CURRENT

Dear Church Community:

As our state of Maine starts to emerge slowly from under the covers of winter and sheltering in place, we find ourselves hearing the questions from all around: “When will the churches reopen?”  People miss the sense of peace and camaraderie that they find within our walls.  There is something reassuring about sitting in the sanctuary, looking at the stained-glass windows and listening to the Sunday morning hum that is the church family gathering.  People have told us how much they miss just walking into the building and finding a friendly person to talk with, or the wise counsel of the pastor.  We feel as though we have lost something when we have lost our access to the church.  We feel alone and vulnerable.  Yes, even if you have never stepped into the church building, you always knew that you could—but now you can’t. 

We understand that feeling of loss; we feel it too.  But here’s the good news.  Everything that you look to the church for is still here!  While our physical building remains closed, the Church is very much alive and well.  Our windows still display their beautiful colors in the morning sun and the church bell still tolls daily at noon.  Our essential staff and members are still present throughout supporting the life of the church, carrying on the mission of our now “drive thru pantry”, of teaching and communicating and connecting in faith with all those who are sheltering in place.  

 In the next three to four weeks, we will be discerning and developing plans for how congregational worship will proceed as state and local restrictions begin to be lifted.  We will be using additional informational resources available from The Maine Council of Churches and the UCC Maine Conference.  These guidelines for each phase of the re-opening will be taken into consideration along with the specific needs of our congregation and local community.

In the meantime, please feel free to reach out to us by email at: office@highstreet-ucc.org, office phone at (207) 784-1306.