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About Us: Our Identity | Our Mission | Our History

Our Identity

 

We are a welcoming community of spirit & service.

Who we are:

  We combine Christian traditions & services with the principles and core values of the Unitarian Universalist faith.

  We are a congregation not bound by a specific creed or dogma yet subject to the guidance of the Spirit and the teachings of Jesus as a spiritual example.

  We respect and explore many other spiritual traditions.

  We are people joined as a community to encourage each person's spiritual growth and search for meaning and truth.

What we are:

  • We are an independent self-governing congregation, with a history dating back to 1653 when we gathered as a Puritan congregation and were the first church established Central Massachusetts .
  • We demonstrate our beliefs through worship, religious education, fellowship and loving service to each other and the world.
  • We respect these basic principles :

~ The inherent worth and dignity of every person

~ Following the teachings of Jesus Christ as a profound spiritual guide

~ Justice, equity & compassion in human relations

~ Acceptance of one another & encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations

~ Providing a free & responsible search for truth & meaning

~ The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large

~ The goal of world community with peace, liberty & justice for all

~ Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part

~ We follow the teachings of Jesus Christ as a profound spiritual guide

~ We believe in the importance of good works, not just good words

~ Enriching our spiritual practice with other religious and spiritual traditions

~ We believe that we all enter this world with original grace

~ We ask that all people are accepted as you are  

What we do:

  We provide Sunday services and a shared ministry

  We provide a sense of community, friendship & family

  We provide support to local & national efforts to improve the lives of those in need

  We provide service in order to make the world a better place for all

  We provide programs and services for the exploration and growth of the spirit

  We provide a Sunday school to teach children about all faiths and the worth of the individual

Our Mission

 

First Church of Christ Unitarian is a dynamic, progressive church community that nurtures spiritual inspiration and growth. We promote interfaith understanding and seek to advance the cause of social justice.

The First Church combines Christian traditions and services with the principles and core values of the Unitarian Universalist faith.

We have a strong historical foundation as the gathering of this community dates back to 1653 when we gathered as a Puritan congregation and as the first church in Central Massachusetts.

Our History

 

The Called Ministers of First Church of Christ Unitarian

 

Joseph Rowlandson      1660~1675          

John Whiting                 1690~1697

Andrew Gardner            1701-1704

John Prentice                 1708~1748

Timothy Harrington        1748~1795

Nathaniel Thayer           1793~1840

Edmund H. Sears          1840~1848

George M. Bartol           1847~1906

Abbot Peterson             1907~1913

Otto E. Duerr                 1914~1917

Charles A. Place             1917~1928

Frederick L. Weis           1928~1952

Alexander St. Ivanyi      1952~1975

Thomas D. Wintle          1975~1995

Kenneth A. Clarke          1997~2001

Paul G. Hull                     2002~2010

 

A full history book of our church is available for purchase. Please contact the office.

 
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