Camden, Maine—Three long-standing and beloved ministries of First Congregational Church UCC of Camden are currently being reorganized into what is envisioned as a single, sustainable, three-pronged ministry of Christian Service. The ministries are Heavenly Threads Thrift Shop, the SOS Room, and the Shields Fund, which combined have been serving people in the wider community for 92 years.
Church leadership and stakeholders have been engaged in evaluating and reimagining the structural models for these distinct ministries as part of a year-long, church-wide visioning process. Along the way, stakeholders from each ministry were intentionally invited to participate in the process. The model is still a work in progress and no clear path has been finalized at this writing on May 1, 2024. Please note that any information regarding proposed models being shared in public is incomplete, speculative and cannot be fully accurate at this time.
The Heavenly Threads Thrift Shop at 57 Elm Street, Camden, will be temporarily closed to shoppers while church leadership continues to develop a sustainable, synergistic model for the future. The goal is to re-open Heavenly Threads as soon as is feasible.
Individuals and organizations wishing to make donations to Heavenly Threads may continue to do so on the following schedule: Mondays and Wednesdays: 9 am to 11 am; Tuesdays: 6 am to 11 am; and Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays: 5 pm to 7 pm. Please take items to the blue door on the parking lot side of the building during these days and hours.
At present the SOS Room, which provides donated clothing and household goods free of charge to everyone, will remain in operation and open to the public on Tuesday mornings from 9 am to 11 am.
The Shields Fund, which is a referral-based program working cooperatively with local social services agencies to provide assistance to Knox County and Lincolnville residents in financial crisis, will also continue to operate as usual.
While the reorganized model is not yet complete, what is clear is that the First Congregational Church of Camden intends to continue to serve the wider community, and especially neighbors with the greatest needs, with grace and compassion, as has been the case for the life of the church, now 219 years strong. Our goal is for Heavenly Threads, SOS, Shields and First Congregational Church itself to grow and flourish as a reflection of our faith long after our generation’s turn as stewards is complete.