The second phase of our Visioning process has included some grief work and will still include some congregational/covenant-building work. Pastor Liz has used her training and experience to organize four after-worship sessions.

After some thoughtful and prayerful discussion, Pastor Liz and leadership have decided to POSTPONE the second half of the Visioning Phase 2 process until after the beginning of the new year. We will still have our Darkest Night Service on Sunday, December 21st, at 7 pm in the sanctuary. This will be a reflective service with prayer stations and an opportunity to consider grief in the midst of the season of holidays (Holy Days).

We will continue the second part of this work on Sunday, January 11th, with a session on Practicing Consent and Healthy Covenantal Boundaries. Followed by a session on January 18th, working on Conflict Resolution Training. Pastor Liz intends to help us build tools for building a stronger and healthier covenant for moving forward. This work may include some challenging conversations, so we invite you to be brave and welcome the opportunity to grow as we learn together.

Be brave, take a risk, and come join in the Visioning work that lays a foundation for the ministry God is calling Brookmeade to become. We need your voice and your knowledge. And we hope your love for this institution and its people will be enough to draw you to the good work ahead of us. 

Once we complete Phase 2, Phase 3 will begin in February, and in this phase, we will begin the work of naming God’s mission (the purpose for our ministry) and God’s vision (the direction that mission will take) for our future ministry. This is the fun work, the dreaming, the brainstorming. It will really help us all be on the same page if we don’t skip any steps along the way. Let us continue this journey in ministry and allow God to show us how good it can get!

This is our schedule for the rest of Phase 2:
Evening:
Sunday, December 21: The Darkest Night Grief Reflection Service (7 pm)

Following Worship:
Sunday, January 11: Practicing Consent and Healthy Boundaries
Sunday, January 18: Conflict Resolution Training 

*Please contact the church office if you’d like a Zoom link to attend virtually for any of these dates! Videos of the first two grief-focused sessions are available in the Church office and a link can be sent to you to view them if you would like to catch up with us.

Brookmeade will provide overnight shelter & supper for persons living on the cold streets of Nashville on Friday, Dec. 12th @ 5:30 PM. We need volunteers to make this happen! Brookmeade participants in the RITI ministry in past years have always found it to be a deeply enriching experience. Please help in providing meals & other services via the signup link in your weekly email or the paper signup sheet located in the long hallway of the church. Heartfelt thanks in advance to all who volunteer to help the unsheltered of Nashville living on the streets during the Christmas season. Please contact the church office with any questions!

The second phase of our Visioning process has included some grief work and will still include some congregational/covenant-building work. Pastor Liz has used her training and experience to organize four after-worship sessions that began Sunday, November 9th. We will continue the second part of this work on Sunday, December 7th, with a session on Practicing Consent and Healthy Covenantal Boundaries. Followed by a session on December 21st (*notice change of date) working on Conflict Resolution Training. Pastor Liz intends to help us build tools for building a stronger and healthier covenant for moving forward. This work may include some challenging conversations, so we invite you to be brave and welcome the opportunity to grow as we learn together.
Be brave, take a risk, and come join in the Visioning work that lays a foundation for the ministry God is calling Brookmeade to become. We need your voice and your knowledge. And we hope your love for this institution and its people will be enough to draw you to the good work ahead of us.
Once we complete Phase 2, Phase 3 will begin in late January or early February, and in this phase, we will begin the work of naming God’s mission (the purpose for our ministry) and God’s vision (the direction that mission will take) for our future ministry. This is the fun work, the dreaming, the brainstorming. It will really help us all be on the same page if we don’t skip any steps along the way. Let us continue this journey in ministry and allow God to show us how good it can get!

This is our schedule for Phase 2:

Following Worship:
*Please contact the church office if you’d like a Zoom link to attend virtually for any of these dates!
Sunday, December 7: Practicing Consent and Healthy Boundaries
DATE CHANGE – Sunday, December 21: Conflict Resolution Training

Evening:
Sunday, December 21: The Darkest Night Grief Reflection Service @ 7 pm

Join our Project CURE Volunteer Group Saturday, December 6th from 9:30 – 11:30 am! We help sort medical supplies on the first Saturday of every month at the Project CURE warehouse (2309 Clifton Ave. 37209). These are surplus supplies that are sent to countries all around the world that need them. No training required to participate! Please RSVP to the church office if you plan to attend. Thank you for helping support this important ministry.

This Christmas season we will be collecting toys for the “Last Minute Toy Store.” This project provides free gifts for families with children and teens to make sure their Christmas is spectacular. Please donate toys unwrapped. We will be collecting gifts for the Last Minute Toy Store until Sunday, December 7th.

Accepting Toy & gift card Donations: New, unwrapped toys, bikes and other age-appropriate gifts in the $10 – $25 price range are needed for newborn to 18 years of age. For Teen Gifts: (ages 12-18) Gift cards, valued between $15 – $20, are a great idea! Here are a few stores that are a hit: Bath & Body Works, Walmart, Old Navy, Target, Game Stop, Books-A-Million, Amazon. If you prefer to buy specific items, here are some ideas: blue tooth speakers, karaoke machines, headphones, tool kits, make-up kits, shavers or trimmers, make up mirrors, purses, shoulder bags, curling irons or journals.

“Diverse Unity Nashville” is holding a Community Town Hall at the Brookmeade building on Saturday, November 29th starting at 11 am, with a reception following. Come hear local guest speakers talk about important issues facing our community. Speakers will include:  Senator Heidi Campbell, Council Member Thomas Duffel, Chaplain Dahron Johnson, Council Member Jeff Preptit, Candidate for Governor Dr. Carnita Atwater.  Please spread the word about this community event!

Continuing a long-standing & loving tradition, the Brookmeade Fellowship Team is organizing a Thanksgiving Day Potluck Dinner @ 2:00 PM at the church for Brookmeade members not otherwise & elsewhere obligated. Extravagant welcome & invitation will also be extended to our West Meade neighbors, as well as to the greater Nashville community! Feel free to spread the word to your neighbors. Brookmeade extends a great heart-warming welcome to all who would like a place to celebrate this holiday together! Please RSVP to the church office so we can be sure and have enough turkey for all! There is a sign up sheet in the hallway or you can call/email the church office.

Our Annual Hanging of the Green will be held Saturday, 11/22 beginning at 9:30 am. Join us as we get into the holiday spirit, enjoy fellowship time together, and decorate our building for the Advent season! Refreshments will be provided.

Thank you, Brookmeade, for always being kind, thoughtful, and generous. During this season of uncertainty for so many families with the government shutdown and the halting of SNAP benefits, we will be collecting Canned Tuna and Canned Chicken for Second Harvest every week. If you can bring a few cans each week, this will help us help those in need. We will keep track of our collection and hope to celebrate how we have helped when the shutdown has ended. Monetary Donations are also always welcome!

The Church Council leadership and Pastor Liz all appreciate your patience as we have leaned into the summer and family challenges as a time to meditatively and prayerfully consider our next steps in this process. What became clear in our first step in this process is that we, as a congregation, have some grief work to do before moving on to our next steps. Pastor Liz has used her training and experience to organize four after-worship sessions for November and December, followed by a Grief service on Sunday, December 21 in the evening for our Darkest Night Service. We need all Brookmeaders to come and participate in these conversations so that we can learn, heal, and grow towards God’s Mission (purpose in ministry) and Vision (direction for that purpose). This step will be foundational in our next steps of brainstorming and strategic planning. We are excited about these next steps, and we need you, so please consider joining us to learn and share your wisdom.

After Worship:

Sunday, November 9: Naming Our Grief

Sunday, November 16: Feeling Our Grief

Sunday, December 7: Practicing Consent & Healthy Boundaries

Sunday, December 14: Conflict Resolution Training

Evening Service:

Sunday, December 21: The Darkest Night Grief Reflection Service