The Episcopal Diocese of Maine wishes to strengthen our capacity to engage God’s mission in our congregations and in our community-based ministries by providing resources for annual giving, capital campaigns, and building endowments for the future.
This initiative began with a small group of leaders from Diocesan Council, the Trustees of Diocesan Funds, and the Standing Committee, who began meeting in the fall of 2025 to fashion events designed to enhance financial development and security in our diocese.
Faithful Givers Roadshow
The diocese and Faithful Givers design team hosted the Faithful Givers Roadshow—an intensive, one-day immersion in all things giving—held on May 29 at St. John’s in Bangor and May 30 at St. Mary’s in Falmouth. The agenda included prayer, insightful speakers, and creative group work on the details of annual pledging, key capital campaigns, and the power of planned giving to build endowments. This well-received event was underwritten by a generous gift from Trustee Liz McMullan.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Eleventh Bishop of Ohio, retired
PANELISTS:
Endowment Development: Marisa Swystun, national director, Foundation and Institutional Advisory at AllianceBernstein (Download a PDF of her presentation here.)
Annual Giving Development:
Bangor – The Rev. Amanda Gerken-Nelson, rector, St. Bart’s, Yarmouth
Falmouth – The Rev. Elaine Hewes, rector, St. Brendan the Navigator, Deer Isle
Capital Campaign Development for mission, ministries, and facilities: The Rev. Jon Feuss, currently associate rector, St. James’, Los Angeles; starts as canon to the ordinary for the Diocese of Los Angeles in July (Download a PDF of his presentation here.)
Facing Challenging Environments for Development: The Rev. Matthew Dayton-Welch, rector, Church of the Epiphany, New York City
Stewardship Advisor
On May 27 Bishop Brown was pleased to announce the appointment of Joyce Kennedy to the new consultant position of Stewardship Advisor, which is underwritten by the Trustees of Diocesan Funds for a period of two years. In this part-time role, she will support the Diocese of Maine by providing guidance and consultation to clergy, parish leadership, and stewardship committees on annual giving, capital and special fundraising initiatives, endowment development, and planned and legacy giving. Read more about Joyce here. To reach her, please complete this short form.
Logo created with AI