New Hope United Methodist Church Names New Pastor

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The congregation of New Hope United Methodist Church, serving North Adams and Williamstown, this month officially welcomed its new pastor, Stephen Dale, appointed by Bishop Devadhar to lead the congregation.  

Dale joins the Northern Berkshire community after serving two years in Bennington, Vt. He started the Bennington AfterDark community in late 2018, and was invited to serve the Pownal UMC as pastor in July 2019.

Dale has been serving churches in New England for the past 11 years, beginning as a licensed local pastor and completing his master of divinity at Boston University in 2015. Dale was commissioned into provisional membership after a year in Northern Maine, and finally ordained as an elder in the United Methodist Church at annual conference last year. 

Previous to Dale's transition, he spent 20 years working in information technology. 

"Tech is a big part of how I enter the world, and a big part of how I participate in the shared ministry of a United Methodist Church and its pastor," he said.

Dale said he is looking forward to this opportunity to join the church, particularly in bolstering the ongoing development of 192 State St., a North Adams property purchased by the church in 2015.

"God has begun something wonderful here at New Hope, and God is going to continue to move us forward into undreamt of avenues of service in love," he said.

Dale delivered his first worship service with New Hope on Sunday, July 12, at 10 a.m. on New Hope’s Facebook page and Youtube channel. His next virtual worship service is Sunday, July 19, at 10 a.m.

Previous to Dale, New Hope was served by Pastor Dan Randall and Pastor Courtney Randall, who were appointed by Bishop Devadhar to Global Ministries as Missionaries in the Methodist Liaison Office in Jerusalem. The congregation said goodbye to Dan and Courtney at a drive-by worship on June 21. They had served the church since 2013. 

Passenger Rail Advocates Rally for Northern Tier Proposal

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
02:50PM / Monday, November 18, 2024

Stan Vasileiadis, a Williams College student, says passenger rail is a matter of equity for students and residents. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Community, education and business leaders are promoting the Northern Tier Passenger Rail Restoration Project as a critical component for economic development — and say it's high time that Western Mass gets some of the transportation infrastructure money being spent in the eastern end of the state. 

 

"What today is all about is building support and movement momentum for this project and getting it done," said state Rep. John Barrett III on Monday, standing behind a podium with a "Bring back the Train!" at City Hall. "I think that we can be able to do it, and when we can come together as political entities, whether it's over in Greenfield, Franklin County, and putting it all together and put all our egos in the back room, I think all of us are going to be able to benefit from this when it gets done."

 

The North Adams rail rally, and a second one at noon at the Olver Transit Center in Greenfield, were meant to build momentum for the proposal for "full local service" and coincided with the release of a letter for support signed by 100 organizations, municipalities and elected officials from across the region. 

 

The list of supporters includes banks, cultural venues, medical centers and hospitals, museums and chambers of commerce, higher education institutions and economic development agencies. 

 

1Berkshire President and CEO Jonathan Butler said the county's economic development organization has been "very, very outspoken" and involved in the rail conversation, seeing transportation as a critical infrastructure that has both caused and can solve challenges involving housing and labor and declining population.

 

"The state likes to use the term generational, which is a way of saying it's going to take a long time for this project," said Butler. "I think it's the same type of verbiage, but I don't think we should look at it that way. You know, maybe it will take a long time, but we have to act what we want it next year, if we want it five years from now. We have to be adamant. We have to stay with it. And a room like this demonstrates that type of political will, which is a huge part of this."

 

The Berkshires is due for a "transformational investment" in infrastructure, he said, noting one has not occurred in his lifetime.