The Little White Church by the River in Hooksett Village
The Congregational Church of Hooksett sits on Veterans Park Drive in Hooksett Village, a small New Hampshire town in Merrimack County, where it has anchored the community since 1824. Members still refer to the building by its long-standing nickname, "The Little White Church Down by the River," a reminder of both its modest scale and its riverside setting. From that small white building, the United Church of Christ congregation opens its doors every Sunday morning at 10:00 am for worship, and on weekday mornings for tai chi, chair yoga, and a free monthly community meal. It is a place where the greeters, the music director, and an interim pastor named Rev. Mark Brockmeier share the same conviction: that whoever walks through the door already belongs.
Where Everyone Has a Seat
The church carries the United Church of Christ's Open and Affirming designation, and the language it uses about that identity is unusually plain. "No matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here." Members describe three commitments that flow from that identity. First, radical hospitality: a warm and authentic community where newcomers can show up exactly as they are. Second, inclusive fellowship: space for believers, seekers, and doubters alike. Third, faith in action: opportunities to serve the Hooksett area and to grow together in grace. The congregation also honors the wider UCC tagline, "God is still speaking," and welcomes the new understandings that flow from it. Pastor Mark likes to put it this way: "whatever we think of God, God is bigger than that." Regardless of age, background, race, identity, or where someone stands in their personal spiritual path, there is a seat at the table waiting.
Sunday Mornings at Ten
Worship begins at 10:00 am on Sundays in the sanctuary at 5 Veterans Park Dr., with special services occasionally scheduled at 7:00 pm. Greeters staff the entry and, on a first visit, will help newcomers find the nursery, the restrooms, the sanctuary, and the coffee that follows the service. The nursery is fully staffed and safely run, and the building itself is laid out for easy wayfinding. During worship, the congregation hears its faith expressed in the songs it sings, the prayers it offers, and the pastor's preaching. Every part of the service is grounded in Scripture, and the church affirms the Apostle's Creed and the Nicene Creed, two of the oldest Christian confessions, which may be read aloud during the service. After the benediction, regulars and visitors gather over coffee to introduce themselves and share stories. Each Sunday service is also livestreamed over Zoom and recorded for the YouTube channel, so members who are traveling or homebound can keep up.
Pastor Mark and the Leadership Team
The church is currently served by Rev. Mark Brockmeier in the role of Interim Pastor. A trained interim ministerial professional with more than fifteen years of ordained ministry experience, Pastor Mark was raised in the United Church of Christ and brings a deep commitment to respecting the dignity of every one of God's children. The music director oversees the musical life of the worship services, and a prayer team receives and lifts up the requests left on the church's online prayer wall. Recent Sunday messages have ranged across Colossians 3 and the parables in Matthew 11, 13, and 20, working through a steady diet of teaching on forgiveness, listening, mercy, and belonging. The interim season is, in the UCC tradition, a deliberate one: a trained interim walks with a congregation through a season of listening and discernment, and Pastor Mark's role here is to help the church do exactly that.
The Community Kitchen on the Third Monday
On the third Monday of every month, from 5:00 to 6:00 pm, the building opens its doors for the Community Kitchen, a free dinner that the congregation hosts for neighbors in and around Hooksett. There is no registration and no fee. Anyone who walks in gets a seat at the table, a home-cooked main course, sides, dessert, and something to drink. A recent menu featured turkey meatballs with potato salad and vegetables, followed by brownie sundae for dessert, with coffee, tea, lemonade, and water on the side. The meals are cooked and served by a rotating team of local volunteers, and the church actively welcomes new helpers for food prep, cooking, serving, and cleanup. Local farms, bakeries, and restaurants with surplus food are invited to partner by donating ingredients. Donations to keep the kitchen running are accepted online through the church's giving page, and questions about volunteering or donating can be sent to the church office.
A Free Thanksgiving Dinner
Once a year, on Thanksgiving afternoon, the church hosts a free turkey dinner with all the trimmings and plenty of company for anyone who would rather not spend the holiday alone. The dinner runs from 1:00 to 3:00 pm and is open to the wider community. As the church frames it, "Why spend Thanksgiving alone when you can come to the Congregational Church of Hooksett and enjoy a Turkey dinner with all the trimmings and great company." The annual gathering has become one of the most visible acts of hospitality in the village.
Tai Chi and Chair Yoga in the Fellowship Hall
On weekday mornings, the church building takes on a different rhythm. Every Tuesday at 10:30 am, a tai chi class meets to build strength and get fit. Every Friday at 9:00 am, a chair yoga class gathers for a similar purpose, described as designed for older citizens but effective for everyone. Both classes are open to the community and draw participants from beyond the congregation. Free parking is available in the main lot next to the building, making drop-in attendance simple for neighbors who drive in from elsewhere in Hooksett. The two classes share a simple promise: that movement, like worship, is for everyone, and that the fellowship hall is at its best when it is full.
Partners in the Village
The church regularly hosts a number of civic groups in its facilities, and the list reflects the congregation's commitment to the wider Hooksett area. Among the partner organizations listed are the local Lions Club, the Hooksett Area Rotary, Alcoholics Anonymous, the Kiwanis organization, the New Hampshire chapter of Scouting America, the Open and Affirming network of the UCC, the Trans Family Alliance of New Hampshire, and the Ukama Partnership of the New Hampshire Conference of the UCC. The congregation frames this network in plain terms: there are many organizations in Hooksett that share its values and use its facilities, and the church partners with them "as a part of our faith to show God's love in the world." The building is treated less as a private chapel and more as a piece of shared village infrastructure, open to anyone whose work serves the common good.
Livestream, Sermon Archive, and the Prayer Wall
Sunday worship is livestreamed over Zoom every Sunday morning at 10:00 am, with meeting ID 857 9366 7389 and passcode 060780. Recordings of recent services are posted to the church's YouTube channel and made available with a sermon transcript and a downloadable bulletin in large print. The archive includes a running series of messages on forgiveness, listening, and belonging, drawn from Colossians and the Gospel of Matthew. For those who cannot be in the sanctuary or on the livestream, the church maintains a prayer wall where requests can be submitted to the pastor alone, the prayer team, or the wider congregation at the requester's choice. The prayer wall is described in this way: "Talk to God here. Share what's on the heart. The pastor and prayer team will ask for God's grace with the prayers, and all prayers are non-public," unless the requester chooses to share them more broadly.
Giving and Stewardship
The Congregational Church of Hooksett describes giving as an important part of the Christian life, quoting the saying attributed to Jesus in Acts 20:35: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." One-time and recurring gifts can be set up online, and donors can direct their contribution toward a pledged offering or a specific church project using the comment line. Cash and check offerings are still collected during the Sunday service for those who prefer to give in person. The online system makes it easy to transfer money from a bank account or to give by credit or debit card. The Community Kitchen accepts donations toward its monthly meals through the same portal, so the same giving link that funds the building also funds the meals that come out of it.