Vision Statement
"Mission at the Eastward cooperates, as a parish of congregations and ministries located in West Central Maine bound together in Christ to witness and work by reaching out both locally and globally to individuals, congregations and communities by creating a place where God's gifts and graces are multiplied and exemplified."
What is in a name?
Mission at the Eastward believes that the name of our cooperative parish is important for three reasons: first, it is historic, remembering the eighteenth century "Presbytery at the Eastward" located in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Second, what distinguishes Mission at the Eastward is that it is a mission, it has characteristics that are different from a collection of congregations. Third, mission implies service. We see ourselves in ministry to a region - West Central Maine.
Cooperates
The word "cooperates" reminds me of Paul's opening words to the Romans "so that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine." At the core of the vision of Mission at the Eastward is a family of churches 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 of churches and ministries.
A Parish of congregations and ministries.
The ancient word "parish" is very important in this statement. Parish means everyone and everything within a geographical region. Parish means our congregations and ministries are tied together. Each individual congregation and ministry has its own integrity as a body. The word parish suggests that there is something we have together that we do not have separately. We are continually defining what it means to live together as a "parish of congregations and ministries." We are committed to this.
Located in Western Central Maine
Place is very important. People love this region. The life of our churches and ministries grow out of the strong traditions of this region. Once self-sufficient agricultural communities, the place where Mission at the Eastward serves face huge economic challenges.
Bound Together in Christ
Our half century spirit of cooperation is founded on our understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is our foundation. Christ calls us to "life together," to be a people who are a community of forgiveness and reconciliation. We strive to live this reconciling spirit in practical terms-within the life of the churches and in our communities by our service.
To Witness and Work
This line of the Vision Statement describes what we do. We witness in Sunday morning worship. Our strongest witness is our commitment to serve in small, economically struggling communities that on their own could not support the full ministries we offer. We work together. "The work of our hands," (Psalm 90) is the tradition of this part of Maine. We are people who work with our hands. At Camp at the Eastward we build a magnificent new dining facility, at two housing ministries we work on almost 200 homes, with our partner parish in Alice, South Africa we build a new church.
By Reaching out both Locally and Globally
Our witness is both local to rural communities and to the region, and globally as we welcome church work groups from across the nation, and as we partner with the Macfarlan parish in the Amatola Presbytery in South Africa. We believe that our cooperative parish helps congregations see mission beyond the walls of their church, beyond survival to minister to local needs. Ministries like Safe Visitors for Families and Risk and the Parish Nurse Council help small congregations work together to address critical community issues.
Since our organization in 1954, we have been clear that we are a mission of the Presbyterian Church. We are strengthened by our connection with the whole church. Next summer, our camping and youth ministry will partner with Presbytery of Northern New England by hosting 15 young people from the Amatola Presbytery in South Africa.
Youth from Northern New England will live with South African young people for two weeks at our camping facility in Starks, Maine.
To Individuals, Congregations and Communities
The scope of our ministry is broad and inclusive. We serve individuals by supporting the ministries of churches and through programs like Safe Visitors. We serve congregations by supporting and developing pastoral leadership, and by offering programs such as deacon and elder training, and workshops on child and adult educational resources. Programs like Camp at the Eastward and Youth Connection offer excellent programs that the churches could not do with limited resources. Our South Africa Partnership connects small churches with a hands-on international ministry. We serve communities by improving substandard housing and by encouraging the people of our churches to serve on health, education and economic development organizations.
Creating a place where God's gifts and graces are multiplied and exemplified.
The final lines of the MATE Vision Statement were inspired by the Rev Jeff Scott, former pastor of the Starks-West Mills parish and coordinator of Camp at the Eastward. Jeff's ministry in a very poor and rural community exemplifies the possibilities for rural parishes cooperating together. A children's camping program spun off a small high school youth program which spun off a youth acting company, Eastward Players, which has spun off a youth choir, Sparrow's Song. Good things are multiplied.
I love the phrase "creating a place" because I think that is what MATE does very well. We make a place where children can feel safe at Camp at the Eastward, or a place where young people can explore faith and identity through the Youth Connection. Our churches are places where people can gather to worship, to pray, to work out what it means to be a forgiving and reconciling community. Together, at a MATE Council Meeting we can rejoice in the gift of a 25 member youth choir, "Sparrow's Song," and listen to the Spirit filled presentation of an elder/dairy farmer who worked with South African elders building a church roof in a rural village.
These last lines describe exactly my experience of Mission at the Eastward as a place of blessing where God's gifts are multiplied and exemplified. One of our greatest gifts to this region and to the whole church is the Spirit-filled process of "equipping the saints," recognizing, lifting up, and developing gifted people who discover their calling.
People and churches get involved, excited, challenged and things happen here. We are more together than separate.
The last word of our Vision Statement is exemplified. Exemplified is defined as "to show or illustrate by an example." I believe that Mission at the Eastward exemplifies what is possible for rural churches that come together, bound by Christ, in service to their community and world.
This Vision Statement will be a guide as we begin our second half century of service.