Murphysboro, IL / December 10, 2014 – Berean Christian Church in Murphysboro will continue its tradition of being open on New Year's Eve to offer those in the community a time for personal reflection and communion. The church is at 16th Street and Illinois Avenue.
Troy Humphrey, minister at Berean, said the church doors will be open from 3 to 6 p.m. Lights will be lowered, and communion will be in place at the front of the auditorium.
"Individuals can come, pray and take communion when they feel they should," Humphrey said. "There is no corresponding service or specific time you have to be there and anyone is welcome to come and pray." All Christians in attendance can partake in the emblems of communion.
Humphrey said he feels the time of quiet prayer and contemplation is a good way to end one year and look ahead to the new year. Read More
Berean Christian Church in Murphysboro will be holding their annual Candlelight Service on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2014 at 10:00 p.m. This annual tradition has been taking place at the church since 1981.
The service will be a time of hearing the biblical Christmas story, prayer and singing Christmas hymns. Each year dozens come to the service to have a time of quiet reflection and worship prior to Christmas day. Minister Troy Humphrey loves the atmosphere created in the service. “This is not a loud, boisterous celebration that lasts for hours, but a last quiet moment in reverence and peace before the holiday.” He went on to indicate that it is the perfect time for personal reflection on the true meaning of Christmas. Read More or read the article from the St. Louis Post Website
By Mike Austin
During the past year, the Congregation at Berean Christian Church was presented a very unique and fulfilling opportunity of studying 2 books together. The first book was titled, THE STORY”, and I am reinforcing and stating the very first page of the book. It tells the Grandest, most compelling story of all time: the story of a true God who loves his children, who established for them a way of salvation and provide a route to eternity. Each story in the 31 chapters revealed the God of grace - the God who speaks; the God who acts; the God who listens; the God whose love for his people culminated in his sacrifice of Jesus, his only Son, to atone for the sins of humanity.
What’s more: this same God is alive today and active today- still listening, still acting, still pouring out his grace on us. His grace extends to our daily foibles, our ups, downs, and in-betweens; our moments of questions and fears; and most important, our response to his call on our lives. He’s the same God who forgave David’s failures and rescued Jonah from the belly of a fish. This same heavenly Father who shepherded the Israelites through the wilderness desires to shepherd us through our wanderings, to help us get past our failures and rescue us for eternity. Read More
This Christmas Season at Berean Christian Church we are beginning a new sermon series starting November 30th at 10AM. The series is entitled "The Mystery of the Manger".
Each week at our weekly worship service we will step ever closer to the manger and the birth of Jesus. We will go into detail about the foundations of our Christian faith, from a lowly stable and great joy to the treachery of man and the need for a new birth. We will show you that everyone needs the manger.
We hope that you plan to be at Berean every Sunday for this exciting new series. Read More
by Russ Ward
The smell of homemade bread starts wafting through the house as preparations for Thanksgiving begin. The sweet scent of bread will soon be replaced by a potent combination of turkey, gravy, dressing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie as the day and hour of feasting approaches. On Thanksgiving day, for many of us, our homes will be bulging more than our stretch pants, with family and friends ready to chow down and the meal of meals will shortly be consumed in record time. Our couches and overstuffed chairs will then be graced with football fans and nappers alike for the after feed tradition of TV follies. The burning questions on the lips of the zombified viewers will be "Who will beat the Lions this year?" followed by, "Is there any pie left?"...Read More
On Sunday November 9, immediately after the morning worship service, Berean Christian Church in Murphysboro will be honoring and celebrating the 100th birthday of one its members. Phoebe Underwood hit the century mark on November 3, and is a long-time member of Berean Christian Church. As a result the church will be hosting a birthday celebration.
The party will take place during an event called Chili Chili Bang Bang, a congregational get together for fun fellowship and food. As part of the fun Phoebe will be presented with a birthday cake honoring her life. Read More
By Stacy Humphrey
Parenting alone? Not as a single parent, but without any extended family nearby. To raise seven children without the aid of grandparents, aunts, uncles or any other family is impossibly hard. In the past families lived near one another, if not on the same property. There was always a grandparent, aunt, uncle, sibling or cousin nearby. This was your village. Today this is not often true, our families are scattered. I personally know I do not have all the tools needed to help my children through every area of their lives.
I am not intelligent enough, wise enough, educated enough or loving enough to give my children everything they need. I lose my temper, use harsh words, get frustrated and feel helpless. There are so many days I reach the point of crying out, “I cannot do this”....Read More
It's that time of year. There is a nip in the air, leaves drop from their branches, families start planning their holidays and turkey becomes more than just cold cuts. It is also a time when we put away the Halloween candy and come together as a church family for a celebration and lots of fun, food and fellowship.
This year for our annual Thanksgiving celebration, we are shaking it up with a new twist. Instead of the traditional turkey and dressing fare, we are having what we call Chili Chili Bang Bang. Instead of passing the dressing and cranberry sauce, we will be passing bowls of chili and soups, desserts and more. Read More
There are very few people that have had a bigger impact at Berean than Nancy Hill. Nancy was there from the beginning working side by side with her husband Elmer and a cadre of believers that through God's leading literally built Berean from the ground up. She would do whatever was needed and where ever God led her, whether it was helping with the building or on a ministry team.
She took her dedication to Christ seriously and was an ever-present face at events at Berean, but more importantly she was a fixture at services. Nancy would attend anytime she could, even if she had to struggle with pain, use a cane or walker. If it was at all possible she would be at church. We can all learn from her dedication to her church family. Read more.
By Russ Ward - Elder Berean Christian Church
I have been told that this column may hurt more than actually getting a tattoo, but here we go. Tattoos in the eyes of some have become as much of a fashion statement as a Gucci Soft Stirrup Crocodile Shoulder Bag or as much as a statement on manhood as a bald head and full beard. Of course the problem with the tattoo as a fashion statement is ink tends to be permanent. You can always change purses, shave your beard or revert back to the comb-over, but once the needle starts punching holes in your skin, no amount of soap will wash off your choice and the artist's handiwork. Click for the whole article.
There are two fantastic ministry opportunities coming up that you can participate in, in October as a way to connect with our community.
The first is the Murphysboro Community Night Out. The event is scheduled for October 7th starting at 5:00 PM and will take place at Longfellow Park. We will have a tent and will be giving out information about Berean to or neighbors and friends. Plus we will have a game for the kids with fun stuff to give out! Click here to find out more.
Usually we write completely original material for this blog, but sometimes another author says it better than we can. This is the case with this post. Susan Lawrence at the Christian Standard gets to the heart of ministry when we find out that serving God is not all about fun.
Also, if you don't regularly check this website, put it on your favorite list and go over the articles at least once a week. christianstandard.com
When Ministry Isn't Fun
By Susan Lawrence
“I have to work hard enough at my job—and I get paid for that. Volunteering for ministry shouldn’t take that much effort. If it’s not going to be fun, I’m not going to waste my time. I have more important things I’d rather do.”
It’s the new epidemic of faulty reasoning about serving in the local church. A previous generation often served sacrificially out of obligation or guilt, sometimes at the expense of joy. But too many today refuse to serve if the task doesn’t bring them excitement or at least pleasure. “No one can make me. I make my own choices. God wouldn’t want me to serve without excitement.” This if-there’s-nothing-in-it-for-me-I’m-not-doing-it attitude can weaken or even paralyze Christ’s body...Please continue to read this!!!!!
You can forget how fast a team of football players and coaches can inhale spaghetti and bow tie pasta, salad, bread and cookies; but on Friday at Berean we got the opportunity to marvel.
The yellow school bus packed with Murphysboro High School's football team unloaded at the church just after 3:00 and when the church members that fed the grateful players finished cleaning up it was 4:00. In the team's defense, they did have to eat quickly because of the long drive to Massac County, but one has rarely seen so many mounds of pasta disappear so fast...Read More
I don't know about the rest of you, but it has been quite a while since our family had a nice thick, juicy cut of good ol' American beef. You know the kind that you can slice with a fork and makes your mouth water just thinking about it, usually cooked out on the grill. I know for me it has been too long a wait in between steaks.
That is one of the reasons that we choose Jack's Meat Market and Deli in Murphysboro as the prize in this month's Facebook "Likes" drawing. Jack's is relatively new to our community of Murphysboro, but I have heard nothing but good things and we are proud to offer a $25 gift certificate to the person lucky enough to get their name pulled out of the hat on October 1st.
To enter all you have to do is "Like" our facebook page and then check our posts on October 1st. Simple as that. Read More
By Troy HumpheyThe math world was turned upside down recently. The Fields medal, the mathematician's equivalent of the Nobel Prize, is only given out once every four years. This year marks two firsts in its ninety year history. Here's the backstory.
In February 1998, a bus bringing the mathematical elite of Tehran's Sharif University back from a competition in the western city of Ahwaz skidded out of control and crashed into a ravine.
Seven award-winning mathematicians and two drivers lost their lives in the crash. One of the survivors was Maryam Mirzakhani, who this week became the first woman – and also the first Iranian – to win the Fields medal. (Excerpt from theguardian.com)...Read More
By Chris Naegele
Our study of the scripture through the lesson series “The Story” has be a true blessing for Debi and me. For the past 25 weeks the Berean church membership have followed God’s plan for His creation through the study of the Bible in a story format. God’s plan has been revealed in a unique and enlightening series with the insight of Max Lucado and Randy Frazee. The “upper story” and “lower story” format of God’s redeeming grace, and our limited ability to grasp this truth, has opened up God’s plan for our congregation in a truly enlightening way.
We have studied together the creation, the fall of man through Adam and Eve’s sin. God’s promise to Abraham, and God’s everlasting lasting love as man has continued to fall from grace throughout history. We have read of the strength and frailty of Bible men and women, Moses, David and Ruth of the Old Testament. And more recently in our study, Mary and Joseph and the disciples as we read the New Testament....Read More
Murphysboro / August 29, 2014 - Berean Christian Church will be participating in the Annual Murphysboro Community Night Out that will take place on October 7th at Longfellow Park starting at 5:00pm. The event is designed to promote partnerships and relationships between the various city departments and the community. The focus is on crime, drug and violence prevention as well as safety and neighborhood unity.
Berean will be connecting with the community at this event by providing a fun game for the kids and answering questions from parents about their BASH (Berean After School Haven) program and other outreach efforts. Troy Humphrey minister at Berean loves the opportunity to meet with community members. “This is a great event and we are pleased to show people that Berean is more than a Sunday....Click to Read More.
At Berean our goal is to connect with each other, God and the world and one of the ways that we can connect best with each other and God is through prayer. Too often we feel helpless and hopeless and not connected and yet we have the power to connect with God by just whispering His name.
What an awesome power, and each of us has that ability. Philippians 4:6 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God... Read More.
By Stephanie Ward
The school year is starting which means BASH is just a month away! It is truly a blessing that we, as a church, are able to put on this after-school program. I thank God for those of you who have committed yourself to helping it be a successful program; whether it be through your time volunteering, cooking food, providing funds or praying. If you have helped someway in the past and want to help again or if you are interested in helping for the first time, here are some areas where you are needed....Read More
MURPHSYBORO, IL (KFVS) - Longfellow Park in Murphysboro was jammed packed of students getting school supplies and having fun on Saturday. More than 1,000 people came out for the 5th annual Servants for Christ and Berean Christian Church Annual School Supply Giveaway.
Students from around the region, and even as far as St. Louis, were given the supplies needed to start school this fall. Pens, pencils, scissors, binders and other items were handed out to nearly 600 children.
Organizers say school supplies are costly and it's important that children have the necessary items to go back to school.There were plenty of activities on Saturday, including face painting, haircuts, food and games. Parents say getting the school supplies is a must with the economy still struggling. One parent told Heartland News it's very hard to purchase all the needed supplies since she is unemployed. She said the event benefits her child to get the education she needs. Click to see story.
Copyright 2014 KFVS. All rights reserved.
Story by WSIL TV-3 MURPHYSBORO-- Hundreds came out to Murphysboro Saturday to collect some last-minute school supplies. The supply giveaway was held in Longfellow Park. Parents and kids also got to enjoy free hot dogs, and listen to a live music. Members of "Servants of Christ" in Murphysboro started the event when the recession hit, and kept it going when they saw how positively the people of Murphysboro recieved it.
"This is gonna keep up until the day comes we find there's no longer a need," said Pastor Lawrence Nolan. He explained that even though there may be fewer people in the unemployment line these days, the event is aimed to help any of those in need. "No county is exempt," said Nolan. "Jackson County is one that's been hit pretty hard with factories closing and what have you, but with us being able to give back to the family and help the children with school supplies, it's taken a load off of the families and off of the parents."
Several churches and local businesses have jumped onboard in the past five years. They make regular donations and show up every year. Jackson County school districts begin classes on Thursday. Click here for WSIL TV3.
Story and PhotoBy Jessica Miles
Posted Aug. 12, 2014
School supplies, and a fresh haircut, are essential for the first day of school--at least it seems that way. More than five years ago, a parent was caught stealing school supplies from Walmart in Murphysboro. Not only did this behavior have consequences, but it sent a message that there was a pressure put on parents, and a need that was not being met. Pastor Lawrence Nolan and his wife, Margaret Nolan, of Servants for Christ Church, began to pray about the situation. The end result has been five years of an enormous event. On Saturday, more than 1300 people came to Longfellow Park for free school supplies, haircuts, food, games, sports, and to get wet, compliments of the Fire Department. Haircuts were provided by Diva Salon.Margaret Nolan said the church collaborated with Berean Christian Church, First Christian Church, Sam’s Club, Walmart and other businesses and organizations to make the event possible. Hamp’s Barbecue gave away free food and has for each of the five years the giveaway has taken place.“I believe in giving back to the community,” said owner Chris Hampton.More than 250 school supplies were given away.“The goal is to have the children’s basic needs met,” said Margaret.She said they want to ensure every child, regardless of status, feels completely ready, able and equal with their classmates to go to school and obtain their education. For More Info Click Here for the Murphysboro American Website.
By Russ Ward - Elder Berean Christian Church
Believe it or not one of the most important decisions a person can make is what church they should attend. Much like buying a new home is important, so is the spiritual house you will be attending, yet often times we neglect the research, prayer and scripture when we make the choice and often base our decision on unimportant factors. Right away you maybe thinking this blog is about you choosing Berean Christian, but it is not. This decision is much more important than just one church in town over another and honestly if you chose Berean and it is not the right fit, you will not only be doing yourself a disservice but you will also not be helping the universal church to the best of your God given abilities....Read More
This blog post is from Tim Harrison. He and his wife, Elizabeth are missionaries supported by the tithes and offerings from Berean and many other churches. It is important that we understand that our giving has an impact world-wide!!! I encourage you to go to www.africahope.com and try not to tear-up as you read the many testimonies and remember we are all missionaries for Christ. In this story you will hear about how a village leader walked into muddy water to be washed clean.
By Tim Harrison
“I need these sins to be washed away from me,” responded Main, a village elder, when asked why he wanted to give his life to Christ. Tim had been coming to Main’s community, Letukunyi, each week for months to share stories from the Bible. Beginning at creation and culminating with the resurrection of Christ...Read More
Information provided by Marsha Perfetti, CEO Pregnancy Matters, Source - Focus on the Family
Take your time. If you’re pregnant and it wasn’t quite planned take a deep breath and try not to panic. Even though your not the first person this has happened to (and won’t be the last) the fact that it’s your life makes it a big deal, right? Just don’t rush into a decision.
You can’t change what has happened, but you can carefully consider your next step. You may feel pressure to make a quick decision. Instead, give yourself some time. Where you go from here will have a significant impact on your life. You have options, so make an informed decision... Read More
Good mention in the Southern about our new logo and connect theme! It is important to connect and I am glad that our church has picked up this theme as a way to remember the importance of connecting with God, each other and the world. Click here to read.
MURPHYSBORO -- Servants for Christ and Berean Christian Church will again host the annual School Supply Giveaway from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 9 in Longfellow Park.
The giveaway offers more than just pens and pencils. More than 200 free haircuts were given away last year, and organizers are expecting the same number this year. Also, lunch is served with donated hot dogs, chips and snow cones for dessert....Read More
Like. I remember when you knew who you liked, but you really didn't have to say it. You liked your friends and your friends liked their friends and that was pretty much the end of it. I never once had to tell my friends, "Ya know, I like you." That conversation never happened and boy I'm glad it didn't. I mean, what do you say to that anyway? "Yes, and I like you too?" Awkward!
It is even more difficult when a girl liked you! Now what do you do with that tidbit of information? Usually, we would send a highly secretive emissary to carry the message that we liked them back. Hoping, on one hand, that they liked us, but then on the other hand, acting as if it didn't matter. Then there was even more angst...Read More
Berean Christian Church in Murphysboro has released a new logo, website, blog and social media campaign all surrounding the theme of connecting. The website has been in testing and is now available for visits at bereanconnect.com and the facebook and twitter accounts are now active with the same connect theme. The blog at blog.bereanconnect.com has had over 1000 visitors since the rollout and they are looking to grow.
Pastor Troy Humphrey says it was time for an update and loves the new concept. “When you really think about it, Christianity is really all about connecting, connecting with God, each other and our community and the new effort reflects our commitment to connect.”... To read more click here.
Murphysboro, IL / July 16, 2014 – Servants for Christ and Berean Christian Church will again be holding the annual School Supply Giveaway in Murphysboro, IL to help families cope with the high cost of school supplies and also reach hearts. The event was started when the founder of the event Margaret Nolan personally knew someone arrested for shoplifting school supplies at a local store. That event led Nolan to begin what is now an annual community celebration that provides school supplies to over 600 ...Read More
Shortly after the VBS Family Night we begin counting down the days to the School Supply Giveaway. Now, for those of you who don’t know what a school supply giveaway is, it is simple. A huge event where hundreds of people come to enjoy food, fun and of course, get free school supplies!
So, you may be asking yourself, what goes on during the School Supply Giveaway? Well this is a fantastic question and I am so glad that you asked!
There will be…Click to Read More
The North American Christian Convention this year had the theme of "Remission" and a recognition that 
the church has in some ways has lost it's purpose or lost its way.
It was pointed out in several of the sessions, that the overarching reason that the church exists at all is to seek and save the lost. In this day and age however, we tend to gear church around our needs and our desires, often sacrificing those that need Jesus. Many churches have become member focused not mission focused.
In one session it was expressed in this way; we know what the church does, we know how we do it but we have lost the why. In other words we have lost the compass to our Christian faith. Read More.
With all of the service men and women that we know, we are all familiar with the emotions when they finally make it back home. I never get tired of seeing those surprise homecoming TV news stories with all the hugs and tears.
"Coming Home" is the title of this week's sermon and we will be covering chapter 19 of The Story. It is all about the Israelite people finally being able to go home after 70 years in captivity. Read More
Berean Christian Church Youth Connect
Murphysboro, IL/Saturday, June 28, 2014 11:04 AM At Berean Christian Church in Murphysboro the High School Youth are connecting with their community 
by volunteering at the church and in their community and now want to raise funds so they can connect more with God.
The High School Youth at Berean Christian Church are holding a fundraiser this Sunday by serving spaghetti to the church for donations, but, that is just the tip of the iceberg for this group. The church has an after school program for area children called BASH. It involves after-school snacks, homework help, play time and supper. The high school age group assists with that program by providing homework help and with keeping an eye on the kids as they play. Read More.
Spaghetti Dinners. Why do so many church youth groups have Spaghetti for their fundraisers? Some of the answers to that perplexing question are as plain as the meatball in the middle of your plate, others not so much.
First, we know that we can hardly trust teenagers to cook anything let alone Chicken Cordon Bleu or Lobster Thermidore. But, if you can boil water and open a jar of Ragu you are ready to cook spaghetti. Easy and fool proof. But, that can't be the only reason. If it were, then why don't youth groups just microwave some hot dogs and open bags of chips or have frozen pizza? Read More
"What was that postcard all about?" was the question posed to me more than once on Sunday. "You know the one with the question mark?" and said, "Time to Decide?" The posters were up and were drawing equally perplexing thoughts. "Decide what?" was the question of the day.
It is no wonder that people were wondering, that's half the battle when promoting something; to get people to want to know what is going on. So in that respect the postcard and poster campaign was a huge success. In another respect, maybe the multitude of questions, shines a more negative light on the state of what we call church. Read more.
The decorations have all come down, the floors have been mopped and almost every vestige of VBS 2014 have been scrubbed clear from the walls of Berean Christian Church. Now, only in our minds and in our hearts can we recall the smiles, the songs, the warm feelings of service, friendship and fellowship that we experienced last week. Click here to read more.
I'm Just following through on my promise/threat to post all of the photos from this Sunday on line. It was great to see so many dads on Sunday and I am glad that our church can honor these men!!!! These are also posted on our faceboook page. Click here for all of the slides.
