From Effie Thuline's Living Room to North Olin Street
Bethany Baptist Church sits on the north side of Altona, Illinois, a small Knox County town. The church stands at 215 North Olin Street, in a building that has become a familiar landmark for local families who have walked through its doors across multiple generations. But the story of Bethany did not begin in that building. It began in 1969, when a small group of believers met in the home of Mrs. Effie Thuline to talk about planting a church in their town. Out of those conversations, Bethany Baptist Church was born, and the group called John Carlson to be its first pastor. God has faithfully blessed Bethany through the years, and the congregation that meets on North Olin Street today is a direct outgrowth of that first living-room gathering.
What Bethany Believes About God, Sin, and Salvation
Bethany is a church that wants to be straightforward about the Bible. Its statement of faith lays out six core convictions, each rooted in a passage of Scripture.
The church teaches that God is the sovereign Creator of all things. The New Testament identifies Jesus Christ Himself as the agent of creation, so the One who made the world also rules it and calls for the absolute allegiance of every person He made. The congregation also confesses that God is perfectly and absolutely holy, a standard that He requires of His people as well, in keeping with the command, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."
On the human side, Bethany holds that everyone is guilty of sin. The Bible's verdict, that "there is no man who does not sin," is not a claim that people are incapable of kindness, but that no one can understand, love, or please God on their own. Because God is holy and just, sin carries a penalty, and that penalty is death. Changing patterns of behavior cannot remove the guilt.
Salvation, in Bethany's teaching, comes through Jesus Christ alone. Romans 10:9 is quoted often from the church's pulpit: "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved." Christ's death paid the penalty that God's justice required, and His perfect life satisfied the demands of God's holiness. Faith that saves is more than agreement with a set of facts; it is repentance from sin, a conscious turning toward Christ, and a life of obedience. Even the demons believe certain truths about God, but they do not love and obey Him. True saving faith responds.
Sunday: A Two-Hour Morning of Worship and Study
The shape of a Sunday at Bethany is unhurried but full. The Sunday Morning Worship service runs from 10:00 to 11:00 AM, and a Post-Service Study follows immediately afterward, from 11:15 AM to noon. The morning study is treated as a regular part of the week, not an optional add-on, and it gives adults a chance to dig into the passage that was just preached or to work through another section of Scripture together.
The worship service offers friendly and authentic people, engaging and relevant music, and compelling preaching from the Bible. Visitors are encouraged to come as they are, and first-timers are welcomed without any pressure to perform. The music ministry draws on both of the streams that have shaped American evangelical worship, favorite hymns alongside contemporary worship songs, and the team pairs instrumentalists and vocalists to lead the congregation in song.
Wednesday Night Around the Word
On Wednesdays at 7:00 PM, Bethany gathers for prayer and Bible study. The midweek meeting gives the church a second weekly touchpoint with the same convictions that shape Sunday worship. For members and regular attenders, it is a chance to keep the week rooted in Scripture; for newcomers, it offers a smaller, more conversational setting to ask questions and to get to know the people who make up Bethany's community.
Children at Bethany
The children's ministry at Bethany centers on teaching kids who God is and how His Word applies to their daily lives. The teachers use a creative and memorable approach, aimed at helping young people understand what it means to have a real relationship with God. The church wants the children who come through its doors to know that the Bible is full of stories that still matter today, that fun and games are allowed at church, and that there are adults in the building who genuinely want to love them and lead them closer to Jesus. On Sunday mornings, children are part of the wider congregation during worship, and the children's ministry team takes responsibility for age-appropriate teaching during the educational hour.
Music Ministry
The music ministry at Bethany is built around a team of instrumentalists and vocalists who lead the congregation in worship. The team blends favorite hymns with contemporary worship songs, giving the service a varied musical texture that reaches people who grew up with one tradition as well as those who grew up with another. The aim is not a particular style for its own sake, but worship that helps the congregation engage with God in song.
Outreach and Missionary Care
Bethany has an outreach ministry team whose job is to keep the congregation looking outward into the community of Altona. The team plans events, coordinates ministry opportunities, and encourages members to be involved in reaching their neighbors with the love of Christ. The church's vision is that anyone who visits or interacts with Bethany's people walks away feeling encouraged, refreshed, and drawn closer to God.
Alongside local outreach, Bethany also has a missionary care team. The church supports missionaries serving abroad, and this team keeps the congregation updated on what those missionaries are facing and what their needs are. Missionary care is treated as an ongoing ministry, not an occasional project.
Building and Grounds
Many members of Bethany are gifted in maintaining the property, and the building and grounds team channels those gifts so that the church's facilities remain useful for ministry. From mowing the lawn to making minor repairs, the team helps Bethany be a good steward of what God has entrusted to it.
Pastor Bob Nutzhorn and the Staff
Bethany's senior pastor is Bob Nutzhorn. Pastor Bob grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and graduated from Maranatha Baptist Bible College in Watertown, Wisconsin. While in Wisconsin, he served as the youth pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Sun Prairie before moving to Altona to help with Bethany's youth ministry. In November 1999 he was called as interim pastor, and the following February he became Bethany's senior pastor. His wife Tammy has been a partner in the ministry for twenty-nine years.
Pastor Bob's sermons include messages from a recent series on sharing one's faith and walking through Acts.
Sermons and Giving
Sermons are posted online so that the congregation can revisit them during the week. A recent message titled "What Keeps Us from Sharing Our Faith?" walks through Acts 6 and 7, using Stephen's bold witness before the Sanhedrin as an example of confidence, knowledge, and routine in evangelism. Written notes are offered as a companion to the message.
Bethany also offers online giving. The church frames giving as an act of blessing, an offering made out of gratitude and love rather than obligation.
What to Expect on Your First Visit
The church wants first-time visitors to know exactly what they are walking into. A typical Sunday begins with the worship service at 10:00 AM, followed by the post-service Bible study at 11:15 AM. The music is a mix of hymns and contemporary songs, the preaching is expositional, and the people are friendly and authentic. There is no pressure to perform or to know anyone before you arrive; Bethany is a place for team members rather than spectators, whether you are a five-year-old, a ninety-five-year-old grandmother, a busy parent, or anyone in between.
The church's address is 215 North Olin Street in Altona, and the phone number is (309) 484-2241. Updates, sermon notes, and event details are available on the church's Facebook and calendar. Donations can be made online to support the ministry.