On Sunday, September 18, 2005, the Church and Parish opened an historic, new chapter in the ongoing story of our congregation. At back-to-back, well-attended meetings, the congregation voted unanimously to merge the Church and Parish structures into a single, unified entity to be called First Parish Church, United Church of Christ, of Brunswick, Maine. The Church Council now proposes a new set of by-laws to implement this merger.

The word "Parish" points to the past of the organization; to the felt responsibility to keep the Word of God alive in newly settled areas and a sense of responsibility for the community. The word "Church" points to a tradition of a covenant of belief and practice through the ages, with changes, splits, and mergers but always keeping covenant to be the Church.

This merger will bring the mission and management of First Parish Church together into a more straightforward structure. After four years of prayerful study and discussion, this vote signals our optimism and our willingness to continue building Christian fellowship in an always challenging world. With a wonderfully renovated home and a unified system of governance, we can face our future with new energy and enthusiasm.

As we look consider these by-laws, I encourage all of us to look beyond them and to reflect on what God calls us to be as a congregation. How do we support each other as we strive to meet the needs of our own community here in Midcoast Maine while also bearing witness to the poverty and injustices of the larger world? What will we do with the gifts that have been given to us?

I hope to see you on February 5th at the semi-annual meeting where we will discuss and vote on the by-laws.

Tim Glidden, Church Council Chair
tglidden@gwi.net.

NOTE: At the February 5th meeting, the church and the parish unanimously approved the merging of the two organizations and the new by-laws. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make this possible.