207 348-6602 | Worship every Sunday @ 10 a.m. Zoom available.
Learn more about our worship and other activities
Worship with us every Sunday @ 10 a.m. followed by Coffee Hour in the Fellowship Hall. Communion is offered the first Sunday of every month. The Service is also available on Zoom.
57 Church St (Route 15) Deer Isle
We see ourselves as loving, welcoming, and inclusive. We reach out to new members of our community; we host community suppers during the fall and winter months. Our Deacons and Community Caring groups work to provide meals, transportation, and companionship to help break down the sense of social isolation and help those who are in need. On Christmas Eve, we hold a worship service of Lessons and Carols that is well attended by residents who are not often at our regular worship services. Every year we host a community organ concert. We intend to continue our successful programs, where feasible, and we are considering adding several small affinity groups and exploring partnering with island organizations on activities to benefit the community.
The Caring Community Team offers support to individuals and families in need who are members of our church and/or community. This can be in many forms, but mostly is in the form of transportation, meals and/or companionship. Confidentiality is honored. Requests for help can be made to the minister or any member of the team. The team meets regularly to address needs.
If you are an Island resident and need emergency heating assistance to
help with the cost of fuel, the Island Heating Assistance Program (IHAP)
may be able to help.
To request assistance, please call the Deer Isle Sunset Congregational Church at 207 348-6602 and leave a brief message with your name and a callback number. If IHAP has funds available, we can provide up to 100 gallons of fuel through your usual fuel dealer.
To make a donation to IHAP, please mail a check made out to Deer Isle
Sunset Congregational Church (DISCC) with “IHAP” in the memo line to:
P.O. Box 383
Stonington Maine 04681.
Donations are greatly appreciated and are tax deductible. 100% of
funds received go directly to pay for heating assistance. The Deer Isle
Sunset Congregational Church and Bar Harbor Bank and Trust cover
all administrative expenses.
Music is a deeply important part of our tradition here at DISCC.
Our Music Director is Edie Dunham, who accompanies our hymns and leads our choir. We have frequently have special guests for both instrumental and vocal ensembles. We use the New Century Hymnal, but sometimes switch back to the old Pilgrim hymnals when the traditional wording of hymns seems appropriate.
Children. Edie is very involved with children’s music in this area and she is currently building a community children’s choir. These delightful young people shared a spirited version of the South African song “Siyahamba!” during Children’s Sabbath in September and led all of us into a hand-clapping, rousing version. We hope they will be back soon.
Adult Choir Our adult choir sings mostly 8 months of the year as quite a few of our “Summer” people sing in the choir. If you love to sing, consider joining the choir. Experience is not necessary and no audition is required. Reach out to Edie if you are interested.
Bell Choir We have a handbell choir under the able leadership of Anne Bowes. We try to play at service every month or so and for holidays. We are always on the lookout for more “ringers.”
Our Organ Our sanctuary features the 1881 Carl Barckhoff pedal tracker organ, which was found languishing, forgotten, in a Massachusetts barn until its re-discovery in 1983. At that time, Vernon Gotwals was the regular organist at Deer Isle church after he retired from Smith College and moved to a family home in Oceanville. He longed for the sound of real pipes again, and a search was made for a reasonably priced organ. Surprisingly, even in its disreputable state, the Barckhoff organ emerged as the best opportunity. United in a common cause, Islanders and church members worked to raise funds for the organ’s restoration and move to Deer Isle. We treasure this piece of New England history. The organ is used for worship, along with the sanctuary grand piano.
Gotwals Fund The Gotwals fund was set up to promote music appreciation and education on the island as well to preserve and showcase the famous 1881 Carl Barckhoff organ.
Gotwals Concert Every summer we have an endowed organ concert with accomplished organists who can play this marvelous instrument to its best advantage.
Formerly known as the Ladies Aid Society, this group has been in existence for more than 100 years and is the merger of the Sunset and Deer Isle Societies. The Society is committed to social engagement and financial support for the Church. The members undertake fundraising with rummage sales, bake sales, raffles, etc. with the proceeds supporting many special needs around the church or community. In the past the Society has paid for pew cushions, appliances for the Parsonage, given donations for disaster relief, paid for the well at the Village Green, just as an example. Frequent activities are hosting receptions and providing special meals such as a Fathers’ Day Brunch and the Annual Birthday Celebration and special suppers like the Mystery Theatre. The Society offers a scholarship in memory of Mary Hardy for an Island student who is interested in nursing career.
One cannot live on this island and be unaware of the threats to our environment. Climate change is experienced in numerous ways, not just rising sea levels.
Our church made the decision to install solar panels on the roof; and is energy neutral in terms of electric usage. In the winter we move worship from the upstairs sanctuary to fellowship hall. This has saved us thousands of dollars because we do not have to turn on the oil-fueled furnace, but use the propane space heaters. We are conscious of using plastics and disposables, and have a bottle/can recycling center off our parking lot, across from the entrance for the Fellowship Hall.
The church’s property borders the Mill Pond in Deer Isle village. Church members created the “Glebelands” trail which goes from the church parking lot to the Mill Pond. The trail is maintained by church members.
The Village Green Memorial Garden was founded in 1967 when a group of citizens got together and raised money to purchase the land. The property was then conveyed to the Sunset Church and the garden began.
It is a perennial and annual garden with a few perimeter shrubs and trees. A dedicated group of volunteers from the community plant and maintain the garden each year for the enjoyment of everyone. All are welcome to spend some time in this lovely spot in Sunset.
The garden is located on 15 A, next to the Sunset Church Building and diagonally across from the Sunset Post office.
All mothers and caregivers with their children under 5 are invited to join us in Fellowship Hall for coffee and conversation as well as playtime and stories every Thursday. We meet in the Fellowship Hall where we have lots of toys and books.
In 2002, two of our members went to the village of Monkey River on the coast of southern Belize four months after Hurricane Iris had flattened their village. They went with a group led by Ted Hoskins and worked on rebuilding the school there. Since then, they have gone there every year but one up until the pandemic. In 2004, Ted established a scholarship fund to help the students pay for the cost of going to the regional high school which is a boat ride across the river and an hour bus ride from the village. The scholarships are determined by a committee made up of members from all the major families in this small village. Our church is not the sponsor of this fund directly, but our church has supported the fund from the Deacon’s Fund and Church Aid as well as from individual members for many years.
Monkey River Village has around 200 people living there and the economy is
mostly reliant on fishing and tourism. Overfishing and the pandemic have hurt their economy, and the scholarships allow many students the opportunity to further their education. We are proud to promote this mission for these underprivileged students.
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