Gabriela Engholm ’27
In February, two consecutive weekends of heavy snowstorms brought forth something new to Gordon’s campus: a student-led church. The First Church of Bromley—“founded due to snow cancellation” of churches, according to the bulletin—was a small idea that grew to maturity in the span of a few days. The idea for a church service in Bromley started only about a week before when Matthew McCluskey’s (‘26) friends wanted to hear him preach and decided to give him the opportunity. With snow in the forecast, the group decided that if churches were closing, Bromley’s church would open. As many churches waited until Saturday night to decide whether they would be holding in-person services, the First Church of Bromley service was set up on extremely short notice. Two main contributors to the establishment of this new church were Jason Hubbard (‘25) and Spencer Keyes (‘26). Yes, they were the ones who stayed up printing bulletins until the printer was out of paper (bulletins which read “The First Chruch of Bromley”), but they were also the visionaries who set up a space for God’s people to gather when the snow would have left them isolated.
The First Church of Bromley’s mission was to provide a church community at Gordon when churches outside were unable to meet. Hubbard said “the goal was never to replace church,” but this was a special opportunity to welcome students who could have decided to take advantage of canceled church to stay in bed a little longer, but instead found themselves walking over to the Bromley basement, worshipping alongside peers they may never have met before. On February 9, Mccluskey shared a message about finding true sustenance in Jesus – the most healthy and most satisfying bread and water of which a person could ever partake. Violet Manson (‘25) and Jacob Bair (‘25) led worship. As the church sang, students continued to pour into the basement. With over fifty students present, all expectations of congregation size were surpassed. It was a beautiful picture of the Gordon community coming together in a new context; a Sunday morning in the Bromley basement, munching on cheese and sipping tea—refreshments thoughtfully arranged by Cassidy Smith (‘25).
Since snow was on the forecast for the following week and there was another friend the church wished to invite to preach, plans were tentatively made for the First Church of Bromley’s second-ever service. On February 16, snowstorms made it difficult for students to drive to church once more. Bromley’s basement again welcomed those students to join together in worship. The worship team from the previous week was joined by Naomi Nicholson (‘25), and Jesse Comanda (‘26) preached on the call for Christians to live generously—so generously that they are pushed to rely completely on God’s provision. Describing the First Church of Bromley, Comanda said the service was a “unique moment” that brought people from every corner of campus to worship the Lord. From freshmen to seniors, students to RDs, people were able to meet one another in a new context, knowing everyone had at least one thing in common: they were all there to praise God!
Should an aggressive snowstorm make its way to Wenham on another Sunday, perhaps the First Church of Bromley will resurface. It might be in a different building or even under different leadership, but the church’s vision — to lift fellow believers up in unity for God’s glory—will remain. The First Church of Bromley’s existence and success reveal two things about Gordon: its students yearn for connection and community and they are fully equipped to build spaces for both.
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