Spiritual Life & Rites of Passage

Sunday Worship Services
First Parish offers two Sunday morning services, at 9:15 and 11:00, from September through May. There is one Sunday service June through September.

A Social Hour in Scott Hall follows each service. Call the church office for information regarding service themes.

Lay Worship Leaders
Lay worship leaders lead the congregation through the opening pparts of the service, meet guest preachers, and conduct the Moment of Sharing.

Religious Holidays
First Parish celebrates holidays from diverse faith-based traditions, including Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Wicca. The onset of the winter season is celebrated by an evening winter solstice service in December.

Traditionally, the Sunday service before Christmas involves the children of the congregation as we honor Hanukkah and the Christmas season. Our three candlelight Christmas Eve services are held on December 24th at 4:30, 6:00, and 7:30 p.m.

First Parish holds a Seder (Sunday, April 20, 2008) that includes a participatory reading of the Haggadah and dining on a traditional Passover meal. Our Easter Sunday service (March 23, 2008) celebrates the promise of renewal as we move from winter to spring.

Summer Sunday Worship
During the summer, First Parish offers summer worship services at 10 am, sponsored by the Worship & Arts Council. Our pulpit is filled by diverse preachers and teachers, many from our own membership. We hope you will join us for summer Sunday worship in Framingham’s historic sanctuary. Child care is available and refreshments are served.

Life Transitions

At First Parish, we celebrate and honor the major life transitions of birth, marriage, and death.

Child Dedications
Child dedications, which take place during the Sunday service, welcome and celebrate the miraculous life of a child. The Child Dedication is a time when parents and community commit to guide and nurture the moral and spiritual development of a child. While many parents choose to have their children dedicated during the first year of their lives, older children are also welcome to take part. Call Rev. Kathleen Hepler for more information.

Weddings
Our beautiful Meeting House is available for weddings. Alma Gould, our Wedding Coordinator, can be reached at the parish office. We are happy to provide full wedding services for opposite-sex and same-sex couples.

Memorial Services
Unitarian Universalist Memorial Services provide a setting to express grief and to celebrate life. Our services are intended to be personal and meaningful at this sensitive time in the lives of those who have lost a loved one.

The Rev. Kathleen Hepler is available for pastoral care for the critically ill and their families and for consultation before a Memorial Service. Contact information

First Parish Labyrinth
The labyrinth is a spiritual symbol that can speak to our souls in a way that transcends all creeds and beliefs.

All spiritual traditions speak of life as a path, a spiritual journey, with its own twists and unexpected turns, to the heart of Spirit. Walking a labyrinth can help people set foot once again on their own paths, helping them to remember their own lives as spiritual journeys.

A labyrinth offers us the great gift of making it easier to set aside the time to look inward. With each step we take, we shed the outside world and slip more into our inner lives. By turning our attention inward, we are more likely to gain access to intuition and wisdom. These inner sources of guidance can give us valuable feedback on questions and concerns we carry about our relationships, our work, our health and well-being, and our spiritual lives.

The labyrinth at First Parish is located on the lower lawn at 110 Edgell Road. It is accessible from the parking lot behind the church and from the adjacent 110 Edgell Road driveway.

The labyrinth is open to the community at all times, unless it is covered with snow. On the occasions of the fall equinox, winter solstice, spring equinox, and summer solstice, the Labyrinth Keepers may organize special walks. Information is made available in the church newsletter.

For more information, or to arrange a walk for a group outside First Parish, contact the Parish Office.

Meditation Group
The Meditation group of First Parish meets most Monday evenings at 7:30 pm. The Meditation Group offers a place for those seeking quieting of the thinking mind. Beginners are welcome. Sessions consist of seated and walking meditation, inspirational readings, and reflection. For information, contact the parish office.

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