Our Pastor

Reconsidering his earlier decision to do so, the Rev. John Madsen -Bibeau found he wasn’t quite ready for retirement – at least not yet—and opted to return to the working world, taking on new duties as the interim pastor at Berlin Congregational church.

The West Hartford resident, who arrived at BCC in August, has spent 36 years in the clergy and believes he still has a lot more share.

He is busy settling in here and looking forward to working with his new friends.

A native of Chicopee, MA, Madsen was ordained in 1988 at the Wilbraham United Methodist Church.

“I retired as the pastor at my last church in Bridgeport, where I served from 1991 to 1996 to and have only done interim since then — in Torrington, Goshen and New Hartford in 2019. So, interim from about 2015 or 2016 ‘til 2019 Before Bridgeport, I served in churches in upstate New York near Rochester NY; farm country. I’ve tried to be bi-vocational between ministry and therapy and also tried new church start in Rhode Island when we lived there. Four or five of us met for a year or so.”

Following his retirement, he became involved with the United Church of Christ Commission on Ministry and became a “supply” preacher. In that role, he filled in at churches where needed.

Calling himself as a “fan” of St. Francis of Assisi, who worked extensively with the poor and advocated a life of simplicity, Madsen-Bilbeau said he himself has always tried taken a traditional approach to ‘help people come home to Christianity.”

He entered the clergy in the days when individuals such as the Rev. Jerry Falwell were becoming popular preaching alternate ways of looking at religious practices. The church at the time became more active in political issues. “The main line became the sideline’, he said. “It has always been my belief that the church’s main purpose is to serve as a minister and help people. “In a way, the church, he believes, “is like a country club, a place where people can go and socialize.”

COVID, he feels, made his work and that of other members of clergy, more difficult, taking away so much of the ability to work one-on- one.

He has never stopped preaching, no matter what his official title.

“I have always considered myself as a traditionist and believed that the church is here to help people,” he points out. “That is especially true for parents who are raising children nowadays. “ You want to pass down that philosophy to your children’.”

He hopes to do a lot of outreach here in Berlin, working with various groups and organizations over time.

He has good feelings about his new ministry. “From what I have seen, Berlin is a great place with a lot of nice people,” he said.”

Madsen-Bilbeau and his wife, Michelle are the parents of two children, a son Isaac, and a daughter, Claire.