With its historic buildings and working farm, the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in New Gloucester draws thousands of visitors a year. This is the last active Shaker community in the United States. And until a few months ago, there were only two members. Now a third has joined the celibate Christian sect.
At the end of a beautiful summer day, Friends of the Shakers weekend attendees settle in for a group sing-along of shaker songs. A majority of women sit on the sister's side of the chapel and the men sit opposite, all holding lyrics to the songs, though few seem to need them.
59-year-old Sister April Baxter is unassuming in her colorful button down and jeans but has brought a palpable energy to the space. Baxter is the newest Shaker. She came to live at the village this spring and said the place was special from the first time she visited.
"I didn't understand why, but I was very moved. I mean, I've been to lots of beautiful places in my life, lots of beautiful places, but something made me feel like I had to come back, and not just for a day," Baxter said.
To become a Shaker.. you must be single, in good physical and mental health, free of debt, and have no dependents. And only after living at the village for five years, can you be considered for acceptance as a full member. Baxter said before coming to New Gloucester, she lived for three year as a novice in an Episcopal convent in Massachusetts which helped her prepare for the Shaker life.
"And if I hadn't lived at the convent, I wouldn't even have considered coming here," Baxter said. "So that was an important step in my journey, but I also was feeling like it was time to move on...someone said to me, that must have been a really hard decision for you to make. I'm like, no, it wasn't a decision. It's a calling. So really the only decision was saying yes or no to what I feel God was calling me to do."
87-year-old Sister June Carpenter and 68-year-old Brother Arnold Hadd were the last two shakers before Baxter arrived. Hadd joined the community in 1978. He spend his days praying and working on the farm but he said Shakerism can be boiled down to emulating the life of Christ through what he calls the "three C's".
"There's the confession of sin, which is the opening of the mind and the gateway to the church. There's a community of goods. Nobody owns everything anything, but we all own everything. And celibacy, as Christ was celibate," Hadd said.
Celibacy as a core tenet has limited the community's ability to grow. But Hadd said people have been committed to supporting the shakers for a long time. Lloyd Hunt has been a member of the official "Friends of the Shakers" organization since it's founding in 1975. Hunt said the role of the friends is to provide labor for farm projects, raise money, and to be ambassadors for the Shakers.
"To spread the word that they're here and that they're a place that has meaning for me individually, and that it might have meaning for you. So why don't you come and, you know, take a tour, come to meeting, do whatever else, and see if there's something that resonates for you here?" Hunt said.
Hunt said there are over a thousand members who believe in Shaker values but cannot fully commit to the life. Sister Baxter said that support has allowed the small community to thrive.
"It's not just the three shakers that are living here. It's everyone that's growing with us. It's the employees here, it's the volunteers, it's the visitors. That's such an important part of who we are and why this community survives," Baxter said.
Village Director, Michael Graham, first came to Shaker Village in the 90s for a class project in his first year at Bates college. He ended up spending his weekends for the next 4 years volunteering on the farm and attending Sunday meeting. Soon after graduating, Hadd offered him a job and Graham has worked at the Shaker village ever since.
"So many people are drawn to this place to learn about the shakers, and unexpectedly and surprisingly in the process, you end up learning so much about yourself, and that is a real equation for a long term type of relationship," Graham said.
Baxter is less than six months into her novice year. When she's finished, Brother Arnold and Sister June will decide whether to accept her as a member. She will have to remain another four years to be considered as a full member of the faith. But Graham said her understanding of what makes the place special leaves no doubt in his mind about her commitment.
