Part 12 An Experience with Connectionalism

It appears that the parishioners of Peoples were not always in agreement with the
Practices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and/or the Maine Conference.

Pastor John Collins served a second appointment to the Ferry Village Church from 1883-1885 after having first served the church for a short stint in 1869. It appears that Pastor Collins was quite popular among the parishioners and the Board of Stewards and Leaders was reluctant to let him go when the cabinet suggested that in 1885.
A special meeting of Stewards and Leaders was called on the evening of April 29, 1885 and a sub-committee was authorized to draft resolutions to be submitted to the Conference concerning the appointment of Reverend True P. Adams as pastor of the Ferry Village Charge. C.A. Tilton, A. E. Thurrell and S.W. Prince were the members of the sub-committee.

The resolution they drew up was in opposition to the appointment of this Pastor by the Cabinet at the last Maine Conference meeting that had been held in Biddeford. The resolution stated that the Cabinet action had been in opposition to the suggestions and desires of the Ferry Village Methodist Episcopal Board of Stewards and Leaders. This resolution also indicated that the terms, Official Board, were also used in reference to the Board of Stewards and Leaders, perhaps for the first time. The local body might also have used these words, Official Board, to show their acceptance of other changes made by the Maine Conference and the church as a whole.

It may have been a matter of principle and connectional relationship that caused this controversy, but it might also have been as a result of rumors and knowledge that parishioners had of Reverend Adams. Mr. Adams had, in the late 1870’s served for a short time at Brown’s Hill (First Methodist) otherwise known then as Cape Elizabeth Depot. This was followed with short-term placements at Peaks Island and Kennebunk. If his protested appointment had been preceded by a poor record at neighboring parishes this may also have been reason for concern that had preceded placement at Ferry Village.

The resolutions were submitted to the Presiding Elder (later position was known as District Superintendent) in early May 1885. Presiding Elder Jones asked the Board to meet with him at their earliest convenience. The special meeting occurred on May 6, 1885, Brother Jones presiding at the Ferry Village Church. Much discussion over the Pastoral candidate and the role of the local parish in the connectional process relative to pastoral appointment took place.
Late in the evening that venerable old member of the church and member of the Board of Stewards and Leaders, Stephen Hubbard, rose from his seat and made the motion that the appointment of Pastor True P. Adams be accepted. G. W. Doughty seconded the motion and the other members present voted in support as well. Word of the action was sent to Pastor Adams and the conference leaders. There certainly must have been something convincing in the words and directions offered by Presiding Elder Jones to convince the local leaders that Pastor Adams was the right choice for the Ferry Village Methodist Episcopal Church.

This had to be a rough start for Reverend Adams. All indications are that in his role of leading this flock of parishioners he became a good spiritual leader. The membership actually grew and the lay leadership of the church seemed to serve supportingly during the 3 years of his pastorate.

This had to be a tumultuous time in the life of the local parish within the church and through its connections with the Maine Conference, but it survived and continued to prosper. Local leaders, at least for the time, knew what their relationship was with the Conference and within itself.

The conclusion to this episode was to find the parish acutely aware of itself in relationship to the local community. The Official Board with its leadership and the support of Pastor Adams in 1888 appealed to the conference to rename the Ferry Village Methodist Episcopal Church. The chosen name was Peoples Methodist Episcopal Church. The new name was accepted and continues to the present day. Today there are 7 Peoples United Methodist Churches in Maine, but as far as this researcher can determine that this church in South Portland was the first with that designation in Maine.
Perhaps the name was chosen to indicate that all people were welcome to become members of the congregation and also to participate in its operation. It is possible that the name may have come from the activity of this major confrontation with the conference that must have been masterfully handled by Presiding Elder Jones and the conferences’ desires to maintain harmony through him with local parishes. We should not forget the contribution of Steven Hubbard and other Stewards of the local parish to maintain harmony as well. Finally the name change may also have been accepted by the local parish because they felt the local unity as well as connection with the greater church as a result of conference response to local concerns.

Part 11 Not Without Controversy

During the 1880’s, Albert Thurrell was elected the Secretary of the Board of Stewards and Leaders. Mr. Thurrell was also the Village Pharmacist or Apothecary. His shop was located on the North corner of High and Sawyer. Often he reported that while the work of the board was concerned with the operation of the church they often met in his shop after hours or in the parsonage. He reported that they began their meetings at 7 ½ o’clock. Finally an action was taken in April of 1884 to standardize meetings usually on Tuesdays at 7 PM. (Does that sound familiar?) On occasion other times might be used and it appears in the record that several meetings even after that action might be held before or after the Sunday evening services.

In the records there is reference to salary arrangements for pastors, including John Collins. Relative to payments for Pastor Collins it was reported that the church in late April of 1884 still owed him $34.04 for 1883. A special collection would be raised on the following Sunday to make up the deficit. Thereafter in 1884-1885, Silas W. Prince was commissioned to collect pledges (some in arrears) for the exclusive purpose of paying the pastor. Mr. Prince was also given a 2% commission on those collected. There is no indication of how forceful Mr. Prince was in his dedication to duty, but there does not seem to be any significant reporting of failure to pay a pastor thereafter.

It was also decided that it was essential to employ a regular sexton and that C.A. Tilton was responsible for hiring said person. The first order of business at the July 14, 1884 meeting of the Stewards recognized E.J.Harmon as the new sexton and that he would be paid $60 for the coming year. In order to pay for various needs of the church the Board of Stewards and Leaders would approve a “special offering” that would be collected at one or more of the churches’ expanding worship services. It seems that there were often two Sunday morning services, one on Sunday afternoon and a final vesper service held on Sunday evening. Several references to committee meetings following prayer services during the week can be found in records of the period.

In some references it appears the church purchased a centennial bell for the new bell tower mounted high on the steeple. One would assume that would mean the Centennial of the United States which was celebrated in 1876 since the earliest church records date from 1839 and the state of Maine evolved from Massachusetts in 1820. South Portland’s separation from Cape Elizabeth did not occur until 1898 and Cape Elizabeth as a chartered town had occurred in 1639. At any rate we might see authorization for such bell around 1876, but the bell was not commissioned or purchased then. Again records indicate that such a bell came into the possession of the local parish and mounted in the bell tower late in 1884 or early 1885. Records also indicate that the frugal membership thought twice about the price of a brand new bell and found that a church in Portland, known as the Casco Street Church apparently was closing its doors. A committee consisting of Albert Thurrell, G.W. Doughty, and John Parsons were authorized to inquire about the availability and quality of that church’s’ bell. They found the bell to be of good quality, at least forty years old and weighing over 1300 pounds. A question arose about how such a bell might be transported, raised to the new bell tower and whether the beams might support a bell carriage and the bell. Determined that the tower structure was sound and authorized to pay no more than $200 for the bell the committee put in its bid along with others who desired the bell. The $200 won the bid, a moving company was hired to remove the bell from the Casco Street church, transport the bell by Ferry to the village and finally raised the bell to the new tower. In one sentence that action seems quite simple, but one needs to think of the tools of the day, how such a thing might be carted and eventually raised an emplaced in the tower before ever ringing for a service on a Sunday morning. A group called the Earnest Workers Society picked up the cost of the bell and the cost of moving as well, therefore, the church body did not have to absorb any of the cost.

While many may not see the value of this little vignette it is believed that when Peoples moved to 310 Broadway and the new church that the bell of 1884 was raised to the new belfry and today strikes a call to worship each Sunday, 118 years later and at least 158 years after it was first cast.