Our Mission Statement
To nurture an inclusive community, grounded in love and kindness, that inspires spiritual life, promotes justice and honors all creation.
Our Message
Affirming and sharing God's love
Nurturing and extending our island community
Serving with joy, justice, and compassion
Daring to grow and change
Offering sanctuary and a light on your path
Our Covenant
Our commitment is to be ourselves, together.
And so, we strive to practice:
Honoring the divine in each of us,
Tending honestly and kindly to differences and tensions,
Remaining open to change,
Fostering a spirit of play and joy,
Being accountable for collective care,
And trusting the presence of the Divine on our journey.
In these ways, we seek to be a beloved community.
A Brief History
New Brackett Church was founded over 160 years ago by island families. The founders had Anglican roots and originally held services in the old schoolhouse. The church became the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1861, when the congregation began meeting in the current building.
Some people had wished the church to be non-sectarian. Even today, its members have deep roots in many denominations.
The name changed to Brackett Memorial Church in 1902 after the church received a large bequest from the Brackett estate. Other Peaks individuals contributed to the growth of the church: for example Harriet Trefethen Skillings and Margaret Randall.
Contributions by fifty-three pastors and several dedicated leaders, groups, and individuals have made New Brackett Church the much-loved island community church that it is.
To read more about our long and rich history on Peaks Island, we are attaching a copy of a program that was shared at the Church’s 150th Anniversary Celebration in 2011. Read Here .
How We Got Here
2006 - Brackett Church joins the Reconciling Ministries Network, organized to respond to the UMC’s homophobia
Feb 2017 - Votes unanimously to open our church to LGBTQIA marriages
Aug 2017 – Celebrates and installs rainbow flags
Sept 2019 - Begins an eight-month discernment process about disaffiliation
July 2020 - Votes to move forward with disaffiliation from the UMC
August 2020 - Begins final steps towards disaffiliation
October 2020 – UMC NE Annual Conference votes to approve disaffiliation
Jan 2021 – New Brackett Church becomes autonomous
Oct 2021 - New Brackett Church becomes jointly affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Unitarian Universalist Association
Our Future
After 14 years of soul-searching and over a year of discernment, discussion, and intense planning, New Brackett Church officially became autonomous from the United Methodist Church on January 1, 2021.
In April 2021, the Church voted to join in covenant with both the United Church of Christ (UCC) and the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA).
It was felt that this decision would invite greater participation in the life of the church from a wider spectrum of people and beliefs present in the Peaks Island community.
Affiliation with both the UCC and the UUA has now been approved by their respective organizations and formalized in October 2021.