A Journey of Two Churches
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church and St. Mark's Episcopal Church began worshiping together in 2015.
In 2016, both congregations voted to become one church, beginning the journey of establishing a Federated Interdenominational Congregation. Working with the New England Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Maine Diocese of The Episcopal Church of the USA, the two churches evolved into Emmanuel Lutheran Episcopal Church.
The transition hasn't always been easy. Members have been lost and the work has been challenging. However, by continuing to follow the path that God has placed before us, we are now choosing to replace "scarcity" with "abundance". Our Emmanuel Family is neither "Lutheran" nor "Episcopalian". We are now "One in Christ" as a new church with familiar traditions, stepping out in faith to answer God's call to help those in need.
Our Mission
By sharing God's love as revealed in Jesus Christ, we are freed to live faithfully, witness boldly and serve joyfully.
Emmanuel Lutheran Episcopal Church is a Federated - Interdenominational Church, fully Lutheran and fully Episcopal, as approved by the Episcopal Diocese of Maine in the Episcopal Church of the USA and the New England Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America in 2018.
Sunday Worship at Emmanuel begins at 9:00 am
Our church is located at 209 Eastern Avenue (Rt. 17), Augusta, Maine 04330 or online options include FaceBook Live on Emmanuel's FB page or Livestream or recorded on Youtube.
All are welcome at Emmanuel Lutheran Episcopal Church. Come and see how God is working in us, around us and through us!
See our “Worship” tab for information about special services offered at Emmanuel throughout the church year.
Doing God's work outside the walls of the church to help those in need in the Greater Augusta community is important to Emmanuel. A variety of opportunities to serve within the church are also available. Check out our "Serve" tab for more information.
Meet Emmanuel’s staff and leaders:
The Rev. Suzanne Colburn, Priest in Charge
The Rev. Suzanne Colburn, an ordained Episcopal Priest since 1998, is the current part-time Priest-in-Charge at Emmanuel Lutheran Episcopal Church in the City of Augusta. Suzanne came to Emmanuel in 2017 after working in The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts for most of her career. Suzanne continues to enjoy the creative and academic challenges of serving in a Federated Lutheran-Episcopal parish. Suzanne began her combined call of street and parish ministry in Boston where her love of Bach Cantatas and liturgical music began. When not at Emmanuel, Suzanne can be found heading to the airport for an adventure with friends or family.
Sue Lasselle, Office Administrator
Sue joined Emmanuel in July 2023. Previous to working at Emmanuel she spent many years working in various office settings. In her spare time she enjoys being with her grandchildren, gardening, hiking, and spending time at the lake.
Edie Emerson, Pianist
Edie Emerson joined Emmanual as a regular pianist in 2015 and has enjoyed using her talents for service music, special music, accompanying instrumentalists and vocalists, and choral selections. Although classically trained, she takes great pleasure in multiple genres of music, including, jazz, pop, and soul. Her practical experience in playing at church began at the age of twelve when she played hymns weekly for a local congregation in Connecticut. Ultimately, her mission and calling at Emmanual has been to use music to connect us to God through the working of the Holy Spirit.
Melinda Kimball, Choir Director
Melinda Kimball graduated from the University of NH with a degree in music education and has worked for twenty-seven years as a music teacher in NH and ME. She has taught both instrumental and choral music to students of all ages and has been teaching 5th and 6th grade band in Augusta for the past eight years. She has been a choir director in Kittery and Hallowell, Me and is currently the choir director at Emmanuel Lutheran Episcopal Church. Melinda is extremely passionate about music and thoroughly enjoys working with the amazing choir members at Emmanuel. She welcomes anyone interested to come join and give it a try! When she’s not teaching or directing musical ensembles she enjoys spending time at home puttering on projects, out in nature, hanging out with her wife Lisa and their wonderful pets.
Betty Balderston, President
Betty Balderston currently serves as the President of Emmanuel’s Leadership Team. In that role, she provides leadership and support for a variety of church administration issues. Betty is a graduate of the Lutheran School of Lay Ministry and serves as a Worship Leader and is involved in many aspects of the life of the church. In her personal time, Betty and her husband Lloyd enjoy camping, hiking and kayaking.
Connie McDonald, Vice President & Finance
Connie was a life-long Episcopalian, but with the merging of the two churches, she is so pleased to be fully Episcopal and fully Lutheran. We, together with the Holy Spirit, have created a friendly, caring and vibrant new church. She serves on the Leadership Team and Finance Committee.
Doug Burdin, Treasurer
As a long time member of Prince of Peace/Emmanual, Doug has served on several committees and was Chair of Property for many years. He currently serves as one of the livestream hosts and conducts Joy Time following service each Sunday. Married for over 40 yrs to his high school sweetheart, they have two sons, a wonderful daughter-in-law and two active grand kids. Outside of church, he enjoys officiating high school sports, having done this for over 40 yrs. Doug likes to play golf and enjoys reading. Over the years he has had several pets, including 4 dogs and 4 cats and currently has a little golden doodle named Maverick.
Nancy Finnegan, Secretary
Nancy serves as Secretary of the Leadership Team. She and her husband Jim Melcher have been members of our congregation, and our choir, since 1999. She has degrees from Boston University and the University of Minnesota. In her spare time, she enjoys knitting and gardening. She and Jim live in Augusta's Westwood neighborhood.
Billy Kobin, Outreach
Bill Kobin joined Emmanuel in 2023 after moving to Maine from Louisville, Kentucky. He grew up in Wisconsin and graduated from Northwestern University, and he serves (from afar!) on the board of directors for Lutheran Campus Ministry at Northwestern University. Billy writes for the Bangor Daily News and enjoys running, playing soccer, biking, hiking, skiing and other outdoor pursuits.
Jenn Fraser, Congregational Care
Jenn is originally from Rhode Island and relocated to Maine in December 2019. She began attending church services at Emmanuel in 2021 and she discovered that Emmanuel was a perfect fit for her. She currently works as a Paralegal at Schneider & Brewer. In her spare time she enjoys golfing, yoga and reading.
Linda Lowell, Education and Formation
Linda is a retired Literacy Specialist for the Augusta School System and has been a member of Emmanuel (formerly Prince of Peace), for over 30 years.
Lee Parker, At Large/Worship
Lee is an At Large member of our Leadership Committee and serves as the liaison to the Worship Committee. He and his family relocated to Maine in the summer of 2023 from Austin, Texas. Since joining Emmanuel, Lee has become involved as an acolyte and a volunteer for the Community Suppers. He works as a software engineer and enjoys running, hiking, and woodworking.
Jim Lavoie, At Large
Jim Lavoie’s church memberships include Leadership Team, Call Committee and Acolyte. He is a rather recent member of Emmanuel having transferred from All Saints Episcopal Church in Fort Myers, FL. Jim has noted that he was called to become a part of the Emmanuel family after experiencing a very warm welcome and then observing the church members supporting each other, as well as the various community outreach missions of the church. In addition to church activities, Jim enjoys family outings, hiking and volunteering at local food banks.
Robert Wing, Acolyte Director
Robert's current duties at Emmanuel are director of acolytes, on the worship committee, on the leadership committee, and recently filling in as a worship assistant. He is also a greeter of new people.
Brad Joslyn, Property
Brad retired from UPS where he worked as an automotive technician. He is a long-time member of Emmanuel. Brad volunteers at the Augusta Food Bank and serves on the board for Families Matter. In his spare time, he enjoys snowmobiling, playing racquetball and keeping active thru the YMCA.