Church, pastor find new meaning in new year

As revelers rang in the New Year with late night partying, some churches brought in the year with prayer. At Elgin's Second Baptist Church, which is predominantly African-American, last night's Watch Night service honored more than just a new calendar.

Watch Night vigils date back to the Moravians in the 1700s but took on new significance on New Year's Eve of 1862. Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation in September of that year, declaring freedom for slaves on Jan. 1, 1863. Blacks who were gathered for prayer and reflection the night before also eagerly awaited word that they were officially and forever free.

Before emancipation, Watch Night was an entirely spiritual observance, but since 1862 - when it was known as "Freedom's Eve" - the annual event also celebrates the end of slavery.

"If you grew up in the black community, you probably heard of Watch Night," said Glenda Hodges, director of public relations at Second Baptist. "It's a big deal."

At the Elgin church, 1280 Summit St., the two-hour service is marked by testimonies, choir pieces and a sermon by the Rev. Nathaniel Edmond. At midnight, worshipers gather at the altar to pray, and then after all the "Happy New Years" have been passed around, deacons serve up a dinner of chicken, meatballs, salads and desserts.

"I look forward to it personally," Hodgdes said, "because it's a time for reflection at the end of the year and to look over how good God has been and how his grace and mercy have sustained us."

New year, new pastor: First Presbyterian Church in Elgin is bringing in the new year with a new pastor. The Rev. Karen Brugler arrived just last week from South Bend, Ind., and is currently settling in to her new home in South Elgin.

Brugler didn't start her career in church work; for many years, in fact, she wasn't even attending. A licensed clinical social worker with a Northwestern University business degree, she has worked as an administrative director in psychiatric services for youth and as a manager in health care consulting for Ernst & Young.

"The call (to ministry) came after my father died and I was seeking to return to church," Brugler said. "I had been away for many years."

Evanshire Presbyterian Church in Skokie seemed to be just what she was looking for, and "I became an elder and the clerk of session, and during my stay at Evanshire I sensed a call to ministry.

"You get to a point where you feel yourself being led and you can't not do it," Brugler said.

When she told her mother she was headed for seminary, her mom wasn't a bit surprised.

She told Brugler a story she'd never heard before. Shortly after Brugler was born, her mother went to a worship service where the speaker asked if anyone there would be willing to dedicate a child to missions.

"She went forward and never told anyone for almost 50 years," Brugler said.

She asked her mom if she'd ever wanted to give up on waiting for her to go into ministry, "and she said, 'Sometimes these things take a little longer than we would like.'"

Brugler had only been at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary for one week in September 2001 when she walked into a room full of people gathered around a TV.

"I looked at that television set just at the moment that second plane crashed into the building," she said, "and I thought, 'This is going to change my ministry forever.'"

The events of 9/11 did affect her years in seminary, she said.

"I came out into the world after that experience; the world had changed, and I would not have noticed it so much if I was just doing a regular job and not in seminary."

She found the world to be more violent and people more fearful, she said.

Brugler said her call to ministry has been reaffirmed many times and that she finds the Elgin church, her second pastorate, to be an especially good fit.

Besides her experience as a therapist and administrator, "I bring a love and gift of preaching and a passion for justice and social ministry," she said. "This church was a very good fit for my gifts because of their commitment to social justice and care for the disadvantaged."

In her "downtime," Brugler climbs mountains and travels the country.

"I'm trying to see all the national parks, and I've seen two-thirds," she said. "The problem is, the other one-third are really hard to get to."

• "In the Spirit" covers churches and synagogues in the Fox Valley area; contact cmchojnacki@yahoo.com to submit information or ideas for upcoming columns.