WELCOME

We are a lively fellowship with a deep love for Christ and an unwavering call to compassionate service in Jesus' name.  We invite you to join us Sunday at 9:30AM via Facebook Live on our Facebook site, or in person (simply email secretary@tuttleroadumc.org to get on the list) or on Zoom.

We are an Open & Affirming church. All are welcome! Loving & Knowing God, Loving People, Serving the World.

WELCOME to Tuttle Road United Methodist Church

Pastor:  Linda Brewster                                                                       Church Office:  207-829-3766       
Email: lindabrewster2210@gmail.com                                            Church Secretary: Carrie Jowett
Phone: 207-807-2210                                                                       Church Email: secretary@tuttleroadumc.org
Organist: Luann Lawler                                         
Custodian: Wahneta Dahlgren
Lay Leaders: Marian Wilmot & Charlene Post  
                                        
On Sunday (March 21) you voted to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church.  As we were checking people into the ZOOM meeting and welcoming people in the church, it quickly became apparent how much this church community means to all of you!  I was grateful for the presence of each and every one of you.  Thank you for being patient and for waiting while we got the roll call names correct.  That was so important. The final vote was 56 in favor to 4 against.

I was grateful that Karen gave you ample time to speak your heart.  Many of you shared deeply from the heart. This was not an easy vote.  Many of you are lifelong Methodists and have raised generations of family in this church.  It is hard to take a stand when everything is at risk - tradition and history and a feeling of being safe.  As I listened to you speak, I became aware of the sacrifice you were willing to make for following Jesus into the world as people who could no longer tolerate living within an antiquated system of oppression and discrimination.  I also appreciate those of you who wanted to live within the system a bit longer to give it another chance.  You are not alone - there are many waiting and watching to see what will happen. 

As we move forward there are many things that need to be done in the coming few months.  We need to sign a disaffiliation agreement with the conference and have all the paperwork in by April 15th.  We are meeting with a conference trustee tonight to begin that process.  We have already inventoried the entire church - thanks to Marian Wilmot and Eileen Goddard.   This is an important step in the process to keep all of our buildings and our assets.

We need to decide on a new name for the church.  That has to be done before we can finalize our new bylaws and apply for a 501C3 non-profit status and obtain an employer identification number.   This is just the beginning!  Carrie will be revamping our website so we can have links to important documents as we move forward.  We will post for you what we are working on as we work through all the steps we need to take.

We will continue to worship together just as we always have.  We will continue to practice the traditions of this church.  Your leaders will remain the same. Please ask questions and involve yourself in the process.  The more you are involved the more it will be yours.  We have the opportunity to re-imagine who we are as inclusive people of God, to involve ourselves in our communities in new ways and to engage ministry with a renewed energy and passion!

You are God's people!  You are blessed to be a blessing. -Pastor Linda

If you are willing to help in any way - please let me know! 
 

OTHER INFORMATION

We have a new website coming! Once we have established a new name, we will be updating a new site that should be more informational and user friendly. We are excited to roll it out to you, so look for updates in the weekly News & Notes!

We are only doing worship over Facebook for the near future. We are welcoming more people back to the sanctuary and the dual platforms (Facebook & Zoom) aren't working well together. We hope the one platform works for everyone who is unable to attend in person!

WELCOME