A Brief History of First Parish in Framingham

Immediately after the founding of Framingham, in 1700, a town meeting was held to call to the new community the Rev. John Swift, a recent graduate of Harvard who had been preaching in the new meeting house. He arrived and wrote a Covenant between God and the inhabitants of the new town. The Church of Christ in Framingham was born.

In 1826, a new Parish was created by the state government to run the affairs of the church, after the town had relinquished that item of business. In 1830, a split in the church population took place. The conservative wing went across the street to found the forerunner of the present Plymouth Church, while First Parish became Unitarian. In 1960, the Unitarian Church merged with the Universalist Church in Framingham and ushered in a new chapter in the history of First Parish.

Today, our history spans five church buildings and twenty-four settled ministers. Our present church campus consists of the Meeting House, the Parish House, and adjacent property at 110 Edgell Road, which houses staff offices and meeting spaces.

We have an outstanding record of accomplishments in education, music, and outreach to friends and strangers. In 2000, First Parish voted to become a Welcoming Congregation to express our commitment to welcome and support bisexual, gay, lesbian and/or transgender individuals.