After serving the local Seventh-day Adventist Churches for six years, Pastor Trent Berg’s tenure in Anguilla has come to an end. He had ministered to five congregations on the island, namely: the Shemei Tabernacle in West End, the Jireh Tabernacle as well as the Spanish congregation in South Hill, the New Life Company in East End and the Mount Fortune Church.
Pastor Berg preached his last Sabbath sermon on Saturday, August 24th, when all five congregations assembled at Mount Fortune. His message centred on Genesis 35:18 where a mother named Rachel was in the process of giving birth to a son. The distraught mother, at the point of death, gave her son the name “Benoni” which means son of pain and sorrow. By contrast however, the child’s father, Jacob, quickly called the baby “Benjamin” which means “son of my strength” — from pain to strength. Ultimately, “Benjamin” became “Benoni’s” official name.
Pastor Berg continued: “Rachel wanted to have more children like her sister Leah. However, she lived only to see her second son born, whom she named ‘Benoni’ — a son of pain. She died disappointed because of the scant number of children that she bore. Nevertheless, God gave her great honour by establishing two great leaders in her family tree.
“The first honour came through her first son, Joseph, who became the second in authority in Egypt. It was through him that Abraham’s family-line was preserved during a terrible famine in Canaan. Rachel’s second honour came through the Apostle Paul, who was a descendant of Benjamin — Rachel’s Benoni. Paul took the gospel to the Gentiles of the Roman Empire and, in fact, he is noted as the most prominent writer of the gospel in the New Testament.
“In this life, we may be tempted to look at our experiences and feel disappointed like Rachel. But we should never give up and allow our potentials to die. I if we look at life from God’s perspective, we will realize that, as Romans 8:28 says: ‘All things work together for good to them that love the Lord.’”
During the Sabbath service, a large number of members bade the pastor farewell highlighting his dedication to the work and ministry of the church. Many of the tributes pointed to the fact that it was Pastor Berg’s winsome and charismatic personality that drew people to him and his service for the cause of Christ and the sake of the gospel.
One outstanding family who paid glowing tribute was the Trofort family of Michigan. Mrs. Michelle Trofort had come to Anguilla to pursue studies at the St. James Medical School. Both she and her husband, Andre, a retired military chaplain, came to know Pastor Berg as a fine college mate and friend at Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama. Eventually, over the years they had lost contact since college days, but were privileged by God’s providence, to renew acquaintance again in Anguilla.
The Anguillian had the opportunity to conduct an interview with Pastor Berg.
He was asked what his expectations were of Anguilla before he came to serve, and if such expectations were realized. He answered: “Even though I had lived so close in St. Thomas, I had never visited Anguilla before. I knew many people from Anguilla — living in St. Thomas — and when I was assigned to serve here, I had inquired from some of them what life here was like. By the way they answered, I realized that it would not be like St. Thomas, but when I came I realized it was extremely quiet and peaceful — much quieter than I had imagined. I was not expecting life to be so laid back. However, I quickly adjusted and learned to go with the mild flow, so to speak.”
Asked what he might consider to be his greatest achievement, he replied: “When I arrived I found that there were many people in the church who had wanted to have the unity of the five churches more often, but many of the folks from the west, in particular, found it difficult to drive so far in the east for regular meetings and fellowship sessions at Mount Fortune, which has the biggest church building. So, after praying about the situation, God provided us with a central location for the purpose of coming together for such fellowship, special meetings, and ministry training programmes. This is the site of the district office in the Sam Mason Complex.
“This facility has been also used to accommodate community events for such government departments as the Department of Youth and Culture, the Health Authority, the Department of Social Development and the Department of Probation. I thank God for this facility and I consider it a major achievement for the church.”
Recounting his greatest challenge, Pastor Berg stated: “For me, to serve the five congregations effectively had always been a challenge. People need direct attention from a pastor, and I have had to spread my service and ministry rather thin among the five churches. This, no doubt, has been my greatest challenge. So I am pleased that the administration of the church has finally found it fit to divide the island into two, east and west, so that churches would be administered to and served more efficiently by the two incoming pastors.”
With regard to the incoming pastors, Pastor Berg was asked what advice or encouragement he would give to them as pastors in a new locality. He responded: “I have had the opportunity to interact with these gentlemen, and I would advise them as incoming pastors to take all the time they can to get to know each member of the church family and the church community. They would need to embrace that opportunity. There is a tremendous need for our people to be served, encouraged and edified, and the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church speaks to these needs.”
Finally, as the pastor was commended for his appealing personality, he was asked whether he thought his gentle demeanor worked to his advantage. He was quick to answer: “I have always liked the privilege to interact with people. I like to speak to Anguillians, in particular, because I have always found them welcoming. Angulllians, I have discovered, are full of ideas.
“I could never talk to an Anguillian who does not have an opinion of something important. I think my ability to be a good listener has helped me to make people around me comfortable. My listening traits have served to cause people to feel that I regard and respect them. So, many people in the community have come to appreciate me and like what I do because I listen attentively to their views and I try to help them by sharing what God has instilled within me.”
Pastor Berg, who is a citizen of St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, will leave Anguilla on Friday, August 30th to take up pastoral assignment in Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands. He will be replaced by two pastors, namely: Pastor Lester Jules who will serve at the Long Bay and South Hill congregations and Pastor Howard Simon who will minister at East End and Mount Fortune.
The Anguillian joins in saying farewell to Pastor Berg and Sister Berg and wishes them much success and productivity in their ministry for the future.
– Staff Reporter, James R. Harrigan
