Church Staff

Rev. Jim Anderson is a Specialized Interim Minister commissioned and ordained by the Reformed Church in America. Jim has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Michigan State University. A thirty year veteran of the computer industry, Jim began attending New York Theological Seminary in New York City in 1992, earning a Masters degree in Divinity in 1996. During this time he served as student pastor in two churches. He served as a chaplain at Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan for a year after graduation and was pastor of the West Copake, NY Reformed Church from 1997 to 2004.

During his time at West Copake Jim chaired the RCA upstate NY Program Council and the Church Development Committee of his local conference.

Jim has worked with several congregations in New York's Hudson Valley as an Interim Minister and completed Interim Minister Network training as well as programs in conflict resolution and family system theory.

Rev. Anderson lives with his wife, Lee, a social worker, in Kennebunk. They share 5 adult children and 16 grandchildren. Their daughter, Erika, lives with her husband, Jeff, and three children, Riley-7, Cameron-5,and Kelly-3, in Kennebunk.

Marylou McClelland is our talented organist and Choir Director. She lives in Cape Porpoise. She is the widow of Keith McClelland who was organist and choir director of The Church on the Cape and former music teacher in S.A.D. 71 schools for many years.

marylou rehearsing2(c)(r).jpg

My name is Patty Parr and I am the church secretary. I will try to do the best job possible for the church and congregation.

I have a BS in nursing and did public health and school nursing in Groton, Connecticut and was a Rehabilitation nurse for Libery Mutual Insurance in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, and worked as assistant head nusrse at Phillips Exeter Academy Infirmary. After leaving the Academy, David and I moved to Nantucket, MA. During that time, after some reflection on my future, I became interested in Special Education. We returned to Exeter and I switched gears professionally and started to work with special needs. I was chosen for a state funded program in Speech and Language and returned to school for a year. I then worked the last nine years of my career with the Speech Pathologist helping 3rd, 4th and 5th graders with language (receptive and expressive) problems.

Paul Gauthier is custodian of First Church. Paul is a Trustee and the previous Church School Superintendent. His wife, Joan, is now the Sunday School Superintendent. Both have been very active within the Church. Paul is a retired machinist and Joan is skilled in Arts and Craft.

Moderator, David Parr

After a rather normal childhood in Western New York, I earned an appointment to the US Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conneticut. There I met and courted for 2 1/2 years the love of my life, Patty Parr. She got a taste of our future life when I sailed away each summer for three months training cruises on the Barque EAGLE.

We were married three days after I graduated and commissioned as an Ensign. Pat graduated a year later from a University of Connecticut nursing program with a BS in Nursing. Patty admirably supported me and our family over a career that included tours on six ships, three as Commanding Officer.
We were blessed with a daughter and a son and Pat was instrumental in their development into the great personalities they've become. In between ship-board assignments I specialized in Navigation Safety, traveling all over the world and partici-pating in exciting assign-ments, such as serving in a subcommittee of the UN, designing waterway safety mechanisms for Egypt as they emerged from their wars and designing offshore vessel traffic management systems to reduce risk of collisions. During one period ashore I was selected to attend Naval War College. In another, I earned a Master's Degree in Public Management and was honored by election to the National Honor Society for Public Managers.

After retirement from the Coast Guard with the rank of Captain, Pat and I went to live in Nantucket for a year, as I helped an emerging company gain control over management and finances. Returning home, I was hired to manage logistics for the 6.2 billion dollar Boston Harbor Cleanup Project. During this period we moved to our present home in Kennebunk and when my role ended I opted to work with a local real estate firm. This fulfilled a lifelong dream to work in the town I lived. First Church was also a good fit for us, and after serving as a Deacon, then a Trustee, I curently serve as Moderator and sing in the church choir.