New pastor welcomed at Fairfield United Methodist Church

photo credit: Fairfield United Methodist Church Facebook page

Fairfield United Methodist Church welcomes Brenda E. Haskell, as pastor. Though she has always felt a calling for the ministry, she was told at an early age that women are not ministers. After graduating from Winthrop High School, she attended the University of Southern Maine for art education.

Then, several years later attended the University of the State of New York as an undergraduate of liberal arts. Later in life she took a disciple course and was told by her peers that ministry was her calling. She immediately signed up for seminary school and graduated from Bangor Theological Seminary in 2003.

Brenda first pastored in Hartland at Grace Linn UMC (1999-2004) as a licensed local pastor and then at Vassalboro UMC (2006-2008). In addition to attending seminary, and serving as licensed local pastor, she also worked as an investigator at the Maine Human Rights Commission. In 2007, she changed jobs and went to work for the University of Maine system, as an investigator and then as director of equal opportunity, retiring in 2017.

Though she left the ministry to work full time for the University of Maine, her call to ministry never faded and continued to serve at Vassalboro UMC in various capacities, was a member of the preaching team for the Fairfield Center UMC and filled in for other pastors for vacation or health reasons.

The congregation is happy she is once again serving, now as pastor of the Fairfield Center church. Her greatest joy in the ministry is to bring God’s word of hope and caring to those struggling; those seeking to live the good life God intended for them. Wherever she serves, her motto remains, “Everyone is welcome here.”

The congregation meets for Sunday service at 10:30 a.m.