Vote no on No. 1

Many members of the Allen Avenue Unitarian Universalist Church (known as A2U2), 524 Allen Avenue in Portland are joining with many other church members of all faiths across the state of Maine to vote no on Question 1 on November 8.

Though we don’t have a creed in our Unitarian Universalist churches, we do have principles by which we try to live. We believe these principles are the values that Jesus taught. One of the ones I like the best is the one that reads, “We believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every person.” Another one that frames the way I try to live my life is, “Justice, equity and compassion in human relations.”

The following words are excerpted from a recent sermon by our new minister, Rev. Myke Johnson: She said, “For whatever reason, gays and lesbians seem to be the outcasts of the current controversy over moral values in our nation. Are we an abomination, a sign of disobedience of our times? Or are we a sign of grace and hope, a prophetic witness to the strength of love even in the face of oppression? I stand here before you because Unitarian Universalism has taken a stand on the side of prophetic witness, and on the side of expansive love. Every Sunday we invite Infinite Love into our midst. Love is the source of our salvation, and love is our light on our way through the difficult journey.”

Our overflowing crowd at our Sunday services tells me that there are many others who believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every person. We will begin double services on Sunday, October 23. One service at 9 a.m. and another one at 11 a.m.