Ministers & Staff
We are here to serve our church and the community.
Rev. David J. Wood
Interim Senior Minister
Rev. David J. Wood
Interim Senior Minister
207-236-4821
David@camdenucc.org
My wife, Jennifer, and I moved to Waldoboro, Maine in January, 2023 from Glencoe, Illinois. I had been serving as the Senior Minister of Glencoe Union Church since 2009. I was honored in July, 2025, to be called by FCC Camden to serve as the Interim Senior Minister while they undertake their search for a new Senior Minister. This is a wonderful congregation—genuinely welcoming, authentically compassionate, and generously Christian. I was born and raised in Australia and moved to the United States when I was 12 years old. I have served churches in Kansas, Connecticut, Paris, Kentucky, Maine, and Illinois. Jennifer and I live in a wonderful home on a 20-acre farm on the Medomak River where we tend gardens, raise chickens, mow lawns and enjoy all the wonders and benefits of living on the mid-coast of Maine.
We live in interesting times. Which makes me especially grateful to be part of such an interesting church! A place where I find myself among people who know how to pray, sing, break and share bread, love one another, listen for and respond to the movement of the Spirit, and who actively care for those in need. In a world where it is increasingly difficult to find genuine community, this congregation is a welcome relief and a living reminder of what it means to be a people of faith, hope, and love. Come, share the journey with us!
Jeanne Denny
Shields Fund Administrator
Jeanne Denny
Shields Fund Administrator
207-236-4821
Jeanne@camdenucc.org
“I wasn’t born in Maine, but I got here as soon as I could.” Having worked 2 summers in Acadia during my college days, it was clear to me that I wanted to make Maine my home. Maine satisfies my love of the outdoors and my appreciation for the wonders of nature. In addition, I bring fifty years of social work practice to my work with experience in child development, medical social work, homelessness, substance use, and social work education.
Becky Brace
Church Office Manager
Becky Brace
Church Office Manager
207-236-4821
Becky@camdenucc.org
My job is all about communication and being welcoming. I like connecting people to each other and to information they need, and organizing information here in the church office. My best non-human buddy at work is our wonderful Xerox printer, able to produce all kinds of printed material. When we closed our facilities due to Covid, I enjoyed teaching people how to download and use Zoom; that has enabled our congregation to keep in touch whether far or near, and we’ve welcomed many new friends to our open and affirming services each Sunday.
Outside of work many things give me joy. My 4 children & 5 grandchildren live nearby and we like to help each other or play games (Catan, Pounce, Canasta, Michigan, Mahjongg, you name it). I like gardening, learning about the birds on our birdfeeders, watercolor painting, cooking, sewing, knitting, reading, jigsaw puzzles (and now Wordle!) and basically any creative project that comes along. I’ve been a Mac owner since 1985 (the first 400k “lunchbox”!) and like its versatility for creative projects and recordkeeping. I grew up in N. California and have lived in this area of Maine since 1968; our community is a wonderful, friendly place to live.
Matthew Mainster
Minister of Music
Matthew Mainster
Minister of Music
207-236-4821
Matt@camdenucc.org
Matt received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Organ Performance, Piano Performance, and Sacred Music from Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pennsylvania. He went on to earn a Master of Music in Organ Performance from the Yale School of Music in New Haven, Connecticut. He has held Director of Music positions at several churches in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut, and been on the faculty at the Maryland Conservatory of Music and Bay Chamber School of Music. He continues to teach piano and organ privately.
His favorite things about working at First Congregational Church of Camden include having the BEST co-workers, getting to play some of the nicest instruments in the state, and sharing world-class musicians with the midcoast community through the Friends of Music concert series. Outside of work, he’s particularly crazy about his husband, everything his husband cooks (he teaches culinary arts), his chocolate lab, chocolate in general, tea, writing, the book I Capture the Castle, anything put out by the BBC, reruns of Murder She Wrote, and pretending he lives in Cabot Cove (pretty close!)
Ryan Berry
Custodian of Buildings & Grounds
Ryan Berry
Custodian of Buildings & Grounds
207-236-4821
Born and raised in Hope, I have come to love the changes in season that come with living here year-round. My greatest joys come from spending time with my 4-year-old grandson Jackson. Any time I’m in the outdoors, whether it be hunting, hiking, doing firewood or even raking the lawn, I’m most at ease. The most fulfilling part of my work here at the church is when I get to help others, however “small” a task it may be.
Lee Bross
Full Charge Bookkeeper
Lee Bross
Full Charge Bookkeeper
207-236-4821
Lee@camdenucc.org
Lee is a born and raised Midcoast Mainer who joined the First Congregational Church in December 2025. A self-admitted iced coffee addict and HGTV enthusiast with entirely too many reno projects to count, she brings over 28 years of bookkeeping experience to the role. When she isn’t at work, she enjoys sitting in the sun, playing fetch with her Staffie and spending time with her family.
James Cook
Heavenly Threads Manager
James Cook
Heavenly Threads Manager
207-236-3203
James@camdenucc.org
“I’ve lived all around the country, but when my family moved to Maine in 2009, I realized that this would be our “forever” home. After graduating from the University of Arizona with a PhD in Sociology in 2000, I worked as a professor at Duke University and the University of Maine at Augusta before retiring in 2025 to begin work as Manager of Heavenly Threads. Working with volunteers and weaving together threads of giving and community has been a joy.
When I am not working, I stay busy chairing the Midcoast Community Chorus, working with local social advocacy organizations, and participating in community theater. My newest creative venture involves picking up an old trumpet and joining a brass band. My wife Tracy and I love to put our hands in the soil to garden, take to the mountains by foot, and explore the shore by paddleboard.”