Pastor Bob's Profile

The Reverend Bob Marrone came to be pastor of First Church in 2004 and was installed as the 23rd pastor of the church on October 23, 2005. Bob is a 1987 graduate of Keene State College with a degree in art. He attended Andover Newton Theological School, and was inducted into the Jonathan Edwards Honor Society before graduating with honors in 2004. He was ordained as a minister of the United Church of Christ in 2004.

Before coming to Monson, Bob lived in New Hampshire and worked in human services and health care. He spent many years as a nurses aide caring for people with all types of ailments, particularly hospice patients.

Bob is married, and he and his wife Jodi have four children, one grand child and a second on the way.

Bob is a prolific artist, working in pen and ink, watercolor, oil. He has made a study of the St. John’s Bible, the first hand made Bible since the invention of the printing press. He has been learning the Medieval process of making illuminated manuscripts and teaches a class at the church for those who are interested.

Since 2001, Bob has been growing his hair to donate to Locks of Love, a group that provides wigs for children undergoing cancer treatments. The last ‘harvest’ of hair was accompanied by a challenge to raise money for the battle against cancer. Along with the donation of hair, over $1300 was donated to the American Cancer Society. In order to raise this money Bob offered to shave his head if $1000 was raised. This ‘hair raising’ also helps to raise awareness about the scourge of cancer, and the difficulties its treatments often bring.

Pastor Bob's Message

I believe that ministry begins with listening. I believe that God is active in our world and in our lives, and it is our job to be listening to God speaking in our lives. God is calling to each of us to join in the work of peace and justice, to join in the work of restoring God’s vision for humanity and for creation. Through Jesus Christ, every person is invited into this work, into the joys and costs of discipleship. By learning to listen with spiritual ears, we can advance God’s message of love and forgiveness in our world, and seek peace and justice for all of God’s creation. This can be done through liturgy, service, prayer, and through a number of other means.

As we join in this work as a community, we must learn to listen to others; we must offer welcome and hospitality to each other. It is only in listening to others that we can break out of our limitations. One individual may have a good idea, but when ideas are shared and explored in community, then there is the potential for a great idea to be born. If each person is created in God’s image, then the voice of each person has the potential to bring new insights and guidance. It is my commitment in ministry to encourage each person to seek their gifts and to share them for the benefit of the church community, the wider community, and for the furtherance of God’s mission on earth.

In order for persons to share their gifts, they need to be aware of them. This requires that we learn to listen to ourselves, and that we learn to accept and develop the gifts God has given each of us. Each of us has a song in our hearts, to paraphrase from Mattie Stepanick. He says that when we sing the song that God put in our heart, we feel joy. That song may be the desire to write, or to paint, or to stuff envelopes; whatever brings us joy, and makes the world a better place, is a song given to us by God. I believe that it is our goal and responsibility to learn what our individual gifts are and to develop them. We are then called to use our gifts for the building of God’s kingdom, or Kin-dom as some would prefer.

Listening cannot be the only thing we do in ministry; our listening should move us to work in the world. It is as we reach out to others that we learn to use our gifts; as we minister to others, we will also grow. In this way our work in the world has benefits we might not expect. The work that Christ began is continued in our lives; it is carried and spread through our work as we reach out to those in need the oppressed, the ill and dying, or the homeless and hungry. The message of love has been transforming, and continues to transform our world and us. My prayer in ministry is to find the balance needed between the spiritual work of listening, and the equally spiritual work of doing.

Believing that we need both sides of ministry, the listening and the doing, I strive to provide opportunities for meaningful worship, and to encourage outreach in the world, both locally and globally. Balance is necessary for the church and for individuals, and I like the model for the church, which has five marks. The church consists of: worship and prayer, community, service, proclamation and teaching. These five marks of the church are important, and need to be kept in balance. If one of these areas is neglected the others will also suffer. A church with vital worship but a disjointed community will have trouble. For example, church that emphasizes mission work but has forgotten the Good News of the proclamation will miss the goal of their mission, spreading the love of Christ. I believe that it is part of the pastoral role to help a congregation, and individuals, to seek and maintain that balance.

While I think missions are important and encourage ministry that reaches out in the world, I believe one of my gifts is to focus on the context in which people live. It is the day-to-day encounters with others, which motivate me, and it is in the sharing of our lives that we can find meaning. As a result of my nursing experiences, particularly in hospice care, I have a deep empathy for those who are ill or dying. Visitation of the sick and dying is a priority for me in ministry, and a joy for me personally.

Another priority for me is worship. I think that worship should open people to God’s presence, and it is the way that a community returns thanksgiving to God in the form of prayer, praise and song, thanksgiving for God’s presence and faithfulness. It is also a time for people to wrestle with the questions they have, their doubts and fears. I believe it is the pastor’s responsibility to provide the space for this to happen through creative use of liturgy, music, movement or any other gifts that can contribute to a meaningful worship experience for the participants, and hopefully for God as well.

I follow the order of worship to which a community is accustomed. I like to use responsive prayers as well as pastor led moments. I preach from the Revised Common Lectionary, and believe that this discipline forces me to listen to God, rather than deciding what I want to say in advance. My preparation begins with repeated deep reading of the scriptures until a meaning emerges. I like to use traditional elements as well as contemporary ones in worship, and I often create new liturgies to fit the theme of a service. One of my favorite things is including children in worship. I believe that children, and youth, should be given the opportunity to participate in the life of the church whenever possible. I also enjoy being involved in the children’s programs, such as Sunday school and vacation Bible school.

What holds these elements together for me is the arts, or perhaps it is best said as creativity. As an artist, I use my art personally to express ideas and as a type of devotion or meditation. Corporately, I use these gifts in all that I do. The creative process allows me to look at questions with fresh eyes, and it helps as I prepare for worship and preaching. I also use my artistic gifts directly by making artwork for different programs in the church. This also fits with my work with children. Because they come at their questions from their experience, and children often find ways to express themselves artistically, things they might not be able to express verbally. One of my favorite activities with children is to dramatize Bible stories, because this allows the children to get inside the text to hear it more fully.

I feel that every moment is an opportunity to say yes to God, and each day is filled with new possibilities for participating in the work of God. Each day is a new chance to sing the song that God has placed in our hearts. Our lives are an opportunity to join in a community, to join in relationships with God and with others. Through Jesus, we are welcomed into relationships that can move us to listen, and can move us to reach out and share the love we have been given. This love is at the heart of my life and my ministry, and God’s love is there for all who listen.

Pastor Bob's Sermons

January 6, 2008- Home by Another Way

January 13, 2008- In the Water

January 20, 2008- Hot Water

January 27, 2008- Whose Name?

February 3, 2008-Seen and Heard

March 9, 2008- Living

March 16, 2008- Journey

March 23, 2008- Witnessing Glory

March 30, 2008- Maternity Leave