Dan Haas and his family, wife Becke and daughter Lily, relocated to Bethel just over a year ago in August 2024. He had previously served at Fort Drum Army base and at a small church in upstate New York.

What is the name and address of your church?

The name of the Church is Pleasant Valley Bible Church and is located at 407 Flat Road, West Bethel.

What is its core mission or vision and how do you see it evolving in the future?

The core missions of the church is to reach those who need hope in Jesus through preaching and teaching the Gospel, in addition to meeting the practical needs of the community and church. One of the ways we are reaching the community around us is by enabling each member of the church to serve in the areas in which they are skilled. One fixes cars for those in need. Another bakes cookies and breads. Others clean and others visit with those in need. We also host a men’s gathering once a month and invite other churches to join with us. We take turns meeting at their church, and the pastor will lead, or I will lead if they desire. To sum this all up, we believe in discipleship, which means people follow Jesus’ example of loving and serving for the sake of demonstrating the Gospel.

What are the strengths or unique resources your church brings to the broader community outside your congregation? Are there opportunities specific to rural areas for churches to serve their communities?

One of the things we just completed as a church was to create a space for the community to come and express their needs at the local Harvest Festival. My wife created a large canvas with the words “Bethel Community Painting” on it. Below were six containers of paint colors with brushes. The instructions stated: Choose a paint color that matches your prayer and then take the paint and put a stripe of paint on the canvas. Blue was for friendship, red for family and so on. Now that the painting is finished, we have gifted it to the Chamber of Commerce to use as they see fit in Bethel.

Our church is in West Bethel in a rural setting. We know being in rural America is difficult, especially in the winter months. We use those months to provide activities. We have wood heat and warm hearts to welcome everyone. Also, on the first Sunday of each month, we have coffee and goodies after the service. Year-round, we offer women’s Bible studies, and men have a breakfast and Bible study on the first Saturday of each month.

What are your congregation’s demographics? Are there steps you’ve taken to attract younger families?

Our church has a handful of young families and older folks. We have implemented a children’s church for parents with kids to use in the church service. Twice a year, our town hosts a festival on the town common, Molly Ockett Day and HarvestFest. We use these to highlight some of the ministries for all ages. We also give gift bags to the kids and have some toys or games they can play at the booth.

At Molly Ockett Day, we handed out blocks of wood and kits to make a pine car for our Rattletrap derby. We handed out 45 kits, and 12 kids with their parents came to our race. We also have Awana, which is a Bible-based program for youth on Friday afternoons. Finally, we have started a youth group for older teens, which meets on Sunday afternoons.

What are the biggest challenges facing your congregation and the wider community right now?

The biggest challenges facing our congregation are how to reach everyone in Bethel to include the tourists and all demographics.

Finally, please tell me how long you have been a pastor, where you were previously, how the church operates (is there a council, for instance?) and what is your operating budget?

I have been a pastor for the past five years. I began pastoring as an associate pastor to the International Inspirational Gospel Service on Fort Drum, an Army base in New York. My family was serving as missionaries to the U.S. Army at the request of the Military Chaplains. God then led us to join a mission group called Village Missions, whose goal is to provide qualified pastors to rural churches in America. My family was sent to a small town of 120 souls in Roseboom, New York, where we served for two years. They unfortunately no longer wanted a pastor, so we relocated to our current church, where we have been since August 2024.

I choose to operate on a team-based approach to leading the church. I see my role as a shepherd who trains others to work alongside me.