Screening Questions

By attending an in-person church service, including nursery and kids’ programs, you agree that you and all members of your party answer NO to all of these questions.

1. 1. Do you have any new or worsening symptoms: Fever/chills • Cough • Shortness of breath • Decrease or loss of taste or smell?
   2. In the last 5 days, have you tested positive on a rapid antigen test or a home-based self-testing kit?
   3. Is anyone you live with currently experiencing new or worsening symptoms and/or is waiting for test results after experiencing symptoms?
   4. Has a doctor, healthcare provider, or public health unit told you that you should currently be isolating (staying at home)?

If you are unsure if you should attend church in-person due to a change in your health, the wisest choice is to stay home and join the service online at bethelkingston.online.church.

Health & Safety

• The sanctuary, foyer, all kids’ program rooms, and all washrooms are sanitized prior to Sunday.
• Masks are optional. We encourage you to take into consideration the people around you who you know to be vulnerable or immune-compromised; if someone asks you to wear a mask in their presence, please consider this request with love.
• Sanitize your hands upon arrival, using the provided hand sanitizer.

Kids' Programs

• Hand sanitizer and surface wipes are be available and used in each room.
• All program leaders & volunteers only serve if they answer “NO” to the screening questions (see first section).
• Wearing a mask is optional.
• Snacks will be provided for Waumba Land (age 3-5) starting the the fall. (UpStreet doesn’t typically provide a snack.) You are welcome to send a snack and/or water bottle for your baby, toddler or preschooler; program volunteers will sanitize their hands before opening your child’s snack.
• Toys in nursery & Waumba Land are be limited and are rotated out with different toys each week to allow for cleaning.
• Nursery & Waumba Land kids use the single washroom in the nursery hallway; UpStreet students use the male and female washrooms outside the UpStreet classroom.

Our diverse community is blessed to have:

• a large number of undergrad, grad, and post-grad students from Queen’s University, Royal Military College and St. Lawrence College.
• life-long Kingstonians, some of whom have called Bethel their church home since childhood.
• families with children of all ages – from newborn babies to high school grads.
• a large number of young professionals.
• people at different places in their spiritual journey, from seeking spiritual conversations to committed Christ followers.
• people from different denominational/church backgrounds, and others who have no church background at all.

Located downtown at 314 Johnson Street, many of our people walk, bike, or take the bus, and we have several parking options for those who drive.

Use the Google map below to get direction from where you live. Please note that Johnson Street is a one-way street going east/towards downtown. Brock Street, one block north, runs parallel to Johnson and is a one-way street going west.

CITY BUS | Kingston Transit bus routes 12 & 702 stop right at our intersection at Johnson & Barrie Streets. Visit the City of Kingston website for current bus schedules.

BIKING | Two bike racks are available, one at the end of our parking lot and one around the corner of our building just off of the parking lot. Be sure to bring your own bike lock.

PARKING | Parking can be tricky in downtown Kingston, but there are several options for our drivers.

• • On-site parking with 12 spaces, including 3 accessible spots. Ideal for people with accessibility needs, or for families with young children.
  • Parking lot across the street at the Robert Reid Funeral Home (309 Johnston Street). Ideal for families with children.
  • Street parking. Park along Johnson Street, Barrie Street and other side streets as signage permits.
  • Metro grocery store at Barrie & Brock Streets. Bethel attendees have permission to park at Metro during church services; please keep to the perimeter of their parking lot.

Enter through our Main Foyer from the parking lot or sidewalk. There you will be welcomed by our Greeting Team, easily identifiable by their orange lanyards & name tags.  Let our Greeters know that this is your first visit and they will help you find things like the sanctuary, kids' programs, and washrooms.

Families with children ages 0 to grade 5 may enter via the Side Entrance, a.k.a. East Wing Entrance, for quicker access to the nursery and kids classrooms.

We no longer hand out paper bulletins on Sunday mornings, as we have transitioned to a Bethel Bulletin newsletter, emailed weekly. You can pick up a printed copy of the newsletter at the desk in the Main Foyer, or you can subscribe to receive the weekly newsletter by email.

With our casual atmosphere and diverse congregation, our people come to church in everything from jeans & athletics to suits & dresses!

You are welcome to wear what you normal do during the week, or if you're feeling fancy you can dress up in your "Sunday best!"

You are also welcome to bring coffee & tea from home or a local coffee shop into the church service. We just ask that you keep a lid on your cup or travel mug; no open beverages please.

Check out our Sermons page or our YouTube channel to see what our church services are like!

Our church service is generally 75 minutes, and both Sunday services are the same - there is no difference between our 1st or 2nd church service.

The service generally includes 3-5 songs lead by a worship team. We usually sing contemporary worship songs, but also like to include hymns from time to time.

Throughout the service we include bible reading and prayer, and of course a bible-based message from one of our pastors or teaching team members. Bibles are available in the pew to follow along with, and many people also bring their own bible or use a bible app on their phones. (Would you like to take a bible home? Please take one from the pew or main foyer!)

We also generally include a "Ministry Feature" which is 5-10 minute segment in the service that highlights a ministry within the church or an external ministry that Bethel supports.

Communion, also known as the Lord's Supper, is included in our service once a month, generally the first Sunday of the month. We currently use prepackaged juice and wafers.

Most of our church service is presented live by people and pastors on our platform/stage, but occasionally some parts of our service are presented by video. (Ministry Features are generally videos.)

Before the pandemic we held "Coffee & Conversation" in our gym between the two church service times, for people to connect and socialize over cup of coffee or tea.  Coffee & Conversation is currently suspended (as of March 2020), but we look forward to starting it back up when health & safety protocols allow.

If you are a guest, or newer to Bethel, there is no obligation to give!

However, if you would like to bless Bethel financially - thank you! There is an offering box in the Main Foyer and the Library for cheques (or cash) donations; ask a Greeter to show you where they are located. We do not currently pass around a collection plate/offering plate during the service.

For online giving options visit our Giving page.

We generally celebrate and partake in Communion on the first Sunday of each month.

When you arrive at church, you will receive a pre-packaged wafer & juice cup from a Greeter. Take it with you to your seat in the Sanctuary and wait for information and instruction at some point during the service.  We generally partake of Communion from our seats, rather that getting up and walking to the front of the church.

There is no obligation to participate in Communion; to learn about what Communion means and why we celebrate it together, email jamie[at]bethelkingston.com