Rev. Jim Kiker was installed as the pastor of United Baptist Church on Sunday, May 29 in an afternoon service. Kiker and his wife Deb moved to Topsham from Wamego, Kansas. The church had been actively searching for a pastor since the retirement of Rev. Ron McLaughlin.

“When the Pastor Search Committee called and said that they were from Topsham, Maine, I thought: ‘I’ve never even been to Maine before,’” Kiker said.

Kiker had been serving as pastor for more than 11 years at the First Baptist Church of Wamego, Kansas at the time.

In the Baptist tradition, each church calls their own pastor, which is accomplished through a committee working with the region office – in this case: American Baptist Churches of Maine.

The decision to move to Topsham was sealed after a Candidate Weekend in November. That is when the Kikers met with the Pastoral Search Committee and congregation, participated in a Sunday Morning Worship

Celebration, and drove around the area. The church membership then voted to extend the call to Kiker.

Deb Kiker is a nurse and is employed at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston as the Employee Health Manager.

The Kikers have four grown children:

“We are enjoying serving the United

Baptist congregation, exploring the area, meeting great people, and getting settled-in,” Kiker said. “We look forward to getting involved in the community and learning all the great advantages that this area and Maine have to offer/ The great ocean views, the mountains, the islands, and the wonderful seafood are amazing. This definitely isn’t Kansas anymore.”