Our Mission
To know Christ and make Him known.
Bethany is a community committed to the Lutheran emphasis of salvation by grace through faith, under the full authority of God's Word. In our worship service we are relaxed in matters of liturgy, giving primary place to the preaching of the Word and the administration of the Sacraments.
Bethany is committed to spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ's life, death and resurrection for all peoples from the people of our neighborhoods to the people around the globe! We look forward to sharing in that Good News with you!
Staff & Leadership
We have a passion for people, our city and our world. Our culture and leadership is characterized by worship, the love of God, and a genuine call to ministry. These core values have been shaped by our rich history of great co-workers and energy; always pressing forward in our call to love God and love others.
Pastor Paul Couch
pastorpaulcouch@bethanychurchsiny.org
Pastor Paul Couch has been serving at Bethany since May 2016. He is from a small town named Trumansburg in the center of upstate New York. He has been married to his beautiful wife, Catie, since 2010 and they have a daughter and a son whom they love dearly. His name, Paul, means little, but he stands at a towering 6’3”. He likes to use his height playing basketball in his spare time; you’ll often see shooting hoops in Bethany's Fellowship Hall. Pastor Paul also likes to spend time enjoying the beauty of God’s creation. The older he gets the more he is learning to love Jesus. With each passing day he is seeing more and more how broken he is by sin and how great Jesus love is for him. What he loves most about his Church family is the abundance of capable and gifted people that the Lord has blessed us with!
Pastor Paul’s favorite Bible verse is John 14:6.
Jim Bossert, Elder
Jim Bossert is a native Staten Islander who loves to spend time with his family. He and his lovely wife, Laura, enjoy travelling together and spending time with their grown children and grandchildren. Jim is a self-proclaimed Master Storyteller, with many originals (just ask his grandchildren!) and likes to go fishing whenever he gets a chance. What he loves most about Bethany is its unwavering commitment to proclaiming the gospel without apology. He also loves that members get to enjoy a strong sense of family and Christian community. Jim’s favorite Bible verse is Psalm 121.
Tom Cresci, Elder
More information coming soon!
Roe Bevilacqua, Secretary
Roe Bevilacqua serves as our Church Secretary. She works behind the scenes to make sure everything that goes on at Bethany runs smoothly and efficiently. Roe grew up in Borough Park, Brooklyn and is married to her wonderful husband, Ray, who is recently retired from the Parks Department. Roe’s brother had been telling her that she should go out and meet someone. Roe replied that if it was meant to be, she would meet someone in front of her own house. That’s exactly where she met Ray, and they have now been married for 21 years and have a beautiful family! Their daughter, Lisa, is an assistant teacher, their son, Sal, is a VP at Barclays, their daughter in law, Stephanie, is a school psychologist, and they are proud grandparents to their adorable grandson, Enzo. When Roe has some spare time she likes to spend time with her friends and family, take walks, read, and paint. Roe loves that Christ alone is preached at Bethany and how the love of Christ has been shown to her countless times by her church family. Our church means a lot to her because it’s where she and Ray were married and where her kids were baptized and confirmed. Roe’s favorite Bible verse is Psalm 46:10.