Dear Brick Church Community,
In an effort to provide updates to the Congregation on Brick Church matters, we will begin sending monthly informative congregational emails and hosting quarterly gatherings, which we’ll refer to as “Congregational Catch Ups.” The gatherings will take place on selected Sundays after Worship. These will be conversations with myself and Session members about our work on current activities, stewardship progress, and outreach ministries. This will also be a time for you to offer your thoughts and ask questions.
We will promote the gatherings in the Sunday bulletin and through the weekly emails. The first Congregational Catch Up will take place on Sunday, May 5th in the Session Room. Hoping you will come and personally participate in your Church’s life and future!
You may review the first email updates by scrolling below my signature.
In addition to the notes below, I would like to share that both the Trustees and the Session are aware of the sound system issues in the sanctuary. Thank you to everyone who brought this to our attention. The Trustees are going to take the lead on this project while also seeking to upgrade our hearing-assistive hardware.
For those of you who attended the spring musical, Cinderella, you know that it was not only an amazing production but great fun with a wonderful sense of community. Four sold-out shows show us the strong interest in continuing this program going forward. It was a wonderful blend of Brick Church members, the school community, and friends of The Brick Church. We are also very grateful for the generous donors who made this a financial success growing our ability to share God’s love in the world.
Peace,
Rev. Tom Evans
Senior Minister
MARCH | The Session of the Brick Church held its monthly meeting on Tuesday, March 12th.
Director Fabian reported on the excellent admission and exmission results for the School. Three new initiatives were introduced. 1.) Consideration of a wall plaque for 20-year employees, 2.) A 2024 evaluation of the sanctuary sound system, and 3.) Consideration of a communication platform for Brick members in the form of an online newsletter or magazine to stay informed of important matters and events at Brick. Rev. Evans, most importantly, invited the Session to consider creating a Ten-Year Vision for the church. He talked in terms of a process for Brick to become a beacon of Christ (The Light of the World) situated on the Upper East Side. This means envisioning Brick’s role as a spiritual thought leader and a spiritual home by creating new connections with community institutions and organizations in the neighborhood. The Ten-Year Vision also includes leveraging Brick’s members’ gifts to make a difference in the lives of others. Additional discussions will take place during the upcoming months.
APRIL | The Session of the Brick Church held its monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 16th.
On April 16 the Session convened to examine the confirmands. It was heartening to read the Statements of Faith from the confirmands and to share discussions around the table about the challenges of maintaining the Christian faith in an increasingly plural world. The Session enthusiastically approved all students and we look forward to the formal reception on Confirmation Sunday (May 5th).
Session approved new guidelines for officers and members working with Brick Church staff to ensure smooth operations and mutual support. We look forward to sharing these guidelines with committees and others moving forward.
Session began exploring the timeline for forming a new APNC to elect an associate pastor. At this point, the hope would be to call the new pastor sometime in early 2025.