Berkley First

06/02/2026

This morning, Pastor Rachael led a Forest Bathing walk at the University of Michigan-Dearborn Environmental Interpretive Center for Birmingham & Berkley First. Despite its name, Forest Bathing has nothing to do with bathing in water. Rooted in the practice of slowing down and intentionally noticing the natural world, it invites participants to engage their senses, be present in the moment, and experience God’s creation with renewed awareness.

For people of faith, Forest Bathing can become a form of prayer—an opportunity to step away from distractions, listen for God’s presence, and reconnect with the rhythms of creation. Through quiet reflection, guided prompts, and unhurried walking, participants were invited to encounter God in the beauty of the woods and garden and the stillness of the morning.

Thank you to Pastor Rachael for leading this meaningful spiritual practice.

05/31/2026

This amazing group of clergy gathered together at the Michigan Annual Conference in Traverse City this past weekend.

05/31/2026

Good morning and thank you for joining worship online! We are so glad you're here.

To find out more about this church, upcoming events, or ways to get involved, or to make an online donation, please go to: www.gatheredhereforgood.org.

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CCLI Streaming License: 22733583
Church Copyright License: 22733590

05/28/2026

We are so excited to help the Berkley Cares Food Pantry grow!

Pardon our dust while we spread out a little. ✨

For the past several years, we’ve been dreaming, brainstorming, borrowing corners, stacking boxes creatively, and trying to find ways to grow alongside the needs of this community. Just before Pastor Zack announced his departure, he shared the exciting news that we’d be able to expand into the space next door this fall. To our surprise, it became available this month instead — which means we finally got to pull back the accordion wall and stretch out a little.

One of the hardest parts of operating in a small space has been having to occasionally say “not right now” to donations of food, equipment, shelving, supplies, and other generous offers from the community. Every single time, it felt like a little gut punch.

Berkley First has done an incredible job making every inch of this building work for the community. So many groups, programs, gatherings, and people have been cared for within these walls, and we’ve always understood that space was limited. We’ve been deeply grateful for the room they made for us and for the way they continue to open their doors to so many.

This expansion truly belongs to all of you.

Every donated can of soup, every box of mac & cheese, every tiny spice jar, every volunteer hour, every grocery run, every person who believed in this little pantry — it all brought us here. And now, for the first time in a long time, everything gets a place to land.

We’re excited. We’re grateful. We’re probably a little dusty. But mostly, we’re just incredibly thankful to be growing alongside a community that continues to show up for each other again and again. 💚🧡

05/26/2026

05/19/2026

We want to make you aware of another phishing attempt circulating within our church community. Someone is posing as Dr. Boayue and sending emails to some of our members.

Please do not reply to these emails or click on any links. These messages are not from Dr. Boayue. If you ever have questions about an email you receive, please call the church office 248-646-1200 or contact Dr. Boayue directly by phone to confirm.

Please share this information with anyone you know who may fall victim to this type of email scam. Thank you for helping us keep our church community safe.

05/19/2026

The Berkley Women’s Journey Group will meet this evening, Tuesday, May 19 at 7 p.m. at Berkley First. This will be our final gathering until next fall.

Together, we will put our love into action by helping support the ongoing effort to clean and organize the church. Our project for the evening will be reorganizing the craft closet. Julie White will have tables set up and ready as we tackle this important task together.

If you have empty boxes that could be used for packing supplies to donate, please bring them along. A label maker would also be helpful if anyone is able to bring one.

05/18/2026

For our Hands on Mission on Sunday we made lunches for the Noah Project Detroit. Thank you to everyone who participated.

Noah Project

05/11/2026

At the United Women in Faith Spring Tea on Saturday our guest speaker, Rev. Elizabeth Hurd shared her faith journey. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet Pastor Elizabeth before she joins the Birmingham and Berkley First clergy team in July.

05/08/2026

Retired pastor Jack Harnish writes about the powerful truth that God has chosen us, frail and fallible humans, as vessels to carry the Good News of Christ to the world.

JOHN E. HARNISH
Retired Pastor, Michigan Conference

Fifty-seven years ago, I was a senior at Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky. One of the unofficial spring traditions at Asbury was Senior Panic. It happened when senior guys suddenly realized they were graduating without a betrothed. If they had been lucky enough to find a willing woman, they would hustle to pop the question. That’s a bit of an exaggeration . . . but not really.

If you had found the perfect candidate for your dreams, the next step was to strategize how to present the ring. Mine ended up inside a decorated sugar Easter egg. Charlie Van Meter’s diamond was the prize at the bottom of a Cracker Jack box. We all thought that was a bit risky, but St. Paul would understand. When he wrote to the Corinthians, he said, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us” (2 Corinthians 4:7, RSV).

Read the full article: https://michiganumc.org/a-diamond-in-a-cracker-jack-box/

Retired pastor Jack Harnish writes about the powerful truth that God has chosen us, frail and fallible humans, as vessels to carry the Good News of Christ to the world.