About Bering
Mission
Bering’s mission is to joyfully share God’s love for all the world through our committed word and action as seekers of Jesus Christ.
Vision
Bering seeks to tear down walls that separate children of God.
Our vision is to be a spiritual home for every person; a place of service; a sanctuary of love, peace, and justice; a reconciling, inclusive family for all persons.
We:
• Seek out God and welcome all people by sharing our experiences and stories.
• Build community through spiritual formation, fun-filled activities, and opportunities for service.
• Serve God’s people through acts of justice, mercy, and love.
• Celebrate God through varied forms of joyful worship.
Statement of Inclusivity
Bering Church is an Open and Affirming (ONA) congregation. ONA is the United Church of Christ designation for congregations that make a public covenant of welcome to all into the full life and ministry of the church. We proclaim that all people are created in the image of God and affirm that each person — regardless of age, economic status, faith history, ethnicity, gender, mental or physical ability, marital status, sexual orientation, or gender identification — is a beloved child of God and worthy of God’s love and grace. Bering Church supports the full participation of all persons in every phase of church life. Through education and informal discussion, we strive to better understand those who are different from ourselves to bring about a more just and accepting society.
Bering’s History
Bering’s Rich Heritage
This congregation was founded in 1848 by German-speaking immigrants. At that time, the population of Houston was only about 5,000. In the 1850s, a small church building was built at what is now the intersection of Milam and McKinney Streets in downtown Houston.
German remained the primary language in the worship services and Sunday School classes until 1911, at which time the name was changed to Bering Memorial – honoring two brothers, August and Conrad Bering – who had been instrumental in the founding of the congregation. Our present sanctuary, now designated a historical landmark, was completed in 1926.
The 1960s and 1970s brought a surge of “hippies and homosexuals” into Bering’s neighborhood of Montrose. As these new neighbors began to attend services at Bering, the Administrative Board made a commitment to be fully in ministry to and with them, and to welcome them into the church family without discrimination or prejudice.
Bering Today
In 1991, Bering’s membership voted to become a part of the Reconciling Ministries Network, a Methodist group that seeks justice for LGBTQ people and an inclusive church for ALL. For 41 years, Bering stood as the only Reconciling Congregation in the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, tirelessly advocating for a fully inclusive denomination and removal of the “incompatibility with Christian teaching clause” against LGBTQ persons within the Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church.
Bering continues to be a leading voice in the movement for full inclusion of LGBT persons. Unwilling to accept the ongoing discrimination against our siblings in Christ within The United Methodist Church, Bering made the decision to leave the denomination in 2021 and become a part of the United Church of Christ (UCC). We celebrate the recent progress made by our sister denomination, and remain committed to discerning how Bering’s voice can make the most difference as we strive to mirror the all-inclusive, reconciling love of Jesus Christ in the world.
Bering’s History of Service
From its beginning, Bering Memorial has established itself as a congregation with a commitment to serving the needs of the community. Bering organized nursing teams during the Yellow Fever epidemics in the late 1800s and the Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919. The congregation supported rebuilding efforts in Europe and Asia after World War II, and in the mid 1900s, sponsored missionaries to Mexico and the Belgian Congo. Bering gave financial support for the building of Methodist Hospital. During a particularly difficult winter in the late 1970s, Bering set up a temporary homeless shelter on our campus. We were instrumental in the formation of SEARCH Homeless Ministries and have been a supporting member of SEARCH, Emergency Aid Coalition, and Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston.
When the AIDS epidemic began to wreak its devastation in the 1980s, Bering responded with the establishment of the Wednesday Night Spiritual Support Group for people infected with of affected by HIV (still the cornerstone of The Bering Support Network), and founded the Bering Community Services Foundation to fund an Adult Day Care Center and Dental Clinic – and later a residential hospice – for people with HIV.
Being’s commitment to addressing HIV/AIDS and those impacted by it continues through Bering Connect and the Houston Ryan White Foundation which offices at Bering Church, as well as through multiple other community forums.
Bering’s commitment to the homeless community in Houston continues through Open Gate and through Tony’s Place which offers services for homeless and at-risk LGBTQ youth and is located on Bering’s campus.
Homophobia, gender inequality, racism, an unjust American penal system, wealth inequality, poverty, and homelessness are just a few of the other areas which Bering continues to engage in advocacy on behalf of the marginalized, underrepresented, or oppressed.