About Us
Our history
In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus says, "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
With the Great Commission in mind Lance and Cassie Satterwhite are endeavoring to plant a church in Orono, ME aimed at sharing the Gospel with the students of UMaine, and the people of Maine.
Our mission
Mission Statement
Our mission is to cultivate a community of disciples who, in turn, make disciples. We aim to achieve this by loving and serving the individuals of the University of Maine and the Orono area. Through fostering an inviting environment and sharing the teachings of Jesus Christ, we strive to empower others in their faith journey.
Our Pastor and his Family
Lance Satterwhite has dedicated 16 years of his life to teaching, alongside his wife, Cassie, who is also an educator. In 2015, they were called to serve as youth directors at Friendship Baptist Church in Montalba, TX.
During a weekend trip to Maine in 2018, they fell in love with the state. Over the following years, they felt a persistent calling back to Maine, particularly to Orono and the University of Maine. After much prayer and discussion with their pastor, Lance sensed that God might be leading them to plant a church in Maine.
In 2023, Lance and Cassie took a mission trip to Boothbay, ME, where their sense of calling to church planting was further affirmed. They began to prepare for this new chapter in their lives. Lance was officially ordained in September 2023, and by February 2025, they were approved as Church Planters through the North American Mission Board's SEND network. They anticipate moving to Orono in June 2025.
The couple is also proud parents to two children, Trip, who is 11 years old, and Sadie, who is 7.
Korbin and Jana
Jessica
Our Beliefs
Is the Bible all we need?
Yes, absolutely! The Bible is truly all we need for faith and practice. But it is also a good idea to know what the church believes about the Bible in a few minutes. This is why we have a statement of faith.
Is the room for disagreement?
Yes and no. We welcome any and all people to visit Friendship, no matter what they believe. However, for membership, we do think it is very important to be united on the major doctrines of our faith, which is outlined below in our “Statement of Basic Beliefs.” All members and leadership agree to this statement.
The “Baptist Faith and Message 2000” will help you see Friendship’s beliefs in more detail. However, agreement with everything in this statement is not necessary for membership. We simply want you to know the theological perspective from which all preaching and teaching will come from at Friendship.
What Affiliations Do you Have?
We are a Bible-believing evangelical church affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention on a national level. We are affiliated with Southern Baptist of Texas on a state level. And we are affiliated with Dogwood Trails Baptist Association on a local level. These affiliations have no authority over us as a church, we simply partner with them for the sake of spreading the Gospel cooperatively with those who have like-minded convictions concerning the Word of God.
- Cooperating churches contribute to the synergy generated when thousands of like-minded churches and millions of like-minded believers band together to accomplish Kingdom-sized initiatives.
- Cooperating churches are part of a networking fellowship that promotes a strong local, national, and global influence with like-minded men and women across the country and the world.
- Cooperating churches are part of a broadly recognized denomination that has high impact ministries at home and abroad in missions, education, ethics, and religious liberty.