Meet the staff of First Church
We’re excited to meet you! See below to read about our staff here at First Church.
The Rev. Emily C. Goodnow, Senior Pastor
Emily (she/her) is a New Hampshire native who moved from Oregon to Bridgton to be our Pastor in September of 2016. She is passionate about creative worship, intergenerational community, and the church as a vehicle for social change. Emily was ordained in the United Church of Christ in 2013 in Dover, New Hampshire, and served as the Associate Pastor at the First Congregational Church of Salem, Oregon until 2016 when she and her husband, Noah, drove across the country and joined us here in Western Maine. Emily received her Master of Divinity from Yale University and her BA in Creative Writing and Religious Studies from Colby College. Between Colby and Yale Emily worked in Bamako, Mali first with Save the Children and then on a project funded by Davis Projects for Peace called Awn Be Se, and then at The Telling Room, a nonprofit storytelling center in Portland, Maine. Emily also spent 5 summers working at the Maine UCC Summer Camp Pilgrim Lodge, first in the Craft Cabin and later as the Assistant Director.
Emily was honored to be a participant in the United Church of Christ’s Next Generation Leadership Initiative, a ten-year program for young clergy who were identified by the UCC as transformational leaders with an important role to play in leading “the Church of the Future.” She grew up in the UCC and loves the denomination both for the ways in which it is rooted in tradition, ritual, and history, and for its courage to speak truth in love and stand for justice in the world.
Emily’s joys beyond church include camping, hiking, music, dance, theater, reading, learning the ukulele, playing the Oboe, making pickles, and roasting s’mores. Emily is married to Noah Garrison, a native of Minnesota who is a carpenter and potter, and together the two have a four-year-old child named Silas.
Spencer Law, Minister for Intergenerational Innovation
Spencer (he/him) is a recent graduate of Andover Newton Seminary at Yale Divinity School, where he received his Master of Divinity and the Martin B. Copenhaver Preaching Prize. In seminary, Spencer served as a liturgical chapel minister, an intern in chaplaincy at the Yale New Haven Health Pediatric Gender Program, and pastoral intern at Spring Glen Church, UCC in Hamden, CT. He is an alum of James Madison University, where he studied history as well as media arts and design. He has a background in communications, website and graphic design, advocacy, and historical research.
Spencer comes from the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in Virginia, has found a spiritual home in the UCC in New England, and works for ecumenical collaboration among progressive Christian denominations. He is passionate about diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and intergenerational community in the church. Spencer spent three summers working at Pilgrim Lodge, the UCC camp in West Gardiner, ME as a staff member and childcare provider. Spencer currently lives in Portland with his partner, Lydia, who is the Assistant Camp Director at Pilgrim Lodge. Outside of church, Spencer enjoys camping, making art, singing around the campfire, disc golf, and traveling.
Spencer will serve at First Church for five years leading the Lilly Endowment grant funded Western Maine Children’s and Intergenerational Ministry Hub. He will be based in Bridgton, joining in the congregation’s imagining and innovating in children’s and intergenerational ministry, and will work over the next five years to do the same imagining and innovating with congregations across Western Maine and Eastern New Hampshire through the Hub. Spencer dreams of a church where all God’s children know they belong.
Sandy Wissmann, Christian Education Coordinator
Our children run down our church walkway on Sunday mornings to see Sandy (she/her), and Sandy loves every one of them!
With a background in Elementary Education and art and a love for little people, Sandy is always turning our church into a pirate ship for Vacation Bible Camp, learning a new song for Sunday School, or trying out a new craft to teach our church’s youngest.
Her artistic talents, compassionate heart, and gifted classroom skills are a blessing to our whole church community, though her focus here is with children, youth, and young adults. Sandy holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Stetson University.
Before moving to Lovell, Maine, and beginning at First Church in 2004, Sandy worked at St. Thomas Episcopal Day School in Coral Gables, Florida, as a teacher and, later, as the Director of Religion Education.
Cassie Cooper-Ricci, Director of Music Engagement
Cassie Cooper-Ricci (they/them) is a graduate of Southeastern University (‘16) and Florida State University (‘21) with degrees in Music Education and Church Music. Originally an elementary music teacher in Florida and Maine, Cassie is now the Associate Director for the LGBTQ+ youth-serving organization, OUT Maine. Cassie strives to ensure the joy of music is accessible to all types of people and learners through culturally responsive and trauma-informed teaching practices. Cassie has experience in directing elementary school choirs, drumming ensembles, rock bands, and marching bands. They enjoy serving the music education community as the Maine Music Education Association Executive Board Treasurer. Cassie loves to teach music with singing games, parachutes, bucket drums, movement, and more.
When Cassie isn’t teaching or playing instruments, they enjoy skiing, reading, beating friends in Mario Kart, and spending time with their wife, Kait, and their beloved beagle, Maggie.
Anne Polak, Choir Director
Anne (she/her) is new to the staff at First Church but is not a stranger to the church family as she and her family attended here for about 4 years when they first moved to Bridgton in August of 1999.
Growing up, Anne was fully immersed in the music world with an emphasis on choral/church music as both of her parents were music educators and church musicians. Worship music evokes strong emotions that enhance a sense of peace, connection, and reflection. Worship music acts as both a release and a source of comfort, strengthening emotional resilience and a sense of inner calm. Anne’s guiding principle in preparing music for worship is to always hold the significance of what the music will convey to bridge the connection between body, soul, community, and God, however God is individually experienced.
Before joining First Church, Anne served as the Chancel and Handbell choir director at First Church N. Conway, N.H., from 2013 to 2026. Additionally, Anne has other choir/handbell directing, camp song leading, and music worship planning under her belt in various areas.
Professionally, Anne is a licensed mental health clinician having served in a variety of areas, including community-based and school-based environments, residential and day treatment facilities, private practice, and correctional facilities. She just entered her 9th year at Bridgton Academy as the school mental health clinician. Her undergrad work included some time as a music education major but the counseling piece won out—music is her therapy! She holds a B.A. from UMASS/Amherst (Foundations of Counseling/Education) and an M.S. from New England College (Community Mental Health Counseling).
She lives with her husband, Frank (Polak) who is the Health Sciences teacher at Bridgton Academy. They share their home with the “Boss of the House,” Benny, a sweet but stubborn black lab mix. In addition to making music, Anne loves spending time with family, experimenting with fun recipes, finding new ways to make home “homier,” being outside in nature, practicing yoga and sound /vibrational healing, energetics and learning about natural healing modalities.
Anne is very grateful to be part of such a loving, thriving, supportive and energetic spiritual family.
Patrick Speckamp, Pianist & Organist
Patrick Speckamp (he/him) brings extensive classical training, international experience, and a deep background in collaborative music-making to the music program to his role as First Church’s pianist and organist.
Originally from Germany, Patrick received his formal piano training there before relocating to the United States. Over the years, he has played an active role in the regional music scene, serving as an accompanist for community ensembles such as the Lake Region Community Chorus and the Da Capo Singers.
Prior to his current position, Patrick served as the pianist and organist at First Church of Christ in North Conway. Alongside his performing schedule, he is a faculty member at the Mountain Top Music Center, where he teaches piano to students of all ages.
Outside of his music commitments, Patrick enjoys spending time in the outdoors and with his family.
Kylie Morel, Office Manager
Kylie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Health Studies and Business Administration and brings a strong background in management and customer service to her work.
Outside of the church office, Kylie stays busy with her son, Jesse, who keeps her laughing every day. In her free time, she enjoys crossword puzzles, playing pool, cuddling her two cats—Benji and Suki—and playing Super Mario.
Molly Wunderli, Administrative Assistant for Graphic & Web Design
Molly (she/her) was the office manager at First Church from fall 2018 to the summer of 2021, before relocating to Bangor. She rejoined our staff in fall of 2024 to remotely manage our graphic and web design needs.
Molly comes to us with a background in visual arts, website management, library and information science, and copy writing and editing. She spends her downtime working on art projects and trying to keep her five cats from fighting each other.