ADDRESS: 425 Congress St.

DENOMINATION/AFFILIATION: Unitarian Universalist

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First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church at 425 Congress St. has served the residents of the Portland area for 350 years. Courtesy photo

HISTORY: First Parish has been serving the residents of the Portland area for 350 years. The church was originally located in Falmouth and moved to the intersection of India and Middle streets in Portland in the early 1700s.

In 1740, it moved to its present location, where church members built “Old Jerusalem,” the wooden predecessor of the current granite church, site of the drafting of the Maine Constitution in 1820. The wooden structure was replaced in 1826 with the building that still stands on Congress Street.

This summer, First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Portland called a new minister. The Rev. Christina Sillari, the first woman to wear the mantle of “settled minister” at the church, was chosen from a wide field of candidates.

Unitarian Universalism welcomes people with different beliefs, and there is rich dialogue at First Parish about spiritual issues. Here are the 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.

WORSHIP SERVICES: 10 a.m. Sundays, followed by coffee hour at 11 a.m.

CONTACT: 773-5747; e-mail: office@firstparishportland.org; website: firstparishportland.org

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