Members of the Hope Cohort gathered on Saturday, September 13 at First Church in Bridgton for Hope Cohort Orientation. In the morning, faith formation educator Rev. Debbie Gline Allen presented a keynote address on spiritual formation for people of all ages, suggesting churches have the opportunity to foster meaningful, mutually transformative relationships across generations in ways that are often inaccessible in the digital age. You can watch a recording of Debbie’s keynote in our video vault.

In the afternoon, we kicked off the Hope Cohort program year and the entire Church Cohort Program with 18 representatives from churches across western Maine and eastern New Hampshire. Together, we spent time considering the needs of our churches and communities, the different roles each person plays in creating change in and through the church, and how each congregation might use $15,000 in sub-grant funding to create or support a project, program, or some creative approach to intergenerational ministry in their unique context.

From now until June 2026, these four congregations will journey together through the process of designing, implementing, evaluating, and developing their own intergenerational ministry projects, all working toward the goal of creating a more welcoming, accessible, and caring environment for people of all ages in our churches.