1757 - 1799 Rev. Thomas Brooks

1800 - 1801 Rev. Erastus Ripley

1807 - 1811 Rev. Richard Williams

1813 - 1816 Rev. Bela Kellogg

1821 - 1839 Rev. Abner Brundage

1843 - 1855 Rev. Dan C. Curtis

1859 - 1862 Rev. Thomas Benedict

1862 - 1864 Rev. Philander Hollister

1865 - 1870 Rev. Frederick Munson

1870 - 1888 Rev. Asa Pierce

1889 - 1892 Rev. Henry Mead

1893 - 1895 Rev. George Lawrence

1895 - 1904 Rev. Cyrus Francis

1904 - 1907 Rev. Marion Burton

1907 - 1910 Rev. Harry Martin

1910 - 1914 Rev. Milton Wittler

1915 - 1917 Rev. E. Jay Hanford

1919 - 1920 Rev. William Sharatt

1921 - 1926 Rev. Luther Stalnaker

1926 - 1928 Rev. Archie Hook

1928 - 1930 Rev. Frank L. Edwards

1931 - 1941 Rev. Henry G. Megathlin

1941 - 1949 Rev. Elwyn Jordan

1949 - 1971 Rev. Edward Walker

1971 - 1974 Rev. Frederick W. Lyon

1975 - 1996 Rev. M. Sargent Desmond

1994 - 2004 Rev. Peter M. Wiley

2007 -     Rev. Bryn Smallwood-Garcia

1967 - 1970 Rev. Robert A. Brown

1972 - 1974 Rev. Carol Atwood Forsythe

1978 - 1979 Rev. E. "Kim" White

1981 - 1986 Rev. Kent J. Siladi

1986 - 1989 Rev. Elizabeth Fisher Stamp

1990 - 1994 Rev. Peter M. Wiley

1997 - 2005 Rev. Susan G. Latourette

2005 - Rev. Jennifer DeBisschop Whipple

1963 - 1964 Harold Nohe

1965 - 1966 C. Allan Borchert/John Morrison

1967  -1968 John Morrison

1969 - 1970 Joe Hardin

1971 - 1972 Robert Joyce

1973     Ernest Beers, Jr/Richard Noble

1974 - 1975 Barbara Todd

1976 - 1977 William Braman

1978 - 1979 John Morrison

1980 - 1981 David Nohe

1982 - 1983 Walt Fisher

1984 - 1985 Charles "Chic" Frosch

1986 - 1987 Richard Whittlesey

1988 - 1989 Greg Labas

1990 - 1991 Win Hubley

1992     Cliff Lattin

1992 - 1993 Walt Fisher

1994     Bob Baker

1995 - 1996 Audrey Himebaugh

1997     Steve Gray

1997 - 1998 Ed Insull

1999 - 2000 Bill Robertson

2001 - 2002 Barbara Anderson

2003 - 2004 Brian McGovern

2005 - 2006 Robin Murphy

2007     Tom Eaker

1946
Gena Smalley
Charles Smalley
Donald Burr

1949
Vivian Henley
Marjorie Prokopy

1953
Marge Nohe

1954
Robert Pitcher

1955
Eleanor Brockett
Linda Nohe Fernand
Nancy Vasaturo

1956
Walter Loesch

1957
Eleanor Loesch
Gertrude "Marie" Bartley

1958
Ruth Burr
Barbara Covill
David Nohe

1959 Anne Hardin

1961
Eugene Farrell
Ruth Maxim

1962
David Treadwell
Joan Treadwell

1963
John Morrison
Millicent Morrison
Grace Joyce

1964
Warren Malkin
Ruth Malkin

1965
Harry Gerowe Sr.
Evelyn Gerowe
Albert Marshall
Audrey Marshall
Charline McNiff

1966
Donna Tuck
Peter Cushnie
Elizabeth Dilges

1967
Nancy Keefe
Horst Lentz
Maria Lentz

1968
Chloe Studwell
Joanna Sanderson
Helen Chappuis

1969
Wes Bates

1970
Susan Cusic
Edith Weighart

1971
Don DeLambert
Elizabeth DeLambert
Larry Vodra
Nancy Vodra
Cathy Winkler
Gordon Burgess
Jane Burgess
Sondra Phinney-Miller
Sally Socci
David Scribner

1972
Barbara Harris
Edward Insull
Joyce Insull

1973
Susan Ronan
Marilyn Whittlesey
Richard Whittlesey
Charles Ball
Donna Ball

1974
Mark Lyon
John "Chip" Morrison, Jr.
Robin Murphy

1975
Donald Burr Jr.
Randy Eggleston
Scott Joyce
M.S. "Des" Desmond
Nancy Desmond
Audrey Stryker
Walt Fisher

1976
Marion Miller
Shirley Zaccara
Douglas Fisher
Ernest Trowbridge

1977
John Davies
Susan Davies
Lillian Covill
Leslie Sands
Linda Collopy
Thomas Collopy
Charles "Chic" Frosch
Linda Frosch

1978
Steven Leslie
Jeff Fite
Judy McCallion
John Denley
Patricia Denley
Peter "Sandy" Sanderson
Joan Wutzl
A. Rodger Wutzl
Rodger H. Wutzl

1979
Robert Brown
Jane Brown
Greg Labas
Jan Labas
Peter Lane
Carol Jones
Richard Jones
Roderick Schmaling
Lavinia Schmaling
Allison Gianazza
Christine Clark

1980
Marian Magilton
Patricia Brajnikoff
David Ellis
Tamara Ellis
Marcia Wilkins

1981
Robert Purssell

1982
Brant Wutzl
Sanford Boughton
Sue Boughton
Laura Schecter
Carol Howe

Rev. Bryn Smallwood-Garcia,
Senior Pastor

_When we began to put together a booklet for our 250th Anniversary, with our "For All the Saints" theme, we thought it would enrich our history if we could collect a few oral histories from our longest-term members. These "saints," after all, have sat in our meetinghouse for far more Sundays than any one pastor. Over several weeks, interviews were conducted with some generous members who had time to sit down and talk with us, or who mailed in responses. They were asked three questions:

1. How have you seen our church as a "light to the world" as the prophet Isaiah foresaw in Isaiah 42:6, a scripture theme of our Friday Vespers worship that marks the actual September 28, 2007 anniversary day.

2. What is your fondest memory of The Congregational Church of Brookfield?

3. What do you hope will never change at our church, or what is a hope you have for the future?

_T hey were also asked to name a "saint" of our church, but everyone asked was reluctant , for fear of missing someone. Although we might rightly feel pride to make our church "honor roll," Saint Paul writes (Eph. 3:7-8), "I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given..." Paul would say it is not our works that confer sainthood, but our faith.

_E ven when we do not FEEL at all saintly, if we heed the call to follow Jesus we also are accepting the free gift of sainthood. All members of Christ's church are saints of God and ministers of the Gospel, disciples spreading the Good News of God's love. Although we know there are many more saints whom we could name, we list these few in gratitude for their inspiring example.

_M y first 8 months with you has been full of blessing, as I've had the privilege of getting to know you, our modern "saints," and I look forward to beginning our next 250 years of history together.

Rev. Jennifer Whipple,
Associate Pastor

_At our first youth fellowship meetings this year we reminded ourselves of our 250^th Anniversary and the phrase "For All the Saints." As the closing at each of the meetings, we had everyone name someone who had been a saint to them someone who has helped them grow in their faith, someone who has been there to help through the questioning times, someone who has shown them what it means to be a Christian in our world today. There were generations of people named. From grandparents and parents to confirmation mentors to friends from people who attend this church each week to people we may never have a chance to meet the saints are alive and well in the minds of our youngest generation.

_T his is truly a special place. It is a community full of examples of Christian love, welcome, openness, and service. It is a place where generations of people can gather together to learn from one another, to care for and support one another. It is a place where we have learned from the saints who have come before us.

_W hen I was asked for a favorite memory of CCB, I remembered my first Sunday here. After worship my first Sunday, a group of children came running to me, grabbed me by the hands, and brought me to the back parking lot outside Fellowship Hall. They had sidewalk-chalked the entire parking lot with words and pictures of welcome and had given me my new nickname P.J. for Pastor Jen. From that moment on I have been amazed at the extravagant welcome this church affords to people who walk through our doors.

_I have been overwhelmed with support over the last few years as many big things happened in my life from my ordination, to my wedding, to my position being settled here. I have been blessed with this community and all of the amazing people who gather here in faith to worship, fellowship, and serve God together both inside these walls and beyond them as well.

Since our 250th anniversary campaign had "For All The Saints" as its theme, our long-term members were asked to name a "saint" they admired, present or past.

Saints like you...

"It's dangerous for a minister to identify the Saints of the congregation...But if I did, I'd pick a saint like Doug or Jeanne Watson, Jane or Peter Maxim, Inez Pawlak, Fred Weighart, or Julia Garafalo or Francis Northrup. I'd pick a saint of our church whom I was privileged to know like Lucy or Art Hendry, Martha Curtis, Cliff Tomlinson, Harold Nohe, Daryll Bates, or the Grants, the Andersons, the Bogarts, or the Moores. If I did pick one, it would be someone like Olga, Howard, Agnes, Joe, Eldon, or Mae; Tim, Francis, or Ed, like so many nameless others... someone like that, who responded to God's call in Christ to lift high the light of the gospel right here among us, in the congregation of believers, our church. I'd pick someone like those Saints of our church. Someone like you."
~ Rev. M.S. "Des" Desmond, Pastor Emeritus

Don & Ruth Burr

"Don was on the property committee and Ruth was the trustee and also the Superintendent of Sunday School. She also taught 4^th grade Sunday School."

Eleanor Brockett

"For many years Eleanor belonged to the social committee when there were only about three members who helped with the coffee hour after church. Eleanor always baked something homemade, and she seemed to so enjoy being able to talk with and get to know everyone."

Pat Cicala

"He taught 7th-8th grade Sunday School (in the 1950s) and was such a fun guy. He always made it interesting. One time, on a retreat, a friend brought him a baby goat for a present, and it spent the weekend with us. He brought it home and kept it too -- to eat his grass so he wouldn't have to mow his lawn!"

Rev. M. Sargent Desmond

"He was a saint of our church from the time that he began with us in 1975. I remember a time when there were only 35-40 people attending morning services, and Rev. Desmond did a fantastic amount of work for the church through his quiet, strong faith and helped to rebuild the strength of the church. Everyone loved him. He had a great sense of humor."

"He was minister when my husband passed away. He spent so many hours visiting with me and offering care and support during that time."

"Sargent IS a magician in so many ways—especially if you will define `magic' as the ability to channel God's love through one person to another."

Tom Eaker

"What, does he LIVE at the church? Tom does everything! I can't imagine a better moderator for our congregation."

Gene Farrell

"He was wonderful at giving programs for Serendippers. I still remember how much I learned when he did a program on Flag Day."

Anne & Joe Hardin

"Joe filled every office in church, all the way up to moderator. He and his wife Anne were always over there at church doing something, fixing something."

Rev. E. K. Jordan

"Rev. E.K. Jordan was a saint of our church. He was wonderful with the children."

"Rev. Jordan was a big, enormous man who also ran the Boy Scouts in town. He would lead the young peoples' group on Sunday night, every week reading a passage from the Bible and then leading discussion. I still remember things I learned from him and the friends I made then."

"Rev. Jordan and his wife were a very friendly and pleasant older couple. One summer (1946) they started the Couples Club in their home, the old parsonage."

Eleanor Loesch

"She's one of those people who steps right in and helps people, especially older people -- how dedicated she was to her parents, but not just them. She is always helping out a neighbor, taking people places. And she thinks ahead -- she goes out of her way to call to offer help, or just to say, `I think we should go out to lunch -- let's get a little group together.'"

Charline McNiff

"For many years, Charline has been handling the `Sunshine Cards' that are sent from the church to people on our prayer concerns list. She also helped to start up the Serendippers lunches when Ruth Eckert moved here from out West and brought the idea of prayerful luncheons with her from her old church. Charline helped arrange for the programs. She also used to help collate, staple, and mail the weekly bulletins, Crossways, and the annual report."

Mr. and Mrs. Alva Miller

Alva Miller started YMCAs all over the world, especially in the Middle East. He was in Jerusalem when Israel was founded. I recall one time when somebody was talking about Lawrence of Arabia, Mr. Miller said, "Yes, what a nice young man." He knew Lawrence of Arabia! Mrs. Miller was very tall and dignified, but had a great sense of humor. One time someone asked her if she had ever thought of divorce, and she said, "Oh no. But murder...?"

Marion Miller

"I remember listening for God's voice in Deacons meetings in Brooks Hall with her praying and preaching her `Daddy' God."

The Morehouse Family

"No one in my (Rev. Betty Lou Flood-Miller) family attended any church when we moved to Brookfield in 1953 when I was 7 years old. By God's grace, our neighbors were Dan and Vivian Morehouse and their two daughters, Eleanor (Loesch) and Susan, who was closest to my age. She invited me to come to church with her, and her parents had me stay for Sunday dinner. They continued to bring me to worship, to Children's Choir (with Mrs. Tuttle), and to Girl Scouts (with Mrs. Ted Walker) until High School.

John & Millicent Morrison

"They are some of the most active people I know. They are always there at church, come hell or high water!"

Robin Murphy

"She was the glue that held us together during the three interims. We might have fallen apart without her. She's done so much with church school, youth groups, the fair, and the Anniversary Campaign."

Harold Nohe

"Harold Nohe was a saint of the church. He was instrumental in the purchase of the property, the building of the school wing, the memorial garden. He was very involved with the Deacons. He also helped organize the religious community in Danbury."

"Harold was a saint. He was a real `doer.' We wouldn't have the Memorial Garden without him. The property was all overgrown and we couldn't build on it. He did questionnaires of the congregation, drew up plans, hired a contractor, and got the first piece of the wall built ."

Marge Nohe

"When I (Eleanor Brocket) moved to Brookfield I moved into a house that Harold and Marge Nohe had been renting in The Candlewood Shores. The first time I met Marge, she asked me to go to the church to join the Viviandi meetings, a nice group of ladies. My daughter Judy was 4 years old, and Marge's daughter Debbie was about the same age. We stayed and my children went all through Sunday School. Judy and Debbie still get together. " 

Inez Pawlak

"She died on an Easter morning—and I remember thinking `how appropriate.' Inez was a very frank and erudite speaker and writer, editor of Crossways for many years. One never had a doubt as to whether she cared for you or not—she would tell you straight away—either way. With her snow white hair and regal posture, she always brought with her a sense of elegance, intelligence and authenticity. She was generous and often brought food to people in crisis. She was a good person to have on your side in a debate, because when she spoke—people listened. She was a Bible scholar, but never intimidated people . She was surely a woman, `called out in righteousness...[by God]' ...and one of the many `lights to the nations' who have called CCB their church home."

Robert (Bobby) Pitcher

"Robert (Bobby) Pitcher is a Saint for the care that he gives to Chip Brown. Chip had a stroke and Bobby is there to support him. Bobby still brings Chip to town meetings and recently brought him to the building meeting to help approve the new addition to the Senior Center."

Rev. Ted Walker

"Rev. Ted Walker was a saint of the church. His wife was full of fun. He was quiet, soft spoken and a leader of the church. He had the foresight to buy the parsonage. He and his wife Barbara were very good with the members of the church. They were very young, like the rest of us. He was also on the school board for the town. Barbara also taught 6^th grade Sunday School all the time."

"Rev. Walker is a saint to me, because he is the one who got me going back to church. He just stays in my mind."

"Ted Walker had very high ideals and was a very devout man. He had a flair for sermons, and a heart for the theme that we're ALL men of God; we're all on the same level -- rich next to the beggar, lame and blind. We're all equal before the Lord."

Doug & Jeanne Watson

Doug brought his rooster in to church one year to have it crow three times during the service for the story of Peter's denial. Harry Gerowe says he still has a rock painted with eyes and glasses that Doug gave him. Doug loved to do things like that for other people just for the fun of it.

"She started the Holiday Teas to raise money for the church kitchen. She bought all the church china and silverware."

Rev. Jennifer Whipple

"We're so lucky to call Jen as our Associate Pastor. When we picked her, we picked the loveliest rose in the garden."

...all the saints

"Many people of the church are saints, especially those who serve faithfully on committees, for taking on the tasks that they take on. Nancy Vodra and Barbara Harris have been making quilts for 35 years for the church fair. Jeanine Hanewicz has been working hard for many years at the barn sale."

"Marty Degen, Bev Robertson, Nancy Vodra, and Barbara Harris worked hard to prepare the meals for Serendippers lunches, and they still always had time to stop and visit with you. Also Deacons Dan Leniart and Harry Gerowe always seem to have time to visit and speak with you."

"We have so many wonderful, remarkable people in our church. Dr. Grace Ramsey had been curator of the Museum of Natural History in New York, and her sister, Miss Edna Fisher, looked like a gentle breeze could blow her over, but she had been an ambulance driver during World War I."

"My Stephen Minister was a saint to me for her patience, understanding, support and love throughout an extremely difficult time in my life."

"I am the Lord,
I have called you...
I have taken you by the hand
and kept you...
I have given you as
...a light to the nations."
~ Isaiah 42:6
 

"We were quite active when we were younger. I taught church school for a few years. The church was the one thing you really needed. We were so busy with everything else. We needed church because it was that light for us. It was the way to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, even if it was just for an hour."
~ Gertrude "Marie" Bartley, member since 1957

The Church Choir

"I fondly remembers singing in the choir. Jenny Lee was the choir director at the time. She and Ann Hardin, who also sang in the choir, became some of my best friends -- even though sometimes choir members disagreed on what songs should be sung!"
~ Eleanor Brockett, member since 1955
 

"I remember the first time I sang a solo in church—my knees were shaking—I was SO glad I could sing from the balcony so I didn't have to look at all the people!"
~ Rev. Betty Lou Flood-Miller, grew up at CCB

Sunday School

"I always enjoyed Sunday School -- all those kids getting together. Before they added the Sunday School wing, we met for our classes BEFORE church. Some met in the Kitchen, some in the Library, some in Brooks Hall. We didn't have quite as many kids back then. I remember Mrs. Brockett's husband, Frank, who didn't go to church, would pick us up and bring us home before 11 a.m. worship. We didn't go to church with our parents."
~ Linda (Nohe) Fernand, confirmed in 1955

Christmas at Church

"My favorite time of the year was Christmas ... I was invited at a young age to help get the tree.  ... it was just a matter of getting it cut down, loaded into a truck and brought to the church.  If my memory is right, we went right through the front doors, over the pews and into Brooks Hall.  We then stood it up and as it was scraping along the ceiling we realized it was a little too tall, so we would lower it down and cut the bottom or at least trim the top branches.  Then back up, getting some ropes around it to tie it up to the hooks in the top of the walls, and everyone giving their opinion if it was straight or not.  Once everyone agreed it was perfect, they thought about how to get the star on the top of the tree, and they would look at me.  They would take an extension ladder and have me climb up to the top with a star.  They would then carefully lean the ladder into the tree so I could attach the star.  I do not ever remember having a fear of heights until I did that a few years."
~ Rev. Robert Vodra, grew up at CCB
 

"I remember Christmas caroling—and getting off and on the bus a million times—sometimes we trod through snow—sometimes we skidded along frozen, uneven ground. Always—it was cold, but we knew warm hot chocolate and cookies awaited us at the end of the trip."
~ Rev. Betty Lou Flood-Miller
 

"My favorite memory was the year that my daughter, Marine son-in-law and infant grandson were home on leave and played the parts (barefoot, yet) of Mary, Joseph, and the Baby Jesus in our Christmas pageant."
~ Barbara Covill, member since 1958
 

"I taught 2^nd grade Sunday school for years, and was involved in crafts. Rev. Walker helped me to make Chrismons (Christ Monograms) for teaching aids. I would decorate a tree in church every year, even at this year's fair."
~ Evelyn Gerowe, member since 1965

Friendly Welcome

"I was born and raised a Baptist in Mississippi, and was a member of Central Christian Church in Danbury prior to joining CCB in 1965. I vividly remember when I first came here, how friendly and caring the people were. I joined in an open joining, walking to the front of the church with others on impulse.
~ Charline McNiff, member since 1965

"We moved to Brookfield from New Milford in 1956, while I was pregnant with my last child. Brookfield was small then, only about 3,500 people, and ours was the first development. So people knew that we were the new people in town. Rev. Walker heard that we were congregationalists, so he came to visit us at our house and ask if we would like to be members of the church. I had never experienced anything like that before...a minister who came to visit a new family and invite them to church! So we had our son baptized at the church on Children's Sunday and joined in 1957."
~ Gertrude "Marie" Bartley

"I can't tell you all the nice people I've met in church. My first Sunday I was greeted by Patty Curtis, who was a real pillar of the church, on the Flower Committee. I can still tell you exactly what she wore -- a lovely purple tweed suit, with a thistle pin on her shoulder. She introduced us to Barbara Walker, who took us straight up to the adult Sunday School class.

"Brookfield welcomed us with open hands, like family. Betsy was 8 and would sit with Mrs. Curtis, and she'd go to sleep with her head in her lap, because Joe was an usher and I was in the choir."
~ Anne Hardin, member since 1959

Kids on Palm Sunday

"I taught 2^nd grade Sunday school for years. I remember having the children make palms out of paper for Palm Sunday. They paraded around the outside of the church holding their palms and calling out "Hosanna!" while the congregation was worshipping inside. The only problem was that the children were shorter than the Sanctuary windows, and it was very funny because the only thing we could see were the tall paper palms bouncing by!"
~ Evelyn Gerowe, member since 1965

Holiday Teas

"For our Holiday Teas, we started out with four seasons, but then we went to the 12 months of the year, decorating one table per theme. It was all very elegant, and that was where we got into trouble. We didn't raise enough money to cover our expenses with donations, so we started charging for tickets. It was always overcrowded, with just the Music Room and Brooks Hall.

"I remember the first one we had the first weekend in December. And we had arranged baby-sitting across the street at someone's house for all the children who were too young for school. But it snowed, and the older children got a snow day, so the poor baby-sitter was just inundated with kids. After that, we held it a little earlier in the season!"
~ Vivian Henley, member since 1949

Outdoor Worship Services

"The churches in the community have been holding an ecumenical (Easter Sunrise) service together at Weigharts' Farm in recent years. We remember walking up the Gurski Hill for sunrise services years ago. What a walk that was! Some very cold mornings and some beautiful sunrises."
~ Harry and Evelyn Gerowe, members since 1965

"I remember Summer Campfire Vesper Services. I think Kim White started these with Sargent. Kim encouraged me to pick up playing the guitar again—and when he left I became the song leader. I also remember all those knock-knock jokes and Smarties Candies and S'Mores."
~ Rev. Betty Lou Flood-Miller

The Fire at St. Paul's

"I remember joining CCB when I was around 10 or 12 years old. When St. Paul's church burned down, I was only 5 or 6, but I remember because children from St. Paul's were invited to join our Sunday School. John Hawley was a child from St. Paul's church and we became best friends. St. Paul's also held their church services in our meetinghouse during that time."
~ Don Burr, member since 1946

The Vote to Join the UCC

"The darkest stain on our church, I think, is how some people didn't accept us joining the United Church of Christ in a very Christian manner. Longtime members were pitted against new members. Families were divided and false information ran rampant. But as in any crisis such as this, Christian men and women came to the forefront, and through tactful persuasion and concern were able to clear the air to bring it to a vote. It took several meetings to bring us to a positive vote for the joining.

"Our pastor was then Rev. Ted Walker, who in his power as our spiritual leader tried to heal the wounds of battle. Unfortunately, many could not see the benefits of the merger. The schism was too great to overcome, and many families left to start a new church, Newbury Congregational Church (a part of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches). It is only a short distance from our church.

"We hold no grudge or animosity against them now. We have joined in their functions and even have had pulpit exchanges over the past years. We are a happy and growing community of like-minded Christians, and I have never regretted our positive vote."
~ Gene Farrell, former Church Historian
 

Our Church's Rapid Growth

"What a lovely, quiet town of 1,688 residents we went to in the summer of 1949! The church's membership totaled 177 and $6,800 was the annual budget. By 1971 the membership reached just under 600 and the annual budget was $58,610.

"At the end of twenty-two years I had baptized 380 individuals, performed 171 weddings and conducted 193 funerals or memorial services. The church sent four young men and one young woman into the Christian ministry. As Brookfield grew so did the church. In 1955 an addition was added to the building. In 1963 Brooks Parish House was built.

"During those years, at various intervals, some of my ministerial friends asked, `Well Ted, when are you going to go to another pastorate?' My reply was, `I've got a new church right here every five years'".
~ Rev. E. A. "Ted" Walker, CCB Pastor 1949-1971

Deacons

"My memories of our church are all good, EXCEPT how long it took the Deacons to clean the glass juice cups every communion Sunday!"
~ Harry Gerowe, member since 1965

Outreach to the Stranger

"Women's Fellowship had a speaker from Columbia who asked for church families to host foreign students for a weekend. We hosted Kyohei and Yukiko Terado from Japan. They came nearly every weekend and are still our friends. They came from Japan to see Harold when he was sick, and for his funeral."
~ Marge Nohe, member since 1953

The Yankee Fair

"I remember my first time as Fair Chair how they had to move everything inside Saturday morning because of rain. There was hardly an inch of church space that was not filled. And the parking lot got so muddy, no one could get their car out. Ed had to go back to the grocery store about 3 times to buy more food to sell; people just kept eating, because they couldn't go home, so we made lots of money."
~ Joyce Insull, member since 1972

The Couples Club

"We enjoyed the Couples Club once a month, because we met some nice friends and enjoyed the pot luck dinners. I remember their dues were only $1 per month, with an extra $1 for baby-sitting."
~ Don and Ruth Burr, members since 1946 and 1958

"The older people criticized the Couples Club because it didn't do anything. But for ME, it did a heck of a lot. It introduced new people to church and to each other. When we started there wasn't a phone at church, so people hesitated to leave their kids at home. So we used our club dues to pay for the first church telephone. This was before Fellowship Hall, so we had to do everything in Brooks Hall. Our elders criticized our having dancing and games in there, so we had to pull down the shades so they wouldn't see!"
~ Vivian Henley, member since 1949

"This is the day
the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it!" ~ Psalm 118:24

Ministries to Families

"We enjoy how the church reaches out to young people."
~ Donald and Ruth Burr, members since 1946 and 1958, were married at the church October 20^th, 1951 by Rev. Ted Walker. All three of their children were married and baptized in the church.

Mission and Outreach

"Our greatest outreach is our refugee resettlement program. That is a project that will go on for years. Our church fair reaches out with donations to wonderful missions, like the barn sale for Biafra (fund-raising for starving children in Biafra). We reach out in mission work in many ways that make our church a light unto the world: all of the funds we raise and give to outreach programs, Kierstin Quinsland's mission trip to Africa..."
~ John Morrison, member since 1963

The United Church of Christ

"Although I have to admit that I do not think I knew what the United Church of Christ was until middle school, I now do see the UCC as a light unto the world.  For better, or for worse, the UCC often takes stands on issues that other churches avoid.  Sometimes these hard issues threaten to cause division.  While it is always up to the individual church to accept or not accept the views of the larger church, at least the larger church is willing to face and address these issues.  We are not a church that hides until we see what the popular view will be.  We are not a church that has closed its ears to what the Bible is maybe telling us today.  We are a church that is open to that listening, and is open enough to say `you are welcome here' to the stranger."
~ Rev. Robert Vodra, grew up at CCB

Worship and Stewardship

"It's a very friendly church. People are very friendly. It's very peaceful. You could always go there to sit, pray, look around. It's always been like an open family."
~ Nancy Vasaturo, member since 1955

"Worship has always meant a great deal to us. We love everything about our church. The anniversary campaign visitation was a wonderful and warm experience."
John and Millicent Morrison, members since 1963

"Good Friday Community walks bring the message of Christ's sacrifice down to a level I can apply in my own life."
~ Rev. Betty Lou Flood-Miller, grew up at CCB

"Church is like a big dinner -- some of it is delicious, some...not so. Some Sundays are awful. But in a church, we take it all and try to make it a palatable dish of worship for our Lord."
~ Gene Farrell, member since 1961

Christian Education

"The guiding light of our church has always been our Christian Education committee -- their programs and Sunday School. We had the town committee move Silvermine Road to build our CE Building. People were amazed. They were asking, `What is this church going to do with all that space? We were full to the rafters very shortly, and we still are!"
~Gene Farrell
 

The Yankee Fair

"I remember painting the Church Fair sign on the back porch of the parsonage—three different versions! And so many posters for the fair! And—what a fair it is—every year—I still have never seen the quality and outpouring of time and talent that the Yankee Fair and Barn Sale evokes from our church's members—anywhere! Even in churches 10 times the size of CCB!"
~ Rev. Betty Lou Flood-Miller

"Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age..."
~ Matthew 28:20

Generosity

"Our members are so generous with their time and talents, not just money. There's a real willingness to help our fellow man. What draws me to church the most is knowing that any time anyone is in need, our church will help. We work hard, not just to maintain our church, but we help with Habitat for Humanity too -- caring and giving community to those around us."
~Linda (Nohe) Fernand, confirmed in 1955

Open and Affirming

"Any church that is a church, that's doing what it ought to do, opens its doors to everybody -- no matter what their skin color or background, no matter whether they have money or no money. None of that should ever matter in a church."
~ Anne Hardin, member since 1959
Inspiring Worship

"I hope we don't ever become too businesslike. We're a church, and we're here for worship and praise of our Lord, doing what we can to make the world a better place."
~Gene Farrell, member since 1961

"I think our church is pretty well perfect. What would you want to change? Both services, communion and the late service, are just what they should be -- I love how open we are. We invite everyone for communion. And the preaching is always relevant, and relative to the service. I'm not a complainer!"
~Marge Nohe, member since 1953

"Jesus and flying cars!"
~ Malcolm Honeyford, grade 2, when asked during children's time what he expected church would be like 50 years in the future

Our 500th Anniversary

"My hope for the future of the Congregational Church of Brookfield is that in 250 years they will be celebrating their 500th.  I believe that if we continue to focus on why we gathered 250 years ago, and keep doing that right, our church will be here for at least another 250 years. All of the "extras" will come and go. The fair is important, youth group is important, the different groups of the church are important, but nothing is as important as a community that gathers once a week, or more, to worship together.  Someday there may be no fair, there may be no building, there will probably be different groups, there will probably be things that we can not even imagine now, yet my hope is that there is a big celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Congregational Church of Brookfield."
~ Rev. Robert Vodra, grew up at CCB
 

Independence

"I like the church because it has independence. The congregation gets to decide what to do and to focus on. I hope that never changes because it is the number one thing about the church for me."
~Gertrude "Marie" Bartley, member since 1955
 

Church Growth

"I hope that the intimacy, openness, courage and warmth of this congregation continues to bless this community and is never distracted or overcome by busyness, a struggle for someone's personal power or glory, or by the desire to be politically correct at the expense of speaking the truth in faith. My hope for this church is not so much growth in the number of members—but in the continual maturing of disciples whose faith grows ever deeper, and seeks ever wider opportunities for service to others in Christ's name."
~ Rev. Betty Lou Flood-Miller, grew up at CCB

Vitality

"I hope our church continues just as it is now. It's so vibrant -- it's a great church. There's so much activity all the time, from kids to seniors. We have so many great young people who want to do things."
~ Vivian Henley, member since 1949

Change

"I can't think of anything I would NOT change. Life goes on and things should change. It's a church. You don't set restrictions."
~ Anne Hardin, member since 1959

Ties That Bind

"I hope the friendship and the cordial feeling never changes. No one is a stranger at our church. I feel sorry for people who don't have a church like ours. The care that comes from our church and the camaraderie is wonderful."
~ Charline McNiff, member since 1965

"I hope the church never changes because everyone gets along well. There's a good sense of community. They take you and accept you for who you are and what you are. Everybody is just sincere. Even if you're down, when you go into the church it brings you back up."
~ Nancy Vasaturo, member since 1955
 

"We hope people will always be as friendly as they are today, that the congregation will be open and welcoming. The older members and younger members work well together and share in faith. We hope the church will grow even bigger and better over the next 250 years."
~ Harry and Evelyn Gerowe, members since 1965

"I hope we'll always be a FAMILY church, one always concerned about others -- and not just looking out for us, but for others in town."
~ Linda (Nohe) Fernand, confirmed in 1955

Simplicity

"We hope the simplicity of the Congregational Church will never change. It's not too ornate, and the service is simple. We hope that it never changes too much."
-Donald and Ruth Burr, members since 1946 and 1958
 

"I hope that the comfortable feeling in the church will never change. I feel `home' when I walk into church."
~ Eleanor Brockett, member since 1955
 

"We hope that the church will always stay a warm and compassionate congregation and that we will always have a leader that will bring us in that direction. We also hope they never paint the church yellow! I (John) tried to paint the front door mahogany once, but that color did not have a very favorable reception."

~ John and Millicent Morrison, members since 1963

Flames of the Spirit

"My hope for the future is that this church will continue to be a living expression of God's love and, by His Grace, provide a warm and welcoming spiritual home to all who come to worship."
~ Barbara Covill, transferring membership to Warren, CT, after 49 years

"I hope our church will continue our awareness of the whole church of Christ in the world, of which we are a local `gathering.' This part of the larger Church of God which goes beyond denominational loyalties and covenants to the discipleship in which we are joined across the centuries. I hope that will never change... and that we will hold fast to our Pilgrim `genes' as heirs of the 1620 Pilgrim band who struck out to be God's People under the power of the Holy Spirit. `There is more light to break forth from God's Word...' I hope we will continue to fan the flames of the Spirit that the light will shine forth from this band of Pilgrims and draw more and more to the healing and wholeness of God's word in Jesus the Christ for life and hope."
~ Rev. M.S. "Des" Desmond, Pastor Emeritus

Rev. Ann Beams
Pastor, Valley Presbyterian Church

Thanks so much for the invitation to the Brookfield Congregational Church festivities! I am sorry I won't be able to attend, but please know that we will remember your congregation in our prayers at Valley on September 30.

What a great history, and surely a great future too, that God has in mind for the Congregational Church of Brookfield, United Church of Christ!

God bless.

Rev. Dr. Davida Foy Crabtree
Conference Minister

Greetings to The Congregational Church of Brookfield in the name of Jesus Christ, who makes us One, as you celebrate the 250th Anniversary of your church!

Life in the 1700s was a great challenge for our forebears in faith: tools were primitive, even if wood was abundant; food was difficult to plan; travel was a challenge. Life in general was much more difficult than ours. I have been amazed that people for whom life was so difficult made it their highest and earliest goal to begin a church. What a great heritage of faith, courage and perseverance we have received.

Over all the years of your life as a church, you have been woven into the fabric of our life as a Conference, and a denomination. In 1819 you commissioned three from among you to venture forth "to carry the word of Christianity to the Sandwich Islands - today known to us as the Hawaiian Islands." Samuel Ruggles, his wife Nancy Welles Ruggles and his sister, Lucia Ruggles all joined others from New England who felt called to preach the gospel. Now many years later, one whom you helped raise up to ministry, the Rev. Kent J. Siladi, your former Minister of Parish Life from 1981 to 1985, has gone out to the far mission field of Florida to serve as Conference Minister. You continue today to support the work of the wider church through Our Church's Wider Mission and through your support of Silver Lake Conference Center. We give thanks to God for your faithfulness!

Because of all those who have preceded you - and because of you - today The Congregational Church of Brookfield is still in ministry and mission with the whole United Church of Christ. We celebrate you this great day not only because of your unique history but also because this is a wonderful opportunity to look to the future, which, with God's guidance and our careful planning, shines so brightly. I would encourage you to be as bold and visionary and dedicated and faithful toward the future as those who founded your church.

I bring you greetings from your sisters and brothers in the other congregations of the Connecticut Conference. May God's blessings be with you as you reach out in ministry to those around you in the years to come.

Though I cannot be with you for your celebration, know that my spirit is present, filled with hope for the future of Christ's Church at The Congregational Church of Brookfield.

Rev. Jim Edwards
Student Summer Minister, 1980

I congratulate you on the 250th anniversary of the Congregational Church of Brookfield. This is truly a milestone to celebrate, because your congregation has been a beacon of light and hope for many generations.

I wish I could join you for the celebration in September. Unfortunately, the demands of my ministry here will not allow me to do so. However, be assured that I will be present in spirit.

I want you to know that I have many happy memories of the three months I spent as a student pastor during the summer of 1980. Let me share a few of them with you now:

I spent most of the summer living in a trailer provided by the Maxims. It was parked behind the parsonage. Sarg Desmond was a wonderful mentor and taught me many valuable lessons about parish ministry before he left for his sabbatical in England. He also taught me the finer details of emptying the holding tanks in the trailer.

Since my cooking skills were marginal, Sarg and the committee overseeing my ministry arranged for me to have dinner five nights a week at the homes of church members. Sarg asked me what I liked to eat. I replied that I loved barbecued steak. All my hosts were informed of this, and I ate more red meat that summer than I've had in all the years since.

The Hendrys heard that I loved to sail. So they invited me over to their home for lunch one Sunday after church. Afterwards, we got in their small sailboat, which they sailed often on Candlewood Lake. Art Hendry was at the tiller. We hadn't been sailing more than five minutes when a strong gust of wind capsized the boat. It quickly filled with water, but a nearby powerboat towed it back to land before it sank. The Hendrys were very embarrassed, but I thoroughly enjoyed my unexpected swim in the lake.

I did my first baptism during my summer in Brookfield. On an August Sunday, I baptized the granddaughter of Malcolm and Lillian Grant. A few days later, I received this note in the mail:

"Dear Jim, We have been trying to think of a suitable gift to say thank you for the beautiful baptismal service on Sunday. We found out that you are an avid reader, and because we are not sure of your preference in books, we decided on a monetary gift. Whatever you purchase, may it always be a reminder of your first baptism and the Grant family. Thank you, Lillian and Malcolm."

When I returned to seminary in September, I used their gift to purchase both volumes of John Calvin's Institutes, which I needed for a theology course. I pasted their letter inside the front cover of the first volume. I have been an eager student of Calvin ever since. Every time I take a volume of his Institutes off my shelves, I remember my first baptism as a student pastor, and the Grants' thoughtfulness.

On my last Sunday in Brookfield, Betty Lou Flood presented me with a pen-and-ink drawing that she had made of the church. She wrote this poem on it:

Here is the church,

Here is the steeple.

Think of it often,

Remember the people.

This beautiful drawing has hung in my study in every church I've served during the last twenty-six years. I do think often about the Congregational Church of Brookfield, and I fondly remember its people.

It was a privilege to minister among you for a summer. It was a rich and memorable experience that I will always treasure.

Rev. Betty Lou Flood-Miller
United Methodist Pastor, serving in Georgia

From 1953 until I moved to Georgia in 1997, there have been so many "favorite" memories at the Congregational Church of Brookfield: I remember that very first day when I was 7 when I came to the church with my friend, Susan Morehouse. I was excited and grateful but SO frightened (believe it or not, I used to be extremely shy!). The adults looked like a forest of tall trees, bending and swaying and asking me to whom I belonged. But they were also so kind, I wasn't afraid to come back the next week (and bring my family)! I remember my older sister, Eileen, teaching me the songs she learned in Pilgrim Fellowship (Green Grow the Rushes, Tell Me Why) while we washed dishes at night.

I remember the Sunday morning I returned to the church after being absent during my teenage years. I was married with two young children and had just learned that my husband was dying. It was a Communion Sunday—and when Deacon Doug Watson handed the elements to me, I was so ashamed for my abandonment of the church, I did not feel worthy enough to take Communion. He was kind and gentle and did not force the issue (I thanked God for that!). Someone sitting behind me, I think it was Doug's wife, Jean, handed me a clean cloth handkerchief to dry my eyes.

I started going to Tuesday morning Bible Studies with Sargent and Kent Siladi and all the older ladies of the church. Sargent was a wonderful facilitator and taught me how to help others express their faith and not try to be the "authority" myself. That group taught me how to pray out loud.

I could write a book about Sargent Desmond, I think. I remember one cool, spring evening—the turquoise sky was just fading into a deep midnight-blue. Choir had just adjourned and Sargent was leaving his office to walk across the parking lot to the parsonage. We were standing by the lamppost in the courtyard.

I had been struggling for months— in church, with the Tuesday morning group, in personal devotions—trying to wrap my mind and heart around the idea of the Trinity, especially that Jesus was God. From at least the age of 2 (as far back as I can remember) I had a relationship with God—God, as I understood God, was my friend and companion that I talked to all the time. However, the idea that anyone would worship Jesus, rather than God greatly disturbed me. For years, I had wanted to join the church (Christ's Church), but could not accept Christ! I asked Sargent that evening to "run that idea about the Trinity by me one more time."

As an ordained minister today, I realize what a daunting request that was ...To tell you the truth, I don't remember exactly what Sargent said to me, but I remember distinctly finally "getting" it. "Conceived by God's Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary—suffered—died—was buried—on the third day rose again and sitteth at the right hand of God… Oh! God's Son! Of course!" Personally—I think it was the "magic" of God's Holy Spirit communicating in love through love.

Eventually I was able to be a Lay Reader in front of the church. One step at a time, this church helped me find my "voice" to proclaim the gospel and to preach now in front of hundreds of people on a Sunday morning (plus hundreds more in the TV and radio broadcast audiences).

Had CCB not nurtured and taught Susan (Morehouse) and her family about the joy of discipleship and the importance of Christian fellowship, I may never have been baptized, nor been able to hear God's call to ordained ministry, a call that I first heard as an adult member of this wonderful, faithful church. I also would not have had the support, love and guidance through the illness and death of my first husband, Bill Flood, and the help of many step-uncles/surrogate fathers (as well as a host of step-aunts and sisters in the faith) in raising my two children. The selfless and thoughtful attention of this congregation made them "family" for me when I needed them most.

This church also extended their support to my father, mother and my oldest sister when they died, baptized my nieces' children and took the hands of my whole family— essentially "unchurched" —embracing us all with the grace and love of God, because they themselves had been "taken by the hand and kept" by God. There is no shadow of doubt in my mind that the Congregational Church of Brookfield has been and continues to be given to the world as a "light to the nations."

Rev. Peter Wiley
CCB Pastor, 1990-2004

I write with greetings as you share in your 250th anniversary celebrations. What a gift it is to be a part of a place with such a rich history that is also so fully alive in the faith today.

When asked to share "a" memory, I find it impossible as whenever I think of you a flood of remembrances come forth. I think of how I came to you so truly green, and yet you trusted and embraced me. I think of the way you loved Amiee and me... and then Sarah, Katie and William.

I think of so many Yankee Fairs, countless meetings hashing out what it means to be church, adult forums and study groups, Winter Privilege meetings, campfire vesper services, worshiping in the outdoor chapel (even before the chapel was built), the airlift campaign, rewriting the bylaws and restructuring the church organization, rehabbing the cottage and the refugee resettlement project with Lloyd and Annie, Back Bay Shrimp boils, youth groups, work camps with dented van roofs, hosting the Connecticut Conference Annual Meeting, instant Christmas pageants and so very much more. But what I remember more is being in worship together week after week. I remember so many baptisms, weddings and especially memorial services. I remember being a part of everyday life together.

What I remember most, though, is each of you and the way you let me share in some of the most poignant moments of your lives. That is the greatest of all blessings for me. I vividly remember my final Sunday in the pulpit in Brookfield, looking around the congregation and knowing that I shared a unique and personal experience and story with almost every one in the meetinghouse. That is the real treasure I take from my fourteen years with you.

As I think back on your gifts, I know the spirit of your congregation transcends any particular moment in time, which leaves me confident of the faithful ministries which will continue to bring God's word alive into the community and beyond for your next 250 years.

With a deep love for you I send my good wishes to you in your celebration and give great thanks for the blessing of being a part of the story of the Congregational Church of Brookfield, as your story will always be a part of me as well.

Rev. Robert Vodra
United Church of Christ Pastor,
serving in North Carolina

The great thing about growing up in Brookfield, and being a member of the Congregational Church of Brookfield, was that nobody ever asked where your church was.  The church building was, and is, a central physical presence in the town. 

But beyond the physical location, the CCB had members whom you ran into in your daily life, almost like spokes of a wheel.  During the week these spokes went out and hopefully touched others, but also all came together at the center every week to remember why we are in the world, and to praise God for what God has given us.  Refreshed, we go back out into the world, to do our jobs, sometimes seeing others, and then back together again. 

My memories start from my time in the 3- and 4-year old room playing dress-up.  At an early age I got involved in the physical, hands on stuff at the church, and I believe that I have been in every nook and cranny the church has.  From up behind the organ looking for "the lost room," to the attic of the parsonage, to the basement of the cottage, to every corner of the barn.  I have mowed the lawns, shoveled snow from the walks, filled potholes in the unpaved lower lot, and painted more area at the church then anyplace else in my life. 

I believe the saints are all those who saw a potential in me, for something, and encouraged me to take that step and move forward.  It was those who gave me the vision that what I was doing, even the most meaningless tasks, would help the church to move forward.  It was those who also showed me the truth in 1 Corinthians 12: 12-31.  In order to "run" the church, everyone needs to take a part, and everyone has different gifts that they can use for the church.  In any event of the church there are many parts and people participating.  Not everyone is cut out to play the organ at church, but where would our worship be without some kind of music?  Not everyone is cut out to wash windows, but what would the church look like if the windows were never washed?   

I think that history is very important and you have to understand where you came from in order to move forward.  The disadvantage this church has is that none of the founding members are around (nor their children, nor even their children's children).  So we take our history from clues we find, oral stories and people who wrote down the history.  In order for any organization to last for 250 years there has to be something that keeps it going.  The one thing that we know, 100% sure, is that a group of Christians gathered together 250 years ago to worship God together.  We don't know what was said.  We don't know what, if any, songs were sung.  We don't know what they wore, if they celebrated communion, or what scriptures they read.  All we can be sure of, is that they came together to worship.  It is solely that belief in our God that has kept this community together for 250 years. 

• 1752
  Winter Privilege Meetings held in homes in the Parish of Newbury.

• 1754
  Parish of Newbury boundaries settled, with land from New Milford, Danbury and Newtown.

• 1757
  The first church dedicated and Rev. Thomas Brooks ordained as the first settled Pastor.

• 1760
  The meetinghouse seated those over 50 years of age in front, with Rev. Brooks in the pew left of the pulpit.

• 1775
  Rev. Brooks signed his allegiance to the Declaration of Independence. Two of his sons fought in the Revolutionary War.

• 1779
  Rev. Brooks was paid in wheat and Indian corn.

• 1785
  Fifty-five members declared themselves to be Episcopalians.

• 1788
  Parish of Newbury incorporated as the town of Brookfield, named for Rev. Brooks.

• 1799
  Rev. Brooks died and was buried in Land's End Cemetery.

• 1810
  Hymn books were purchased.

• 1811
  A permanent fund is started.

• 1815
  The Missionary and Charitable Society was started, with a Female Society added in 1817.

• 1819
  Lucia Ruggles Holman and her brother, Samuel Ruggles, with their spouses, left for The Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) as missionaries. Lucia became the first American woman to circumnavigate the globe when she returned home.

• 1821
  First mention of Sunday School in church records.

• 1824
  A steeple was added to the first meetinghouse, but with no bell. Horse sheds were added in the back of the meetinghouse.

• 1825
  Two missionary societies were formed: a Gentleman's Society and a Ladies' Association.

• 1827
  The meetinghouse charged for places in the pews, seating members by age, elders in front, with free seats for the destitute.

• 1829
  The new bell in the Town House across the street was used by both the Episcopalians and Congregationalists to call worshippers to church.

• 1830
  The church supported the temperance movement

• 1842
  The first parsonage was built by members of the church. Rev. Dan C. Curtiss was the first minister to live here.

• 1854
  The present meetinghouse, with bell and steeple, was dedicated.

• 1865
  Members voted to put lights in the church.

• 1870
  The second parsonage was built and Rev. Asa C. Pierce was the first minister to live here.

• 1874
  Members voted to take a collection every Sunday morning.

• 1880
  A new pipe organ was installed, and a boy was hired to pump the organ for 10 cents a Sunday.

• 1882
  Mrs. Pierce organized a Women's Foreign Mission Society.

• 1888
  The interior of the meetinghouse was completely redone.

• 1888
  Rev. Pierce died suddenly at the parsonage early one December Sunday morning. Mrs. Pierce, given life use of the home, died very soon after.

• 1891
  The pews were made free to all.

• 1895
  The first Ecumenical Thanksgiving service held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church

• 1900
  A church wagon began picking up people who needed a way to get to worship.

• 1901
  The church was incorporated and became The Congregational Church of Brookfield.

• 1903
  Church began using individual communion cups instead of a common cup.

• 1906
  The church voted to change the order of worship to include a doxology and confession of faith.

• 1907
  Sesquicentennial celebration was held and the chapel (Brooks Hall) was added.

• 1908
  The church began using offering collection envelopes.

• 1910
  Rev. Harry and Rose Martin left to be missionaries to Peking China. A Stanley Steamer was purchased as the church wagon.

• 1912
  The Men's Club built a concrete sidewalk in front of the church.

• 1913
  First streetlights in Brookfield.
  Miss Florence Vroman elected as the town's first woman Auditor.

• 1915
  Electricity was put in the church, chapel, and parsonage.

• 1916
  The present Austin Organ was installed at the cost of $3,000.

• 1917
  The first telephone was put in the parsonage.

• 1918
  All public events were cancelled because of the Spanish influenza epidemic.

• 1922
  The first Every Member Canvas was held. The Committee on New Members was enlarged to provide automobiles for pastoral calls.

• 1925
  Christmas Eve featured Christian exercises of the Sunday School.

• 1926
  Steam heat was put in the parsonage.

• 1927
  Two chemical toilets were placed in back of the church

• 1928
  Lightning struck the steeple and lightning rods were added.

• 1930
  The church voted to increase the budget by 15% or $75.00.

• 1931
  Because of daylight savings time, Sunday School and Church was held one-half hour earlier.

• 1935
  When the weather was too cold, services were held in the Chapel.

• 1939
  The Chapel (upstairs) kitchen was added.

• 1942
  An oil burner was put in the church for heat. The Young People's Fellowship was added.

• 1943
  The blinds in the church were opened and curtains were put in.

• 1944
  New pew cushions installed.

• 1950
  First Summer Bible School held.

• 1951
  Annual reports printed and distributed for the first time.

• 1952
  Hot water installed. Alpha Iota Pilgrim Fellowship is started.

• 1953
  Held two Easter services for the first time .

• 1954
  Agnes Johnson establishes the Book of Remembrance.

• 1955
  Women's and Men's Fellowship groups were started.

• 1957
  Planning began for Silver Lake Conference Center. The first Holiday Tea was held.

• 1958
  Junior High Fellowship started.

• 1961
  The church voted against joining the United Church of Christ.

• 1962
  Board of Deaconesses started.

• 1964
  Passed a resolution that all were equal regardless of race or creed.

• 1965
  Two Sunday worship services were held.

• 1966
  After several heated meetings, members voted to join the United Church of Christ, prompting several families to leave and start Newbury Congregational Church.

• 1968
  The first Yankee Fair was held, with proceeds sent to the people of Biafra.

• 1969
  Chapel renamed Brooks Hall.

• 1971
  Boards of Deacons and Deaconesses merged into one.

• 1972
  Palms were handed out on Palm Sunday for the first time. The room above the old kitchen was made into a music room.

• 1973
  For the Vietnam War cease-fire, the church bell was rung all afternoon. CROP walk was held in Brookfield.

• 1974
  Church auction held to clean out the barn. Everything sold, including the kitchen sink.

• 1975
  The youth raised money for the Heifer project. Weekly coffee hours were started after church.

• 1976
  Traffic lights were installed outside the church. For the U.S. Bicentennial, a Colonial worship service was held.

• 1977
  Clarence Anderson was voted Deacon Emeritus. The youth groups held their first Rock-A-Thon. The First Do-It-Yourself Christmas pageant was held.

• 1978
  Mystery property found in Bethel was sold. Lucia Ruggles Holman's Journal was printed.

• 1979
  The Littlest Bell Choir began. When the furnace failed, services moved down to Fellowship Hall.

• 1981
  The Reach telephone line was put in for listening to worship from homes.

• 1982
  The 225^th anniversary of the church was held. A time capsule was put together to be opened on the church's 250^th anniversary.

• 1983
  A complete reconditioning of the meetinghouse.

• 1984
  Lightning struck the steeple again. Lenten Lunches began.

• 1986
  "Winter Privilege" meetings were again held. White doves were placed on the Christmas tree in Brooks Hall for all who were baptized during the year.

• 1987
  A handicap ramp was added to the entrance of Brooks Hall. The office got its first computer.

• 1988
  The town celebrated its 200^th anniversary with an Ecumenical Colonial worship service in our meetinghouse. Alleluia and Cherub choirs were formed.

• 1989
  The meetinghouse exterior was painted, and windows could be opened for the first time in years.

• 1990
  The parking lot was enlarged, paved, and lights were put in. The Danbury Chinese Christian and Missionary Alliance Church began meeting here.

• 1991
  The church, parsonage, barn and cottage were added to the National Register of Historic Places.

• 1992
  A youth hand bell choir began. The Confirmation Program was changed to include mentors. The Memorial Garden was dedicated.

• 1993
  The first outdoor 8:00 a.m. Sunday worship service was held in the Memorial Garden. The Serendippers group began.

• 1995
  The front of the church was rebuilt, and a closet was removed to enlarge the entryway.

• 1997
  Rev. M. Sargent Desmond was named Pastor Emeritus. Stephen's Ministry was started.

• 1998
  New bylaws were passed. New Hymnals were purchased.

• 1999
  A service at Land's End Cemetery marked the 200^th anniversary of the death of Rev. Brooks. A dinner was held, and some 1964 youth group members returned to open a time capsule. The Parish Nurses program was started.

• 2000
  The church and offices were air-conditioned. An Ecumenical Service was held here to mark the millennium Worship 2000.

• 2001
  A lift was added to the entry next to the office. The barn was completely renovated.

• 2002
  For the 245^th anniversary, a dinner was held and former clergy were invited back. The cottage renovation was begun for housing a refugee family.

• 2004
  West African refugees Annie Sharty & Lloyd Johnson arrived at the cottage.

• 2005
  After years of study, members vote to become an "Open and Affirming" congregation of the United Church of Christ.

• 2007
  250th Anniversary Campaign is complete, and work begins to renew the parsonage, organ, and downstairs kitchen, and to air condition the Church School wing.

We greatly appreciate and thank the following members for their handmade gifts that have been presented to the Church this anniversary year.

Quilt

A handmade quilt depicting the church and its properties made by:

Barbara Harris

Audrey Himebaugh

Betsy Leniart

Laurie Matson

Nancy Vodra

Marilyn Whittlesey

Painting

An acrylic painting of our church by Seta Chengrian

Offertory Plates

Handcrafted out of Mahogany by Jim Degen

History Book

"A Church For All Seasons" by Marilyn Whittlesey

CCB Memorabilia for 2007

Quilt Note Cards

Hestia Ornament

As the Church Historians, we'd like to express our thanks to all those who have contributed to our year-long celebration of 250 years of faith, family, and this place a place where so much has gone before us and will continue beyond us in the decades ahead. Words cannot express the richness of our journey with God and our family of faith as we reflect on such a long history of life together.

Yes, ours is a church rich with history, warm with love, and full of faith. For the past year, we have reconnected with our history and given thought to all the congregations who through the years have made this place what it is today, starting as a gathering of people in the middle 1750s.

It is difficult to give thanks to named individuals who freely gave their gifts for the glory of God and this church. We are grateful to all those who gave special gifts in time and talent to make our celebrations memorable.

We, as did all the Historians before us, will continue to preserve our memories so that future generations can look back and know that we did our part to build on the church's foundation as part of God's blessing on us -- the Congregational Church of Brookfield.

~ Bob Brown and Leslie Sands,

Church Historians

January 1, 2007

Ringing of the Church Bell 250 times by church members. Town proclamation is read, honoring our 250^th anniversary.

February 2007

Winter Privileges meetings held in homes as part of our Stewardship Campaign, providing opportunity for parishioners to meet and greet our new settled Pastor _ The Rev. Bryn Smallwood-Garcia.

March 3, 2007

Annual talent show and pasta dinner sponsored by the youth.

March 25, 2007

Presentation of the 250^th Anniversary Quilt handmade by members of the congregation.
April 15, 2007

History Book Signing Event. History of The Congregational Church of Brookfield: A Church For All Seasons, by Marilyn Whittlesey.
April 22, 2007

Missionary Sunday, honoring all missionaries past and present -- including the Ruggles, the CCB Refugee Resettlement Ministry, the Senior High Florida and adult Dominican Republic mission trip participants.
May 27, 2007

Colonial service reenactment followed by a CCB float in the town Memorial Day Parade. Lemonade and cookies on the lawn.

June 10, 2007

Church School Picnic with an Ice Cream Social, Barbershop Quartet, and old-fashioned games on the lawn.
July 29, 2007

Lands End Cemetery tour rained out, but festive barbecue dinner moved inside to Fellowship Hall where diners pitched in to mop flooded closets!
September 28, 2007

Actual Anniversary Date. Friday evening candlelight prayer service.
September 29, 2007

Saturday evening reception in the Courtyard, opening of 1982 time capsule, commemorative program in the Sanctuary with music from our choirs, and catered dinner and dancing in Fellowship Hall.
September 30, 2007

A single Sunday morning service of thanksgiving, including all available past and present Pastors of CCB.
October 20, 2007

Annual Yankee Fair & Barn Sale, with "If They Could See Us Now," as 250^th Anniversary theme. Brooks Hall features CCB history display.
November 21, 2007

Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service to be held at CCB
December 31, 2007

250 noontime rings of our church bell will end our anniversary year.