Maine Council of Churches Names New Executive Director

The Maine Council of Churches announced today that the Reverend Jane Field has been named as its new Executive Director. In that capacity, Rev. Field will serve as the public “face and voice” of the Council, cultivating and maintaining partnerships with faith communities and other organizations, and working alongside the Council’s Board of Directors to carry out its mission of seeking common ground to work for the common good.

“Jane has a long history of uniting religious organizations in the work of service and justice. She is energetic, well-organized and compassionate. We are grateful to have her as our new Executive Director and look forward to her leadership,” said Richard Berman, president of the Council.

Rev. Field, an ordained Presbyterian minister, has served Presbyterian, Methodist and Episcopal congregations in rural Maine, New York City, and suburban Connecticut, and worked for a number of non-profit organizations, primarily serving victims of domestic violence and the homeless. In addition to a master of divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary (NY), she also holds a master’s degree in public policy and international affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University. Her family’s roots in Maine stretch back for centuries in the Berwick, Saco and Sanford areas, and her daughter is a freshman at UMaine Orono.

Begun in 1938, the Maine Council of Churches consists of member denominations, including Episcopal, Unitarian Universalist, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian (PCUSA), United Methodist, United Church of Christ (Congregational), Evangelical Lutheran, Swedenborgian, and the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). The Council’s current efforts are focused on the eradication of poverty by ensuring economic security especially for the most vulnerable and oppressed, reducing violence and bias, promoting civility and respect, and protecting the environment.

“I am looking forward to working with our Board and member congregations to continue to build a culture of justice, compassion and peace.  I can think of no better place to do this work than in Maine,” said Field.