The Unitarian Universalist Church of Saco & Biddeford has its roots in two churches, both formed in 1827 on opposite sides of the Saco River.

In Biddeford, a group of people formed the First Universalist Society of Biddeford-Saco. They built a church on land now occupied by the Peoples United Bank.

At the same time, a group split from the 2nd Parish Congregational Church in Biddeford to form the 2nd Parish Unitarian Church. They traveled across the river and built the sanctuary we now use for worship. The split was rooted in a difference of theology: The Unitarians rejected the Congregationalist belief in the Trinity and the doctrines of predestination and original sin.

In 1964 – following a national trend – the Saco Unitarians and the Biddeford Universalists merged their churches. Both had small congregations and were sharing a minister at the time.

The Universalists sold their church and used the proceeds for the building that connects the sanctuary and the parish hall. As a symbol of the merger, the Universalists brought the Good Shepherd stained glass window that is installed on the right-hand side of the sanctuary.