ADDRESS: 282 Main St.

DENOMINATION/AFFILIATION: United Church of Christ

HISTORY: The Congregational Church has been at the center of Cumberland since before it was a town or Maine was a state.

Founded in 1793, the church often served in the New England tradition as the meetinghouse for the town, including as the location for high school graduations. The church continues to make its facilities available for Girl Scout and Boy Scout meetings, Lions Club meetings, and other community groups and activities.

Like most of the Congregational churches in Maine, it joined the United Church of Christ following its formation in 1957.

The chancel choir, bell choir and youth choir provide varied and inspirational music for worship. A well-kept George Stevens tracker organ dates from the 1860s. Instrumentalists often enhance the musical offerings.

Church school is offered for children through sixth grade. The Faith and Inspiration Rotation (FAIR) model is used, providing the opportunity to learn the stories of faith through different modalities.

Nursery and preschool classes are also offered. An active Sunday evening program engages youths in grades 7 through 12 in opportunities for fellowship and service.

Through a successful capital campaign, the church recently completed an enlargement and renovation of the parish hall portion of its building, as well as an expansion of the parking lot.

The church operates a food pantry and members serve regularly at the soup kitchen in Portland. The church was the originator of the continuing Good Friday Walk for Habitat for Humanity, and provides Christmas gifts for The Root Cellar in Portland and to families in Cumberland and North Yarmouth.

The church recently opened its Main Street Children’s Center, providing preschool opportunities five days a week.

As one of the earliest local supporters of Safe Passage in Guatemala, the church has sent numerous mission groups there. The groups are always half composed of teenagers to ensure that young people have a global understanding and experience.

Among the church’s newer outreach activities is a wood bank. Members haul, cut, split and deliver firewood to people in need, and use the proceeds from the sale of cord wood to provide fuel assistance to local families.

The Green Team is leading the church in its efforts to become more environmentally friendly, as well as offering educational talks and workshops for the community at large.

WORSHIP SERVICES: 9:30 a.m. Sundays. Special seasonal services are also held.

CONTACT: 829-3419; www.cumberlanducc.org

 

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