This winter season Brookmeade is happy to provide beds, meals and warm place for folks in need! Our next date for RITI will be Fri. 2/16. We need volunteers to help with set up and breakdown, laundry, meals and to act as drivers and overnight hosts. To sign up online, follow the link in your Brookmeade Beat. Thank you so much for helping with this important ministry!

Due to the inclement weather and with an abundance of caution we have decided to cancel in-person worship for this Sunday, January 21st. Pastor Liz will provide a brief virtual worship service on YouTube Live at 10:30 am. Click HERE to watch live on Sunday. Learn & Grow will meet at 9:15 am on Zoom. You can find the link to participate in your Brookmeade Beat. Our Congregational Meeting has been moved to Sunday, February 4th following worship. Thank you and please stay safe!

Our first Congregational Meeting of 2024 will be held on Sunday, January 21st following the worship service! We hope everyone will plan to attend this important meeting as we need a quorum in attendance to vote to approve the budget for this year and approve new officers. We will also be receiving updates from the worship teams. If you are unable to attend in person and want to designate someone to vote for you please contact the church office. We will see you all there!

EDIT – THE CONGREGATIONAL MEETING HAS BEEN MOVED TO SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 4TH DUE TO WEATHER CONCERNS AND UNSAFE TRAVEL CONDITIONS.

“I [Jesus] came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10:10b

Our Learn & Grow class meets weekly on Sunday mornings at 9:15 am! Learn & Grow is an adult Sunday school class that explores a wide variety of topics. Our current study is based on the the book Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier by Arthur C. Brooks and Oprah Winfrey. 

“You can get happier. When times are good, this is easy to believe. But sometimes life’s hardships can feel like impossible barriers, making happiness seem out of reach. Other times, we may just feel stuck–not unhappy, but wanting more out of life. 

In Build the Life you Want, Arthur C. Brooks and Oprah Winfrey invite you to begin a journey toward greater happiness, no matter how challenging your circumstances. Combining their decades of experience studying happiness from every angle, they share practical, research-based strategies you can implement to improve your life right now–instead of waiting for the outside world to change.”

Our Brookmeade Restorative Yoga Class meets weekly at the church building on Mondays at 4 pm. This restorative class is led by instructor Ali Sperry, live on Zoom. The cost is $20. Please contact the church office if you have questions.  

This winter season Brookmeade is happy to provide beds, meals and warm place for folks in need! Our next date for Room in the Inn will be Friday, January 19th. Here is a list of ways you can help!

Set Up of Cots in Hallway
Drivers–2 to 3 Pick Up at RITI Campus on Friday at 5-5:30 PM
2 Overnight Hosts
Dinner (A team Coordinator and a team)
7-8 Sack Lunches
Breakfast
Drivers–2 to 3 (6 am pick up at Brookmeade to take the participants back to RITI Campus)
Laundry Pick Up
Cot Breakdown

Please contact the church office to learn more and sign up!

If you aren’t available this month, our next date for hosting is February 16th.

*EDIT – THIS HAS BEEN CENCELLED DUE TO WEATHER AND TRAVEL CONCERNS. STAY POSTED FOR RESCHEDULE.

Our next trip to the Project CURE Warehouse is scheduled for Saturday, January 6th from 9:30 am – 12 pm. We will be sorting medical supplies. Newcomers are very welcome! For planning reasons we need a head count for our group prior to volunteering. Please RSVP to the church office ASAP if you plan to attend. Thanks and see you there!

Brookmeade will be collecting for the UCC Christmas Fund Offering on Sunday, December 24th! The Christmas Fund has been caring for active and retired clergy and lay employees of the United Church of Christ for over 100 years, providing emergency grants, supplementation of small annuities and health premiums, and Christmas “Thank You” gift checks each December to our lower-income retirees.

United Church of Christ congregations and members have blessed the Christmas Fund with their generosity for many years. This year, your care and compassion will be especially appreciated by those servants of the church who are facing a time of need. Thank you!

Click HERE to watch a video about the impact your donation can make! 

Michele Lambert is returning to host another Art Class at Brookmeade this winter, starting Thursday, January 25th and continuing for 4 weeks! The cost will once again be $80 for all 4 sessions (materials provided). In this class we will be exploring an “everything but the kitchen sink” style of mixed media. The artwork example from Michele (see above) shows this technique with a stacked experimental piece unified by pencil work, colored pencils, paint and printmaking.” To learn more about the class and sign up, please contact the church office! 

Our Worship and Gathering Team would like to welcome you to join us for our special Family Friendly Candlelight Service on Christmas Eve (December 24) at 5:00 pm. All are welcome, and we hope you will feel like you can belong here. Our service will include readings and Christmas hymns, a story for children, and candlelight. We will hear a message of hope and encourage a connection to experiences of authentic joy, while holding space for what is challenging in this holiday season. Join us in person.