Norway UU Church hires new minister

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NEW TO NORWAY — Fayre Stephenson, from Saco, was recently hired as a consulting minister for the Norway Unitarian Universalist Church on Main Street for the 2012-2013 church year. 

NORWAY — A new minister has been hired to lead the Norway Unitarian Universalist Church, beginning September 23. 

Fayre Stephenson, from Ferry Beach in Saco, will be the church's new consulting minister for the 2012-2013 church year.

"We like her positive energy and willingness to do whatever we need," says Gay De Hart, board chair of the church. "She wants to be part of the congregation over and above what the job is calling for." 

Stephenson is going on her thirteenth year as a minister. 

She is taking over for Richard Beal, who is retiring from the church after three years, says Gay. 

"I was delighted when they chose me," says 66-year-old Stephenson. "It's an honor." 

Stephenson says she will be preaching two Sundays a month – the rest of her schedule is to be determined. She plans on attending church as a guest the first two Sundays in September "to meet people right away." 

She will also be in Norway at least once a week to make pastoral calls and meet with committee chairs, she said. "To be a good minister, you have to be involved in everything," she said. 

Stephenson was a summer program director/conference minister at Ferry Beach's Unitarian Universalist Camp and Conference Center in Saco for eight years. 

The content of the worship services has varied over the years, says Stephenson, but the theme is always the spiritual benefits of being on retreat in community.

Stephenson worked with each church’s worship committee to plan the order of service, which included prayers, readings, hymns, special Ferry Beach music and a sermon – all the elements of UU worship. 

From 2000-2008, Stephenson was a part-time minister at Foxborough Universalist Church in Massachussetts. In 2009 the church gave her the title Minister Emeritus, to honor her long and meritorious service to the congregation. 

Stephenson has degrees in Parish Ministry and Community Ministry. She earned her Bachelor's degree from the University of Vermont in 1967. A couple years later she earned her Master's from Syracuse University. 

In 2000, she earned her Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School and a year later was ordained. 

"The ministry career is a second career for me," says Stephenson. 

Stephenson has worked for the Massachussetts legislature as an aide to a state representative and in the legislative office for a labor union. 

"I had many a job while I was raising my kids," she says. "Being in legislative work was the beginning of one career.

"Once my second son was about to graduate from college ... I felt that I had the call to be a Unitarian Universalist Minister. 

"Much to my amazement, I got into Harvard Divinity School, which was the greatest honor and pleasure ever.

"I just loved it!" 

Stephenson said she's not sure whether she will move to Norway to be closer to the church. She wants to see whether the UU Church is a good fit for her first. 

Stephenson said she asked Karen Brammer, small church specialist of the Northern New England District of the UU Association what the Norway UU Church was like.

 "She said, 'very healthy,' and I said, 'good!'" 

Stephenson decided last year she wanted to get back into Parish Ministry. 

"I decided last Spring that I'd retire from Ferry Beach," she said. At the time, she was out of the churches hiring cycle. 

"Luckily, Norway wasn't really in the cycle either – we were in sync," she said. 

According to Stephenson, Norway is in its preliminary stages of launching a capital campaign to raise money to repair the church's steeple. 

"It's a wonderful historic building," says Stephenson, who has experience in these types of projects. "It's a beautiful old church." 

In addition, she hopes she can invigorate the church's education programs.

She said the religious education programs in Foxborough "were tiny ... we had maybe five or six kids," she said. 

"When I left, we had well over 30 kids. That's another thing I can hope I can bring [to the Norway UU Church]." 

"Since I've had some experience doing this, I think I can help." 

"I am really looking forward to this," says Stephenson. "I think we're a good match." 

"We like her warmth and enthusiasm," says Gay.