On June 29, Bishop S. Clifton Ives delivered a message during our Sunday worship that told of transitions during his ministerial career and offered heartfelt advice on how our congregation should make its own transition to a full-time minister serving three churches as part of the new Lighthouse Cooperative Parish.

Bishop Ives, who was our minister from 1961-68 and was responsible for the creation of our current building, revealed that his father was a minister, but that he did not want to follow in his father’s footsteps.

But through experiences at Camp Mechuwana, Sunday services at the University of Maine, and the Maine Christian Association, the outlook for his future began to change. Once, while working as a lifeguard at Mechuwana, he overheard a conversation between a man and a young woman with the man asking the woman to consider moving into ministry. Her response was, “I don’t want to be a minister, I want to marry one”. That woman was Jane, Cliff’s future wife.

Another time, Cliff was walking out on a dark night and suddenly experienced seeing the brilliance of the Northern Lights.

“I knew then,” he told our church on Sunday, “God was calling me.”

Transitioning to current day, Bishop Ives told our congregation that “this is a new time for the church, an exciting time, an exhilarating time”.

On July 1, tomorrow, the Rev. Gwyneth will become our new full-time minister, serving us, the Thornton Heights UMC, and Peoples UMC as part of the Lighthouse Parish. Pastor Gwyneth’s first service at our church will be Sunday, July 6 at 10:30 a.m. (not 10 a.m.). All of our services throughout July and August will be at 10:30 a.m. Starting times for the fall are still being worked out.

“This is an opportunity to do something new,” Bishop Ives said. “The three churches can do something together, something great. I pray we all are together. It’s going to be OK — I want us to welcome Gwyneth with open arms.”

Throughout July and August, Pastor Gwyneth will be preaching at all three churches each Sunday. Services will begin at 8:30 a.m. at Peoples, 9:30 a.m. at Thornton Heights, and 10:30 a.m. at our church. All services are planned to be 45 minutes. And because we are the last service of the day, the other churches are invited to join us for Fellowship Time after worship.

There will be a meet and greet at our church with Pastor Gwyneth after worship on Sunday, July 13.