Bethany City Church began in September 2004 when a team of Christians from Bethany Christian Centre (a church that has been part of the community in Houghton le Spring for over 100 years) moved into Sunderland to begin a new congregation meeting in the Stadium of Light.

There were seventy of us to start with but soon there were over one hundred. In October 2007 we moved from the Stadium to the Quayside Exchange. Today it is not unusual for well over two hundred adults, plus children of assorted sizes, to gather here.

We do churchy things in an unchurchy way - we pray, sing our hearts out, and we learn and laugh together as we look at what the Bible has to say to us.

Our church is not affiliated to any of the big denominations, but we have good relationships right accross the city with churches of all flavours, and across the country through organisations like Evangelical Alliance and Partnership. We run our own affairs but we are not independent!

Because we don't have a church building to meet in, we have several 'homes' across the city. We are trying to provide a secure spiritual environment for those who need stability and yet remain a flexible operation giving oportunities for the more adventurous.

In the Bible, Bethany was the home of some of Jesus' closest friends. That pretty much sums up what we want to be, friends and followers of Jesus working in the heart of Sunderland. Here's our mission statement:

We are building a community whose aim is to live and love like Jesus and to get the people of Sunderland into heaven.

Sunday mornings at the Quayside Exchange look like this...