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 two candlelight Christmas Eve services are held on December 24th at 5:00 and 7:00 p.m.

First Parish holds a Seder  that includes a participatory reading of the Haggadah and dining on a traditional Passover meal. Our Easter Sunday service 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

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.

Journey Groups
Journey Groups enable participants to develop deeper relationships within the church community and to consider meaningful spiritual/life issues at the same time. These are facilitated groups of five to ten people who meet once each month throughout the church year. Their purpose is to make deeper connections, to reflect and learn together, and to become more engaged with each other and the larger church community. New members are always welcome either to join an existing group or to start a new one when the limit of ten people is reached. At each meeting the group addresses a new, challenging question together. If interested in participating in a Covenant Group, contact Sara Morrison Neil at membership@uuframingham.org.

Meditation Group
The Meditation group of First Parish meets most Tuesday evenings at 8:00 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 Geoff Capraro.