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How does one become a member of Beth Yeshua?

At Beth Yeshua we do not have an official membership roll. We consider anyone who regularly attends and is committed to the ministry of the congregation to be a member. We do recommend that new attendees take our video class, HaYesod (the Foundation) so that they can become familiar with the basics of our beliefs. We also encourage new attendees to wait at least six months before voting at congregational meetings.

What is Beth Yeshua's view on "Kosher" food?

We, at Beth Yeshua, desire to eat "kosher" based on the Torah texts of Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. We believe that G-d has provided us with certain foods that we are permitted to eat and others that we are commanded not to eat. From a Torah perspective, "kosher" food refers to meat that has been drained of blood because we are commanded to abstain from ingesting blood. Since we have many communal meals together, we encourage everyone to use rabbinic certification symbols when buying prepared foods. If you are not sure what foods are acceptable when visiting with us, then ask one of the board members and we will be glad to help you. It is generally safe to bring fresh fruit and vegetables, especially those purchased in an open market. If you are visiting with us, feel free to join us for our communal meals. To insure that what you are contributing is Torah-based, please ask the elders for approval.

Does Beth Yeshua have a "Youth Group"?

At Beth Yeshua we do not have a youth group since we have a different approach than the modern church. Many of us attended mainline churches and saw the negative outcome from the modern "youth group" movement. At Beth Yeshua we believe that children should have interaction and fun with their parents. Parents are the G-d ordained guardians of children and the hearts of our children should be directed toward the parents. A large group of young adults getting together with little to no supervision does not generally promote a Torah-based outcome. We do encourage our children to have friends outside the family, but activities should be approved and monitored by the parents. It is our desire to also have communal activities that will allow our children to enjoy fellowship together while not relegating parents to a secondary role. We believe that children can have fun and have friends, but all activities should be under parental control. We believe that restoring parents to their rightful role is a return to Torah-based principles and it is these principles we desire to follow.

What is Beth Yeshua's stance on dating?

While we recognize that our culture promotes the concept of dating we at Beth Yeshua have a different perspective. The modern dating scene allows young people to choose who they will date and marry with no influence from the parents. We desire to return to a Torah-based approach to marriage and this requires that parents be involved with their children. While individual families are free to hold to a different view, we desire Beth Yeshua to be a place where young ladies are not approached by young men. The young man should speak with the young lady's parents, first. We believe that parents and children should work together to insure that marriage will be honoring to G-d. We desire for our children to enter marriage with no regrets and with moral purity.