AUBURN – The first worship service at the brand-new East Auburn Baptist Church began Sunday morning with a large congregation raising voices in a particularly appropriate Christmas carol – “O Come, All Ye Faithful.”

Several hundred people attending the inaugural service at 560 Park Ave. heard the Rev. Roger Cousineau say, “This church is a gift of God,” as he delivered a sermon on the topic of “Receiving Gifts.”

He told the congregation, “You’re a gift to this church,” and the message of salvation is God’s gift to them. Cousineau got some hearty laughs when he said next week’s topic “will be on re-gifting” – passing the message along.

Pastor emeritus “Dr. Bob” (the Rev. Robert Fredericks) had a special guest role in the service.

Fredericks, an associate pastor at the church for 10 years and a former pastor of First Baptist Church, Portland, offered scripture lessons and a prayer.

“This is so exciting and wonderful,” said the Rev. Larry Jordan of Poland, who has been a member of the East Auburn Baptist Church for 10 years. He said he has been a pastor at several area churches and has spent time as a missionary in Brazil.

Dan Lauze of Lewiston, who is part of the church’s music ministry, said he is looking forward to the opportunities opened up by the new facility.

John Bean of Poland, who was meeting and greeting friends and newcomers in the reception area, also expressed enthusiasm for the future of the church at its new home.

The 9 a.m. service was presented in a traditional format. The congregation also joined in singing “Joy to the World” and “Away in a Manger,” and there were vocal presentations by soloists and a choir of about 24 voices.

Video of the service and scenes accompanied by lyrics of the service’s hymns were projected on two large screens that flanked the wide stage. An array of theater lights spanned the ceiling.

An 11 a.m. service also was held Sunday in a contemporary style. Cousineau explained that this is usual weekly procedure for the church. He noted that modern Christian rock music and an informal presentation are popular with younger church members, while many older worshippers prefer services with which they are more familiar.

Cousineau emphasized that technology is “a tool for ministry,” one which he views as a useful aid in teaching.

East Auburn Baptist Church will maintain an appropriate balance between modern audiovisual presentations and a traditional style of ministry, he said.

The large auditorium space in the new building, which has seating for nearly 700, was nearly full for both services Sunday morning.

The building has a nursery and several Sunday school rooms for young children through adults. A soundproof “crying room” with one-way glass allows a parent to remove a restless or noisy youngster and still follow the service.

Several youngsters also voiced approval of their new facility. In one of the Sunday school rooms for children of about preschool age, Francis Bruno was impressed with how much space they had. He was there with his mother, Sally Bruno of Turner, a Sunday school volunteer.

Oliver and Jordan Grant, son and daughter of Christy and Paul Grant of Poland, agreed, and with a subtle reminder, they said they had liked learning about God’s message at Christmas.

Cousineau said this new building, which is the first phase of a long-term project on the 105-acre parcel, is actually a multipurpose facility.

“We are going to have a sanctuary that seats 1,200 – maybe more,” he said. The new structure and the ample paved and marked parking area occupy only about five acres of the church’s land. Eventually, there will be an amphitheater and trails for hiking and skiing.

The next step will be placement of double-wide modular buildings for office and other needs, Cousineau said.

The East Auburn Baptist Church is just completing its 200th year of continual ministry. Its former location was at 9 Church St. at the intersection of Turner and Center streets near Lake Auburn.

When Cousineau came to the church in 1989, membership had dropped to 60, and there had been no pastor for three years. Since then, attendance has exploded, and in recent years the church rented the gymnasium at nearby St. Dominic Regional High School to accommodate the crowds.

Cousineau said the new church building got its occupancy permit less than two weeks ago. The space was filled to capacity at three performances of the church’s sold-out “Christmas Spectacular” Dec. 20-22.