About Hidden Brook

Hidden Brook is a contemplative service using prayer, scripture, Taize music, other music, poetry, readings and silence. We meet via Zoom at 6pm on the first Tuesday of each month. We also meet in-person at the church at 6pm on the third Tuesday of each month, with Zoom participation available.

For an invitation to the Zoom Hidden Brook service, contact Steve Steadman at sgsteadman@gmail.com.

This Week at Hidden Brook

Tuesday October 21) we will celebrate Hidden Brook IN PERSON in the sanctuary, as well as passively by Zoom, using our usual Zoom meeting information, that will be included in the invitation tomorrow, BEGINNING AT 6 PM (Note time change!) The emphasis will be on a more meditative experience, with candlelight. We will, however, pay special attention to Luke the Evangelist, whose feast day is October 18th. Note that "Luke is commonly thought to be the only non-Jewish New Testament writer." That will pique your interest! If you would like an invitation to the Zoom meeting, contact Steve Steadman sgsteadman@gmail.com.

Keep meditating! Keep praying!

Words ABOUT SILENCE

Sometimes we don’t say anything. Sometimes

we sit on the deck and stare at the masses of

goldenrod where the garden used to be

and watch the color change from day to day,

the high yellow turning to mustard and at last

to tarnish. Starlings flitter in the branches

of the dead hornbeam by the fence. And are these

therefore the procedures of defeat? Why am I

saying all this to you anyway since you already

know it? But of course we always tell

each other what we already know. What else?

It’s the way love is in a late stage of the world.

      - "Silence" by Hayden Carruth

Why Hidden Brook?

Our name "The Hidden Brook" resonates on several levels, both historic and spiritual. Literally, it describes the underground stream that runs down Russell Avenue and irrigated the celery farms that were on this land before the church was built. It was also the name of Good Shepherd's first nursery school. And now, for CGS's Thursday night community in the 21st century, it evokes the spiritual hidden brooks in all our lives -- sources of peace and refreshment that we can touch more deeply by spending time on our inner journeys -- individually, yet still together.

What is TAIZÉ?

Taizé services are characterized by quiet and candlelight, the repetition of melodious chants sung many times in many languages, a period of silence, and contemplative prayer. Let the songs sing themselves in you. Once you catch the tune, let yourself find the words -- in your heart or as you listen to your brothers and  sisters as they sing. Let your spirit move along  the path provided by rhythmic repetition, deeper and deeper into the stillness  and beauty of God's presence.

AT ANY TIME DURING AN IN-PERSON HIDDEN BROOK SERVICE, FEEL FREE TO

  • Light a candle,

  • hold an object from the altar,

  • or move to any part of the church you prefer.