good war movie. Randy is married to Sandy, a Hutchinson native, and together they enjoy playing cards and laughing with friends.
Our History
Bethlehem's roots reach back to 1859, when the first minister began a church in Acoma Township, and Biscay in 1860. The Hutchinson Evangelical Association church started in the 1880s, to which the Biscay and Acoma congregations later folded into. In 1947 the Evangelical Association merged with the United Brethren Church to form the Evangelical United Brethren Church (EUB). In 1968, the EUB joined with the Methodist Church to become The United Methodist Church — and Bethlehem United Methodist Church as we know it today.
In November 1958, after eleven years of planning, the congregation dedicated its current home at 665 Miller Avenue Southwest — there are even some pews from the old Acoma church in the current building's balcony. Brownton Zion UMC merged with Bethlehem in 1999.
Bethlehem's worship services have been shared beyond our walls for two decades now — recorded and televised locally starting in 2004, and broadcast on Facebook since 2019.
In 2024, Bethlehem celebrated its 165th anniversary, honoring generations of families — some now four, five, and six generations deep — who have called this congregation home.
Part of the United Methodist Church
