Pilgrim United Church of Christ
Brentwood-Kingston
197 Middle Road
Brentwood, New Hampshire 03833
Phone #: 603-778-3189

Church e-mail: pilgrimucc@empire.net

Worship Times 10:30 AM; Children come to worship for the first 20 minutes, then go to Sunday School classes  Handicap accessible  Audio amplification (for the hearing impaired)  Large-print bulletins

Staff:
• Rev. Kimberly S. McKerley, Pastor
• Jennifer Goodwin, Choir Director
• Lynne Wilby, Organist

Our Mission:  The avowed purpose of this church is to worship God, to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to celebrate the sacraments, to realize Christian fellowship and unity within the church and the church universal, and to render loving service to all people by striving for righteousness, justice and peace.

Pilgrim Church draws strength from a family-like atmosphere of support that members give each other, and from a strong sense of mission and Christian outreach to the local communities and around the world.  We encourage openness in the pulpit, enabling the congregation to search for relevance in today's world and we recognize the right of individual views by our members in keeping with the congregational tradition.

We are pleased to welcome you to our church.  We like to say that there are no strangers here, but only friends who haven't met.  We hope that you find spiritual nurture in our worship together and look forward to extending our hand of friendship and peace to you. 

  Come and See What Life is Like at
Pilgrim United Church of Christ Brentwood-Kingston!

Come and see.  That's what Jesus said to those people he called into discipleship.  When they asked what he was up to, Jesus didn't explain all the details of his mission and ministry; but rather invited them to come and experience it for themselves.

That's what the members of Pilgrim Church invite you to do.  We'd love to have you come and see what life is like in our community of faith.  This article will tell you a bit about our life together, and we hope that it will make you want to come and see!  We are a fairly small progressive Christian community, a place where there is always plenty going on! We have a Sunday school program in which the children learn Bible stories through storytelling, cooking, crafts, drama, music and more. We also have Sunday School for youth through Senior High that meets twice monthly on Sunday mornings.  Adults also have a Sunday morning Bible Study Group that begins in October.  The choir sings every week, rehearsing on Thursday evenings.  And we have a Tone Chime choir that is just getting started.  Our Current Events Discussion Group gathers each Friday morning for lively conversation and our Book Discussion Group meets once a month on Saturday mornings. We work with other congregations in the Seacoast Interfaith Hospitality Network to provide housing and meals for families who are temporarily without adequate shelter.  Our church enjoys an exciting partnership with Gwenzi United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe   We have wonderful community dinners and monthly Sunday morning breakfasts.  The Community Food Pantry is also housed at Pilgrim Church. We are busy! 

Most importantly, of course, we are here to worship God, and to share the love of God with all of humankind.  We do this by striving to provide a hospitable welcome to all, and to open the wonders of God's presence to everyone. We both comfort and challenge each other.  We are especially passionate about reaching out to those whose experience of church has not been one of welcome. To this end, we identify ourselves as an "Open and Affirming" congregation of the United Church of Christ, a community that has pledged to welcome all people into the full life and ministry of the church.  An Open and Affirming (ONA) congregation knows that many barriers still exist that prevent people from being able to bring their whole selves into worship. Therefore, our ONA statement offers a welcome to people of every marital, social, or economic status, race, physical or mental ability, emotional condition, sexual orientation or identity, ethnicity, gender, age, or previous religious affiliation.  We make this stand in response to the inclusive love that Jesus shared and the extravagant welcome of our loving God.  

Other issues of justice and peace are also a part of our life together. Challenged by Jesus' call to love our neighbor and to care for the "least of these" we wrestle with many concerns of our time. War and peace, environmental concerns, public education, affordable housing and livable wages are among the topics that we try to engage in and respond to - doing our small part to make life more bearable for all.  With this in mind, Pilgrim Church identifies itself as a "Just Peace" church.  A Just Peace church is one that has made a commitment to working for a just peace, which the United Church of Christ defines as  "the interrelationship of justice, friendship, and common security from violence. The goal is always to minimize violence while working for justice and friendship."  We envision a world living in "shalom", the Hebrew word often translated "peace," but which is more aptly described as a vision of all creation whole, well, and one.  It is a lofty goal and a formidable task, but as a church we have pledged ourselves to it. 

History The site of Pilgrim Church has a long history, rooted in the Congregational Tradition, that goes back to Colonial times.  The stately white clapboard building dates from 1815 and has been closely tied to the history of Brentwood.  For 138 years the lower hall with its charming Colonial décor, provided a worshipful church Sanctuary, while the upper hall became the Brentwood Town Hall where matters of town-wide interest were debated and decided.  The town moderator's gavel rapped the last town meeting to order in 1953.  This church and its land shares roots with Christian families in the area meeting at prayer back to 1731.   Our church as a community of faith is fairly young.  In May of 1989, the church family was officially formed by the merger of the Pilgrim United Church of Christ, Kingston, and the Brentwood Congregational Church (UCC).  The former was a family church entered in Kingston, which was formed in 1966 as a member of the newly created United Church of Christ.  The latter was a group of Brentwood residents carrying on the long term traditions of the Congregational Church.  Since the merger we have worked to create a new tradition of serving local Rockingham County communities  With members residing many in many surrounding communities, our presence reaches beyond our original core of Brentwood and Kingston.    In 1993, the congregation built a large addition that houses administrative offices, classroom space and the Fellowship Hall.  This modern facility allows us to better serve a growing, active community of Christian believers.  Pilgrim UCC is a Just Peace church, and an Open and Affirming congregation. These are identities we have claimed after study, discussion, prayer and vote of the members. So, what does it mean to be a Just Peace church and an Open and Affirming congregation? A brief explanation is offered here. A Just Peace church is one that has made a commitment to working for a just peace, which the United Church of Christ defines as  "the interrelationship of justice, friendship, and common security from violence. The goal is always to minimize violence while working for justice and friendship."  We envision a world living in "shalom", the Hebrew word often translated "peace," but which is truly a much more encompassing word than that. It means "wholeness, healing, justice, righteousness, equality, unity, freedom, and community. Shalom is a vision of all people whole, well, and one, and of all nature whole, well, and one."  This is a lofty goal and a formidable task, but as a church we have pledged ourselves to it. An Open and Affirming congregation is one that has pledged to welcome all people into the full life and ministry of the church, with an explicit welcome to people of all sexual orientations.  An Open and Affirming (ONA) congregation knows that many barriers still exist that prevent people from being able to bring their whole selves into worship. Therefore, our ONA statement offers a welcome to people of every marital, social, or economic status, race, physical or mental ability, emotional condition, sexual orientation or identity, ethnicity, gender, age, or previous religious affiliation.  We make this stand in response to the inclusive love that Jesus shared and the extravagant welcome of our lovig God.