Each year in the month of March, our church goes through a period of reflection and renewal in preparation for the start of its new fiscal year on April 1. There is a lot to do to get ready! As a congregational church, we govern and support ourselves financially. We contribute our time, talent and funds to support the church community. The Annual Appeal helps raise the funds needed for the ongoing operations of First Parish. We each decide for ourselves what we can afford to pledge (or...
Do you consider First Parish your spiritual home? If so, consider becoming a member! First Parish welcomes people of all religious backgrounds who affirm the worth of human beings, advocate freedom of belief, and the search for advancing truth. What does it mean to be a member at First Parish? Membership is how you indicate that you are part of the First Parish community. Members can vote on important issues such as the annual and other congregational meetings. While the majority of committees...
Hello First Parish Friends, We’re excited to share a few of our accomplishments over the past months, as well as some goals and projects for the year to come. Because newsletter space is limited, we include only the highlights of our activities. Please let us know if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions! With encouragement from the Green Sanctuary Committee, and the commitment of our amazing sexton, Nathan, we are now using only battery-powered lawn mowers and hedge trimmers at...
The Social Action Committee, with help from some other members of the congregation, has come up with a partial list of organizations that are working to educate people about the war in Gaza, the history of the conflict and links to organizations that are providing support. Feel free to contact the Social Action Committee with more resources. Statement from the UUA Jewish Voice for Peace is an anti-zionist group protesting the war in Gaza: 1for3.org is Palestinian led local organization that...
Dear Members and Friends of First Parish, Heartfelt thanks to all 68 of you who took time to fill out and return the recent questionnaire entitled Towards a More Welcoming Church Building! Your perceptive and thoughtful responses provide a wealth of information for us, as a congregation, to process and use to shape an action plan for the coming weeks and months. Collectively, this work will represent an important step forward in living out our commitment to the 8th principle of Unitarian...
An update from the RE Hiring Team: We have gone live with the announcement of our search for a Director of Lifespan Faith Exploration (DLFE) which is our new title for the former position of Director of Religious Education. You may view the announcement on the church website at https://fpwatertown.org/hiring-a-director-of-lifespan-faith-exploration/. If you know of anyone who might meet our qualifications, please direct them to our website! Thus far we are pleased to have 5 applicants. We...
At this time of year we’re often reminded how First Parish remains a special place for all of us. In addition to contributing our time and talents to make the work of the church possible, we also contribute financial support. How do you make a pledge? By filling out our quick “Pledge Form”, available on the Giving webpage.
As many of you know, our community continues to be actively in search of a new person to work with our children and our youth. Michelle Grove was hired as a consultant to help us take a thorough look at our history of religious education and to assist us in identifying our hopes and dreams for our future faith exploration programs. One of our goals is to expand our program to include children, youth, and adults. This is an exciting time for all of us as we seek a partner who will help us to...
It’s worth pausing to consider the many accomplishments of the First Parish of Watertown in the past year. With our dynamic minister Rev. Sophia Lyons in her second year of ministry, we have successfully combined remote and in-person attendance on Sundays, implemented innovations such as Vespers services, and begun reinvigorating our Religious Education programs. A particularly proud achievement is our continued success managing the financial disruptions caused by three years of pandemic. This...
Have you wondered how you might join a special committee at First Parish that involves an interest you have a passion for? Are you curious what committees there are at First Parish and whether they need new members?
Well, on Sunday, March 12, during the church social hour, there will be a committee fair that will offer all that information!