First Parish is a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Portland, Maine. We are a theologically, culturally, and economically diverse congregation, welcoming and affirming all people who seek a religious community while practicing, creating, or discovering a personal spiritual path.
Members and visitors to our congregation identify as lifelong Unitarian Universalists, Christians, Jews, Muslims, agnostics, atheists, Humanists, Buddhists, Pagans, as well as those who continue to seek. We are united by love, a sense of justice, a passion for truth, and service to the greater community. We commit ourselves and our resources to “Nurture the Spirit, Grow in Community and Help Heal the World.”
Our faith grew from the union of two radical Christian traditions: the Universalists, who organized in 1793 and from whom we take our values of faith, hope, and love, and the Unitarians, who organized in 1825 and from whom we take our values of freedom, reason, and tolerance. These two faith traditions consolidated into the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) in 1961.
Our Covenant
Love is the doctrine of this church, the quest for truth is our sacrament, and service is our prayer. This is our great covenant, to dwell together in peace, to seek truth in love, and to help one another to the end that all souls shall grow into harmony with the divine.
There are seven principles which Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote:
- The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
- Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
- Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
- A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
- The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
- The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
- Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
The living tradition we share draws from many sources:
- Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life;
- Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love;
- Wisdom from the world’s religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;
- Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;
- Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit;
- Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.
To learn more about First Parish and how we work, feel free to explore the website, and we hope you’ll join us for worship on Sundays at 10AM.