From 1962 to 326 Maine Street
Maine Street Church has been a fixture in downtown Brunswick for more than six decades. The first formal meeting of the congregation was held in 1962, and the church was officially founded in 1965. By 1966, members had completed construction of the original building on Maine Street, where the church still meets today at 326 Maine St. Three generations later, the same address hosts two Sunday services, a midweek recovery program, Bible studies, and a food pantry serving the surrounding neighborhoods.
Two Sunday Mornings on Maine Street
Worship takes place at 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on Sundays, with the 9:00 a.m. service also livestreamed online. Both services feature a music team leading congregational singing, followed by a message from Teaching Pastor Mike Balos that the church describes as biblically based with real-life applications. Current and past sermon series are archived online, ranging from recent studies such as Life 101 and Favorite Characters from the Bible to longer-running series on community, identity, peace under pressure, the Ten Commandments, and the spiritual life.
A Casual, Family-Friendly Welcome
First-time guests are met by greeters who point them in the right direction, and refreshments are served before and after the service so visitors can connect with other attendees. Dress is casual, and families are encouraged to come together. During the 10:30 a.m. service, children are welcome in age-appropriate classrooms: a Preschool Class, Junior Church for kindergarten through fifth grade, and a Youth Bible Study for students in grades six through twelve. The 9:00 a.m. service does not have these breakout programs. Adult Bible studies meet on Sundays and on other days throughout the week for those who want to keep building relationships outside the main service.
Celebrate Recovery on Wednesday Nights
One of the most distinctive ministries at Maine Street is Celebrate Recovery, a Christ-centered program that meets on Wednesday evenings at 6:15 p.m. The program is built around the idea that people find freedom from hurts, hang-ups, and habits - whether those involve alcohol or drugs, food, anger, pornography, codependency, shame, control, or past abuse - through worship, teaching, and honest conversation in a safe group setting. Each Wednesday opens with large-group worship and a recovery-focused teaching drawn from the Twelve Steps and eight recovery principles, often including personal testimonies. After large group, attendees break into gender-specific and issue-specific Open Share groups. Once a month, on the first Wednesday, the night begins earlier at 5:30 p.m. with a shared potluck meal for participants and their invited family or friends. The program is overseen by Celebrate Recovery Director Angela Balos. The church notes that the program is currently on hiatus and encourages anyone interested to reach out for the latest schedule.
Who's Your One?
Alongside the recovery work, the congregation has rallied around a single evangelism initiative called Who's Your One? The premise is simple: each member identifies one person - a neighbor, coworker, friend, or family member - to invest in, pray for faithfully, and look for natural opportunities to share the hope of Christ with over the course of the year. The church provides a downloadable 30-day prayer guide and maintains a private Facebook group where participants can swap stories and encouragement. The campaign frames evangelism not as a program but as patient, relational love expressed one person at a time.
Food Pantry and Prayer Ministry
Service to the wider Brunswick community also runs through a food pantry supported by the congregation. Non-perishable donations can be left in a grocery cart in the church lobby, and cold items can be handed to church staff. Members also serve on the prayer team, picking up a printed prayer list from the church office each week or accessing it online, and praying over the needs listed there. Small-group Bible studies are another ongoing way to stay connected: members can host or lead a study, with Maine Street providing the curriculum materials.
Baptism and Membership
For those exploring faith or wanting to take next steps, the church offers a Membership Class 101 that introduces visitors to Maine Street's mission, beliefs, and the meaning of church membership, drawing on Ephesians 2:19. Baptism is taught as the outward symbol of an inward commitment to Christ - a public declaration of faith by immersion, modeled on Jesus' own baptism. The church does not baptize children until they are old enough to understand and believe for themselves, and Pastor Mike is the contact for anyone ready to be baptized.
Music, Media, and the Building
Worship is supported by a music team and a media team that runs sound and slides during services. Volunteers are regularly invited to be trained on the sound board or to help with on-screen presentations. The building itself, completed in 1966, remains the center of everything that happens at Maine Street, from Sunday services to midweek studies and recovery meetings.
Five Purposes, One Church
Underneath all of its programs, Maine Street organizes its life around five stated purposes: worship, celebrating God's presence individually and together; discipleship, helping believers grow spiritually after they decide to follow Christ; ministry, meeting the spiritual, emotional, relational, and physical needs of others in Jesus' name; fellowship, building a warm and authentic community where new believers feel they belong; and evangelism, sharing the good news of Jesus wherever the congregation goes. Teaching Pastor Mike Balos and the wider church family see those five purposes as the engine behind everything from Sunday services to Celebrate Recovery to Who's Your One? - one congregation, one town, one life at a time.