Berea Update for September 12, 2025
Fall Festival weekend is here! There is an exciting weekend of events planned for all ages! We hope that you are able to attend and enjoy the time together as a church family. Just a few important reminders-- please bring a lawn chair, or blanket to use on both days. The church will have some chairs available, but they will be limited. On Sunday, please make sure to bring your own lunch! The church will not be providing any food on Sunday after the morning worship service. There is NO Sunday School or Junior Church on Sunday; Nursery will be available.
Here is a schedule of events for the weekend, so you can plan ahead--please see the notes for various activities as well to make sure you come prepared:
Saturday, September 13
3:00 EVENTS BEGIN (Inflatables for kids open from 3:00-beginning of concert; Volleyball set up in Family Life Center and available throughout, tables and chairs under tent with board/card games)
3:00-5:00 Snow Cones, Popcorn , Canoeing on Pond, Fishing (NOTE: Kids 13 and under are not permitted to use the pond without an adult present; if you would like to fish, please bring your own supplies, as church provided supplies will be limited)
3:00-3:30—Dunk Tank Open
3:30-4:30—Scavenger Hunt (All Ages)
4:00-5:30--Meal Served
*Hamburgers/Hot Dogs
*Chips
*Cookies
*Drinks
4:00 Resurrection Garden Tour
4:15—CAKE WALK
4:30-- Resurrection Garden Tour
5:00—CAKE WALK
5:00-5:45—Closest to the Pin Competition (All Ages)
5:45- CAKE WALK
6:00- Concert Begins-- “New Strength Gospel”
*DURING INTERMISSION—CAKE WALK
8:00—Concert Ends
Sunday, September 14
10:00 AM—Morning Worship Service Outside Under the Tent; Singing Led by "New Strength Gospel"
After Service—“Bring Your Own Lunch” Picnic
12:00 PM—Cornhole Tournament
Upcoming Events
1. There is no Sunday School this week, but a new quarter of Sunday School is underway! If you couldn't make it for the first week, you are still invited and encouraged to participate in a class! For adults this quarter, there are two options:
A Study of the Sermon on the Mount
Teacher: Pastor Mark Gainer
Location: Family Life Center
This class, which is a continuation from the summer quarter, on the Sermon on the Mount, will explore Jesus’ transformative teachings in Matthew 5–7 diving into themes of kingdom living, righteousness, and discipleship. Discover how these timeless principles challenge and inspire us to live faithfully in today’s world. This sermon is as relevant today as it was back then! Participants will be encouraged to apply Jesus’ teachings to their own lives in very practical ways throughout the course.
A Look at the Apostle Paul
Teachers: Michael Greenwood and Pastor Brian Miller
Location: Front Left Room off Family Life Center
Join us for this exciting study on the life and ministry of Paul. We will study his pre-conversion life, including his dual citizenship, family, education, and early childhood. We will also review his miraculous conversion, ministry, and important missionary journeys. You will be challenged by his love and service to our Savior.
2. AWANA got off to a great start this past Wednesday, with over 50 children in attendance!
AWANA is open to all kids ages 3 (potty trained)-sixth grade, and meets each Wednesday evening from 6:30-8:00 PM here at the church. AWANA's goal is to reach boys and girls with the Gospel of Christ and teach them to serve Him. Each night, clubbers hear a Bible lesson, play games, and work on memorizing Scripture. To find out more information, and to register your child, please visit Berea's AWANA page here:
Berea AWANA Information and Registration
3. There will be an Operation Christmas Child work day this week on Wednesday, September 17 from 10:00-11:00 AM here at the church. There are tasks for all ages, so please come if you are able to help!
4.
There are still a few more areas where we need volunteers for the Fall Festival! If you haven't signed up to help, please click here:
Berea Fall Festival Volunteer Sign-Up There are roles for young and old, so please check it out, and plan on helping to make that weekend an exciting one!
Ways You Can Pray This Week
1. Pray for our upcoming Fall Festival! Pray for safe travels for the band, safety for all who attend, and a good time of fellowship together with our church family.
2. Pray for our country and our leaders (federal, state, and local)!
***Please know that there are many individuals who need prayer this week due to health concerns and other events going on in their lives. Out of sensitivity to each individual's situation, these requests may not appear in this weekly blog. We have a "Prayer Team" at the church who receives more detailed information, and commits to praying for individuals in our church family.
This Week's Devotions
With this weekend being the Fall Festival here at the church, I immediately think of all that fall brings--beautiful colors, cooler temperatures, and the harvest. Having grown up on a farm, I can say that fall is a reminder of God's gracious provision throughout the year. This week's devotions focus on the harvest, and share some truths from God's Word about the harvest.
Day 1: God’s Provision in Harvest
Genesis 8:22 (ESV) – “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”
Every Fall is a reminder of God’s faithfulness. Just as He sustains the seasons, He also sustains His people. Harvest time is a celebration of His provision and a call to trust Him for our daily needs--the harvest is a living testimony that God continues to provide.
Reflection Question: How has God provided for you recently, and how can you thank Him for it?
Prayer Focus: Thank God for His faithful provision and pray for a heart of gratitude in every season.
Day 2: The Harvest Is Plentiful
Matthew 9:37–38 (ESV) – “Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’”
Just as crops are gathered in at harvest time, God is gathering people into His kingdom. Our Fall Festival is not only about fun for the church family—it’s also a chance to be laborers in the Lord’s harvest. Every conversation, smile, or act of kindness can point someone to Christ.
Reflection Question: How can you see yourself as a laborer in God’s harvest during this week’s festival or beyond?
Prayer Focus: Pray for opportunities to share Christ at the Fall Festival and for hearts to be open to the Gospel.
Day 3: Sowing and Reaping
Galatians 6:9 (ESV) – “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
The Christian life is full of sowing seeds—acts of kindness, words of encouragement and truth, faithful service. At times we may not see immediate fruit, but God promises that a harvest will come.
Reflection Question: What “seeds” can you intentionally sow this week that may one day bear fruit for God’s glory?
Prayer Focus: Ask God for endurance to keep sowing faithfully, trusting Him for the harvest.
Day 4: Joy in the Harvest
Psalm 126:5–6 (ESV) – “Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.”
Harvest time in Scripture is often linked with joy and celebration. Even if sowing is hard and costly, the harvest brings rejoicing. Our Fall Festival reflects that joy—the joy of fellowship, laughter, and community, but ultimately the joy that comes from God’s work among His people.
Reflection Question: What joys from God’s work in your life can you celebrate and share this week?
Prayer Focus: Praise God for the joy of salvation and pray for that joy to overflow through us as a church family!
Day 5: Abundant Fruitfulness
John 15:5 (ESV) – “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
Fruitfulness in the Christian life doesn’t come from our own efforts, but from abiding in Christ. Just as branches cannot bear fruit without being connected to the vine, we cannot produce lasting spiritual harvest apart from Jesus.
Reflection Question: How are you abiding in Christ daily so that your life can bear lasting fruit?
Prayer Focus: Ask God to deepen your walk with Christ so that His fruit would be evident in your life and service.
Day 6: Generosity at Harvest
2 Corinthians 9:10–11 (ESV) – “He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.”
Harvest points us to God’s generosity. As He provides, we are called to be generous toward others. Generosity produces thanksgiving in those who receive and in those who give.
Reflection Question: In what ways can you practice generosity this week to point others to Christ?
Prayer Focus: Thank God for His generosity and ask Him to make you generous in both giving and serving.
Day 7: Looking to the Final Harvest
Revelation 14:15 (ESV) – “And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, ‘Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.’”
Every earthly harvest points to a greater one yet to come—the final harvest when Christ gathers His people into eternal glory. Our Fall Festival gives us just a small foretaste of that celebration, when every believer will rejoice together with Christ forever.
Reflection Question: How does the hope of the final harvest shape the way you live and serve today?
Prayer Focus: Thank God for the promise of the final harvest and pray for faithfulness until that day.
Kids (and Kids at Heart) Korner
Here are some fall-themed "Dad Jokes":
Q: Why did the scarecrow win an award?
A: Because he was outstanding in his field.
Q: What’s the cutest season?
A: Awww-tumn.
Q: How do leaves get from place to place?
A: They take the autumn-mobile.
Let us know if there's something we can do for you this week! Hope to see you Saturday and Sunday!
With Joy,
Mark