We have now completed our planned two-event candidate training effort. We thank both East Auburn Baptist Church and Crosspoint Church for hosting these events. Our vision in attempting this training was to reach into the church and find like-minded people who look to the Lord for guidance and would be willing to learn more about the idea of being in elected office and possibly seeking local and statewide seats. In fact, the idea of CCL Maine being more involved on the local level (School Committee and Selectboard/Town Council) was a driving force in this process. These two training events yielded 38 people who gave up a Saturday to hear from our experienced political consultant, Zack Freeman, about the value of governance, how it works, and why we desire people who look to the Lord to consider taking the next step and seek office.

The training also featured Maine state representatives, school committee members, and community volunteers to give an actual perspective to what we were presenting. The stories each speaker shared were of regular people wanting to serve and help. Attending were people seeking to help, learn, and run for a specific local and even a statewide seat. The CCL Maine Legislative Committee oversaw this project, and they must be pleased with the results.

What’s next? We have 38 people who have offered to join in, from praying to seeking Maine office. They have accepted a challenge that we need 77 times their number. We are excited to see where God takes each person. We have been approached by individuals who could not attend this training but want another chance and have asked us to replicate the training in the near future. We are looking to offer this training again in the fall. We entered this process knowing it was going to become a part of our work into the future. We will seek to encourage and equip Maine citizens like you and me who answer the call to serve in elected office. We will continue to find and support people who join in, knowing that some will be called immediately, and others may become trained and not seek office until a future date. Some may always act in supporting roles. We will continue to pray for our leaders and listen to see if God has more for us.