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iBerkshires Profiles: "Pastor Bob" BellofattoBy Jen Thomas - July 18, 2007
 | | The Bethel Pentecostal Church pastor, Robert Bellofatto, will sponsor a kids day, with the help of his wife Sarah and son, Matthew. |
Berkshire Profile is pleased to return as "iBerkshires Profiles." The feature will continue to focus on individuals making a difference in their communities and iBerkshires Profiles plan to showcase the everyday folks and entities making our region a unique and wonderful place to call home.
North Adams - He's not your typical reverend.
"Pastor Bob" punctuates his weekly sermons with rock music, wears street clothes when he preaches, and on the weekends, he rides his motorcycle up to Florida Mountain.
Since moving to North Adams in December, Pastor Robert Bellofatto Jr., 37, has used his unique perspective to help rebuild the Bethel Pentecostal Church on Harding Avenue.
"People are already leery about going to church, so we want to make it a little more relevant," said Bellofatto. "The message is the same, but the methods are different."
Along with his wife Sarah and their 10-month old son Matthew, Bellofatto moved from Walpole late last year to help revitalize the small church. Along with a few new coats of paint and some minor renovations inside the building, the Bellofattos have worked to make the community feel more welcome in their new home.
"We want to reach out to the community and let them know we're still here," said Bob Bellofatto who only had 12 parishioners when he first joined the church. "We just want a fellowship with friends and have a good time."
"We're just Bible-believing Christians who are just normal people," said Sarah Bellofatto.
Reaching out to the community for the Bellofattos means offering coffee and conversation in their basement every Thursday night and sponsoring local, family-friendly events to draw in more visitors.
But, it's not about pushing religion on anyone, said Pastor Bob.
"It's about getting to know people first, before I start preaching Jesus," he said. "I want to develop friendships first."
Humble Beginnings
Pastor Bob's motivation to become a reverend began almost 20 years ago, when he was 21 years old. Just a normal kid from Franklin, Bellofatto picked up his Bible and found something in it that rang true for him.
"Christianity wasn't something I really embraced until then," he said.
A self-described "partier" with an earring and a tattoo, Bellofatto's newfound passion for religion led him to attend Zion Bible College in Barrington, R.I. Later, he began doing missionary work in Swaziland, Africa, where he met 16-year old Sarah, whose father was also a preacher.
The two were only penpals when Bellofatto returned to the U.S., but in 1995, the pair were married in Connecticut and have been working to spread the word of God ever since.
"She's what you would call the administrative assistant at the church, but I call her amazing," said Bellofatto.
A New Perspective
Since being installed as the reverend at Bethel Pentecostal Church - or as the Bellofattos call it "BPC"- Pastor Bob has renovated the inside of the building, transforming the brown paneling into more inviting white walls, removing two pews that blocked a doorway, and redesigning the children's rooms and family function area.
The BPC is undergoing some important renovations. |
As part of the nationally-recognized Assembly of God churches, BPC is part of the largest Pentecostal denomination, with over 51 million members nationwide.
The Bellofattos want their church in particular to cater to all kinds of people, making Christianity accessible to anyone who wants to learn about it.
"Dialogue is huge. It's important to have a multi-religion discussion without name-calling or rudeness," said Bellofatto. "If people have a dialogue, that's healthy. It's not about coming to church on Sunday; I want to share what I believe is truth. We should all still get along."
The Bellofattos believe that religion should be a conscious choice that makes everyone feel welcome, not excluded.
"We're living in such a pluralistic society and some people expect youngsters to come in to church and conform. We need to be a little bit more open as churches," said Bellofatto. "It's the same message as 2,000 years ago, but we're in a different culture."
"We're new to this community and we want to find out the needs of our neighbors and bring Christ's love to them," said Sarah Bellofatto.
"In a 2007 way," said Pastor Bob.
The “2007 way” means reaching out to college kids and youth across the Berkshires to help them build connections with a higher power. Bellofatto used to work as a minister to young people and he said he still loves working with the younger population.
"You can't try and scare them," he said. "We want to be able to offer them something else."
Pastor Bob used music in his sermons to keep things interesting. |
With just a little bit of hard work and elbow grease, the BPC can be returned to its former glory, said the Bellofattos.
"It just needs a little revitalization," said Pastor Bob.
Family Day
On Saturday, August 4, the BPC will sponsor a Family Fun Day and Cruise Night. Open from 11 p.m. to 3 p.m., the Family Fun event will feature clowns and a "Bounce House," along with face painting and a children's pet show.
Prizes will be awarded for "Prettiest Pet," "Top Notch Trick," and "Exquisite Exotic" pets.
Beginning at 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Cruise Night will feature at least 50 antique and classic cars.
Food will be provided at both events.
For more information about the events, call the Bellofattos at 663-8998 or visit their website at www.agnorthadams.com .
Jen Thomas may be reached via email at jthomas@iberkshires.com or at (413) 663-3384, ext. 23.
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Great Article.
It's wonderful to have someone care so much for the community and the people in it.
thanks for a great story, I hope to hear more about Pastor Bob and BPC in the future.
see ya Saturday, we'll be there | | from: Steve White | on: 08-02-2007 |
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| Good Luck on your family fun day Aug.4th. | | from: E.D. | on: 07-30-2007 |
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| Excellant article. Loved it. Thanks. | | from: Ernie | on: 07-22-2007 |
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