On a beautiful summer Sunday I walked into the oldest church in East
Bridgewater. The Grace Bible Church is located next to the town common,
and it is a historic treasure. The town’s first church, this is where
it all began, in a sanctuary that could easily hold 200, under a bell
tower that used to toll a Paul Revere forged bell. The pews are the old
boxed in type, comfortably cushioned with the doors on the end. It was
built in 1723 when we were the East Parish of Bridgewater. Our early
settlers could be found in this meeting room, every Sunday morning,
thanking God for their existence in this rough, unsettled wilderness
and listening to the Reverend John Angier. They would also meet
here to discuss their common problems and how to deal with them. The
early formations of our local government happened at this East Parish
meeting house.
As I walked in, greeters welcomed me and handed me the program, full
of information on what the church offers; counseling, a care group,
fellowship opportunities, leadership training, prayer meeting, Bible
study and a nursing home ministry. An essay from early puritan John
Gill about the prophets is also included. A couple of
people turn and smile at me, a few stop to welcome me. The 40 or so
worshipers scattered throughout the room come from the surrounding
towns to our common to gather.
Dr. Robert J. Burrelli, Jr. has been Grace Bible Church’s pastor for
the past 15 years, since the Grace Bible Church has owned the building.
After the service he welcomed me into his beautiful country home to
meet his family. As I stepped in his three children and wife, Christine
welcomed me. The children were then off to their activities and
Christine returned to making homemade yogurt after offering a delicious
lemon ice tea. Pastor Burrelli and I found a respite from the heat in
the family’s basement, where their home schoolroom is set up.
Burrelli and I had a nice conversation about how they worship at
Grace Bible Church and their belief structure.
The structure of the service was familiar. Pastor Burrelli explains:
“Paul outlines in the Bible everything that should take place when we
get together and worship. There should be giving, public reading
of scripture, singing of Hymns, prayer, and the preaching and teaching
of scripture.” Since other Christian churches follow that template, the
service at Grace felt familiar.
As a newcomer, it was the style of the call to worship and
invocation as performed by the Deacons from the platform that felt
different. They lent their own style, often quoting scripture without
identifying the origins of the quotes.
During the interview with Pastor Burrelli, he explained, “Our
worship service is not meant to call people in, people off the street
or of different faiths. It’s a teaching tool for the congregation, for
edification. Those who claim to be born again are called to worship
together. God commands this of those who know him. We wouldn’t tailor
this to everyone who walks in. Outreach to others happens in the
communities where we live, in the offices where we work. It is in our
individual lives. To be held up, for everyone to see how a Christian
lives.”
Whitman-Hanson School Committee 5.20.08
EPA ruling against Dunham Farm contractor
