Sunday School 10:00-10:45
Worship 11:00
Berry Methodist Church
Beginning a New Era of Faithfulness in Berry
Evangelical, Biblical, Faithful
A New Era for an Old Church
Berry Methodist Church has been a fixture in the Town of Berry for a long time. Everyone knows it for the beautiful stained glass windows and the elegant design of the building. But as lovely as the building is, what's truly important about a church is what happens on the inside. It's the power of the message preached, and the faithfulness of those who hear it. Moreover, every area needs a church for people who want to know God but who don't fit in very well anywhere else. We aim to be a church that is a sort of 'Island of Misfit Toys' - a place where people with brokenness and dysfunction can feel at home. We're a congregation that looks like Jesus' friends: goofy, a little out-of-step, maybe rough around the edges. There are lots of churches where church people feel comfortable. We want to be a church where Mary, Martha, and a Samaritan woman at a well feel at home.
Learning the Gospel
There's an old saying that "My mind is a bad neighborhood; I shouldn't go there alone. We need to carry the Gospel with us in our innermost thoughts. When St Paul said that we must "be transformed by the renewing of our minds" (Rom. 12:2) and that we must "take every thought captive (II Cor. 10:5), he was describing the key to the Christian life: understanding. When we understand God, ourselves, and others as Scripture teaches, we are set free from the things that have held us hostage: guilt, shame, addiction, depression, brokenness of every sort. Together we learn to think God's thoughts after Him that we may be free and find the "abundant life" Jesus promised. Like Mary sitting at Jesus' feet in Bethany, we focus on learning what our Lord has to say, so that we can be turned around and made new: whole, happy, and useful.
A Church for Others
The best way to serve the Lord, to grow in our walk with Jesus, and to be happy is to be available to others. The best way to keep your sanity and spiritual health is by giving it away. As we grow in our walk with God we often hit a wall, and our progress grows slow or even erodes. The reason is that we aren't giving away what we've been given. When Jesus commanded His disciples to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth, it wasn't simply because He wanted them to make disciples. It was also because sharing our blessings and His Gospel makes us happier and healthier, too. In Matthew 10:8b Jesus said, "Freely you have received, freely give." As we share life with others, and give away the spiritual gifts that we've been given, we grow ourselves. Lazarus was raised from the dead, but almost immediately his house was the starting point for Jesus' Triumphal Entry that led to His victory over sin, death, and hell. May our fellowship be like his humble house in Bethany!
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest. "