Background

Founded over 100 years ago in 1905, the Maine Sea Coast Mission provides spiritual, health and youth development programs in coastal and island communities from mid-coast to Downeast Maine. Rooted in a history of non-denominational service, the Mission continues to embody the best of Christian values as it offers hope, encouragement and help to individuals, families and communities. The Mission was founded by two pastors, Angus and Alexander MacDonald. They took the first Mission boat to isolated island communities providing spiritual support where there were no churches, and bringing books and learning opportunities.

Today, the Mission serves over 2,500 people who live on nine islands, and in Washington and Hancock counties. The Mission has an operating budget of approximately $3 million and a staff of 29 full-time and 10 part-time individuals. Headquartered in Bar Harbor, Maine, the Mission runs programs from a 60-acre Downeast Campus located in Cherryfield, on the bank of the Narraguagus River. It also operates the Mission boat, Sunbeam V, to bring health care and ministry services to the islands. These services focus on three key areas: Youth Development, Island Outreach and the Immediate Needs of People in Crisis.

Youth Development

Ed Greaves Education (EdGE) is an innovative development program for students in grades 4-8 in coastal Washington County, Maine. It is designed to encourage youth to stay engaged in school, build character, improve academic performance and promote self-confidence. In 2006, the Maine Afterschool Network recognized EdGE as the outstanding 21st Century Community Learning Center Afterschool program.

Scholarships. The Mission provides post-secondary scholarships to students from the islands and coastal communities of Downeast Maine for degree or vocational education.

Island Outreach

Healthcare. The Mission boat, the Sunbeam V, brings healthcare and ministry services to nine island communities. Through health clinics, telehealth services, educational health talks, and personalized health care, islanders receive the support necessary to enable living on an isolated island year round.

Ministry. The Mission assists island churches in employing ministers to lead worship, counsel islanders, and work with island youth.

Meeting Immediate Needs

Housing Repair Ministry. Volunteers of visiting church groups weatherize homes, build bridges, repair homes, and assist with projects to improve living quality for residents in need of assistance in Downeast Maine. These groups, which arrive each summer and are housed by the Maine Sea Coast Mission, have also cleared trails and built safe walkways for school children.

Emergency Assistance. The Mission provides emergency fuel assistance and refers individuals to other Mission programs or local agencies for additional resources. Low income families and the elderly are the target population.

Food Pantries. The Mission’s food pantries are often all that stands between the pangs of hunger and a healthy meal for the individuals, couples, and families who subsist in Washington County and the outer islands.

Senior Companions touch the lives of adults who need extra assistance to live independently in their own homes or communities. Weald Bethel serves as a station for the Senior Companion Program of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. This program provides a modest stipend to individuals 60 years of age or older, particularly those on limited incomes who are hired to be a companion to others.

The Mission’s Christmas Program celebrates the true spirit of giving. Each year, through the Mission, hundreds of people up and down the Maine coast provide Christmas presents for children, families and adults.

The Weald Bethel Center for Spirituality and Personal Growth offers programs that are inclusive and non-denominational; they include traditional and non-traditional practices. Presently, the center holds yoga classes, spiritual study groups, memorial services and monthly church services of the Cherryfield Congregational Church.