Every year, generous members order beautiful poinsettias to dedicate to loved ones and decorate our sanctuary for the holiday season. We are now accepting orders for 6 and 8 inch poinsettias in red or white. We ask folks to take their poinsettias home after the Christmas Eve service. You can find order forms in the front foyer or just contact the church office to place your order by Sunday, November 6th.
Oct. 30th is our next 5th Sunday and we will be celebrating All Saints Day with remembrances and appreciations of Brookmeaders past and present. If you would like to share a brief story, reflection or appreciation of someone who has had impact on your spiritual life or our community, please let us know. We will allow ample time for sharing. For those who may be out of town or unable to attend on the 30th, please feel free to record a video that we can share during our time together.
– Worship & Gathering Team
For many years, Brookmeade has enthusiastically supported the work of Room In The Inn here in Nashville, helping to provide food and shelter to those in need on our streets and in our community. Since the Covid pandemic, we have been unable to help with this ministry. We are trying this Winter to partner with our sister congregation, Holy Trinity Community Church UCC, in order to participate in this much needed service. We need to determine how many Brookmeaders can help out this Winter. The folks at RITI have said that their greatest need is congregations to host guests on Sunday and Monday evenings (We will determine which night based on availability of volunteers). Areas to help are in driving guests from downtown to Brookmeade, helping to prepare and serve an evening meal, preparing bag lunches for the next day, washing linens the following week, serving as an overnight host to our guests, and driving guests from Brookmeade to downtown in the morning. If you are able and interested in serving in any of these areas, please contact Mike R. or the church office so we can ascertain how we can best support this vital ministry in our city.
The month of October is Mental Health Awareness month and October 10th is World Mental Health Day. This is a great time to do some research and share resources with your community. The National Alliance on Mental Illness has some videos, personal stories and facts you can review HERE. Find a list of programs, resources and hotlines from the Mental Health Awareness Association by clicking HERE. Click HERE to view a list of National Minority Mental Health Awareness resources and publications from the US Dept. of Health and Human Services.
Please spread the word about the new mental health hotline number with friends and family. You can call the mental health hotline at 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
If you’d like to get more involved you can participate in the AFSP Out of the Darkness Suicide Prevention Walk on Saturday, 10/29 @ 9 am at Centennial Park. Register for the Nashville Walk and/or show your support by donating through the “All Are Welcome Here” team by clicking HERE.
Art Class to be taught at Brookmeade this fall! Local Artist Michele Lambert will teach a watercolor class at Brookmeade on Thursday evenings from 6 to 8 pm. The dates for the class are October 13th and 27th, and November 10th and 17th. The cost for the class is $80.00 for all four sessions. All materials will be provided. Please see Mike or Adora if you have any questions. Michele is a very talented painter and sculptor, and has had a long career as an art teacher in Metro Schools and at Watkins. We are very excited to have Michele’s expertise and talent to inspire us as we learn basic watercolor techniques. A sign up list is in the hallway, or contact Adora or the church office to sign up. Pre-payment for the class is needed as we will be purchasing the materials.
Michele Lambert, Artist Bio:
Co-owner of Shimai Gallery of Contemporary Craft, Michele Lambert, is a multi-disciplined artist. Working primarily as a painter and poet, her large canvases combine color, texture and words to convey her deep connection to the natural world. In addition to painting on canvas, wood and paper, she creates small mixed media collages using paper, natural objects and tools. The collection of her work provides viewers with her life stories of family, heartbreak, trauma, and redemption. Although she received a degree in Fine Art from Watkins College of Art and Design, she considers art-making a natural gift and a necessary outpouring of expression that has healing power.
Before opening Shimai in 2005 with dear friend and business partner, Becca Ganick, Michele taught at Watkins, in Metro Nashville Public Schools, the Frist Museum and many other private venues. Her work is in private and corporate collections across the country. Community involvement plays a vital role in her professional life, serving on several non-profit boards, volunteering in public schools and offering advisory consultation for businesses creating interiors sensitive to trauma victims.
Michele is interested in helping emerging artists find a foothold in the professional art world. Her background experience as a professional artist, educator and gallery owner gives her a broad perspective enabling her to connect developing artists with best practices in professional conduct whether it be with craftsmanship or building relationships with gallery owners. She enjoys interaction with other artists and is always interested in learning about the process and motivation behind work created by others.
In 2022, the UCC’s annual Neighbors in Need offering focuses on economic justice. We can feel the impact of inflation on our households, but what about those who have less than we? While we will formally collect this offering on October 2, World Communion Sunday, if you make your donations on-line or make sending in checks, please take care of this ahead of time.
As you may recall, one-third of the offering supports Council for American Indian Ministry (CAIM). Two-thirds are used by Justice and Witness Ministries to provide grants to UCC churches and organizations to help with their economic justice work, and also supports a variety of justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects.
Justice & Local Church Ministries
*You can donate online with Tithe.ly by choosing “NIN Offering” in the drop-down menu, or by mailing a check to Brookmeade with “NIN Offering” in the memo line.
Our next trip to the Project CURE Warehouse (2300 Clifton Ave.) is scheduled for Saturday, October 1st, 9:30 am – 12 pm. We will be sorting medical supplies. Newcomers are very welcome! For planning reasons and to make sure we are COVID safe we need a head count for our group prior to volunteering. Please RSVP to the church office if you plan to attend. Thanks and see you there!
Just a reminder that the Upper Room UCC Fellowship Brunch is this Saturday, Sept 17th @ 11:00 AM at Holy Trinity Community Church (6727 Charlotte Pike)! Theme: “Revive Us Again!”
Instead of our usual evening potluck, this will be a catered mid-day Covid-safe brunch gathering of our Nashville-area UCC churches under a big tent with pole fans for good ventilation! We will gather to grow in prayer & meditation and to be closer to God and one another: Brookmeade Congregational Church, Holy Trinity Community Church, and Howard Congregational Church! Special Guest Speaker: Rev. Kim Wood, Southeast UCC Conference Minister! Bringing a message of hope & revival to all people and all Southeast UCC churches! See you there!
This fall, Learn & Grow is going to take 12 weeks to look at the New Testament. Using The Great Courses class on the New Testament with lecturer Professor Bart D. Ehrman, each week we will watch a 30-minute lecture and then discuss what we have heard. In the 12 weeks we will spend on this, we’ll learn historical and contextual background for the New Testament, spend time with the four canonical Gospels, discuss the noncanonical gospels, and look at the historical Jesus. Join us at 9:15 on Sundays (starting this Sunday, September 4th) to deepen your understanding of the New Testament.
We have a new day and time for our Restorative Yoga class. It will start on the Tuesday after Labor Day 9/6, and it will be on Tuesdays at 4:30 pm. Our wonderful teacher, Ali Sperry continues to lead us via Zoom. This is a beginning restorative class with simple positions, breathing and basic healing. Join us and call the church office if you have any questions. All are welcome!
~ Suggested cost is $15/class. Scholarships available at request! ~
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