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The History of the Bethel Ministerial Association
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Chapter 12 |
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The congregation grew under Brother Varnell’s leadership...so much so that they soon needed a larger facility. The church purchased an old bowling alley and converted it into a larger church, now in downtown Evansville at 7th and Main Streets. The new name was Bethel Tabernacle. Those were great days of tremendous growth. Many young preachers came up under Brother Varnell’s leadership....Donnie Matthews, Frank Ashby, Harvey Davids, Bruce Badger...and a young man who would take the mantel from Brother Varnell when he retired in the early 1950s and lead further growth and expand the borders of Bethel in Evansville. Rev Richard Schwambach (“RR” as everyone knew him) would bring in not only new leadership, but new ideas, constantly expanding the outreach and witness for the Lord in the largest town in Southern Indiana.
These were “hey days” for this group....they pushed the boundaries in areas of evangelism, community impact and church growth.
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In the 1960s, the city of Evansville wanted to build a civic center in the downtown location where the church now called Bethel Temple was located. Making them a deal I’m sure they thought they couldn’t refuse, Bethel Temple took advantage of the situation under Brother Schwambach’s leadership and built a new, modern–designed sanctuary several miles east on 4350 Lincoln Avenue, then the east edge of town. Again, their forward looking view foresaw expansion of the city in their direction and sure enough, the congregation continued to grow. They broke ground in 1966 with Brother Schwambach their pastor and a young Rev David Williams, his associate pastor.
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Under Brother Schwambach’s leadership, Bethel Temple innovated, experimented and used every technique they could imagine to reach their community for the Gospel and see the church grow. They were among the first in the nation to develop “Dial-a-Prayer”, a ministry allowing anyone to call a specified phone number and hear a word from the Bible and a prayer of devotion for every day for decades....a ministry which continues to this day, over 60 years later. They took the bold step of starting a weekly television ministry in 1962...an action which required huge amounts of faith since television time was extremely expensive. They started Evansville Christian school in 1975 which still educates hundreds of children grades 1-12 today, serving not just church, but the entire Evansville community. They started a inner city ministry, Evansville Christian Life Center to feed the hungry people, clothe those who need clothes, and reach out to the needy inside the city. They innovated with web broadcasting of services, reached out to the community with Christmas pageants, Halloween celebrations, shelters for abandoned women and scores of ministries, each of which were right on the innovative edge of what churches were doing in the country. Always a mission minded church, Bethel Temple has supported missions around the world, many in countries where the Gospel was not necessarily welcomed, and sent many of its members to the field.
When Brother Schwambach retired in the 1980s, his son, Steve Schwambach, filled his shoes and took Bethel Temple to even higher heights. Steve became a published author, he and his wife are both professional marriage counselors, and they are constantly being sought after as effective public speakers.
Sunday, March 2, 2008 marked the 75th anniversary of this congregation, now known as Bethel Community Church. Most recently, Steve’s brother David who has always been actively involved in the administration of the church, assumed leadership of Bethel Temple while Steve has started a new fellowship, One on One Church further east of Evansville. Now, where there was one effective, growing ministry, there are two. David and Steve Schwambach continue to be leaders in their community, dynamic speakers and preachers of the Gospel of Jesus and winners of souls for the Kingdom.
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