History of the Portland New Church

You Are Here » Home \ About Us \ Our History
[View Printable Page]

Written by Jay Jordan
Edited by Mark Allen And Rev. Wilma Wake

The Beginning

Portland in the 1820s was a bustling seaport town of 25,000 people crowded into a one-square-mile area around the waterfront. Diversity of religion or even interest in religion back then was limited, with only the Congregational, Unitarian, Methodist, and Quaker churches from which to choose. More and more people were opting out completely -- "coming out" was the term back then for freethinking.

One of these free thinkers was Dr. Timothy Little. Dr. Little was born in 1776 in Newburyport, Massachusetts. He was preparing for the Unitarian ministry, but dropped out and entered medicine as a profession. He set up practice in New Gloucester and then moved to Portland in 1825. In the winter of that year he met a young lawyer named John Meguire, who gave the doctor a curious book entitled The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem by Emanuel Swedenborg. The book enabled Little to reconcile all the misgivings he had held about Christian teaching, so he quickly became convinced of the truth of Swedenborg's revelation. He soon shared his new-found passion for Swedenborg with other acquaintances and they formed a small group, gathering at each other's homes to read and discuss these "Heavenly Doctrines."

By 1829 the group had grown in number and wanted to have regular, public worship services.
They started with a monthly worship service in the vestry of the Methodist Church. Dr. Little was the lay leader. Then on August 21, 1831, as they continued to grow in spirit and numbers, the Church of the New Jerusalem was officially constituted -- the event we commemorate today. There were at that time thirteen members: Dr. and Mrs. Timothy Little, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Coleman, Dr. Albus Rea, Ebenezer Mason, William Hunnewell, Mrs. Sarah Rea, Mary G. Walker, Lydia Sawyer and Martha Freeman.


Incorporation

Over the next several years their numbers continued to grow and they soon came to seek a church building of their own. In 1835 a Charter of Incorporation was obtained and in 1837 a church building on Congress Street was completed. The first minister, Rev. Henry Worcester, was engaged in that year and served until his untimely death in 1841. Because of the small congregation and their lack of resources, the church was usually without a permanent minister for its first two decades, Dr. Little serving as lay leader most of the time. A major problem for the early Swedenborgian Church was the lack of a model for worship, church government and other organizational questions. Swedenborg never considered starting a church and so the founders drew eclectically from existing church liturgies and structures, especially from Episcopalian forms of worship and Congregational forms of church polity. As the years went on, their worship forms became more and more elaborate. There came to be disagreements among members and outside hostility from mainstream churches, often condemning Swedenborgianism as a dangerous heresy. Fortunately, no one was ever burned at the stake as in earlier colonial times.


Growth

In this pioneer period, the church grew slowly. But things changed in the 1850s. The death of Dr. Little ended this early phase. With the engagement of Rev. William B. Hayden, a twenty-five year pastorate began that constituted the heyday of Swedenborgianism in Portland. He was born in New York City, became a book publisher and then entered the Swedenborgian ministry. He became the first editor of the Messenger, the official publication of the national Swedenborgian church. He was a brilliant speaker and apologist of church doctrine and was very progressive, bringing concerns for ecumenism and social service to his Portland ministry. He was a charismatic leader and was much loved by his parishioners Consequently, during his tenure, the church grew to a peak of 183 members.

Many prominent and influential people joined the church during this period. Among them were James Phinney Baxter, a business and political leader and a civic reformer and scholar who created our public library and park system. The now famous Baxter State Park is part of his legacy. Another prominent member was the pharmacist H.H. Hay, after whom the Hay building(in down-town Portland) is named. The negative side of this period was that along with the numbers of important and prominent people there developed a kind of gentrified quality to the congregation. This was reinforced in 1867 when a new church building was constructed on High Street. The first church building had been destroyed in the great fire of July, 1866, and this New Jerusalem Temple, as it was called, was extremely costly to build, was far bigger than was needed and quickly came to be a major financial burden.

Rev. Hayden retired in 1876 and for the next twenty years the church steadily continued to lose vigor. Old members passed on, fewer new members joined and the church's debts grew steadily. Indeed, by 1900 there were only 45 active members and attendance at worship averaged about thirty. Meantime, many of the remaining members became hostile toward the minister and were staying away. In 1903, the Christian Science Church, which had been renting the "temple" for its services, found other quarters and this was a major financial blow.

The final straw came when a coal strike ensued early that winter, which left the church without heat. The remaining members decided to meet in the Sunday school room to stay warm. However, this move of seeming defeat led to an interesting discovery, something that hadn't occurred in the church for decades: a feeling of real intimacy. This rediscovery of their sense of community led them to sell the burdensome edifice and so, on the day after the final service in December of 1903, the "New Jerusalem Temple" was torn down.


The Move to Stevens Avenue

The remaining core of the congregation decided to reorganize as an urban missionary society and they began holding services at the YMCA. But the results were disheartening and in 1907 plans were made to construct a new church building in the suburbs. It was decided to locate in the Deering section of town where most of the membership had moved over recent years. A lot was acquired on Stevens Avenue, designs supplied by the office of the famous architect, John Calvin Stevens, and our present building was completed in April of 1910. This building was intended as the parish hall, and the people had hopes that their little congregation might grow until they had the resources to build a proper church on the adjacent vacant lot. This first phase cost $3,300 in all! Ministers were supplied and paid through grants from the national denomination as a mission church. However, church growth efforts were sporadic and membership never rose above 45.


Leadership Under Robert Gass and Michael Salvetti

Robert Gass joined the church in 1921, and until limited by old age, he was steadfastly loyal to the church and very active. He was a Mason and his connections brought in new members. In 1945, he conceived the idea of renovating the building to make it look more" churchy." They removed what was the ceiling and floor of the second story, creating the present high-ceiling sanctuary and chancel area as well as the new organ loft. He also promoted the idea of becoming a non- sectarian community church. But by the early 1950s they could no longer afford a minister and the church dwindled in numbers. By the late seventies, during cold weather, they held meetings in each others homes once a month, keeping the church closed because of the high cost of heating.

During this time, Michael Salvetti came to serve as lay leader for the group. He did a great deal to keep the church going including building maintenance, public relations, leading the services and generally keeping people together. He was well loved by the members, who numbered between six and ten.



Return of the Ministry

It was under Michael Salvetti's leadership that the congregation decided to put out a call for a minister. In September of 1981 new hope arrived in the coming of the Rev. Susan Turley-Moore to serve as pastor, along with funding from the national denomination. Salvetti smoothed the transition in leadership and supported Sue in her first months. She started weekly services in the church again, built a pastors office, began renovations in the basement and efforts to establish a day care center in the church. She also established a counseling ministry for families and individuals and brought the church into the local ecumenical scene by serving on the Maine Council of Churches and the Portland Interfaith Council. She was on the volunteer staff at the Portland Women's Crisis Center and a member of the New England Women's Clergy Association. During her time there, the older members remained and were ministered to while preparation and groundwork for new growth were being made. The church developed a reputation in the community as a caring, compassionate church involved with neighborhood issues. Then in the spring of 1984 she answered a call to serve at the Wayfarers Chapel on the west coast.

Despite disappointment in her leaving, reform and renewal continued when in September of 1984 the Rev. Turley-Moore was succeeded by the Rev. Robert McCluskey. He continued weekly services, began evening discussion groups and classes, stepped up publicity and made gains in attendance. He also did weekly volunteer work at the Maine Youth Center. It was during this time that the Children's Co-op Day Care began using the space which had been prepared in the church basement. Then in May of 1988, Rev. McCluskey answered a call to serve the Swedenborgian Church In New York City.

It was then that a few loyal members, led by Pat Cushman, Mary Ann Healey, Jay Jordan, Cheryl Boykin, Wanda Pettersen and Pat Vigue gathered together to decide what to do. Committed to continuing as a church, they contacted the national body for financial help, put out the call for a minister, and began interviewing candidates, while continuing to meet under their own leadership and that of invited guest ministers.

In September of 1989, the Rev. Ken Turley began serving the church as its first full-time, full-salaried minister in almost 90 years. This was a big step to take for a church with so few members, but the "leap of faith" proved to be well worthwhile. The fruits of Ken's ministry appeared with a growth of friends and members in the congregation. Ken and his wife Laurie, trained musicians, brought to their ministry the theme of creative arts and music in the church. This original theme brought to the church many creative and energetic members who helped inject a new sense of energy in the congregation. After over six years of service to the Portland church, Rev. Turley answered the call to serve the Fryeburg, Maine Swedenborgian Church in June 1996.


Into the New Century

Much work has been accomplished over the past ten years on the church building. During Rev. Turley's tenure the former unused choir loft was stripped and remodeled into new and badly needed meeting and meditation space. Outside, the disintegrating asphalt siding that dated from the early 1940's was stripped and replaced with wood shingles following the original pattern of the 1909 design. The concrete steps, replacement for the original wooden steps in the late 1930's, were removed and replaced with a large deck and stairs that now lead off to the side rather then directly onto the side walk. Work soon to be accomplished will be the construction of a wheelchair ramp to accommodate handicapped members and guests. Most recently the entire interior of the worship and fellowship spaces were repainted in anticipation of the upcoming national convention of the denomination in June 2002.


Current Minister

Rev. Wilma Wake began a half-time ministry with the church in January of 2003.  She brings a focus on the importance of community and clear communication.  She is helping the church develop a spiritual identity and a financial security.

Rev. Lorraine Kardash became the Interfaith Chaplain and Music Director in 2006, and has brought a range of world music and chants to the worship services.

Rev. Karen St. Peter became an Interfaith Chaplain in 2008.  She participates in worship and in the development of a wedding ministry at the church.