On a leafy stretch of Bresslyn Road in west Nashville, a mid-century modern sanctuary surrounded by trees and birdwatchers' delights hosts one of Middle Tennessee's most theologically progressive congregations. Brookmeade Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, sits quietly off Charlotte Pike as a small but determined community whose motto, "Because of who you are and where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here," is taken seriously by everyone who passes through its doors.
Brookmeade is an Open and Affirming and Just Peace church of the United Church of Christ, committed to spiritual growth and the struggle for peace and social justice. The congregation is known in Nashville for its unequivocal welcome, its LGBTQ+ leadership, its participation in the Nashville Pride Festival, its work with refugees and the unhoused, and a steady stream of sermons that engage politics, faith, and the Bible with uncommon candor.
From Collegeside to Bresslyn Road: A Nearly Century-Old Witness
The story of Brookmeade begins in 1928, when a group of progressive Christians gathered at Collegeside Congregational Church in Nashville to present what they called "a progressive witness to God's word." That witness has never been abandoned. The congregation moved to its present home at 700 Bresslyn Road in 1954 and, three years later, joined the newly forming United Church of Christ in 1957. The anniversary of the move is still celebrated each summer with a fellowship meal and music.
The UCC itself is a denomination with a record of firsts. The UCC was the first historically white denomination to ordain an African American, the first to ordain a woman, the first to ordain an openly gay man, and the first Christian church to affirm the right of same-gender couples to marry. The denomination was also active in the anti-slavery movement and the Civil Rights movement. Brookmeade carries that legacy into the present. Members walked alongside those who struggled against racial segregation in Nashville in the 1950s and 1960s, and today they continue to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, gender equality, affordable health care, environmental justice, and an end to mass incarceration and the death penalty. "Brookmeaders believe that faith is something we live out, not just something we believe in."
What Visitors Find on Sunday Morning
Worship at Brookmeade takes place each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and runs about an hour. The service follows the traditional format of hymns and liturgy, but with intentionally contemporary language. The congregation uses gender-neutral language for God and prefers "kin-dom" over "kingdom" in references to the reign of God. Prayers regularly bring social justice concerns into the sanctuary, and the music mixes classical hymns with newer compositions drawn from progressive worship resources.
The physical space reinforces the welcome. As you approach the front doors, you pass a sculpture made for the church by artist William Ralston and the Brookmeade cross and bell that used to signal the start of service. A pride flag hangs in the corner near the entrance. Inside the doors, a greeter will hand you a bulletin, point out the children's quiet-time bags, and direct you to the all-gender restrooms. Members dress in everything from casual to formal; the church's own advice is to wear whatever makes you comfortable.
Through the sanctuary glass, visitors often spot bluebirds, monarch butterflies, deer, and bunnies in the surrounding greenery. Communion is shared on the first Sunday of each month, and all are welcome to participate regardless of denomination or belief system. After the service, the community gathers for Coffee Fellowship, a long-running tradition of catching up over food and drink.
For those who cannot attend in person, services are livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel. Recordings of past services, going back years, are kept in an extensive Sermon Archive.
An Open and Affirming, Just Peace Identity
Brookmeade has formally declared itself an Open and Affirming congregation of the UCC, meaning that people of all gender identities, gender expressions, and sexual orientations are welcomed into the full life of the church. The congregation is not simply welcoming of LGBTQ+ individuals; it is itself a community of LGBTQ+ members and straight and cisgender allies. The church celebrates Nashville Pride each year, hosts a booth at the Nashville Pride Festival alongside sister UCC congregations, engages in protests related to LGBTQ+ rights, and honors Transgender Day of Remembrance with guest speakers and special services.
The church has also adopted the UCC's Just Peace designation. Just Peace, as Brookmeade understands it, is not pacifism but the abundant flourishing of all people, justice-seeking and peace-making that alleviates harm of every type through non-violence and the command to love neighbor as self. The building's all-gender bathrooms are one concrete sign of this commitment; the congregation's steady engagement with marches, vigils, and advocacy campaigns is another.
Eight Points of Progressive Christianity
Brookmeade explicitly aligns itself with the eight points of Progressive Christianity. Members describe themselves as Christians who:
- Believe that following the path and teachings of Jesus can lead to an awareness and experience of the Sacred and the Oneness and Unity of all life;
- Affirm that the teachings of Jesus provide but one of many ways to experience the Sacredness and Oneness of life, drawing from diverse sources of wisdom;
- Seek community that is inclusive of all people: conventional Christians and questioning skeptics, believers and agnostics, women and men, those of all sexual orientations and gender identities, and those of all classes and abilities;
- Know that the way we behave towards one another is the fullest expression of what we believe;
- Find grace in the search for understanding and believe there is more value in questioning than in absolutes;
- Strive for peace and justice among all people;
- Strive to protect and restore the integrity of the Earth; and
- Commit to a path of life-long learning, compassion, and selfless love.
That last point, life-long learning, is built directly into Sunday mornings at Brookmeade.
Learn & Grow: Adult Education at 9:15 a.m.
Before worship each Sunday, members gather for Learn & Grow, the church's adult education hour, at 9:15 a.m. Recent and upcoming topics show the range of what Brookmeade takes on: progressive Christianity itself (using the Living the Questions curriculum), Dr. Amy-Jill Levine's studies of the parables of Jesus, white privilege and fragility, environmental justice, the harm of mass incarceration, climate change, the New Testament, and books like John Fugelsang's Separation of Church and Hate. The class is currently on break for the summer and returns in the fall.
Learn & Grow has historically also met on Thursday evenings via Zoom for book and Bible studies, including Amy-Jill Levine's Advent study "Light of the World" and Arthur C. Brooks's Love Your Enemies. The Christian Education team welcomes suggestions for new topics at any time.
Children and Families
Children are part of every Sunday at Brookmeade. Kids' worship activity bags are available at the front of the sanctuary, and the church has long offered an all-ages Sunday School hour before worship (in earlier years called "Rise & Shine"). Today, children above kindergarten age join their parents in the sanctuary for the 10:30 worship service.
Seasonal offerings for families include an Annual Children's Christmas Pageant during Advent, a children's Sabbath once a year, a Blessing of the Animals service each fall, and youth-led portions of the Easter sunrise service at the Miller Meditation Garden on the church grounds. The Last Minute Toy Store, a long-running Brookmeade tradition, gathers gifts for children and teens in families who need extra support each Christmas season.
Music, Nature Sundays, and the Rhythm of the Year
Music has always been central to Brookmeade's worship. The church keeps a strong tradition of Music Sundays, often celebrated on fifth Sundays, when members share favorite hymns, songs, poems, and readings that have shaped their spiritual lives. The worship team, including musician Steve Deasy and longtime member Mike Ross, has become a fixture of Brookmeade's recorded services, particularly during the pandemic years when the congregation leaned heavily into online worship and creative use of music and photography.
Several times a year, the congregation trades the sanctuary for the outdoors. Nature Sunday services are held at Edwin Warner Park, at Shelter #6, with Holy Communion celebrated outdoors and a potluck to follow. These services are accessible and covered, and members are invited to bring camp chairs.
The liturgical year is observed in full. Christmas Eve brings a Candlelight Service of readings and hymns at 5 p.m., a long-standing tradition. Easter sometimes begins with a Sunrise Service at the Miller Meditation Garden followed by breakfast at the Loveless Cafe (a Brookmeade tradition that ran for many years before the pandemic). The Longest Night, a worship service for the weary, is held near the winter solstice. All Saints' Day is observed with remembrances of loved ones past and present.
Leadership and Pastoral Team
Brookmeade is a congregational church, meaning that decisions are made by the community rather than imposed from above. Lay leadership, including the Council, Trustees, the Fellowship Team, the Worship and Care Team, and the Mission and Outreach Team, is nominated and elected by the congregation and works alongside the pastor and the UCC's Southeast Conference.
The current pastor is the Reverend Liz DeWeese, who was ordained by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in 2003, a full communion partner of the UCC. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Peace Studies with an emphasis in Social Justice from Chapman University in 1998 and a Master of Divinity from Lexington Theological Seminary in 2003, and has served churches, camps, and regional committees in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Arizona, and Tennessee. Before entering ministry she was raised across the American South. She is the mother of two children and is currently writing a new chapter of life after the death of her husband, the Reverend Don DeWeese, in 2023.
Assisting Pastor Lark Brand brings experience as a Vanderbilt Divinity School graduate focused on congregational leadership. Rev. Anne-Marie Zanzal, a Yale Divinity School graduate and ordained UCC minister, served as Associate Pastor. Rev. Beverly J. Ross, a Vanderbilt Divinity School graduate, hospice chaplain, and former attorney, has served as Bridge Pastor. Other pastors who have served Brookmeade include Pastor Becca Griffin, Rev. Diane Tugel, Pastor Abbey Labrecque, Pastor Sarah Kientz, Pastor Margaret Ernst, and former senior pastors Rev. Sharon M. Temple, Rev. Richard Diekmann, Rev. Dr. Marvin Morgan, and Rev. Linda White. The church has also been enriched by frequent guest preachers, including UCC Southeast Conference leaders, Vanderbilt Divinity students, and visiting pastors such as Chaplain Dahron Johnson and Quinn Bacon.
Mission and Outreach: COW, Project CURE, and Beyond
Mission and outreach run like a current through Brookmeade's life. The congregation takes the UCC's special offerings seriously: Neighbors in Need (supporting UCC justice ministries and the Council for American Indian Ministries), One Great Hour of Sharing (disaster, refugee, and development ministries), the Strengthen the Church offering (leadership development, new churches, youth ministry), the Christmas Fund for retired clergy and lay employees, and the Souper Bowl of Caring each February.
Each first Sunday of the month, the congregation collects its COW Offering, "Contribute Our Wealth," which is split between Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee and Heifer International. Canned goods and other non-perishables are collected alongside monetary gifts.
On the first Saturday of each month, a Brookmeade team heads to the Project CURE warehouse on Clifton Avenue to sort surplus medical supplies that are shipped to countries around the world. No training is required, and newcomers are warmly welcomed.
For many years, Brookmeade supported Room in the Inn, providing food and shelter to those experiencing homelessness in Nashville. The congregation has also engaged with the Nashville International Center for Empowerment (NICE) in resettlement efforts, including support for Afghan refugees arriving in the Nashville area, and has joined vigils, sit-ins, and marches for a wide range of causes. Members walk together as team "All are Welcome" in the annual Out of the Darkness Suicide Awareness Walk for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention at Centennial Park. Each Christmas, gifts pour in for the Last Minute Toy Store, which provides presents for children in families unable to access other forms of assistance.
Fellowship, Fellowship Team, and the Wider UCC
Life at Brookmeade is shaped as much by potlucks as by sermons. A long-running Thanksgiving Day Potluck at 2 p.m. gives members without nearby family a place to gather, and Easter brunch, anniversary celebrations, the Hanging of the Green in late November, coffee fellowship after every Sunday service, and seasonal outings knit the community together.
Brookmeade is part of a wider network of Nashville-area UCC congregations that meet for fellowship and shared learning. The Upper Room UCC Fellowship brings together Brookmeade, Howard Congregational Church, and Circle Community Church (along with the now-closed Holy Trinity Community Church) for potluck brunches, music, and seasonal gatherings. Advent services have historically been shared with Holy Trinity. Members also join ecumenical events such as the Islam 101 presentation with the Islamic Center of Nashville, the city's annual Women's March, and Nashville Pride.
Getting Involved
Visitors and members who want to plug in can choose from several ministry teams. The Worship and Care Team helps plan services and organizes Music Sundays and Nature Sundays. The Fellowship Team builds community through seasonal events and potlucks. The Christian Education team shapes the Learn & Grow curriculum. The Mission and Outreach team tracks local justice opportunities and recommends where the church's resources should go. The Trustees handle the practical business of budgeting and facilities. Anyone interested in serving on a team or proposing something new is encouraged to contact the office.
Building Rental and Community Use
The Brookmeade building is available for rent for weddings, vow renewals, retreats, conferences, performances, support groups, and AA meetings. The church states plainly that it is an inclusive space open to all people regardless of class, ability, race, gender identity, or sexual orientation. A building rental form is available online, and the office can be reached at (615) 352-4702 or brookmeade@comcast.net.
Giving and Staying Connected
Members and friends can support Brookmeade's ministries by mailing a check to 700 Bresslyn Road, Nashville, TN 37205, or by giving online through Tithe.ly. Prayer requests may be sent to brookmeade@comcast.net. The Brookmeade Beat, a weekly email, keeps subscribers informed about upcoming events and the life of the congregation, and the church maintains an active presence on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
An Invitation That Travels Far Beyond Bresslyn Road
From its founding as a progressive witness in 1928 to its present life as an Open and Affirming, Just Peace congregation, Brookmeade has stayed close to its original calling. God is still speaking into a world in need of more love, justice, and mercy, and Brookmeade is doing its best to follow that call, even when it stumbles and has to get back on track. Whether someone arrives in a suit or jeans, with a Bible in hand or a thousand questions on their mind, the welcome is the same. "Because of who you are and where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here."