Welcome our new pastor, Bill Stevenson, and his wife, Etta.
My wife Etta and I are both delighted to be here at First Parish Congregational Church, with the awesome privilege of teaching & preaching God’s Word, and of ministering to the various needs of the congregation. We have been here since June 2021, and have found the Church Family to be absolutely amazing; so loving and caring for one another, so committed to Jesus Christ, so wholeheartedly involved in prayer, so eager to serve, and so phenomenally hungry to hear and take in the precious Truths of His Word.
[About us] Etta and I have been involved in full-time ministry for a long time; first as missionaries in Japan [16 yrs], then pastoring in a church in upstate New York [18 yrs], and now in Maine [18 yrs and counting], pastoring initially in Lewiston & now, for the last 2 years, in Pownal. We are so extremely blessed with 4 children and 12 grandkids; one daughter and her family are serving as missionaries in Senegal, our son and his family live in Japan, and our other 2 daughters and their families live and work in upstate New York.
Also, of course, we belong to the Family of God, rejoicing in all the opportunities He gives us to spend time with brothers and sisters in Christ here. If you live in the area or are just visiting, we do want you to know that we’d love to have you join us here; it would be our great pleasure to get to know you too, and to be able to encourage you in a relationship with Jesus.
Joyfully committed to serving our great God and Savior,
Bill and Etta
“May He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:21
The First Parish Congregational Church of Pownal, completed in 1811, sits at the foot of Bradbury Mt. at the crossroads of Hallowell Road (Route 9) and Elmwood Road.
The Rev. Perez Chapin was its first pastor. This church was built by a crew headed by master carpenter Uriel Whitney, a Revolutionary War veteran who moved to West Pownal Rd in North Yarmouth after the war and built a new house. The house still stands. He also taught school in Pownal. He was active in this church and is buried in the cemetery to the right of the church.
