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One pastor moved from Texas to start a church in Orono. Another moved from Delaware to start one in Westbrook. They're part of a growing movement to establish Southern Baptist churches in New England, the smallest region for the faith but the only place in the nation where adherence is on the rise.
The growth, while small, is particularly pronounced here in Maine, where membership tripled between 2010 and 2020. Our Report for America corps member Sean Scott dug into this shift for his story this week, attending the first service of Stillwater Baptist Church in Orono — just a handful of people in a park — as well as one at Central Church in Augusta, which has grown in recent years to more than 1,500 weekly attendees.
He spoke to a sociology professor about how the term "evangelical" is increasingly becoming a political marker as much as a religious one, and to faith leaders about the tension between the Southern Baptist Convention's conservative policy stances and Maine's progressive positions on abortion, same-sex marriage and gender identity.
Also this week: A story diving into the ways environmental researchers are adjusting to federal funding changes, a look at how towns are regulating development in flood zones, and an investigation — from our partners at Maine Focus — into ghost evictions in public housing.
Our next listening tour stop, in Presque Isle, is on Tuesday. We hope you'll join!
— Stephanie |
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Southern Baptists growing in Maine despite national decline
New Southern Baptist churches are being established in Westbrook, Orono and Richmond. Faith leaders see the lack of a historical foothold in the region as an opportunity for growth.
Read this story by Sean Scott |
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Maine environmental researchers grapple with federal funding changes: Abrupt pauses and cuts to federal grants have led to interruptions in climate data collection and blows to renewable energy initiatives. Read this story by Emmett Gartner |
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School boards disregard their lawyers to rebel against Maine’s transgender policies: Many boards have been advised by a top Maine law firm to follow the Maine Human Rights Acts, which bars gender-identity based discrimination. Read this story by Daniel O'Connor |
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How Maine towns are regulating development in flood zones: The deadly floods that devastated Central Texas last month provide a stark example of what happens when flood zone development regulations are absent or unenforced. Read this story by Emmett Gartner |
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Maine town facing taxpayer revolt rejects school budget for the second time: Residents have been protesting a roughly 20 percent increase in Lisbon’s tax levy, caused by years of heavy spending and a multimillion-dollar clerical error. Read this story by Daniel O'Connor |
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A Maine woman paid her back rent. Her record still says she was evicted.
Repayment plans are supposed to help public housing tenants avoid eviction. In Maine, these deals have put evictions on their permanent records, even if they’ve fulfilled all the terms and were never actually evicted. Read this story by Sawyer Loftus of the Bangor Daily News.
Plus: Are you a public housing resident behind on rent? Received an Eviction Notice? Here’s what to know in Maine.
Note: these stories appear on The Maine Monitor's website as part of our collaboration with Maine Focus, the investigative team of the Bangor Daily News. Read more about the partnership |
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Have feedback or a correction to send to Stephanie McFeeters? Send it to her directly via email: stephanie@themainemonitor.org.
The Maine Monitor is a publication of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, an independent and nonpartisan nonprofit news organization that produces investigative journalism. We believe news is a public good and keep our news free to access. We have no paywall and do not charge for our newsletters. If you value the reporting we do for Maine, please consider making a donation! We cannot do this reporting without your support. |
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