A Step Back in Time
Nestled in a valley surrounded by rolling verdant hills, the South Bridgton Congregational Church sits at the heart of the village of South Bridgton, Maine. Quietly serving the community as a gathering place and a welcoming refuge from the modern world, the historic church has brought comfort and inspiration to generations of South Bridgton's faithful.
The church, built in 1870, remains much the same as it was when it was built. The front doors open wide to welcome all, the pews creak as you settle in, the pine floor shows the scuff marks of many years of use. The church envelopes you with a warm embrace reminiscent of Grandma and her molasses cookies warm from the oven.
You'll find no flashy modern touches here. What you will find is a warm welcome and a deep and sincere worship service. And, you'll discover a group of true friends you never knew you had. True friends who laugh with you, cry with you, celebrate with you, and support you in your day to day trials.
Our Faith
We recognize Jesus Christ as the head of our church and we live by his mandates to love God and our neighbors. We don't tell each other what to believe instead we challenge each other to continually grow in our faith. We believe that God works His purpose and His plans through each of us and we take active roles in our community.
Our History
Over the last twenty or thirty years, our church saw a gradual decline in Sunday worship service attendance. Like many other rural churches, ours saw changing demographics as residents moved closer to cities and changing values where church and God were no longer the center of people's beliefs. Pushed aside were community and family centered activities, replaced by increased materialism and mobility.
In that atmosphere, the church languished, attendance dropped, and the church building fell into increasing disrepair, leaving a small aging congregation with a feeling of hopelessness and despair. Dark days. Days when the future survival of the church seemed impossible. In a last ditch effort to save the church, the tiny congregation reached out to the community for help.
Thus began a renaissance for this small church. The community once again rallied around the church. Attendance rose. Fundraisers developed. Church suppers brought neighbors from near and far. And a church mouse named Perley revealed an unusual talent for writing that helped to tell the story of the good the church does in the community.
A once doomed church suddenly arose to life and began to cast its light out into the community again. Since those dark days, the building has undergone a number of major repairs and improvements including a new roof, a new well, handicapped accessibility, a new septic field, and for the first time in history--an indoor bathroom.
Our Mission
The congregation of the South Bridgton Congregational Church is determined to leave the building and the congregation stronger than we found it. The work we are doing on our physical building has one end, to create a warm and inviting place to honor God and to house our ministries. The work of building our congregation has one end, too, to build a congregation of like minded people who believe that each of us can make a difference in the world by using the gifts God gave to us and the resources He has given our church. We believe that each of us has a ministry to carry out based on our own heart felt interests and God given talents.
Our Future
As our congregation grows and our work continues, we want to always keep our eye on our goal to leave a stronger church behind and to serve God through our chosen ministries. We try to avoid the factions and pettiness often exhibited in other churches. We focus on people, not things or money. We focus on getting the job done (whatever that job might be) instead of endless committee meetings. We're happy to receive strangers in our midst, giving them a friendly hello, a warm handshake, and an sincere invitation to come back again soon. We know with complete certainty that God sends us new friends in all sizes, shapes, and colors, and we welcome each and every one.
Our future holds much work for each of us. We are in the middle of raising funds to have our steeple repaired and replaced. The church building has much that needs to be fixed, painted, and overhauled. Details of the running of the church need to be looked after. Fundraising efforts are continually underway. We are a church where something new is always happening.
Come Join Us!
The South Bridgton Congregational Church may be just the right church for you. The people we attract to our congregation and to our events are people who aren't afraid to roll up their sleeves and get to work. We don't just talk about getting things done, we apply the resources and elbow grease necessary to make it happen. There's no sitting on the sidelines and saying, "Somebody should do something about..." We know that "somebody" is us. And as our pastor says, "We can find a job for anyone."
If you're looking for a church to serve where you'll be welcomed and accepted by friendly hard working people just like you, give us a try. We promise a warm welcome, a sincere worship service, and a hot cup of coffee with new friends. Our worship service is Sunday morning at 9 a.m. The church is located at 16 Fosterville Road in South Bridgton. Come visit!
