Pastor's Thoughts

Hi Everyone,

The next time you are by the church stop at the back entrance and take a look at the handiwork of our own Eagle Scout candidate and his merry group of workers. Our previous entrance was in need of repair and through the kindness of David Wilcox with the support of his family and friends he has completed his eagle project.
So, stop by take a look and gives thanks to David.

I would also like to thanks the many volunteers who came forward with donations of time or gifts to make this project possible.
All things for the glory and honor of God.
Rev. Mark

Hi Everyone,
Below are dates for upcoming events and Holy Week schedule. All are invited.

Tuesday: March 12th 7pm Bible study "Exploring the Psalms"

Saturday: March 16th Fellowship potluck Breakfast 9am, Lans Anderson will speak on his mission trip to the Dominican Republic and Mission work in general.

Monday: March 18th Church Council 7pm

Tuesday: March 19th 7pm Bible Study "Exploring the Psalm"

Wednesday: March 20th 7pm Healing Service

Thursday: March 21st worship at Andrew House 2pm

Tuesday: March 26th Bible Study "Exploring The Psalms"

Thursday: March 28th Holy Thursday 6:30pm "Agape Meal and Worship" Clam Chowder, Chicken Noodle soup with a salad and bread. FREE

Friday: March 29th Good Friday Worship 7pm

All events and worship are open to the public, come along and join us.

Have a blessed day
Rev. Mark

Peace and Grace everyone,

Before I get carried away with a thought. I wanted to let everyone know that all events and worship services held here at The Berlin Congregational Church are open to the public. Please pass this information on to anyone that asks. If they would like to be added on to our email list we can certainly do that. Our next events are:

Wednesday: Feb. 13. 7pm. Ash Wednesday Worship.

Saturday: Feb. 16 9 am. Fellowship Breakfast Guest Speaker Dr. Laura Bevelock
Saturday: Feb 16, 5:30pm Spaghetti Supper and Auction.

Hope to see you and your friends

Now for a thought

Peace and grace everyone,

Here we are again, preparing or another storm. The gas stations are busy, store shelves are emptying fast and some are waiting impatiently at the register. One of the Boy Scouts motto is to "Be Prepared". This is true in all aspects of our lives especially when a storm appears. I am reminded of the following story I heard years ago ?

"Mamma" said a little child, "my Sunday School teacher tells me that this world is only a place in which God lets us live a while, that we may prepare for a better world. But mother, I do not see anybody preparing. I see you preparing to go to work or on vacation, and Aunt Betsy is preparing to come here; but I do not see anyone preparing to go there. Why don't they try to get ready?"

Mark 1:1-5, tells us there is a time of preparation before the reality of anticipation, before the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare the way." In Exodus 23:20, God sent an angel ahead of the Israelites to prepare the way to the promised land, in Mark 1:2, we read God sent a man to prepare the way to the promised one.

Life requires preparation, and it is in the preparation we will either become win or lose. It has been said that all is well that begins well.

Successful preparation in any endeavor begins with knowing what you want. Then you will go to the right places; find the right people; ask the right questions; and pay the right price.

Let me ask in closing, how is your preparation for life? Are you involved in repairing a lack of preparation? Perhaps you are here and you are okay, you have it down. Then you can come along side someone who is repairing. You might not have been able to answer all the question, or scored as well as you know you should, I close with the alter of preparation, a place for you and God to come and kneel down and do some business.

The wind is blowing, the trees are swaying to and from. The light snow we had last night swirls around the parking lot. Looking out the window I can see people all snuggled up in there hats and coats.
And here I am in the warmth and comfort of the church.It wasn't too long ago when inside the church we would feel the breeze and coolness of the outside. We are thankful for the new windows.

There are days when we feel like the winds of life sends us all into a whirlwind. Going in many directions and not really getting anything accomplished. Have you ever had a day like that?

The Psalmist writes "Be still and know that I am God." In the midst of this blowing wind we are to be still? Is God serious?
I do believe God is serious, God can settle our whole being if we listen. Listening is often the most difficult because our lips are moving to fast. I have heard it said if our lips are moving our ears aren't hearing. This can be true for some.

My prayer for you today is to Be still and listen, in the whirlwind of life our savior is with us.

Yesterday was a great day here at Berlin Congregational Church. It was such pleasure as it is each week to visit and make new friends. This week I noticed that some of our friends were unable to be with us. I began to wonder why? Was it something I said last week?? Was there a party and we weren't invited?? But then it dawned on me. It was the FLU!!!

Let pray together... Loving God, In the midst of this flu season we pray for all who have contracted it or who are experiencing flu like systems. This year more cases have been reported than in years past. We seek your knowledge and patience upon our doctors, nurses and caregivers as they seek to help those who are going through this illness, that their gifts you have given may be used to the fullest. We pray for the strength of Christ to be with each person who is ill from the flu. Lord this is a difficult time for some, we seek your healing and calming presence among them. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen

Whatever we may have thought of on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day about the coming of our Lord, today we say it again in another way: The Light of heaven has broken into our world's darkness. In the book of Isaiah we read. "The people who walked in darkness," the prophet said, "have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness ? on them light has shined."

There is no better word to speak on Epiphany Sunday than this: that Christ has come into our world to drive out the darkness and to bless us with light. If you are one who sometimes is plunged into darkness, whether for moments or hours or days ? or perhaps even interminable periods ? I speak to you this good word: Christ has come to bring light. The darkness that afflicts us is not as strong as the light that is in Jesus Christ.

Let us pray: God of all people, we thank you for the past year and look forward to the year ahead. Remind us always of your ever lasting light. We know we will have periods which seem like darkness, but remind us to always look for your light. As long as we follow your light we are assured of your presence. Loving Father, keep us always mindful that all we do is for your glory and honor, we are like clay waiting to be shaped for your service. Lord, I am thankful for how you have watched over me and my family. I am very thankful for our new congregation at the Berlin Congregational Church and for all they do.

I am listening to Harry Chapin he is one of my favorites for many years. His style of music on this particular CD is done in the genre of story telling. He begins the cd as a taxi driver describing everything from the pick up to the drop off.

In the Gospels Jesus uses story telling to get his point across. Sometimes he will repeat the story a second time rephrasing what he said intially. He also will begin with "Isn't it written..." Story telling has the advantage of capturing the imagination of the listener, it is also helps us as the listener to remember.

Have you heard a good story lately? Did you share it with others? What was the lesson behind the story? Even in our world of instant communication we can still share stories. So, What is your story? How does your story shape who you are?

I am sitting here in the quietness of the office listening to my Christian cd's. I ask each of you this question, Why do we come to the House of God? or Why do we come to church? Yes, I know these are the same questions. I hope we come because this is where God meets us and we desire to be in his presence and in the presence of his people. I hope we come to learn more about Jesus; more about his ways and how to be more like him.

As I walked around the Berlin Fair yesterday I did witness friends meet at the same place they have met for five years, embracing each other. Do we do that in church? do we greet each other like the father in the prodigal son story? Embracing God also means embracing our friends. A teacher from the past once told his students " When you pray to God, talk to him like he is your best friend" See you in church!!

Last night we read and discussed Job chapter 3. We explored the feeling of loss Job must have felt after losing almost everything. I say almost everything because he still had his wife and three friends.

What does next week bring us?? The beginning of the great debates. We will examine the counsel of Jobs friends, what their observations might have been and what they based their conclusions on regarding Job's suffering. We will also consider Job's response to his friends and if he took their advise.

Our next gathering will be Tuesday, Oct 2nd beginning at 6pm with a potluck meal and study beginning at 7pm. All taking place in the dining room. Hope to see you all there.

Here it is the last day of summer! Often we look back and say "where did the did the summer go?" Is it good to look back? Maybe we are not suppose to look back instead we should be looking forward. Last night Jean and I began making plans to have my cousins join us during Christmas for a meal. I began planning an All Souls worship time for November. So, if I had a choice to make about which way to look it would be forward. In looking forward it is filled with anticipation and excitement and for the moment it bring me joy. So, which way are looking?

Next weeks bible study will be held on Wednesday Sept.26 potluck dinner at 6pm study begins at 7pm. our topic this week is:

Peace to all who read this. Today we welcomed the family Bradley Bigelow who was presented for the sacrament of Baptism. Following worship we all gathered in the Founder's Room for fellowship time and wonderful snacks.

Our confirmation class met for the first time. I am looking forward to leading these young men and women thru the confirmation journey.

Please remember our next Bible Study session on Tuesday, Sept. 18th at 6pm. Help is also needed for the Berlin Fair please contact Joe or Kim Nuzzilillo.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone at our tailgate and flea market next Saturday.

We had a great time at Bible study Wednesday. Our next study night will be Tuesday evening Sept.18th with a potluck dinner at 6pm and study beginning at 7pm.

Handouts from last weeks study are available in the Founders room and will be available at each study.

Happy Monday, August 20,2012 Location: In the mountains. Here I am again in the mountains enjoying some time away relaxing. On first day I look back and thank God for the many blessings I have received. A loving supportive wife, family and friends. A church that supports their minister and is an active part of the over all ministry of Berlin Congregational church. From the Outreach to Christian Education and our Music program and all who vollunteer or pray for us. God has truely blessed us in the past and now we look forward to the blessings in the future.
See you in church!!! (When I return)
Rev. Mark

Happy Tuesday and peace be with you,
In the Gospel of Luke 5 we read of Jesus in the fishing boat telling the fisherman where to drop their nets. The fishermen respond that they have been fishing all night and have not caught anything. They did listen to him and cast their nests again.
How often have we thought we knew it all? We are the experts in our field and no one can tell us differently only to finally listen and be proven wrong. I have been on both sides of that scenario.
In this parable the fishermen listened to Jesus and received their fill. Will you listen and receive yours?
See you in church!
Pastor Mark

Happy Monday everyone, Great day at church yesterday. Cori was back as our organist and she brought along Jill as our guest soloist. What great music they shared with us.
Last night Jean and I watched the closing ceremonies of the Olympics. What a performance from the dancers, drivers, musicians and all who participated. Then the Olympians came in as a whole body not as individual teams. I thought to myself is this what God had in mind in the creation story? Everyone together, laughing, embracing each other? No boundaries or war in the midst. Yes, there was competition for 14 days but still, everyone was congratulating each other both during and after the competition.
I do believe this is just one example of what God intended for each of us. To live peacefully with each other, celebrate and share the burdens of life. Together as the body we can do so much.
See you in church
Pastor Mark

Good morning everyone,
Friday is here, are plans made for the weekend? Looks like rain for this afternoon and all day Saturday. AH but Sunday? Sonshine, no I did not mispell it. Yes, it is suppose to be sunny and warm. My question for you today is this, does the Son shine even in your darkest moments of life? God sent his son to us, and with that him came hope. My prayer for you all today is that hope abounds in you and those whom you meet. Many Blessings
See you in church.
Pastor Mark

Back to Midstate Med center to meet with the Hospital Chaplain. Beginning in Sept I will be a volunteer on-call chaplain. This involves one or two evenings. Even in the midst of family events at hospitals the staff also carries a lot of burden. Jesus invites us in Matthew 11:28-30 to come to him for rest, that his load is light and his yoke is easy. If I can be that person who can help and lighten the load this is another way of bringing glory to God.
See you in church!!!
Pastor Mark

Good morning everyone, I started today at Midstate Medical center, as I was walking the halls I noticed the many expressions on peoples faces, some sad,joy, and concerned. The pace of their walk was also a way to sense urgency. so, why do I bring this all up you may ask? In each frown or joy of every face, God was with them. I went into the chapel hoping someone would follow I ended up sitting by myself in prayer which is ok. I did notice a book on the lectern. As I thumbed through it there was pages upon pages of prayers and thanks givings to God. Some were one liners, some pages, all giving God the glory. So, today like hymn writer puts it "Take Time to be Holy"
See you in church!!
Pastor Mark

Good morning everyone, On Saturday I asked how you started your day and mentioned prayer. Today, I am asking the same question but, with a different insight. Do you wake in the morning and say " Good morning God! or Good God it's morning?"
The way we start our day is vital to the way we finish it. I have notice when my day is not going so well it seems like an eternity, yet when I have a good day it flies by. Now do not get me wrong, I do believe we should start our day with prayer. We should also look towards the day with hope and excitement. See you in church.
Pastor Mark

Here it is Saturday. How did you start your day? Prayer is a good way, giving thanks to God. 1 Peter 5:7 say" Cast all your anxieties on him because he cares for you" I know it is sometimes difficult to let go of today's stresses and anxieties. We do have a way out, that is casting them to God. Casting is to throw something, in fishing you cast the hook with the hope of getting a fish. When we cast our anxieties to him we are assured he catches them. For today, cast your anxieties. Because he does care for you. See you in church! Pastor MarkYour content goes here.