An open letter to the Gorham Town Council:

I write to you concerning the recent controversy regarding the payment for annual maintenance of the town clock located in our building. I write as the senior minister of First Parish Congregational Church, but as always, I can only speak for myself and not for the entire congregation, which is as diverse and opinionated as your own constituencies.

Please forgive the open nature of this communication, but as so much of the misunderstanding that has passed between the town and the church lately has happened in open meetings covered by our local press, it seems appropriate for this letter of clarification to be written openly as well.

On watching the Town Council meetings in December and January via our local access television station, I was stunned by what I saw. The level of apparent animosity directed toward the church from some members of the council was disturbing and quite confusing.

Let me first clarify the church’s actions and understandings regarding the clock. When the Town Council agreed to return the clock to its historic home, the decision (though I agreed with it) was not without complications for us. We clearly agreed to pay for its annual maintenance (according to our original proposal to the town, accepted by your then chair, Norman Justice) “until such time as the town shall agree to resume that responsibility.” From the start, some members of the church were not happy about committing our congregation to maintaining the town’s property at some considerable expense over the course of the next 99 years.

As a result, the church leadership agreed to raise the issue in negotiations with the town. At a meeting here in early 2008, we did that and received assurances that it was still, at least, an open issue. At no time did we plan to refuse to provide or pay for that maintenance in the meantime.

When we received letters from the Town Manager about what we were doing to provide for that maintenance, we should have responded in a more timely fashion, and for that I personally apologize. We didn’t respond because we had not yet decided how to approach the maintenance issue.

We had not yet developed a plan and hence had nothing to communicate and the time, for annual maintenance was not even close. Response seemed unnecessary. When the time for maintenance arrived, the church arranged it and paid for it as agreed. A member of our church later asked a Town Council member if he could arrange for us to have a discussion with the appropriate town body about the future of the maintenance. And that is all that we ever did.

The response was inexplicable. In December, the church was referred to in an open council meeting as “fraudulent,” “deceptive,” “operating in bad faith.” In January, our moderator (a hard-working volunteer) was belittled, condescended to and treated with abusive disrespect when he came before the council to try to explain. The church was said to be “welshing” on the agreement and called an

“organization in disarray.” I was personally mentioned in a very unflattering light even though I had worked to stay out of the entire issue.

I fail to understand the virulence of these responses to a simple request to discuss the clock maintenance. It is baffling to see the town’s oldest religious institution attacked for so little reason. I would have thought that members of our Town Council owed it to all of our citizens to treat guests at meetings with respect and to approach our other town institutions with respect and civility.

First Parish is an extraordinary community. We have served the people of this town since 1750 (which actually makes us older than the town government incorporated in 1763). We give over $2,000 in direct aid each year to Gorham people in need. We helped to establish the town’s food pantry and support it with regular and major donations.

We provide space free of charge to over 40 local organizations. We sponsor Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. We provide meals for the elderly, food baskets to the needy on holidays, and youth programs open to all and serving many beyond our congregation.

We serve our town well and do our utmost to embody God’s love here in Gorham. This is not to even mention the huge efforts we make to embody that love both regionally and internationally.

Members of this church are also largely citizens of our town. We want the best for Gorham, as I know you do as well. We have no quarrel with our town government. We wish to accord you the respect and gratitude that you deserve for your hours and hours of service. We hope for nothing but cooperation and mutual good work. Please accord our church that same respect.

The Town of Gorham paid nothing for the restoration of the clock or for its reinstallation. All of that was done with private donations. I applaud the members of the council who helped to raise those donations. But much effort and labor was contributed by the members of the church.

We have honored our agreement in every particular (in some cases, way beyond what it called for) and will continue to do so. I applaud your willingness to take over the responsibility for the maintenance of your property.

Let us please go on from here with an attitude of mutual respect. No religious community should ever have to pay the kind of price in reputation and public image that we have had to pay in working with our town government.

I thank you for your time and hope to meet each of you in the future with friendship and good feeling. Our whole community, I’m sure, would want that as well.

The Rev. David E. Butler is senior minister of the First Parish Congregational Church, UCC in Gorham.

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