Maine faith leaders organize ‘alternative’ to Turning Point USA event in Portland

The event, dubbed ‘Love is the Point,’ will support immigrants and transgender people — groups that organizers say Turning Point USA has targeted.

Andrew Rice Staff Writer Portland Press Herald April 17, 2026

A growing list of Maine congregations are joining a May 15 event at a Portland church aimed at countering a Turning Point USA Faith event at the Portland Expo scheduled at the same time.

According to organizers, the interfaith event at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church on Congress Street will be a “love-centered” response to Turning Point USA that already has the support of 15 faith organizations across Maine.

The Rev. Norman Allen, minister at the First Parish church, said Friday that while freedom of speech is a core American value, he and others are uncomfortable with a large gathering that openly rejects “our neighbors, our transgender siblings, and the many immigrants that are vital to life in Maine,” and sought to provide a peaceful alternative.

“When a group like Turning Point shows up and rejects those communities, that’s concerning to all of us,” Allen said. “Rather than stand across the street with protest signs, we’re offering something beautiful and love-centered to show a different side of how to view the world.”

Last fall, the Westbrook-based Calvary Chapel Greater Portland booked the Expo for a May 15 “worship night” before later notifying the city that Turning Point USA’s evangelical wing had signed on as a co-sponsor, adding it as a stop on its “Make Heaven Crowded” tour.

As news of the event spread last month, city officials faced backlash from some residents over the divisive political nature of the organization, as well as concerns over the contract and public safety.

Travis Carey, senior pastor at Calvary Chapel, told the Press Herald last month that the event is not meant to be political. He called it a gospel-based event in line with Turning Point USA Faith’s mission, which he said seeks to “equip and engage pastors.” The organization also states “eliminating wokeism from the American pulpit” as its mission, while the church has openly expressed anti-vaccine, anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ sentiments.

Erika Kirk — who became CEO of Turning Point USA following the assassination of her husband, Charlie Kirk, in September — sometimes speaks at Turning Point USA Faith events. It’s not yet clear whether she will appear in Portland.

Allen said the church’s counterevent will provide a safe and welcoming space for community members who feel targeted by what many of the faith leaders believe is Christian nationalist ideology.

Allen was one of nine people arrested in January during a protest at U.S. Sen. Susan Collins’ office in Portland, where a number of faith leaders urged Collins to call for an immediate end to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement campaign in Maine.

The Rev. Jane Field, executive director of Maine Council of Churches, which has partnered in organizing the event, said the list of participating congregations is “growing by the minute.”

Field said the council has been working to educate people on the rise of Christian nationalism and, in particular, how members believe it is simply a political ideology and “the antithesis of authentic Christianity.” Christian nationalism is defined by the belief that America is a Christian nation and often merges faith-based views with American conservative politics.

“What guides our work, in everything we do, always comes back to: Does it promote love of neighbor? Does it promote kindness?” she said. “I think Turning Point is often the opposite of that. It’s who should we hate, and who should we exclude? Who is getting into heaven and who isn’t?”

She said the council’s member congregations, as well as those outside it like the Catholic Church, are grounded in central values like “love of neighbor.”

The Maine Council of Churches is a coalition of seven Protestant congregations representing about 400 churches and some 50,000 congregants. It also often works with Multifaith Justice Maine, which is an interfaith organization that’s a project of the progressive Maine People’s Alliance.

In response to criticism for hosting Turning Point USA at a city-owned venue, city officials have said Portland is “bound by the First Amendment” when renting the Expo and other facilities for performances, speeches or appearances by political candidates.

The city’s contract with Calvary Chapel gives officials the authority to terminate it if they determine the event puts public safety at risk, but they have said so far they don’t believe it does.

City spokesperson Jessica Grondin said Friday that staff held an initial planning meeting for the Turning Point USA event this month and will “continue to review all the logistics as we approach the event date.”

“Love is the Point” will take place from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on May 15 at 425 Congress St., Portland. Allen said the event will include a roster of local musicians