One of my favorite things to do during the summer months is to arrive at work early and
enjoy my morning coffee in the community garden. There is something incredibly
peaceful about being surrounded by nature at the start of the day. I listen to the birds
singing their praises and watch butterflies and dragonflies flit from garden box to garden
box. Each box is filled with something beautiful—tall sunflowers, juicy red tomatoes,
fragrant basil, and brightly colored zinnias. It is truly a wonderful way to begin the day.
Being in nature is restorative, and we are so fortunate to have such a beautiful campus
at Northbrook. As I wander across campus and make my way back to the preschool, I
often think of Psalm 96:12: “Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the
trees of the forest sing for joy.” I imagine the trees—the pines, dogwoods, pecans, and
figs—all singing for joy, especially when our students are here filling the campus with
their own joyful energy.

Our students love this campus and the opportunity to explore the world just beyond their
classroom doors. Their classes adopt trees and tend to our garden boxes. They plant
flowers and release butterflies. They dig in the dirt and make friends with the bugs they
discover. They roll in the grass, race down the “hills,” and delight in watching squirrels,
chipmunks, and geese.

In the Reggio Emilia philosophy, nature and outdoor spaces serve as open-ended,
aesthetic, and dynamic environments where children can use their “hundred
languages”—through art, building, scientific inquiry, and countless other forms of
expression—to explore, collaborate, and co-construct knowledge alongside their
teachers and peers. We are so grateful that our students have the freedom to use this
beautiful campus as an extension of their classroom, giving them opportunities to learn,
wonder, discover, and grow.

Before summer comes to an end, I hope you will take a few moments to visit the garden
or simply wander our campus with a cup of coffee in hand. I promise it will do wonders
for your soul.
​
With love,
Jennifer Sawicki
Preschool Director

I thought I would take this opportunity to introduce myself a little more personally. As Reverend Jennie mentioned when she introduced me to the congregation on August 2nd, stepping into the role of Director of Communications is particularly meaningful to me because Northbrook has been a pillar in my life since I was two years old. I started at the Preschool, and we later joined the church when I was five. In many ways, I have spent almost my entire life growing up here.

During my interview, I was asked, “if you were to tell someone about Northbrook, what would you say?” Instantly overcome with emotion, I choked out that it is the most loving and supportive place. This little church in the pines has given me lifelong friendships, seen me through numerous losses, high school and college graduations, starting my career, and all the little moments in between. It is home. And now? I get to come home in a different capacity.
 
If I could tell my younger self sitting in the pew on Sunday morning, one day you will be on staff here, I probably wouldn’t have believed me. It is exactly the job I wanted in my mid-twenties. That’s how God works though, isn’t it? Slowly, deliberately, in the right time. There were still things I needed to do, people to meet and things to learn before God moved me out of one season and into another.
 
Psalm 23 has always been one of my favorite passages, but the words “He restores my soul” have felt particularly close to me in this season. Restoration doesn't necessarily mean getting everything back exactly the way it was. Sometimes restoration looks like being led somewhere new. Sometimes it looks like realizing that the thing you thought you were losing was actually making room for something you needed.

Which brings me back to Sunday's sermon, and the weeds.

I have been thinking about the image of pulling weeds in a garden. Pulling weeds isn't really the point of gardening. We don't pull weeds just to have an empty garden. We pull them so that there is room for something else to grow.
And maybe that is part of what God has been teaching me in this season. There are things we must release. There are things we need to trust Him with. And sometimes, after the weeds have been pulled, there is a period of simply tending the soil and waiting to see what grows.

That is what makes stepping into this role at Northbrook feel so significant to me. It feels like a season of tending the soil. After a season of letting go and learning to trust, I feel like God has brought me home to a place that has always been a source of love, community, and belonging. And in some ways, this season feels like an opportunity for restoration—not just for the work I am doing, but for my soul.

For most of my life, Northbrook has been a place where I have been cared for. Now I get to help tell its stories, connect its people, and hopefully help make room for whatever God is growing here next.

I don't know exactly what that will look like. I am learning to be okay with that. Maybe that is part of the tending, too: being present in the season God has given us instead of rushing ahead to see what comes next.

So, for those who have known me for most of my life and those I am just getting to know, thank you for welcoming me home in this new way. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve this church, to help tell its stories (and yours), and to see what God will grow here next.
​
And for now, I am trying to remember to slow down and savor this season. Because seasons change. People change. Things don't last forever. But perhaps part of the gift is getting to be fully present for the season we are in and trusting God with whatever comes next.
 
Yours in Christ,
Lauren Dempsey
Director of Communications

As you know, one of the areas that is such a gift to our church and this community is our
Northbrook House. This space is used by multiple groups and activities on a weekly basis throughout the year…including our Crafters Ladies, Scout Troop 985, and multiple Men’s Bible Studies. Over the past couple of months, our Trustees have been working to provide some much-needed updates and improvements to the Northbrook House.
 
Thanks to a very generous donation, we were able to complete the following items:
 
1.  We replaced the roof, gutters, and downspouts.
2.  The exterior of the house was painted, and the deck had several boards repaired
                  and was painted.
3.  One of the doors in the house had the window repaired and replaced.
4.  All the trees surrounding and hanging over the house were trimmed to keep our
                 new roof clear of any falling branches.
5.  Ed Rogers graciously put in a new side entrance step and handrail to allow for
                  easier access to the house.
6.  And last, but not least, RT Evans’ Company (Evans GC) graciously donated
                 about 20 new chairs to surround the meeting tables in the main area (several
                 folks who use that space have already expressed their gratitude for the new
                 chairs!).
​
We are so thankful for the Northbrook House and the ministry space it provides for so
many people throughout each year. Because of these updates, our prayer is that the
Northbrook House will continue to provide a safe and meaningful space for each person
who enters for many years to come.
 
In addition to work completed on the Northbrook House, our Trustees have planned to
complete the following projects this year:

1. Replacing four more AC units to complete the total refurbishment of the

entire campus HVAC system.
      2.   Construction of a new screen wall around the outside HVAC farm servicing the
             sanctuary building.
      3.   Installation of additional lights in the parking areas.
      4.   Various improvements to the landscaping of the entire campus.
 
Thank you again for your trust in our Trustees as we strive to keep our Northbrook
campus looking its best.
 
Blessings!
 
Allen Whittaker (Executive Director) and
Bill Noethling (Trustees Chair)