Welcome!
Whoever you are…
Welcome to the Maine Conference United Church of Christ (UCC)!
We are home to nearly 150 congregations spread out across the state of Maine who gather to celebrate, express, and discover our faith. Our congregations all serve their communities in varying but impactful ways. From food banks to fuel assistance and from gathering spaces to immigration assistance, our congregations are helping do their part to make Maine a more welcoming, connected, and vital place.
…Wherever you are on life’s journey.
Meet Our Conference Minister
The Rev. Dr. Marisa Laviola was called as our Conference Minister on August 6th, 2022 and began her ministry on October 26th. She comes to us via Penn Central, where she served as Associate Conference Minister, and from Vermont and Massachusetts where she served as a local church pastor. .
Marisa is thrilled to partner with clergy and lay folk in our conference, as we discern as faith partners, the vision and mission of our ministry into the 21st century. She brings a wealth of experience and love for the United Church of Christ. She and her spouse Carol live in Augusta. They have two grown children, Kristyn and Kathryn.
Our Congregations in the News
Sunflowers for Ukraine
Inspired to find balance and share a sign of peace in the heartbreaking situation in Ukraine, Nicki Piaget turned to clay, polymer clay that is, as working with it has been “very therapeutic” over the years. Nicki made a huge sunflower cane, as the sunflower is the national flower of Ukraine, and also symbolizes peace. She felt led to raise “a little” money for relief efforts for this desperate situation. As she shared the idea at Church, Nicki donated all the materials and her time. Orders poured in and many folks at Cumberland UCC now wear these sunflowers and have shared them with others! Because of this love in action, the Congregational Church in Cumberland, UCC has sent $3,200 (much more than they imagined possible) to the UCC fund to provide humanitarian aid for Ukrainians. The United Church of Christ has been distributing these funds.
One way to look at it would be to say that sunflowers have meant fresh baked bread! For example, the UCC sent….$12,000 to “provide one month of solidarity support to the Reformed Church in Transcarpathia, in Ukraine’s west, through a Global Ministries partner, the Reformed Church in Hungary. The Reformed Church has seen 30 percent of its 65,000 members flee the violence, yet most pastors and church leaders remain, housing 5,500 displaced people in the church’s boarding schools, kindergartens, diaconal and social institutions, parish halls and community centers. The Church’s bakery gives a portion of the 500 loaves of bread baked daily to the refugee work and the rest to area residents. Three times a week, twice the usual amount is baked and then driven to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, along with durable food and hygiene products, to relieve the regions hit by the war. ”
“It has helped during these challenging times to remember the power of beauty, creativity, and love in action” said Rev. Allison Smith, “Because sometimes sunflowers (made with love) mean that others facing unimaginable difficulties will have the blessing of fresh baked bread.”
More Stories!
Gunther Receives United Ways 2022 Community Impact Award
Read about how Jodie Gunther’s mission-focused programs for youth at Old South Congregational Church in Farmington.
"Sock Garden" in Bangor Provides New Pairs of Socks to People in Need
See how the York Street Sock Garden is a collaborative effort between a church and a temple in Bangor to address a need of those who are less fortunate.
Congregation Looks Into Selling Historic Woodfords Parish House
Read about how a Woodfords Congregational Church task force recommends selling part of the building to use for senior housing.
Saco Diaper Bank Dispensed 63,142 Diapers in One Year
Read about the mission of the Diaper Bank at First Parish Congregational UCC in Saco and how volunteers set a record by passing out a total of 2,220 diapers to 40 families in one day.
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Thank you for supporting our work.
