Brookfield Congregational United
Church of Christ - Compiled by Robert Cummisford
In the beginning there was no City of Brookfield, no BCC and no UCC.
Events started to change in 1954 when the City of Brookfield was created by
incorporating 16 square miles of town land. This led to increased population
as people moved out of the big cities to the quieter country side. Among
these new people was a group that wanted a Congregational church that was
close by.
On January 15, 1956 three couples met to discuss the need for a
Congregational church in the new City of Brookfield. The three couples were
Dave and Claire Akemann, Don and Lou Niles, and John and Jean Born. They
decided to place an informational ad in the local paper and encouraged other
interested families to join them for worship in the basement of Cottage
School, where CVS Pharmacy is now. The group was aided and abetted by the
Reverend Neil Swanson, the minister of Wauwatosa Congregational Church.
By February 1956 twenty people were meeting in planning sessions. In March
fifty people signed a covenant to unite as a church. In April 1956 regular
weekly Sunday morning worship services began in the basement of Cottage
School with Sunday School classes held in upstairs classrooms. A pot luck
supper, the first social get-together, was attended by ninety-three people.
In October 1956, sixty-three charter members were received into membership
of the Brookfield Congregational Church. I was told by one of those, that
there was a difference of opinion about the name. Some wanted to call the
new church the Elmbrook Church. A vote was taken and BCC was agreed to.
According to my source, none left the church over this.
Meanwhile there was a movement to merge the Congregational Christian
Churches with the Evangelical and Reformed Churches. In 1957 this came
about. Because of the different ways the two denominations were structured,
all the E & R churches automatically became part of the new United Church of
Christ. Each Congregational Church had to decide for themselves whether to
join the UCC or to stay independent. BCC voted to join the UCC by a vote of
54 to 46. In spite of the close vote, there was no dissention as the church
moved ahead in the UCC. The merging of these two denominations brought
together four streams of Protestantism - Congregational, Christian,
Evangelical and Reformed. The UCC is sometimes described as a fellowship of
many Christians under Christ, the sole head of the church.
Also in 1957 the BCC bought the seven acres of land the Sanctuary and
parking lot are on. A call was extended to Trevor Hausske to be the first
full time minister. Trevor accepted and put his missionary experience in
China to good use expanding the BCC congregation. In 1958 plans for a church
were obtained and ground was broken December 1, 1958. The church was
dedicated October 4, 1959. The BCC grew and prospered.
