Brookwood Baptist dedicates NEW chapel—learn about the meaningful addition

Brookwood Baptist Medical Center held a dedication of its new chapel yesterday, August 15. Keep reading to learn about the new chapel and hear from the people behind it all.

Exciting new space

CEO Jeremy Clark welcomed the guests who came to see this beautiful new space. Along with the other leaders who spoke, he expressed his gratitude and excitement about Brookwood Baptist’s new chapel and the blessing it will be.

“This beautiful new space, our chapel, is going to be such a great addition to our organization. We know that it will be such a benefit and blessing to our patients, our employees, our medical staff and our community who come to us in need of healing.”

Jeremy Clark, CEO, Brookwood Baptist Health

The chapel was provided by Baptist Health Foundation and dedicated in loving memory of dedicated board member and chairman, Avery Clenney.

An impactful addition

There are so many amazing things happening at Brookwood Baptist Medical Center, from the addition of new services to investments in new technology to bringing on additional high quality physicians and new staff to care for patients. But for Jeremy Clark, the chapel takes the cake.

“Right now, there are so many exciting things going on in our hospital, but I know that when we look back on this year, and we look at the events and everything that we did, I know that we will look at this chapel as one of the things that had the most lasting impact to our organization, our employees, our patients and our community. “

Jeremy Clark, CEO, Brookwood Baptist Health

Hospital chaplains stepped up during hard times

This new space will allow hospital chaplains at Brookwood Baptist to continue their amazing work. Pastor Jim Cooley expressed his gratitude for those chaplains and the great impact they have on the community they serve.

Throughout the worst times of the pandemic, so many people felt the helplessness of not being able to be with friends and loved ones in hospitals.

“Without a doubt, for me, the most frustrating thing of these last few years was simply that I did not have access to Brookwood hospital, or any of the other hospitals in the city.”

Dr. Jim Cooley, Pastor, First Baptist Church of Birmingham

For a while throughout the pandemic, as people were being taken care of, pastors and visitors were asked to stay away for the health and safety of everyone. People were sick, surgeries were performed, babies were born and people were lost. This was especially tough for pastors like Jim Cooley who had no way of being present with the families of his church.

Cooley’s personal heroes during this time were the hospital chaplains, the ones who were willing to go about their ministry and take personal risks during those days of uncertainty without hesitation.

“When I could not visit my people, they were there. They made sure that folks were going to be cared for, listened and prayed when patients and their families were afraid, struggling and grieving. Our chaplains offered the comfort and care that nobody else could offer.”

Dr. Jim Cooley, Pastor, First Baptist Church of Birmingham

Thanks to the Baptist Health Foundation

According to Jeremy Clark, none of this would be possible at all without the great work and dedication of the Baptist Health Foundation and its CEO, Amy Allen. The hospital and the foundation are honored to be able to offer people a dedicated place to come and to pray, sit, be still.

The new space was designed by Design Innovations.

“We want the chapel to be a place that provides a setting where families can come and be blessed, where they can worship, gather and share their hurts. A place for grieving people who need to pray, a place where chaplains can enter and carry out their ministry of serving patients and staff.”

Dr. Jim Cooley, Pastor, First Baptist Church of Birmingham

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