Planning your visit
You don’t have to be Unitarian Universalist, believe a particular thing, or know a soul. Most of us walked in the first time not knowing what to expect. Here’s what to expect.
Before you visit
Before you come
- When
- Sundays at 10 am, in person and on Zoom; about an hour.
- Where
- 524 Allen Avenue, Portland, Maine 04103 Google Maps Apple Maps
- Parking
- On-site lot, with accessible spaces in the circle by the sanctuary walkway.
- Getting in
- All on one level, no stairs. Enter under the Black Lives Matter Banner.
- What to wear
- Whatever’s comfortable. Jeans and sneakers fit right in.
- Children
- Welcome to stay in the service or participate in religious education programming; nursery for infants through age 4, 9:45–11:30 am.
- Online
- Live on Zoom at 10; the recording goes up on YouTube later in the week.
- Cost
- Nothing. An offering plate passes during the service; visitors are welcome to let it go by.
What a Sunday is like
You’ll be greeted at the door by a member of our greeting team and invited to make a nametag. They can answer any questions you have and provide more information about our congregation. From there, you’ll head into the Sanctuary and find a seat. You don’t need to know the hymns, the rituals, or the words; just sit and take it in.
Services open with a welcome and announcements. From there a Sunday usually holds a combination of the following: we light the chalice, sing, and offer a story for all ages. People share their joys and concerns aloud or through the silent lighting of candles. There are readings, a sermon, and a few quiet minutes for meditation. We pass an offering plate, which we share with local charities. Many participate and some let it pass them by without judgment. The feel is warm and unhurried; we are genuinely glad to be together.
Most Sundays from September through June are led by our Developmental Minister, the Rev. Tara Humphries (they/them); about once a month members of our lay-led worship committee lead instead. Summer services are smaller and informal, led by members and held in the round. Afterward there’s coffee and conversation; stay if you’d like, or slip out.
Getting here, and getting in
There’s a parking lot, with handicap spaces in the circle by the sanctuary walkway, drop-off points, and paved walkways. Two walkways lead up from the lot: the left one goes to the sanctuary foyer, which is the grade-level, accessible entrance; the right one goes to the religious-education wing.
The whole building is on one level, with no stairs and no elevators. There are ramps to the entryways and an electric door opener at the sanctuary entrance, and there’s an accessible restroom. We keep large-print hymnals and orders of service on hand, along with earphones to help if you’re hard of hearing. Service dogs are welcome.
If there’s something you need in order to feel comfortable coming, call us at (207) 747-3299 and ask. More detail is on the accessibility page.
Coming with kids
Children are welcome in the Sanctuary, and the noise that comes with them is welcome too. One member, Emily O’Neill, puts it this way: “A frequent refrain in services is that the noises and wiggles of the youngest members are the sign of a healthy church.”
Up front there’s a spot for young ones called the VIP area, for Very Inquisitive People: a cloud couch, art supplies, books, kaleidoscopes, and dancing scarves. For infants through age 4 there’s a staffed nursery whenever you’d like a break. Most Sundays there are religious-education sessions for children and youth, with two or more adults always present with the children according to our child-safety policy.
Joining online
If you can’t make it in person, or you’d rather watch first from home, the service streams live on Zoom at 10 am: here is the link, the same one every week. Those in our “Zoom Sanctuary” often stay on after worship ends to catch up and check in with one another. The service recording goes up on our YouTube channel later in the week (with Joys & Sorrows taken out for privacy).
Is this place for you?
We have no creed you’re asked to sign, and no single set of answers. Humanists, theists, agnostics, pagans, Christians, Buddhists, and people still working it out all sit in the same room. What holds us together is a set of shared values rather than a doctrine: that love is at the center, and that how we live with each other and with this planet is what matters most.
We’re a Welcoming Congregation, the Unitarian Universalist Association’s term for a congregation that has done explicit, ongoing work on LGBTQ+ inclusion; the UUA recognized us in 2003 and we renew this commitment each year.
If you are hungry for a church that honors your questions rather than handing you one set of answers, this might be the place.
Your next step
The simplest way to stay in touch is the Welcome Form. It’s one short form; it also signs you up for the weekly newsletter, so you’ll know what’s coming on Sunday. Fill it out before you visit or after.
Everything else that’s on this week, from choir rehearsal to the small groups, is on the calendar. Once you’ve been a few times and want to go deeper, see ways to connect at A2U2.
Related topics: directions, parking, accessibility, what to expect, first visit, first time, newcomer, service time, where to park, plan a visit.