SOUTH PORTLAND – After almost a year of being vacant, the First United Methodist Church on Ridgeland Avenue in South Portland may be seeing new life.

This week the city’s Planning Board was scheduled to approve a proposal by Unity Lodge No. 3 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows to purchase and use the former church and grounds as a meeting place.

The lodge initially had its sights set on the St. John the Evangelist Church, which was purchased in December by Cafua Management, a Massachusetts-based developer hoping to build a 24-hour Dunkin’ Donuts on the western side of Main Street in Thornton Heights.

Steve Puleo, South Portland’s community planner, said the Odd Fellows lodge, which is located in Portland, would need a special exception permit from the Planning Board in order to use the church.

However, Puleo does not anticipate any problems with the board issuing the permit at its meeting on Tuesday, which was held after the Current’s deadline.

He said the lodge is not planning to make any exterior alterations to the historic church, which was built in 1866. Puleo also called the plan for the Odd Fellows to buy the church “a nice fit,” as well as a way to save the structure.

Puleo said the Unity Lodge would be required to provide a buffer between the church and the adjacent residences. And, the lodge must also upgrade the parking lot, which has space for 20 vehicles.

In all, he said the proposal by the Unity Lodge is “fairly straightforward” and said, “these types of uses are usually well received,” especially since the Odd Fellows will not significantly intensify the use of the church building.

Ralph Traynor, a South Portland resident who holds the position of Vice Grand in the Unity Lodge, said the lodge was founded in Portland in 1877.

There are about 50 members of the lodge and the goal is to use the church as the lodge’s new headquarters, where it would hold meetings and other special events.

Traynor would not say how much the Unity Lodge has offered for the church and said whether the lodge purchases the building would depend on the outcome of Tuesday’s meeting of the Planning Board.

If the lodge receives its special exception permit, Traynor said, the goal would be to move into the church “as soon as we can after doing some cleaning and (making some) improvements.”

The most expensive and most necessary work would be repairing the roof where the steeple once sat, he said.

Originally the church sported a steeple that towered 55 feet, but it was struck by lightning in 1879 and replaced with a smaller steeple that was taken down in 1997 due to structural concerns.

According to Traynor, the Odd Fellows is a group that works “to improve and elevate the character of mankind by promoting the principles of friendship, love, truth, faith, hope, charity and universal justice.”

The Odd Fellows was the first fraternal society in the U.S. to include both men and women, starting in 1851. The Odd Fellows is non-political and non-sectarian and first came to North America in 1819.

The overall mission or command of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows is to “visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead and educate the orphan,” according to the organization’s website.

The philosophy of the Odd Fellows is to “promote good will and harmony amongst peoples and nations through the principle of universal fraternity, holding the belief that all men and women regardless of race, nationality, religion, social status, gender, rank and station are brothers and sisters.”

In compliance with the Odd Fellows’ mission and philosophy, in the past year alone, according to Traynor, the Unity Lodge has given out more than $40,000 in charitable donations and $12,000 in scholarships, all of which went to help local people in need.

Unity Lodge projects include supporting the local Muscular Dystrophy Association chapter, the Iris Network, local Boys and Girls Scout troops, assisting in operating the Odd Fellows summer camp for children and working with veterans, particularly at the Maine Veterans Home in Scarborough.

And, Traynor said, most lodge meetings are dedicated to “talking about who we are going to help and where we are going to make donations. We have been very frugal and wise over the years with our money allowing us to help many people and still remain viable.”

According to the Unity Lodge website, “our duty is a simple one, help those in need and build a better community.” The website also says, “We enjoy pool, cribbage, movie nights, great meals and cookouts in the summer.”

Traynor said new members are always welcome. See http://unitylodge3.org for more information about the Unity Lodge and its community-centered programs.

The First United Methodist Church on Ridgeland Avenue in South Portland could be sold to the Unity Lodge No. 3 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The final church service was held last August.    The First United Methodist Church in South Portland was originally built in 1866.