The Rev. Charlene Corbett, of Bremen, sits in the sanctuary of The Second Congregational Church of Newcastle, wherever she has served as pastor for 6 a long time. Corbett will get started a new position as govt director of Wholesome Little ones Damariscotta on March 1, a go she mentioned was pushed by a calling to be a lot more obtainable for her relatives. (Elizabeth Walztoni photo)
Soon after specifically six many years of pastoral management, the Rev. Char Corbett is departing The Next Congregational Church of Newcastle to come to be executive director of Healthful Little ones in Damariscotta.
Corbett’s final working day at the church will be Sunday, Feb. 19, 6 yrs to the working day considering that she signed her agreement. She will start her new position March 1.
“I genuinely have been blessed to serve this congregation,” Corbett claimed. “I’m excited I get to go on to be in the local community and be a superior neighbor.”
Corbett stated she was identified as to retire from parish ministry to be much more out there to her relatives. She will continue on to minister as chaplain for the Bremen Fireplace Department and LincolnHealth’s Miles Campus in Damariscotta.
At Healthier Children, Corbett will observe retiring Government Director Leslie Livingston to proceed the organization’s 38 several years of operate in parenting resources and child abuse avoidance for Lincoln County. Corbett has been a board member given that 2019.
Balanced Kids is a companion of 2nd Congregational and the two corporations operate with each other for outreach and annual gatherings like toy drives and the Strawberry Shortcake Shuffle fundraising race.
In her new position, Corbett will guide day-to-working day functions, function with the board of administrators, fundraise, and assistance the organization’s present programs and commitments. She said she may work to increase them to meet nearby wants for relatives guidance.
“The whole congregation has been unbelievably supportive and enthusiastic for my route,” Corbett explained of the modify. “And I really think the church is seeing it as an opportunity for them to go in a new and various route. And I consider that in a lot of means, it’s just a pretty good stage all the way all over.”
She has been ordained for 12 decades and served in several ministries for the earlier 30, but has a background performing with family members as an training director. Corbett stated she feels fired up to return to this foundational get the job done.
Her new situation “takes some of the remarkable competencies Char has, and utilizes them in a way that is personally essential to her and, frankly, from our observations, plentiful in her character,” church moderator Carl Nord mentioned. As elected moderator, Nord capabilities like a president for management of the church’s operations.
He reported Corbett was a caring minister who led the congregation as a result of complicated and thrilling moments. Throughout her tenure at the church, Corbett navigated Next Congregational’s path as a result of the pandemic, which Nord said was like developing an airplane even though in flight.
The church held completely distant products and services until finally November 2022 and proceeds to broadcast them, adapting to new technology to document sermons out there online and by Lincoln County Tv.
Corbett explained that streamed expert services have grown attendance by producing the church offered to every person, with hundreds from time to time looking at in the course of the Northeast and as significantly away as Germany and Peru.
Closer to household, she has been seriously involved in outreach systems at the church, most lately leading the improvement of a warming centre plan at the church set to open up the third 7 days of February.
Corbett mentioned volunteers have been stepping in to fill roles and are all set to operate these plans when she departs. She mentioned the spirit of the church is collaborative, and users have often been associated.
“I don’t want to go away a void when I leave,” Corbett explained. “I want the church to keep on on in a important way. Lay ministry is important to a balanced church.”
Nord mentioned the method Corbett brought to ministry is a person that “we hope to sustain and expand within just the community, where by men and women see this as a caring fellowship of people, not just a Sunday company.”
The church has taken their to start with measures to discover a new pastor, which Nord mentioned is probably to be a six-month process. In the meantime, Second Congregational will track down an interim pastor by means of the Maine Conference United Church of Christ. The church is now putting alongside one another a simply call committee symbolizing a cross-part of the congregation, who will evaluation resumes and consider component in interviews in the look for for a permanent pastor.
The church is also seeking for an organist and director of audio right after the retirement of Jean Wilmot last calendar year.
As she moves from her management of 2nd Congregational, Corbett claimed she hopes she assisted customers to really see themselves as the local community church.
“They’ve always experienced a devotion to services,” Corbett reported. “I wished to really encourage that and broaden that in a great deal of respects.”
Corbett explained she will cherish the moments she has shared with users of the congregation.
“It’s been extremely humbling to have the privilege to be with men and women of all walks of life in distinctive moments of their existence. And I just treasure all those times,” Corbett explained.
