West Newbury Congregational Church

06/22/2026

As we wrap up our final three messages of our journey through Mark's Gospel, we turn our attention this week to Mark 13. In this chapter, Jesus prepares His disciples for a difficult reality: the things that seem permanent in our lives are not always permanent. Institutions fall. Familiar structures change. Relationships shift. Seasons end. The disciples are forced to imagine a future where much of what they have known and trusted is suddenly gone…. Not entirely unlike graduation…

And the question posed before the disciples (and us) is “Can we remain faithful… even when the world goes crazy?.... How do we do that?”

Mark 13 | June 21, 2026 | Pastor Rob Urbanek

Mark 13 | June 21, 2026 | Pastor Rob UrbanekAs we wrap up our fin...

06/14/2026

This Sunday was a special one for our church family as we welcomed Pastor Bryan Wilkerson, who brought the message this week.

This week our text will be from the book of Colossians 2:6–10, a passage that calls us to remain firmly rooted in Christ and reminds us that everything we truly need is found in Him. In a world that constantly invites us to look elsewhere for fulfillment, identity, and security, Paul points us back to the One in whom the fullness of God dwells.

Colossians 2:1-10 | June 14, 2026 | Pastor Bryan Wilkerson

Colossians 2:1-10 | June 14, 2026 | Pastor Bryan WilkersonThis Su...

05/31/2026

Today's passage illustrates what true greatness looks like in God's kingdom ... Greatness that is not attached to ambition or the drive to be recognized, but rather out of a desire to love and serve others.

As we step into this week, my prayer is that the Lord would give us eyes to see the kingdom's values ... and to move toward serving those around us as we "Rise and Follow" Him on the way.

Mark 10:32-52 | May 31, 2026 | Pastor Rob Urbanek

Mark 10:32-52 | May 31, 2026 | Pastor Rob UrbanekToday's passage illustrates what true greatness looks like in God's kingdom ... Greatness that is not attach...

05/28/2026

05/25/2026

We continue in Rise and Follow as we open to Mark 10:13-31. It's a passage filled with enthusiasm, desire, and movement ... both towards Jesus ... and away.

Using children as one example and a rich man as another, Jesus exposes what truly separates them: their sense of dependence. In this passage Jesus will remind us that the kingdom of God does not hinge on one's strength, success, or self-sufficiency ... but rather dependence on God. My hope is that our time together will help reorient us to remember that the kingdom of God is not entered by those who have enough, but by those who know they do not.

Mark 10:13-31 | May 24, 2026 | Pastor Rob Urbanek

Mark 10:13-31 | May 24, 2026 | Pastor Rob UrbanekWe continue in Rise and Follow as we open to Mark 10:13-31. It's a passage filled with enthusiasm, desire, a...

05/17/2026

We continue our journey through the Gospel of Mark as we make one more pass to decipher some of the most difficult words Jesus ever spoke about
what it means to follow Him. Not simply admire Him ... but follow Him ... And as we move into Mark 9, we are also given a glimpse of the glory that awaits.

Mark 8:34-38, 9:2-8 | May 17, 2026 | Pastor Rob Urbanek

Mark 8:34-38, 9:2-8 | May 17, 2026 | Pastor Rob UrbanekWe continu...

05/11/2026

Missions Moment:
Matt Huffman with Purposeful Connections

Purposeful Connections | May 10, 2026 | Matt Huffman

05/03/2026

What does it mean when Jesus says to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him?

There is both a cost and an invitation here. Jesus does not hide the difficulty, but neither does He withhold the promise. In the end, The path of following Him is not about losing life, but about finding the kind of life we were made for.

Mark 8:34–37 | May 3, 2026 | Pastor Rob Urbanek

Rise & Follow - A Journey Through Mark | Part 10

04/19/2026

Mark 8:11–33 is a passage that moves in a surprising direction. Jesus confronts the Pharisees who demand a sign. He warns His disciples about a kind of blindness they don’t yet recognize in themselves. And then, a blind man is healed—but only gradually. First partially, then fully.

And yet…the disciples still miss what Jesus is saying.

Peter can confess that Jesus is the Christ—and then, in the next breath, resist the very mission that Jesus came to accomplish.

It’s a passage about sight, and the slow, sometimes uncomfortable process of learning to see rightly.

Rise & Follow - A Journey Through Mark | Part 9

04/12/2026

This Sunday, we continue in our Rise and Follow series as we turn to Mark 7 and walk through two encounters that, at first glance, seem very different: Jesus confronting the Pharisees, and Jesus engaging with the Syrophoenician woman. But together, they press us toward a single, searching question—what does God truly desire from us?

As we come out of Easter, that question matters even more.

Mark 7:1-30 | April 12, 2026 | Pastor Rob Urbanek

Mark 7:1-30 | April 12, 2026 | Pastor Rob UrbanekThis Sunday, we continue in our Rise and Follow series as we turn to Mark 7 and walk through two encounters ...