Worship and Ministries

Island Heating Assistance Program
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,
• Call the Deer Isle Sunset Congregational Church at 207 348-6602 and leave a brief message with your name and a callback number. The voicemail is confidential.
• If IHAP has funds available, we can provide up to 100 gallons of fuel through your usual fuel dealer.
• IHAP provides emergency assistance. You should be at or below ¼ of a tank before requesting assistance. Deliveries are not made on the weekend, so be mindful of your fuel level.
• The 2025/2026 heating season as supported by IHAP begins on October 15th and ends on April 15th, or when the program runs out of funding. If funds are available, you can apply for a second round of assistance after January 15th.
• IHAP can assist with oil, kerosene, wood, propane, or pellets.

Be pro-active for next year!
• IHAP encourages anyone who requests emergency assistance to sign up for HEAP through Downeast Community Partners at 664-2424 to request an appointment. The process takes 4 to 6 weeks and the application process typically opens in July.
• Another way to be pro-active is to contact Window Dressers. You
can reduce fuel costs by getting inserts for leaky windows. Window Dressers will give 10 free inserts to anyone who is getting heating assistance. They will also give 10 windows to anyone who can’t afford the cost. You can make a donation of whatever you can afford, including $0. No need to prove anything. Again, summer is the time to apply. www.windowdressers.org

To make a donation to IHAP
• 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.

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.   

Deer Isle Stonington Schools offers an After School Program for its younger children.  We assist with both monetary and volunteer support for its programming.  Recently they held a “Paint and Sip” fundraiser at the church which was very successful. We also encourage the high school teens to use and help maintain the hiking trail that is part of the town park across the street. We are supportive of the Reach Performing Arts Center located at the elementary school.  We encourage our members to volunteer in reading programs at the school.  Our Gotwals fund has provided monetary support to the music program.

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.

This long-standing group gathers for topical studies that encompass a wide range of pursuits.  We recently read Elaine Pagels book “Miracles and Wonder.”   It was a captivating account of the life of Jesus, that explores the mystery of how he inspired a religion that reshaped the world.  For a Lenten study we have read Adam Hamilton’s “Why Did Jesus Have to Die?” We will tackle anything!

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.

We are blessed to have the Deer Isle Town Recreation Park right across the street from the church.  One of its features is a lovely community garden open to everyone.  It offers a staggered planting of vegetables throughout the season.  It also has a “free library” of plant-related books for children and adults.  Some of our members assist with the garden, in partnership with the town recreation committee and Master Gardeners.