Biography

The Rev. Dr. Steven E. Berry returned to New England in 2002 to serve as Senior Minister of The First Congregational Church of Manchester, Vermont after eleven years as the Senior Minister of The First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, California.  Originally from Boston, he graduated with a Master of Divinity degree from Yale University.  It was there that Dr. Berry was Assistant to the world-renowned pastoral theologian and author, Henri Nouwen.  Throughout Dr. Berry’s ministry, he has balanced involvement in spirituality with social action, believing that the church exists between two poles: prayerful godly, devotion and righteous action.  A remarkable speaker and an outstanding teacher, Dr. Berry remains outspoken on the most relevant of issues, particularly those promoting non-violence, religious and ethnic understanding, and community building.

Dr. Berry’s career is distinguished with widespread and far-reaching accomplishments.  He organized a major interfaith program in New York between Jews, Catholics, and Protestants.  He established a county recreation area and homebound senior citizen program in New England.  He started a soup kitchen in downtown St. Louis, and he helped reclaim a derelict park in Los Angeles.  He is responsible for thriving youth programs in three states, has organized funding and built homes for the needy in several cities, and has worked towards the betterment of each community in which he’s lived.

Since his call to First Congregational Church of Los Angeles in January 1991, Dr. Berry has been involved in efforts to renew the spirit of First Church, the oldest Protestant church in the city.  He has been a leader in ongoing community efforts benefiting women, minorities, low-income groups, and children.  He helped in organizing the Hands Across Los Angeles program in response to the 1992 Los Angeles riots.  He organized and hosted the National Peacemakers Symposium, which focused on the issue of women and domestic violence.

Under his leadership, First Church collaborated with and built the first Habitat for Humanity home in Los Angeles.  His congregation is also the first to participate in the Los Angeles Adopt-a-House program: In just six weeks, Dr. Berry’s group provided the funds for and built a house in South Central Los Angeles for those in need.  Dr. Berry was also instrumental in organizing clergy to build homes during the Jimmy Carter Work Project for the City of Watts in 1995.  To date, First Church has been involved in the building of over a dozen homes in Watts, Willowbrook, and Compton.

Dr. Berry led the effort to be the first city church involved in the Royal Family Kid’s Camp program for foster children.  He supports Bill Wilson’s Metro-Ministries and Metro-Kidz, Los Angeles.  On the global level, he is involved with Christian Missions to the Communist World, an international ministry established by his friends, Richard and Sabrina Wurmbrand.  He remains committed to the poor and disenfranchised, continually striving to reach out in meaningful ways.  Dr. Berry is blessed with the ability to recognize need, assess it, and address it. 

Most recently, in response to the September 11, 2001 tragedy, Dr. Berry beautifully coordinated and hosted the largely attended Citywide Interfaith Service of Prayer and Unity.  This service was conducted in seven languages and featured speakers from the Christian, Islamic, Jewish, and Buddhist communities, along with labor union representatives, civic leaders, and the L.A.P.D.  In a time of sorrow, confusion, and anxiety, Dr. Berry successfully reached out to a vastly diverse, ethnically rich community, unifying all in peaceful commonwealth.

The concept of connecting all communities through fellowship for the common good is the basis for his doctoral dissertation entitled The Global Meetinghouse.  He has also written articles for Lectionary Homiletics, The Congregationalist, and Plain Truth magazines, and a series of stories for A Match Made in Heaven.  He is currently writing a book entitled Creativity and Covenant in Science and Religion. 

In addition to authoring books and articles, Dr. Berry had his own radio program and has produced radio and television programs.  His CD, Making Theology Public, is an impressive series on caring and community and the postmodern age.  His production of Belden C. Lane’s highly acclaimed cassette series, Storytelling: The Enchantment of Theology, is still a favorite after two decades.  He remains constant in exploring the role of film and television in popular culture. 

Dr. Berry has a keen interest in spirituality and the arts.  This interest led to the creation of the First Congregational Church Art Gallery, which helped promote original artwork for local and national artists.  He is also involved as a consultant on films and screenplays, always compelling writers to look at the spiritual dimension of their work.  Dr. Berry is committed to those stories that convey a message of truth, hope, and love.  He meets weekly with young artiest, teachers, and writers to explore Biblical themes and discuss issues of life that affect their vocations and society as a whole. 

Encouraging values in the media, Dr. Berry began the Lloyd C. Douglas Film Awards in honor of Lloyd C. Douglas, First Church’s former Senior Minister who authored The Robe and Magnificent Obsession, both of which were made into films.  Along with recognizing films of distinction which possess spiritual values, First Church has awarded other notable industry persons, including television’s Touched By An Angel producer, Martha Williamson; author Ray Bradbury; actor and entertainer Steve Allen; and Los Angeles Times writer Charles Champlin.  Most recently, the LCD Awards paid tribute to directors David Lynch and Wes Craven, both of whom were in attendance to receive honors for their films, The Straight Story and Music of the Heart, respectively. 

Dr. Berry serves as an Ambassador for the International Congregational Fellowship, as a member of the Board of Directors of Churches Uniting in Global Missions, and is a member of the Henri Nouwen Society.  He has served as Director of the City Missions Network International and he is a Chaplain with the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem, founded in 1098.  In 1994, he worked to establish Ploughshares A.G., a Swedish company dedicated to the elimination of landmines.  He also served as a press secretary in presidential candidate John B. Anderson’s campaign in Missouri, and upon the request of the Mayor of St. Louis, helped author the Request for Proposal for Cable Television Standards for that city. 

In 2001, the Mayor of Los Angeles honored Dr. Berry with a commendation for his dynamic leadership to the city.  For his creative and innovative spiritual leadership in Los Angeles, Dr. Berry has also been honored with The Ralph Bunche Peace Award as well as The Hope Award. 

He has received two doctoral degrees: a Doctor of Divinity from Piedmont College and a Doctor of Ministry from the Pacific School of Religion where he and his wife, artist and art educator, Carol Marchand Berry of Zurich, Switzerland serve as adjunct professors for the Arts and Religion through the Graduate Theological Union.  They have three sons, Andris, Mathias, and Kristof, who are currently attending college and graduate school.  They live in Manchester, Vermont.