One example is the 125-foot steeple of the 170-year-old First Congregational Church of East Machias, which would cost an estimated $180,000 to restore.
Another is a repair project at the 151-year-old North Church in Portsmouth, N.H.'s Market Square.
The old steeple was removed during repairs, and a new one installed in July fell during a thunderstorm later in the month.
Deborah Andrews, a Maine Preservation trustee who spoke at Wednesday's event in Yarmouth, said many congregations lack the means and the will to save their steeples.
Andrews praised the congregation of the First Universalist Church for moving to save its steeple.
"I, for one, applaud their sense of stewardship," she said.
The 150 members of the congregation plan to raise $230,000 themselves, but hope the remaining $100,000 can be gained through grants and community contributions.
They're asking the community for help, saying the church has been an icon on Main Street since 1860.
Dorothy Gaddis, a congregation member, said repair work is going "very slowly" as the church tries to raise funds in ways that range from benefit concerts to putting the church's unused parsonage up for sale. [NOTE: Gaddis is a congregation member of the First Congregational Church of East Machias, mentioned earlier in this article. First Universalist Church of Yarmouth is not putting its parsonage up for sale.]
The congregation knew that the old steeple needed work and raised $40,000 for its repair, said Ken Nye, president of the church's board of directors.
It wasn't until February, however, that an examination of the steeple and bell tower by structural engineers showed that the whole supporting structure needed to be repaired, too, and that the cost would be much greater, church members said.
Years of water damage have rotted some of the eight wooden columns that keep the entire tower stable.
At first, congregation members debated everything from tearing down the steeple and replacing it with a big question mark - to denote the liberal theology that Unitarian Universalists are known for - to putting up a fiberglass replacement, said Lisa Perkins, who heads the church's steeple preservation committee.
She said the congregation finally came down on the side of restoring the wooden steeple.
Steeplejack Arron Sturgis of Preservation Timber Framing of Berwick, who was removing the steeple on Wednesday, said a wooden steeple is designed to have some natural give, to cope with wind.
The congregation will use the $40,000 it has already raised, and a member who wishes to remain anonymous has promised to donate $60,000 if the congregation can raise another $120,000.
Members also hope to obtain $50,000 in grants and $50,000 in donations from the town, businesses and individuals, and raise $10,000 through special fundraising events.
In the meantime, the steeple, with its peeling paint, will sit as a reminder on the church lawn.
Perkins said some churches have been unable to replace their steeples for years but hopes that won't be the case in Yarmouth.
"We want this to be quick," she said.
Staff researcher Julia McCue contributed to this story.
Staff Writer Tess Nacelewicz can be reached at 791-6367 or at: tnacelewicz@pressherald.com
