Meet the Staff

Reverend Laura Biddle

Minister

Rev. Laura Biddle joined Brookside Church in June of 2019.  As minister, she is responsible for preaching and teaching the gospel, administering the sacraments and rites of the church, and providing pastoral care and leadership. She leads the weekly worship service and heads the ministry groups that serve the congregation and the Manchester community. She also lends her acoustic guitar and vocal talents to the services and works to ensure that everyone - particularly children feel welcome and are encouraged to participate.

Rev. Biddle graduated from Episcopal Divinity School in 1986. Her first call to ministry was serving women in prison at MCI Framingham. Teaching courses in economic development and family reintegration allowed her to encourage new pathways for women and their children. Through preaching in congregations around New England she became an advocate for the spiritual health and well-being of incarcerated women and their families. During this period of time, she worked closely on issues regarding domestic violence, drug and alcohol addiction, and community awareness of prisoners in Massachusetts.

In 1998, she was called to parish ministry. Serving congregations in Newburyport, Salem, Andover, West Concord, Weston, Boxford, and most recently, Nahant Massachusetts, she enjoyed both settled and interim ministries. Her commitment to creating and sustaining Open and Affirming congregations has been an important aspect of her ministry.

As a trained grief counselor, in 2009 she became the Spiritual Advisor to military families grieving suicide. Working with the staff of an organization called TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Project for Survivors), she continues to be committed to helping military and police families advance their spiritual health after a suicide.

For six years, she served as the part-time Chaplain at Salem State University, allowing her to bring a spiritual perspective to all academic areas. She also focused on the veterans program, the LGBTQ community, confidential conversations after a sexual assault, and the Diversity and Inclusivity Department.

Louise Popp

Church Administrator

Louise has been attending Brookside since the late 80’s and has been our church administrator since 2019. She has worked in the non-profit arena for the past 30 years as the Deputy Executive Director for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, serving MA, ME, NH, & RI and as Regional Vice President for the American Cancer Society, New England Division. Louise graduated from Southern New Hampshire University with a BS in Marketing/Management. 

Fran Hakenson

Called to Care Coordinator

Fran is the Called to Care Coordinator at Brookside and is responsible for overseeing the volunteers who care for the homebound. Fran is an ordained minister and provides communion and support to the homebound as well. Prior to joining Brookside, she served churches in Vermont and Eastern New York state for thirty-five years. She retired from full-time ministry in 2001 and moved back to NH in 2006. She has 6 children and 18 grandchildren.

Fran is a graduate of Plymouth High School in Plymouth, NH. She did her undergraduate work at Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio and received her Master of Divinity from Andover Newton Theological School and was ordained by the UCC in 1980.

Ken Clark

Co-Music Director

Ken Clark is internationally known as one of the world's greatest jazz organists. He has also been winner of New England Blues Society, "Keyboardist of the Year" in 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2015. Ken's technical ability joined with his natural feel for funk and soul makes a night with the Ken Clark Organ Trio an authentic, special one indeed. Ken Clark has toured and recorded with Bernard Purdie, Melvin Sparks and David "Fathead” Newman, The Blues Project, among others. He received his degree for arranging for large ensembles from Berklee College of Music in Boston and has been playing locally, nationally, and internationally ever since. Not only is he a hired recording artist on hundreds of other artist's CD’s, but also has produced many CD’s of his own original music with his group, the Ken Clark Organ Trio. Along with playing in concert halls and music venues playing jazz, blues, R&B, he is also a church organist and choir director on Sunday mornings.

Kim Clark

Co-Music Director
Kim Clark began her music career as a solo classical pianist and accompanist where she played at such places as the Currier Gallery of Art, Methuen Music Hall, Searles Castle, and also accompanied musical drama groups and soloists. She was even invited by a friend/opera singer where she played at The White House in D.C. as accompanist at a Christmas concert. She studied at DePaul University in Chicago and received a Bachelors Degree in Music Performance. Along with accompanying and soloing, she also became a private music teacher. To add a different flavor to her classical style of playing, she began playing keys in a classic rock band which is how she came to meet her husband, Ken Clark. She began studying Hammond organ and playing blues at occasional local jam sessions over the past few years. During Covid she began learning how to play drums and she and Ken play as a duo called "B3 and the Beat”. However, for the past 35 years she has been a church organist and choir director at various churches and denominations in the Manchester area.

Heath Auger

Sexton

Heath Auger is the sexton at Brookside Congregational Church. In this role, since 2008, he is responsible for the maintenance of the church facility that includes the historic Manning House, a chapel, sanctuary, fellowship hall, and additional buildings on the 10-acre estate. Heath is also responsible for special event support and maintenance. When the church was forced to go online only due to the pandemic, Heath stepped up to produce the live streamed worship services using his talents as an audio and video technician.

Heath is also very active in the church. He sings in the choir, plays the carillon (bells) in the church steeple, and is involved in numerous other volunteer projects.

Heath graduated from New Hampshire College with an associate’s degree in accounting.