Contact information for the Maine Council of Churches office:

Phone: 207-772-1918                   
Mailing Address:  19 Pleasant Avenue, Portland, ME  04103
Map of Council Office Area

Office E-mail:  info@mainecouncilofchurches.org
Rev. Jill Saxby: jsaxby@mainecouncilofchurches.org
Rev. Doug Cruger: dcruger@mainecouncilofchurches.org

Click here to view information on our staff

Click here to view a listing of the Board of Directors of the Maine Council of Churches

Our Mission

Rooted in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, our mission is to inspire congregations and persons of faith to unite in good works that build a culture of justice, compassion and peace.

Focus

Helping congregations build sustainable community through practicing environmental and economic justice in our own neighborhoods and beyond.

Our Identity and Values

This is the task we choose:

  • To discern the “signs of the times” and to proclaim a prophetic message about what God is doing in the world and how people are called to respond.To help members be “a light to the nations” by exerting shared moral leadership to address fundamental human issues, guided by the prophetic witness of the Bible and the teaching and example of Jesus Christ.
  • To build a compassionate, just, and sustainable society through collaboration and coalition with diverse faith communities and the wider society.

Impact

  • BUILDING SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY

Through its “Be a Good Apple!” pledge project, our work with Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), and other environmental justice initiatives, the Council helps interested congregations to establish relationships with local farm producers and to encourage their members to pledge $10 in local food purchases each week.

  • LOCAL SOLUTIONS TO GLOBAL WARMING

As the faith-based member of “Maine Partners for Cool Communities” (the other four being the American Lung Association, Maine Energy Investment Corporation, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and the Sierra Club), the Council works with its partners to empower communities to solve global warming “one Maine community at a time,” by building a clean energy economy and improving public health through cleaner air.

  • POVERTY AND HOMELESSNESS.

Through projects such as “Hear Our Stories, Know Our Names” (a drama developed and performed by Portland-area Mainers who have been or are now homeless) and other congregation-supported initiatives, the Council encourages religious and community leaders to work together to address the inequities inherent in the systems by which services are delivered to the poor, services that may be actually be undermining the best intentions of both community and religious leaders.

  • TRIBAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The Council continues to build relationships with Maine’s four Native tribes. Its recent “Giving Winds Campaign,” in partnership with Four Directions Development Corporation, leveraged $1.4 million in new capital for low-interest economic development loans to Maine’s Native Americans.

  • INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE.

The Council works closely with the Interfaith Maine and Jewish and Muslim religious leaders to build interreligious relationships that enrich the community and reduce misunderstandings among neighbors.

  • EMERGENCY RELIEF.

Through its Emergency Flood Recovery Agency (a non-profit MCC agency borne at the height of Maine’s 1987 flood) the Council stands ready to receive and quickly dispense relief funds should another catastrophic emergency befall Maine people.

  • RESTORATIVE JUSTICE.

The Council has earned a central place at the table wherever reform of the Criminal Justice system is considered.

  • A MORAL VOICE.

The Council’s guidance on questions of ethics and public morality is sought by both by Maine’s state legislators and its congressional delegation.

  • PEACE AND JUSTICE

The Council works in coalition with many other organizations, such as the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, to witness and advocate for human rights and peace.

Our Members and Friends

The member denominations of the Maine Council of Churches are:

We currently have 7 Associate Members:

We work in coalition with interfaith and community partners on issues of common concern. Among our coalition partners are:

 

The Maine Council of Churches is a proud member of MaineShare www.maineshare.org

 

These are just some of the many ways in which the Maine Council of Churches works in Maine communities. If you would like more information about any of these projects, or would like to know how you can get involved or support our efforts, contact the Council office at 207-772-1918 or by e-mail at info@mainecouncilofchurches.org