The First Universalist Church of Auburn, Unitarian Universalist, will mark its 150th Anniversary on Sunday, September 20. The congregation and honored guests will gather to honor Auburn UU’s past, its present, and the future it wishes to build together.
“It’s humbling and inspiring,” remarks Board President Angela Foss, “to know that for 150 years people have gathered in this space to seek meaning, be in community, and work for a more just world. As we celebrate this remarkable milestone in our history, we also celebrate the vibrant congregation that lives out our Unitarian Universalist values every day. May our building and our people continue to inspire and serve our community for generations to come!“
Program of events
The festivities include a special worship service from 10am-12 noon. Rev. DC Fortune will lead a rededication to the denomination’s values, featuring luminary speakers. Rev. Johanna Nichols, the church’s first female minister, will speak about transitions in the congregation over time; Rev. Charlotte Lehmann will represent the many members who heard their call to ministry at Auburn UU and have become ordained pastors; Rev. Erica Baron, Congregational Life Consultant for the New England Region of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), will offer prayers; and Rev. Ashley Horan, UUA Vice President for Programs and Ministries, will speak on the role of the denomination in meeting this moment in history.
Acclaimed organist Phil House, beloved Choir Director Pam Weeks, and the church choir will offer music to befit the occasion. A reception and luncheon will follow. Guests will see captivating displays of historic materials, and take a tour of the building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The 150th Anniversary Task Force has assembled an historical timeline of events in the spiritual community, including a collection of all 32 ministers who have served the congregation.
Inclusive faith
Since the early 1800s, Universalism in Central Maine has been a beacon for an inclusive faith, and commitment to liberal religious values, embracing a living tradition that continues to unfold. This celebration honors Auburn UU’s evolution in its historic church building, dedicated in 1876. The Unitarian Universalist covenant is centered in love, and expressed through the inseparable values of interdependence, pluralism, justice, transformation, generosity, and equity.
Inherent worth as radical idea
“Being a Universalist in the 1800s was fairly radical,” notes Rev. DC Fortune, “considering the popular understandings of Christian theology and doctrine at the time. Around the time our church building was dedicated in 1876, most doctrine viewed humans as utterly flawed and sinful. Conversely, Universalists argued that humans have the capacity to know right from wrong, acting in godly ways without threats or coercion,” says Fortune. “Our Universalist heritage calls us to value the inherent worth and dignity of all people.”
First Universalist Church of Auburn is located at 169 Pleasant St. (accessible entrance on Spring St. across from Dairy Joy). Parking available. FMI, call 783-0461, see www.auburn.org, or contact uuchurchauburn@gmail.com.
