Brook Hill’s 175th and Weekday Preschool’s 50th Anniversary

Music is amazing. It can help us relax, improve memory when studying, and motivate us for a workout.

Music during worship has been a tradition for centuries in the Christian faith. Worship music is one way we praise God and connect with Him on a deeper level.

The Brook Hill Chancel Choir is one of our music ministries who lead us in song during Sunday worship.

Our current choir has about 30 members. This group sure has grown since the 1960s and 1970s, which is when these photos were taken.

Photo directories are a great way for the church family to connect with other people in the church. In our digital age, our directory is now online.

Many of us have kept the older directories and reminisce about our younger days.

Check out these beauties we found from the 1970s!

This week we celebrated Ash Wednesday.

Fun Fact: The ashes that are used to mark crosses on foreheads are palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday service that have been burned and blessed. This ritual reminds us of our humanity and need for God.

This is a long-standing ritual in the Christian church dating back hundreds of years yet the use of ashes was first recognized in the United Methodist Church Book of Worship in 1992.

Today’s photo is from the 1960s!

Did you know the word “kinkling” is unique to Frederick?

Kinklings are a German doughnut tradition for Shrove Tuesday that was intended to use up ingredients before Lent. The traditional German name for them is fastnachts. Kinklings are deep fried doughnuts sprinkled with confectioner sugar and best enjoyed warm. They are so yummy!

The kinklings we used to make at Brook Hill were so popular, they made the local news. Check out this 1967 newspaper article and read all about it.

The oldest church membership record we could find in our archives is from 1914. Over the years, we’ve had hundreds of new members call Brook Hill their home church.

Today, we are blessed with 456 Brook Hill members ranging from ages 0 to 99. Each Sunday we are excited to welcome first time visitors and regular guests at worship.

On average, 182 people attend in-person worship and 100 people join on our livestream from all over the world.

It’s amazing how technology has opened doors for us to continue to serve the Frederick community, including those who are home-bound, and reach people in different states and continents.

God is good!

Do you remember when the Fellowship Hall was the sanctuary?

Today, the Fellowship Hall serves as a place of many gatherings in the life of our church, including God Talk on Sunday mornings, Upward basketball team huddles, committee meetings, prayer stations, Wise Owl luncheons, and more.

We are grateful for the memories of many worship services in the Fellowship Hall and how it continues to be a place for large group gatherings today.

Have you ever thought about the story behind a name? Well, there is a story behind Brook Hill’s name.

The story begins in the 1800s with George Brooke who was a circuit rider, aka a clergyman who traveled by horseback, sharing the Good News of Jesus to multiple churches. The ‘Brook’ part of our name is in honor of our founding pastor, George Brooke.

In 1990, Rev. Tom Connor reenacted George Brooke’s vital role in our church history, mounted a horse, and rode around!

We are grateful for our small beginning.

Bells are an iconic sound for churches. When the bell rings, everyone knows worship, a wedding, or other special event is about to begin.

Our bell can still ring yet it no longer resides in the steeple. This is the oldest picture we could find of our bell housed in the steeple in the early 1900s.

Fun Fact: In June 1851, Brook Hill UMC began “Sabbath School,” what we call today as Sunday School.

Sunday School has certainly evolved over the years with different activities (and we’d like to think we’ve gotten better with our graphic abilities too 😉).

The Bible stories and lessons discussed in our children and adult Sunday Schools are still just as important today as they were more than a century ago.

A church building is more than a place of worship and gathering place to study God’s Word, it’s also a place where life events and memories are made.

From baptisms, marriages, and memorial services to Vacation Bible School, Easter and Christmas festivities, and basketball games. So much has happened over the years at Brook Hill church. Countless smiles, laughs and some tears…wow if these walls could talk!

The people are the church. As the church grows, so does the building. Our current facility was built in 1962 and has undergone two major expansions since then. We look forward to seeing what God has in store for us and the community over the next 175 years.

This year marks the 175th anniversary of Brook Hill United Methodist Church and the 50th anniversary of the Brook Hill Weekday Preschool.

Fun fact, Brook Hill worship services began outdoors in 1850 and eventually moved indoors.

This is a picture of the oldest building in our church’s history.