Men love coming to Bethany because we practice what Peter Marshall, the chaplain to the United Senate, once called muscular Christianity. Men at Bethany realize that growing in a relationship with Jesus, the carpenter from Nazareth, is the most important thing we can do. We also know we can't be who we want be when we try to go it alone. During the year, the men of Bethany gather for service projects, for an annual fishing derby at the church pond, and we go to the mountains of Western Pennsylvania each fall for a retreat. We also meet togehter formally and informally in a process known as discipleship. (See the discipleship page under vision.) Our pastor is a former naval officer who is known to tell chain saw stories in his sermons (when he is not talking about Navy football) -- so most men, even those who aren't too excited about church, feel very comfortable attending Bethany.