Welcome to Brick Church Many of you will remember the beloved tale by Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, in which the main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, is a miserly and bitter man. For this Advent, we will explore Dickens’s story and the timeless Biblical themes he wove throughout it: our human brokenness, the power of God’s redemption, and the hope and joy we find in the birth of our Lord. Click here to read more about our new ministry theme, “Christmas Past, Present, and Future” from Senior Minister Thomas Evans. We are a community growing in love for God, one another, and the world. Please join us! SU N DAY Sunday Worship Service 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM The Sanctuary 1140 Park Avenue New York, NY 10128 14 DEC Service of Lessons & Carols 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Reception to follow the Service of Lessons and Carols. The Sanctuary 1140 Park Avenue New York, NY 10128 21 DEC Children's Christmas Pageant 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Watson Hall 62 East 92nd Street New York, NY 10128 24 DEC Christmas Eve + Day Services Dec 24 | 4:00 PM | Christmas Eve Family Service Dec 24 | 10:00 PM | Candlelight Communion Service Dec 25 | 11:00 AM | Christmas Day Service The Sanctuary 1140 Park Avenue New York, NY 10128 Announcements Register for the High School Mission Trip! High School Students are invited to join us June 14–20 for an unforgettable and life-changing experience in Boston, Massachusetts . The Mission Trip is an incredible opportunity for us to come together as a community, united in our shared purpose of service, learning, and personal growth. Register by March 1. Space is limited to 20 participants. Register here 2 days ago Share Your Voice with the APNC: Anonymous Feedback Share Your Voice - Anonymously As we continue our search for new Associate Pastors, the APNC wants to hear your perspective. Please take a few moments to share your thoughts, reflections, hopes or questions through our anonymous feedback form. Engage the APNC Directly The APNC is actively listening and we welcome your direct feedback and referrals. If you’d like to suggest a name for consideration or tell us what you believe is essential in our next Associate Pastor(s), plea Nov 23 Be An Angel this Christmas: Toy Drive Help make Christmas merry and bright for families who could use a little lift this year! Select an angel ornament from the tree, shop from the wish list, and tape the ornament to your wrapped gift. Please return gifts to the Garden Room by December 12 . You can also make an online donation via the link here , and we will do the heavy lifting! Nov 9 Audition for Disney's Mary Poppins Audition for Disney's Mary Poppins! CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO AUDITION Join us for a SUPER (califragilisticexpialidocious) show at the Brick Church Community Theater. Calling adults, children, caregivers, and families to perform in this beloved classic musical. Auditions for Mary Poppins are being held on Saturday, December 6th from 12-5pm. Don't miss this unique opportunity to take part in a cross generational experience and play a role in our community's story. Step (bac Nov 6 Welcome Rev. Beth Putney! Rev. Beth Putney joins Brick Church as Interim Associate Minister, supporting Youth, General Pastoral, and Deacon Ministries. She comes to us from Pasadena, California, where she served as the inaugural Jeff & Lynn O’Grady Pastoral Resident for Theology and Culture at San Marino Community Church. The interdisciplinary nature of that residency deepened her understanding of ministry as an intergenerational calling. Rev. Putney is eager to journey with our congregation and to co Oct 27 Pickleball at The Brick Church Join us in Watson Hall for fun and fellowship on the court! Sessions are offered for all levels: Beginner & Intermediate on Mondays (4:00–6:00 PM) and Saturdays (10:00 AM–12:00 PM), Advanced play on Mondays (6:00–8:00 PM), and a Church Members-only session with instruction for beginners on Thursdays (4:00–5:30 PM). Oct 24 Prayer Shawl Ministry - Volunteers Needed With God’s helping hands, our Prayer Shawl Ministry has lovingly created more than 700 shawls since its inception — over 50 just this... Oct 8 Share Your Feedback: APNC Discussion Forums The Associate Pastor Nominating Committee (APNC) is eager to hear more from Brick members as we review Brick's current ministry and seek... Oct 7 Audition for the Christmas Pageant! Children 3-years-old through 7th grade are invited to celebrate Advent and Christmas by participating in the Brick Church... Oct 6 1 2 3 4 5 Brick Links Login Watch Calendar Join Give We can't wait to greet you! 1/7 Learn More

Officers Central to the Presbyterian tradition is leadership by members of the church who are elected by the congregation for particular kinds of service. The Presbyterian Church ordains men and women to the three offices that are reflected in the New Testament and have consistently been recognized by later generations of Christians – that of minister, elder and deacon. Additionally, New York State law requires that The Corporation of the Brick Presbyterian Church in the CIty of New York (the "Corporation") be governed by trustees (the "Trustees"). Elders, Deacons and Trustees comprise the Officers of our church. The Board of Deacons Class of 2026 David A. Bergan Nancy T. Blair Allison Ayers Elliott Catherine F. Eubanks Matthew C. Libbey Lawrence S. Minicone Christopher M. Seck Mark E. Tillinghast, Jr. Natasha W. Wolff Sawyer S. Smith (Youth) Lucy E. Thorpe (Youth) Class of 2027 Elaine I. Buss John H. Corey (Deacon-Elect) Anke K. Ehlert Paisley W. Kelling Andre T. Messam Phuong-Que T. Nguyen Lucy D. Phillips Chris S. Singh Jillian R. Timmerman Class of 2028 Nicholas W. Anderson Ashley M. Carlson Anna R. C. Caspersen Diana C. Clement Dorcas Colas Gail P. Crutchfield Brooke L. Fadale J. Briggs Fraser Peter L. Van Tassel (Deacon-Elect) The Sessio n Class of 2026 Susan D. Austin Shelby S. Carroll E. Graham Clark Horace I. Crary, Jr. Pamela Dickson-Thorpe Mark E. Dingle Helen B. Pennoyer Oscar T. Sloterbeck Logan E. Johnson (Youth) Riley E. Thompson Wordsman (Youth) Class of 2027 Christopher L. Allen Jennifer G. Anderson Robert A. Appleby Anna M. Bender-Zeckendorf Molly C. Berry Matt G. Cashia Ross A. Oliver Eunkyung (Grace) Sarno Class of 2028 Michelle A. Auerbach Amanda B. Bellows Preston T.W. Blankenship Shannon G. Caspersen Loren E. Kittilsen Eric A. Lukas Willis G. Ryckman, IV Whitney P. Schwartz Moderator of Se ssi on The Rev. Dr. Thomas E. Evans Clerk of Session Elizabeth A. Boehmler The Board of Trustees President Cathy J. Leonhardt Treasurer H enry C. Barkhorn III Secretary Christopher M. Mason Class of 2026 Harold P. Hope III Kirsten W. Morgan Elizabeth M. Philipp Richard D. Rippe Class of 2027 Cathy J. Leonhardt Oliver T. Moses Susan P. Webb Victor L. Wu Class of 2028 David M. Blais David L. Chiang Christopher M. Mason Stefan Kruger Nomination and Election of Officers Ruling E lders, Deacons and Trustees are nominated to the congregation by the All-Church Nominating Committee and elected by the congregation at its annual meeting of the Congregation and Corporation. Submit Here 2026 All Church Nominating Committee (ACNC) Chair: Robert A. Appleby Members: Bradley J. Fisher, Robert P. Kellas, Marisa B. Leichtling, Kelly Milam, Christopher L. Randall Representatives: Whitney P. Schwartz , Vice Chair (Session), Lawrence Minicone (Deacon), Victor Wu (Trustee) Ex-officio : Rev. Dr. Thomas Evans

Featured Events Resounding Joy: Advent in Song and Scripture Sun, Dec 07 Third Floor Living Room More info Learn more COLH Gift Drive & Wrapping Party Sun, Dec 14 Carnegie Room More info Learn more Sacred Resonance: Lessons & Carols Sun, Dec 14 The Sanctuary More info Learn more Home for the Holidays: College Hot Cider Social Fri, Dec 19 Anderson Library More info Learn more Christmas Pageant Sun, Dec 21 Watson Hall More info Learn more Christmas Eve + Day Services Wed, Dec 24 The Sanctuary More info Learn more Lectionary Bible Study for Men & Women (Weekly) Mon, Dec 29 Zoom More info Learn more Tuesday Night Dinner Party (Weekly) Tue, Jan 06 The Brick Presbyterian Church More info Learn more Pioneers Late Night Fri, Jan 09 Watson Hall More info Learn more Brick Church New Year Bash Sat, Jan 10 Third Floor Living Room More info Learn more Family Fellowship Sun, Jan 11 Watson Hall More info Learn more Women’s Devotional Lunch Mon, Jan 12 Various Locations More info Learn more High School Youth Group (Monthly) Wed, Jan 14 Anderson Library More info Learn more Men's Bible Study (Weekly) Thu, Jan 15 The Session Room More info Learn more Women's Bible Study (Weekly) Thu, Jan 15 The Session Room More info Learn more Winter Break Dinner & Fellowship Thu, Jan 15 Carnegie & Living Room More info Learn more Chelsea Chen, organ Thu, Jan 15 The Sanctuary More info Learn more Sacred Resonance: Moravian Lovefeast Sun, Jan 25 The Sanctuary More info Learn more Load More

High School Students are invited to join us June 14–20 for an unforgettable and life-changing experience in Boston, Massachusetts . The Mission Trip is an incredible opportunity for us to come together as a community, united in our shared purpose of service, learning, and personal growth.  Register by March 1. Space is limited to 20 participants.   Register here

Isaiah 9:1-7   One of my absolute favorite things every December was to watch  A Christmas Carol.  I was absolutely enthralled by the three ghosts. And the character Ebenezer Scrooge, that miserly, skin-flinted sort, was on the one hand pathetic and sad, and yet somehow endearing. When he finally transformed, he represented something joyful—triumphant even. This year, during Advent, we’re going to look at Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future. For the people in Jesus’ time, they were looking to—not Christmas past—but the ages past, especially the passages written by the prophet Isaiah: a hoped-for Messiah. And it’s because, as Isaiah tells us, the people walked in darkness. In fact, it was a land of deep darkness. Their primary foe, the Assyrian Empire, ruled by Tiglath-Pileser III, was seeking to make vassal states of any neighboring countries. He had already conquered parts of Israel and eventually destroyed them. King Ahaz was asked to join a coalition to stand against this threat, but he feared a diminution of his power and did not trust his neighbors. In the midst of this horrible socio-political context, Isaiah offers a resounding sense of hope while calling people to trust in God not political alliances. This was the hope that Mary and Joseph and all the Jewish people looked to—a time of endless peace brought by the Messiah. When the Ghost of Christmas Past transported Scrooge, he encountered some very fond and painful memories. He saw his sister, who came to him at school to take him back home and said, “Father is so much better now.” We are given a clear sense that Scrooge’s was not a happy childhood and that the death of his sister scarred him deeply. There was Fezziwig, his old boss, who brought a tremendous sense of joy to all those around him. Even Scrooge admitted that his was a talent that money couldn’t replace. And then, of course, we are enchanted by his fiancée, Belle, who was all sweetness and light. We are treated to scenes of great happiness between the two. But as his career ambitions grow, his love of money replaces his love for Belle. And she tells him the hard truth:“You fear the world too much,” she answered gently. “All your other hopes have merged into the hope of being beyond the chance of its sordid reproach. I have seen your nobler aspirations fall off one by one, until the master-passion, Gain, engrosses you.” There are dozens of fond memories many of us have of Christmases past—of Clement C. Moore’s  The Night Before Christmas ,  Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer , and candlelight services singing  Silent Night. But do you remember what you hoped for? What you ached for? For me, as a teenager, it was a world without a nuclear arms race. That’s what was pressing upon my mind—the threat of annihilation—and a wish in my heart that such technology had never been discovered. And following on the heels of the Civil Rights Movement, it was a hope that our world could find a way to take hold of the joy and light of Christmas that perhaps might spill over into the whole year. That sense of brotherhood and sisterhood that made every encounter something holy and hopeful. It is easy to take hold of nostalgia, admittedly, when we look at the past. Even the authors of the Bible did it. They yearned for the days of old, when God spoke to people like Moses face-to-face and when God’s miracles were as common as the dew on the morning grass. They felt robbed of God’s presence, of God’s wisdom and God’s guidance. Of course it was there all along; they simply ignored it. The role of the prophet in ancient Israel was not truly about telling the future; rather it was to offer warnings. If the people failed to heed God’s word disaster would come. The fifth chapter of Isaiah is a lament which gives us a wonderful glimpse of how deep God’s love for Israel was, and the broken heart that ensues from the lack of faithfulness. God had planted this wonderful vineyard of Israel, and it begins,  I will sing for my beloved, my love song concerning his vineyard: For God blessed them with so much: The law. The Ten Commandments. Instructions on how to worship God properly. Guidance to care for and love their neighbor. How to be a host of refugees in their land—the list goes on and on. And instead, they were filled with moral corruption and idol worship and kings who drew them even further away. And so, the people are warned  Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes  (Isa. 5:20). This is the sense we have of Scrooge. Without his beloved Belle, there was nobody to serve as his conscience, nobody to check his greed, nobody to calm his anger. And his wretched character festered with duplicitous degenerated depravity. Thus, Dickens described him as “a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone; a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner.” And as a result, Scrooge was alone in the world. As Dickens wrote, “Even the blind men’s dogs appeared to know him; and when they saw him coming on, would tug their owners into doorways and up courts.” This is what the people in Isaiah’s time lacked—a benevolent presence to guide and direct. King Ahaz, instead of trusting in the Lord, looking for support and guidance, direction and strength and courage looked to the Assyrian Empire of all places (like being in league with Darth Vader)! He formed an alliance with their greatest enemy! And it not only doomed Ahaz but doomed the people as well. There are things about our past, as a country, that we might do well to return to: A slower pace that lacked rampant commercialism A greater sense of safety Community that cooperated and cared Those mom-and-pop stores that made shopping a time to meet friends The absence of social media which gives a megaphone to cynicism and vitriol Dinner at the table as a family! A greater devotion to God. But we should not be too trapped in returning to the past. For we know that there were many people left out in the cold literally and figuratively. Isaiah too lived in such a time; he tells us the leaders “grind the face of the poor” and that widows and orphans were neglected and unjust laws crushed the needy. The failure to care for the poor and the outcast always goes hand in hand with the failure to properly worship God. It was true in Mary’s time as well. And I believe it is true in ours as well. Our land has too many resources to have so many people struggling. Isaiah reminded the people that their hope would not spring from political alliances but from godly devotion and trust. This would lead to a flourishing not only for Israel but for all people. He showed us that trust in God expands the circle of compassion beyond our borders and tribes. The greatest lesson perhaps we can draw from Isaiah is that there is always hope when we have the courage to look to God. So let us be guided not by our own devices but by a Wonderful Counselor, a Mighty God, an Everlasting Father and a Prince of Peace. Amen.

Shared during Sunday Worship on November 16, 2025. Almighty and all vulnerable God, Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer We come to you in prayer today, turning towards you to learn how we might become stewards of your mysteries.  In this stewardship season, we have reflected upon your calling upon all of our lives, to commit not just a portion of our wealth, but instead our entire lives to you.   As we contemplate how we may recommit ourselves to you, we pray for this church’s ministries.  We give you thanks for the opportunities to enjoy and contribute to the music and worship ministries, the children’s and youth ministries, adult faith formation ministries, our student ministries, our outreach to the underserved here in the city of New York and in the world, and for the way that we also pray and provide congregational care for those who suffer within this community. We also thank you for all the opportunities for fellowship and growing as a community.  We thank you that you have called each one of us to join in the work.  We pray for the leadership of this congregation, who continue to shape the ways in which we become a beacon of light and hope for the city and the world. As stewards of your mysteries, we are called to turn towards the pain of the world.   We lift up to you in this time all those who are suffering.  We pray for those who lack their daily bread, for those who experience violence, for those who live in fear and uncertainty, for those who are sick, for those who are grieving, both here in our city and in our world.  Help us to respond with open hearts to those in need. Finally, we lift up our own personal petitions, for ourselves and for those we hold most dear, we lift up the material, emotional and spiritual needs that we carry in our hearts and we name them before you in this silence. We thank you, God, because you are the ultimate steward of your mysteries, and the most profound mystery is that you promise that you will never leave or forsake us.  We lift all these things to you, in your Son’s powerful name, Amen.