Unity Lodge No. 3 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows has officially moved into the former First United Methodist church on the corner of Church Street and Ridgeland Avenue in South Portland.

The lodge purchased the historic church last year after it had stood empty for about 12 months. The lodge required a special exception permit from the Planning Board before it could move in.

According to Steve Puleo, South Portland’s community planner, the purchase of the church, which was built in 1866, is a “nice fit” and a good way to save the historic structure, which had been neglected.

Although the exterior looks much the same, the lodge has renovated and updated the interior with a number of eco-friendly touches, such as new LED lighting, according to spokesman Ralph Traynor.

Other upgrades included fixing the roof, where the steeple once sat, and making enhancements to the parking lot, said Traynor, who also acts as the lodge’s treasurer.

With its new home, Traynor said, Unity Lodge No. 3 has “stepped into the future.”

He added, “Unity Lodge No. 3 has been helping others for over 138 years and hopes to be around for another 138 with this move to South Portland. The members have updated the lodge to be a model lodge for the future.”

Unity Lodge was founded in 1877 and for most of its history the group was based in Portland. In a prior interview, Traynor told the Current the lodge has about 50 members.

The goal of purchasing the former church and grounds was to make it into the lodge’s headquarters for holding meetings, rituals and other special events, like an annual strawberry festival.

In addition to the church becoming the new home for the Unity Lodge, the Ivy Rebekah Lodge No. 5 has also moved in, Traynor said. The Odd Fellows meet weekly and the Rebekahs meet twice a month.

While the Odd Fellows like to have fun, such as playing pool, cribbage and Nintendo Wii games, like bowling, the main mission of the group is to help others.

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 overall mission of the Odd Fellows, which first came to the U.S. in 1819, is to “visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead and educate the orphan,” according to the organization’s website.

To fulfill that mission, last year Unity Lodge No. 3 gave out more than $18,000 in scholarships to local students, as well as making charitable donations to groups like the Boys and Girls Clubs of Portland and South Portland, the American Red Cross, the Wounded Warrior Project and the Maine Veterans Home in Scarborough.

Like the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Rebekahs are both a fraternal order, as well as a service organization. “Service is our goal,” according to the Rebekahs website.

This historic church in South Portland, built in 1866, is the new home of Unity Lodge No. 3 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Staff photo by Kate Irish Collins