Mission to Maine
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The village of West Mills, our partner community in rural Maine, is a community that watches as their Presbyterian church threatens to rot into the ground. Our pastor, Rev. Nate Phillips, grew up in this church. One day, not so long ago, it was home to Sunday morning services, Sunday school programs, Vacation Bible School, volleyball teams, a widely popular drama troupe "The Eastward Players" and youth choir - the "Sparrow's Song Youth Choir". Today it suffers from mold, drainage problems, and other upkeep issues. Red Clay Creek Presbyterian Church has partnered with the church and community to restore the building (see video below) for the purpose of developing a creative arts center for youth and families. We envision future years of ministry with the West Mills Church where we will bring children’s programs, drama workshops, art classes, etc. In 2011, we completed this EXTREME CHURCH MAKEOVER. In the 1940s a young Presbyterian minister, the Rev. William J. Burger, Jr., visited the logging camps of the Northern Forest as a lumberjack sky pilot. In his travels, Bill noticed the large number of rural Maine communities where churches had been closed. Bill’s dream was to organize Presbyterian churches to serve these small towns. Supported by the National Board of Missions, Mission at the Eastward (MATE), a cooperative parish of churches and outreach ministries, was organized in 1954. The first motto of the Mission continues to describe its life: to reach the last house on the last road. As part of our mission partnership with MATE, Red Clay Creek Presbyterian church follows in Rev. Burger's footsteps. Personal Testimony Contributed by Austin Lundstrom This was my first mission trip to Maine, and this has been a real life changing trip for me spiritually. When I first came to Maine, I was really homesick. I was longing to come home, but when I started working on Monday, I started feeling a lot better about being here. The workers on the site were so determined and dedicated to get the Sparrows’ Nest and Isabel’s house completely refurbished. Once they got a job from an adult, they were ready for it. It didn’t matter whether it was scraping or painting walls, placing tiles, or putting something together. They did it and didn’t stop until that task was completed. The activities we did after work were really fun. We played games on Saturday, saw movies on Monday, and went to the bowling alley on Wednesday. We all had a joy of a time and it was a great time to relax and have fun after an arduous day of work. The food was well prepared. Whether it was pancakes for breakfast or a Mexican dinner, the cooks were ready for it and they did a fantastic job in the kitchen. Maine has definitely changed me spiritually. I’m so glad that I got to experience hard work on the sites, everlasting fun after it, and great food to enjoy. I will definitely come back to Maine for 2012, and I will bring my beloved family here to experience all these awesome aspects of the trip! |
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Read our blog posts from the 2011 trip
Read more about our program! |
