BRANDYWINE
COLLABORATIVE MINISTRIES
About BCM
Our Mission
Brandywine Collaborative Ministries (BCM) is a partnership of three congregations: Grace Episcopal Church, Episcopal Church of the Ascension, and Calvary-Hillcrest Episcopal Church. As partners with God and each other in mission to God’s world, we faithfully strive to:
- Live into and spread the Good News of God in Christ.
- Develop together relevant and vital ministries to reach Brandywine Hundred and beyond.
- Strengthen the mission and ministry of our three congregations.
Summer schedule continues!
Clergy schedule for July 2019:
About Grace
Grace Episcopal Church
Nestled in the heart of the Brandywine Valley, Grace Episcopal Church retains much of the charm of the farm community from which it sprang. As the oldest Episcopal Church in the Brandywine Hundred, the congregation was first housed in an early stone school-house purchased and refitted for church services in December, 1835.
Our current home dates back to 1872, when 100 acres were purchased to build a church and cemetary. The original stone chapel was completed and the first worship service and dedication took place on July 4, 1875.
That legacy of tradition offers both opportunities and challenges as we embrace the increasing pace of life in the twenty-first century. Like our earliest forebearers, we don't all agree how best to meet these challenges, but we agree that through nurturing faith, and church family, and instilling a deep knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ, we can journey forward as the Lord calls us.
About Ascension
Episcopal Church of the Ascension
Whatever your background, you have a place with us. We are a congregation drawn from many ethnic, theological, economic, and political backgrounds. Our congregation welcomes diversity within our midst, just as our Creator has celebrated diversity. We truly are a house of prayer for all people!
About Calvary
Calvary Episcopal Church, Hillcrest
Calvary Episcopal Church is located just north of Wilmington, Delaware and just south of Bellefonte. We are a Christian community in the American Episcopal tradition. We welcome all people and seek to live as faithful witnesses to the message of Christ through worship and through service to others, reflecting the manifest glory of God.
Please look around our website and feel at home. We have been a vibrant part of the community in North Wilmington, Delaware, near Bellefonte, for over 150 years.
Message from The Reverend
The Rev. Dr. Ketlen A. Solak
Thank you for visiting the Brandywine Collaborative Ministries Website. We hope that you will gain a sense of the scope of the ministries of the three Episcopal Churches who function as equal partners in this new and innovative approach to ministry in the Diocese of Delaware.
The prayer of our congregations at Church of the Ascension, Calvary, and Grace is for God to guide us so that we may grow stronger in service to our community and share the love of Jesus Christ, our redeemer, steadfast companion, and chief partner in ministry.
We hope that you will consider coming in person for a visit at any one of our three churches to worship with us on a Sunday morning. You can find out more information about each church through the links provided at this site. It would be our privilege to welcome you.
Faithfully,
The Rev. Dr. Ketlen A. Solak
BCM Covenant Rector