I know my own, and my own know me.””
– John 10:14 Bethania has the distinction of being the first planned community of Wachovia. It was in the midst of the French and Indian War when Bishop August Gottlieb Spangenburg arrived in Wachovia complete with orders to begin a new community and a name for it: Bethania.
On June 12, 1759, he and others rode out to Black Walnut Bottom three miles northwest of Bethabara, and chose a site for the new town. Eight Moravian families were selected to move to the new community, and because they expressed such a love for the Moravian Church, eight families of war refugees living at the Bethabara mill were permitted to settle in Bethania, also. Before leaving Wachovia for the last time, Dr. Spangenberg formally organized the Bethania congregation on April 13,1760. In 1771, a large two-story Gemeinhaus was consecrated to replace the hastily-erected 1760 building. A large brick church was erected and consecrated in 1809 (it burned in 1942 but was rebuilt). In 1822 Bethanians began buying the land on which their houses sat (35 years before Salem began doing the same thing). A fire company was formed, a militia company was organized (before Salem), an academy was opened. Most important, for the Moravian Church as a whole, the Bethania congregation has been very active in outreach. Bethania A.M.E, Olivet, Mizpah, King, and Rural Hall all trace their heritage to the Bethania church "family" and Bethania has been especially strong in mission endeavor, with the World Mission Shop being only one token of its service. Bethania Moravian Church is located in the center of the village of Bethania northwest of Winston Salem, NC, which is the county seat for Forsyth County. It is a Protestant church called by Christ to serve Him by living and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world.
