What is Mission at the Eastward

Mission at the Eastward was organized in 1954 by the National Board of Missions of the Presbyterian Church. The founding purpose of the Mission was to provide a Christian witness to rural communities in West Central Maine. The Christian witness took two forms: organizing congregations in underserved communities and providing social outreach. The name Mission at the Eastward remembers the eighteenth century Presbytery at the Eastward located in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

Mission at the Eastward is a cooperative parish. The key word is "cooperative." The Mission was organized to support the ministry of newly organized Presbyterian congregations serving small, rural communities. Both congregations and pastors depended upon one another. At our core was a deep sense of commitment. Another key word in our life is "mission." Mission means service. For fifty years, Mission at the Eastward through its member churches and ministries has provided much needed services to our communities. Mission at the Eastward is a family of congregations and ministries working together in a common effort. We are not in competition with one another. Our goal is to strengthen one another, to build up our family.

Mission at the Eastward will continue to build upon its legacy of Christian witness to rural Maine communities by supporting congregations and ministries to communities. What is important to understand is that Mission at the Eastward is more than a collection of congregations and ministries. All together we form a unique shape of a church family; our whole is much larger than sum of our parts.

For fifty years Mission at the Eastward has seen itself as a mission of the Presbyterian Church, USA. We are strong proponents of the connectional nature of the Presbyterian Church. We have been financially and prayerfully supported by the Presbyterian Church and we have contributed to building up the life of the church through our witness.

Mission at the Eastward is composed of three ministries.

  • Ministry of Churches
  • Ministry of Witness and Outreach
  • Ministry of Staff

Ministry of Churches

The original purpose of Mission at the Eastward was to support the ministry of newly organized congregations. Mission at the Eastward continues to support the ministry of local churches by:

  • providing pastoral compensation and support
  • providing a pastoral staff relationship for parish ministers
  • providing resources in Christian education, elder and deacon training...
  • providing education and worship opportunities: pulpit exchanges, Advent and Lent worship services...
  • providing ministry opportunities: camping, youth ministry...
  • provide mission opportunities: East Parish Housing Ministry (EPHM) and North Parish Housing Ministry (NPHM), South Africa Partnership, Safe Visitors for Families at Risk, Camp at the Eastward, Youth Ministries...

The Churches of Mission at the Eastward include:

  • United in Christ Presbyterian, Starks, Maine
  • Fairbanks Union Church, Farmington, Maine
  • Hartford Community Church, Hartford, Maine
  • Leeds Community Church, Leeds, Maine
  • New Portland Community Church, New Portland, Maine
  • North New Portland Community Church, North New Portland, Maine
  • North Turner Union Presbyterian Church, North Turner, Maine
  • Wales Presbyterian Church, Wales, Maine

Ministry of Witness and Outreach

A founding principle of Mission at the Eastward is social witness to the community and beyond. For its earliest days when the National Presbyterian Board of Sunday School Missions sent missioners to communities without churches to organize Vacation Bible Schools, Sunday Schools and school-based reading programs, MATE has had a strong social witness in their communities. Today, this tradition of social witness reaches beyond our local communities and serves the West Central Maine region and as far away as South Africa.

The Ministry of Witness and Outreach include:

  • Camp at the Eastward
  • East Parish Housing Ministry (EPHM) - Somerset County
  • North Parish Housing Ministry (NPHM) - Franklin County
  • South Africa Partnership
  • Youth Connection

Ministry of Staff

The MATE Staff will consist of two groups: Pastors serving congregations, those serving in a pastoral capacity and those preparing for parish minstry; and the Ministries Staff made up of those who are called to ministry positions by the MATE Assembly. The Ministries Staff meets at least semi-annually. These positions of service would include:

  • Mission,  Associate, and Program Coordinators
  • EPHM/NPHM Coordinators
  • Youth Connection Coordinator
  • South Africa Partnership Coordinator