Our Mission
“The mission of this Church shall be to provide a house of public worship and prayer where the Word of God, as revealed in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as found in the Holy Scriptures, and as experienced throughout the history of the Christian Church, may be taught; to establish the principles of the Kingdom of God in our lives and in the life of our community and the world.”
Who We Are
The Presque Isle Congregational Church is an Open & Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a progressive, inclusive Protestant denomination committed to seeking a just and generous world for all.
Who are we? We’re a thriving church with a big-hearted, open-minded passion for exploring hard questions about how we are to live with each other for such a time as this. We’re striving to connect the dots of faith with our daily lives — through worship, prayer, study, service, and fellowship — as inquisitive followers of Jesus.
We aren’t called to do this alone. We are eager for curious companions on the way, that we all might more faithfully love and serve God, our neighbors, and all creation. Bring your questions. Join us on this journey of discovery!
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Our Leadership & Staff
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The Holy Spirit
The Paraclete
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Susan Morrill
Church Moderator
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Ginette Rivard
Church Clerk
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Melissa Vance
Church Admin Assistant
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Christine Standefer
Welcome & Care Ministry
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Steven Vance
Property & Finance Ministry
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Jennifer Gillis-White
Lay Worship Ministry
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Robert Grove-Markwood
Digital Ministry
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Meg Hegemann
Preaching Team
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Daniel Jackson
Preaching Team
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Claude Brissette
Church Treasurer
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Sara Harvey
Assistant Treasurer
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Meredith Donahue
Music Coordinator
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Barbara Merryman
Accompanist
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Bill Deschesne
Church Sexton
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Our Beliefs
“The faith which unites us and to which we bear witness is that faith in God which the Hebrew Scriptures and the writings of the New Testament set forth, which the early Church expressed in the ecumenical creeds to which our own spiritual forebears gave utterance in the Evangelical confessions of the Reformation, and which we are in duty bound to express in the words of our own time as God gives us understanding. In all our expressions of that faith we seek to preserve unity of heart and spirit with those who have gone before us as well as those who now labor with us.” (Our Church By-laws)
One simple way to articulate a core conviction that shapes what we believe is to point to the comma in our logo, which represents a theological tagline of the United Church of Christ, that “God is still speaking.”
“The UCC comma … was introduced as part of the “God is still speaking” identity campaign in 2004. That campaign quoted a line from Gracie Allen that her husband George Burns found among her papers after her death. In a letter addressed to him were the words, “George, never place a period where God places a comma.” A variation on that line, along with the graphic comma, has been used as a symbol and shorthand way to refer to “continuing testimony,” or the ever-unfolding nature of God’s word for new times.” (adapted from the UCC website)
Another way of expressing this is to say, as the ancient rabbis, that every generation has to make the faith its own. Or, as Pilgrim Pastor John Robinson said (1620), “I am verily persuaded the Lord hath more truth and light yet to break forth from His holy word.” God isn’t done with us yet!
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Open and Affirming
Open and Affirming (ONA) is the United Church of Christ’s (UCC) designation for congregations, campus ministries, and other bodies in the UCC which make a public covenant of welcome into their full life and ministry to persons of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions.
Over a two-year period, interrupted by COVID, our church committed to an Open and Affirming discernment process, chaired by Jennifer Gillis-White. It was an extended period of study, deep personal and group reflection, discussion, and decision-making that culminated in a special church meeting on October 23, 2021, and an affirmative vote to approve an Open and Affirming Covenant. It was truly an experience of faith formation for the whole church.
On November 7, 2021, we received acknowledgment of and appreciation for our Open and Affirming status from the Maine Conference, United Church of Christ.
We are certified as ONA Church #1749 by the ONA Coalition of the United Church of Christ, and have been recognized as such on the ONA map at openandaffirming.org/find. and the map of UCC congregations at ucc.org/church-finder.
Our Welcome Statement
The Presque Isle Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, is an Open and Affirming congregation that embraces Jesus’ teaching about God’s love for every person. We, therefore, welcome persons of any age, race, culture, nationality, and religious background; all sexual orientations and gender identities; persons of any marital, educational, or financial status; regardless of physical and mental health or ability. All are invited into full participation in the life of our faith community. We accept with gratitude the beautiful diversity of God’s creation as we share God’s love in our community and beyond.
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Our Affiliations
“The Church shall be a member of the United Church of Christ. We will maintain fellowship with the Katahdin Association, the Maine Conference, and the General Synod of the United Church of Christ. We also cherish the fellowship of other churches and will earnestly seek, so far as in us lies, to make the prayer of Jesus for His disciples come to pass, ‘that they may all be one.’” (Our Church By-laws)
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Our Governance
“This Church acknowledges Jesus Christ as its head. Our polity shall be congregational; i.e., our government shall be vested in our members, which means our congregation makes its own decisions regarding its leadership, finances, and direction. Our members are literally owners of our assets: spiritual and material. As stake holders, we ask all our members to take seriously the work we share in carrying out our mission, and caring for each other.
Our church welcomes into membership any baptized Christian upon confession or reaffirmation of faith, or, who presents a letter of transfer from another Christian church.” (Our Church By-laws)
Our Organizational Structure
The Church Council shall be the executive committee of the Church. As such, it shall act on behalf of the congregation in all spiritual and organizational matters requiring attention between Annual or special meetings, except as restricted by the By-Laws.
The Welcome and Care Ministry will tend to the needs of the congregation in the following ways:
Promoting hospitality in the Church -- this would include preparing the sanctuary for members and guests; assuring that there are greeters each Sunday morning; arranging fellowship around services and at other times as determined; helping to coordinate receptions following funerals and memorial services; preparation of the elements as we gather at the Lord’s Table.
Caring for members who are ailing, infirm and absent -- assuring that they know they are remembered and cared for.
Reviewing on a yearly basis the church membership rolls and making recommendations to the Church Council.
The Property and Finance Ministry (PFM) shall be responsible for the care and custody of all Church property; the maintenance, repair, and use of all Church buildings and grounds; and the financial affairs of the Church, …. It shall be the PFM’s duty to act as the Stewardship arm of the church, to raise the necessary funds for the operation and maintenance of the Church and its program; to prepare the Church budget for the ensuing year and present it to congregation for approval at the Annual meeting; and to approve all necessary and proper expenditures of Church funds.
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Our History
“The Congregational Church was organized in 1865 and the original church building was built on land donated by Sumner Whitney, one of Presque Isle's early pioneers. The son of famed author Harriet Beecher Stowe (Uncle Tom's Cabin), Charles Edward Stowe, became ordained as a pastor in 1878 and served as pastor here for six months in 1879. The church burned in 1909 and was re-built that same year. In 1937, street signs first made their appearance in Presque Isle. The idea is credited to the Young Peoples Society of the Congregational Church who designed, made, and installed the signs on power and telephone poles on corners. Amasa Howe, another early pioneer of Presque Isle who ran a grocery business on State and Main Streets, had a home behind the church on Second Street. His home, built in the 1880s, was razed in the 1960s to make way for the church's parking lot.”
— from Historical Society Plaque in front of Church