First Parish in Portland has been a place to meet “in the heart of the city” for more than 250 years. Throughout our history, we have welcomed and served everybody who has passed through our doors. As Unitarian Universalists, we believe in the inherent worth and dignity of each person; as a result, it is our top priority to ensure every individual can fully participate in the services, activities, and events that take place in our beautiful, historic buildings and gardens.
A Work In Progress
Our historic building is beautiful and evokes grandeur. But a structure that served its community well in the 1800s does not meet the needs of our community today. Many of the architectural features that make our Meeting House so wonderful do not accommodate full and easy access to its spaces, and this limits our ability to serve. In order to continue to fulfill our mission to welcome and serve everybody, we must ensure that our building is fully accessible and inviting to everyone.
Our renovation project includes:
- The construction of a second ADA compliant main entrance facing the Portland High School Plaza, with the participation of the City of Portland in Plaza improvements and lighting.
- Installing an elevator and a new code-compliant egress stairway to make all three floors accessible to everybody.
- Renovating our community room and kitchen, allowing us to continue and expand our offerings to the members of our congregation and the public, including AA groups, Palaver Strings, and the Maine Historical Society.
- Enhancing our West Garden by adding a wheelchair accessible ramp, better lighting, and improved fencing, to ensure a safer and more welcoming outdoor space for events, weddings, or reflection.
- Updating our audio/visual equipment to benefit those who attend and those who sponsor events in our facilities.
- Providing internet streaming capability to make our facilities virtually accessible from home or away, including hearing assistance, new lighting, and visual projection equipment.
How Can You Help?
We are very close to making our vision of a physically and virtually accessible First Parish a reality. To date, we have raised $1.4 million from church members and friends. As an anonymous donor has recently offered us a $100,000 dollar-for-dollar matching challenge gift, we only need to come up with another $65,000 to reach our $1.5 million goal! We invite you to help us close the remaining gap. Your gift in this final stage of our campaign will have twice its normal impact! Won’t you help us provide a welcoming gathering place full of life and love for all who walk through our historic doors, or who join us online, for generations to come?
Your commitment will have an immediate effect on this campaign’s success and help ensure a lasting spiritual presence in Portland. Working together, we can create a legacy that will help First Parish thrive during the next 250 years!
We would be happy to further discuss our plans as well as your personal involvement in this project. Please contact us at CFE@firstparishportland.org.
Best regards,
Church for EveryBody Campaign Team
