Fairbanks Union Church is three miles from the center of Farmington and is part of Franklin County. The town of Farmington is the county seat, home to the University of Maine at Farmington, the region’s health care center and a very vibrant cultural hub.
The church’s beginnings date to March 1895 when a group of Fairbanks residents, led by Hiram Butler, decided they wanted a community church. Butler then donated land for a new church, one large enough to accommodate about 100 worshipers. Villagers subscribed either lumber or money to buy materials, and within months the sanctuary was erected.
In the early days, the church was served regularly by “visiting ministers”, often Farmington clergymen or student ministers from Bangor Theological Seminary. Sometimes parishioners themselves preached; most often it was Henry Webster. Elbridge Cutler served as superintendant of Sunday school.
In 1955 Reverend William Burger, a Presbyterian, became full-time pastor. He initially came to Maine in the early 40’s and worked for the church in the lumber camps in the area. In 1961 the chapel became a mission church of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. The church also became a member of Mission at the Eastward, a cooperative ministry of a dozen churches at that time.
After Reverend Burger retired, Reverend C. Scott Planting was installed in 1975 as pastor and with his guidance until his retirement in 2010, the church’s ministry expanded to include various social welfare projects. In 1988 the addition of a meeting room and an office increased the size of the church by more than one-third. In 1991 the church was elevated from mission to self-supporting status.
Reverend Rothea “Thea” Kornelius born in Pretoria, South Africa was educated both in South Africa and the United States and served our church from 2017 through 2021.
We are currently in the process of searching for a Part-time Pastor to serve our church. In the meantime, we have some amazing supply pastors that rotate Sundays serving our Church each Sunday.