Marti Chavarria was looking for something different in a church when she moved to Northeast Ohio more than three years ago.She found it at Bethel Church in Middleburg Heights.“I’m a Christian. I was raised in the church. My parents were missionaries. I knew about God, and I was used to serving,” said Chavarria, 36, of Canton. “But something was missing. I needed something more than being there on Sunday and following the rules and regulations. What I needed was to be actively living in the word of God on a daily basis.”Now Chavarria is working to help others actively live out their faith as administrator of the Akron campus of Bethel Church, at 734 Grant St. The nondenominational church purchased the building (formerly Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church) in May. Sunday services began in September.Since purchasing the building, which had been closed in January 2010 as part of a reconfiguration in the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, Bethel’s congregation has thoroughly cleaned the building, made minor repairs, painted and built acoustical tiles for the walls.The Akron church, which attracts about 100 people, is one of four campuses that make up the Middleburg Heights-based Bethel Church. The other campuses are in Brunswick and Madison.The four campuses together attract about 800 people and offer five Sunday services: 9 and 11 a.m. in Middleburg Heights; 10 a.m. in Brunswick; 11 a.m. in Madison and 6 p.m. in Akron. Each service lasts about 90 minutes and includes contemporary music, communion, prayer and preaching.“Our vision is to raise up 100 churches of 100 people in the Cleveland-Akron area with a broad base of leadership that can go out and help transform the environment of Northeast Ohio,” said the Rev. Steve Witt, senior pastor of Bethel. “Our emphasis is that God has empowered all of us to do ministry every day. When we see someone in need, we are to do as Jesus would do. We pray for them and meet their need. It’s like priests in the streets, touching the poor and ministering to the downtrodden.”Since opening in Akron, Bethel has offered a 12-week course called Firestarters, which has attracted about 50 people. The sessions are designed to teach participants how to minister to people in crisis.One of the facilitators for Firestarters, Jeff Metzger, has been with the Akron campus since it was established. Metzger of North Canton said he and his wife, Beth, are excited about being part of the new church.“We really like what Bethel does. It’s an interesting mix of a practical approach and a spiritual approach,” said Metzger, 47. “It’s not about just attending worship service; it’s about going forth in your daily life and impacting the world with God’s love. The church building is the place that you go to refuel, but Bethel is very much about what happens after you leave the building.”In addition to the Firestarters course and Sunday services, Bethel has organized youth and young adult groups, which gather at 7 p.m. Wednesdays and 7 p.m. Fridays, respectively. The leader of the young adult and youth groups, Sam Adams, said each group attracts five to 15 people each week.“One of things we try to stress is that God is good, that there is light in him. There is no darkness in God. He’s a good God who loves his people and wants what’s best for us,” said Adams, 25, of Hudson. “We stress that God loves us and deeply cares about every aspect of our lives. We teach what it means to live in the spirit.”Bethel Church was founded in September 1996 by Witt and his wife, Cindy, after they moved with their four children from New Brunswick, Canada, to plant a church in Northeast Ohio. The couple started the church in Brunswick with 92 people who showed up in response to 50 radio ads that were purchased to invite people who loved God but were not going to church.As the church grew, it moved in 2004 to 16670 E. Bagley Road in Middleburg Heights. That year, the church purchased a 21-acre farm near Interstate 71 in Brunswick for its second campus. The third campus, in Madison, was launched in 2010.Bethel’s focus has been to get every member involved by training volunteer ministry teams. Outreach ministries have included product and service giveaways, festivals and evangelism training. It also has formed ministry partnerships with urban churches and sent members for ministry training in a dozen countries, including Norway, Australia, England, Iceland and Mexico.Over the years, the congregation has sent teams of missionaries to more than 20 countries to spread the gospel. It has given tens of thousands of dollars to dig freshwater wells in Africa, feed the hungry and help those in need.Leadership at the Akron site already has formed a partnership with Church of the Holy Spirit Anglican Church. The Anglican church has been leasing space in Bethel’s community center for services since July, and Bethel’s members have been working with Holy Spirit in its hallmark lunch and Bible-sharing ministry. The two churches also are partners in a coat and hat drive for needy children.Witt describes Bethel as evangelical in belief and charismatic in practice. The church is affiliated with Global Legacy and the ministry of Bethel Church in Redding, Calif., and tends to attract Christians who have stopped going to church, he said.“We are seeing a lot of people who are looking for a fresh start,” Witt said. “We are working to empower those who come to go out into the community and love on people because we recognize that real ministry is done outside the four walls of the church.”Witt said his hope is to open five more campuses in Northeast Ohio next year. Long-term plans include at least five churches in Akron. For information about Bethel, go to www.bethelcleveland.com.Colette Jenkins can be reached at 330-996-3731 or cjenkins@thebeaconjournal.com.