"Reaching and Discipling Children for Christ"
Bethlehem Christian Pre-School (BCP) is a ministry of Christian City Church Portland (C3 Church). The purpose and mission of BCP is to be a pre-school of excellence in which children are introduced to Jesus Christ as a personal Lord and Savior.
The school shall be developmentally appropriate, providing hands on experiences with math, science, art and language.
It will lay a foundation for Christian living and for the ongoing spiritual development by maintaining positive interactions between staff, children, parents and administration.
The school shall be a safe place of ministry to children and families.
The History of Bethlehem Christian Pre-School
Bethlehem Christian Pre-school began as the result of the vision of its founder, Edmund Bouschor. Edmund and his wife, Carol, were members of Bethlehem Christian and both were teachers in the Beaverton School District. He had a dream of a Christian school in which children would be nurtured, loved, and taught about Jesus Christ as a personal Lord and Savior. The school began as a ministry of Bethlehem Church in 1977. It was named Bethlehem Christian School and was located in the present space which had been specifically designed and remodeled for use as a school.
Over the years the school grew and moved to the vacant Palisades School in Lake Oswego. At Palisades, BCS included a daycare, a pre-school, and eventually a junior high. Early in 1989 the Lake Oswego School District announced that it would reopen Palisades as a public elementary school. BCS was unable to find an alternate site large enough to accommodate all aspects of its program. With difficulty the decision was made to disband.
Bethlehem Christian Pre-school reopened at the church in the Fall of 1989 with Kathy Hawkins as the Director. Mrs. Hawkins has a B.S. Degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education and a Reading Endorsement. She has been with the school since 1984. Nancy Smith became the Assistant Director in 1990. Mrs. Smith is a Child Development Associate specializing in Center-Based Programs. She has been with the school since 1982. In 2008 Becky Hilton joined the Administration as Assistant Director. Mrs. Hilton has been with BCP since 1987 and has a B.A. degree in Elementary Education.
Throughout the years, the commitment to serve the children and families of Bethlehem Christian Pre-School has remained unchanged. The goal of BCP is to be a place where children will feel safe, loved, and respected, and where Jesus Christ will be glorified in all our efforts.
In August 2006 Bethlehem Church completed a merger with Southgate City Church of Wilsonville, Oregon. The newly merged church was then named Christian City Church, Portland. The pre-school continues to operate as a ministry of the church and was subsequently renamed Bethlehem Christian Pre-school instead of Bethlehem Church Pre-school to more accurately represent the new name of the church and to reflect the continuing association between the church and school.