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Read MoreAbout Us
We are First Parish of Sudbury, a diverse and welcoming community of spiritual seekers; we strive to learn together and support one another as we celebrate life’s important moments and serve the larger community. We are stewards of an historic meetinghouse. In addition to an inspiring leader in Rev. Dr. Marjorie Matty and our dedicated staff, our community generously volunteers resources of time and...
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Read MoreFor Visitors
Please join us this Sunday! Here are Directions and Where to Park You can find out more about us under the About Us menu.
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Read MoreGetting Involved
There are many ways to participate in the community that is First Parish of Sudbury in addition to joining us on a Sunday morning. For example, you can help the Faith in Action team collect back-to-school backpacks; you can make a joyful noise as part of the choir; bring a dish to a Women’s Alliance potluck meeting, which connects women and supports First Parish of Sudbury in various ways; join a...
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Read MoreNews & Events
First Parish is a community of movers and shakers! If you are interested in finding out exactly what we are up to, you can scan our Calendar or review any of the online issues of the Connector, a weekly newsletter in which all the “goings-on” are shared by staff, leadership and members of the congregation. If you have specific questions about the work of First Parish of Sudbury in the world,...
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Read MoreWorship
Worship in the Unitarian Universalist tradition is shaped by our faith’s history, principles and purposes as well as the congregation’s identity and culture, the minister’s religious beliefs and style, and the great diversity of sources from which we draw inspiration and through which we seek guidance and insight. Our worship services are offered on Sunday mornings. Visitors are warmly...
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Read MoreReligious Exploration
From the Religious Exploration Committee. Welcome to First Parish of Sudbury’s Religious Education program. First Parish of Sudbury is a Unitarian Universalist congregation that was first established in 1640. Although much has changed since then, one thing that remains the same is our steadfast belief in the inherent right to freedom for every person in all matters regarding religion. Because we want...
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Read MoreWelcome to First Parish of Sudbury
Dear Visitor, Welcome to the First Parish of Sudbury, a lively, liberal congregation nearly 375 years old that continues to make history and change lives. Like you, I am a newcomer to this congregation. What drew me here may be the same things that will draw you: people who are committed to creating an inclusive, just community both inside and outside the walls of this beautiful old meetinghouse …...
Most Recent Articles
RE March 1, 2020
- Chalice Children class for children ages 0-5:
Nursery care is available during worship this weekend!
- Flames class for children in grades K-3:
This Sunday, our younger students will participate in a Moral Tales lesson about non-violence. They will read and discuss an Indian folktale about a child who must decide whether or not to protect a small bird from harm. Next, they will play a variety of games that encourage non-violent conflict resolution. They will finish class by taking some time to make “What Would UU Do?” bracelets.
- Explorers class for children and youth in grades 4-8:
Our older students will participate this Sunday in a Toolbox of Faith lesson about love. They will read and discuss a traditional Jewish story about love and sacrifice, and then they will explore the idea of human compassion through cooperative games, song, and an ASL “I love you” craft.
Read MoreNeeded…
What does it feel like to be needed and what does it feel to need? At some point in our lives we have each experienced both sides of this coin of need and this Sunday we will wonder about the question: is it better to be needed and what does it say about us when we try not to be “needy”? Join Rev. Dr. Marjorie Matty and the congregation of First Parish as they delve into the positive nature of need.
Read MoreRE February 23, 2020
- Chalice Children class for children ages 0-5:
Nursery care is available during worship this weekend!
- Religious Exploration class for children and youth in grades K-8:
This Sunday, February 23, our students will participate in an Arts and Music Sunday class! We will begin our class with a story about friendship, and a discussion about the love and kindness that friends show to one another. During our children’s choir rehearsal, we will learn a fun new song about friendship and play a musical game!
Read MoreAll Kinds of Love
What is generosity and how does it affect our understanding of self and our relationship to everything and everyone else? The worship theme of the month will go deeper into the act of finding the key that unlocks a generous soul. Hint: Heart + Mind + Generosity = Happy Soul. Join Rev. Dr. Marjorie Matty and the congregation of First Parish as they delve into the topic and practice of Radical Loving Generosity. A celebration of All Kinds of Love.
Read MoreReligious Exploration February 16, 2020
Chalice Children class (ages 0-5): Nursery care is available during worship this weekend!
All-Ages RE class (grades K-8): This Sunday, Sonia will lead our students in a Social Justice Sunday class about showing kindness and support to others. The students will think about the ways that we can all help when others are in need, and then they will make special gifts that we will distribute to pediatric patients at Emerson Hospital through the Teddy Bear Project!
Junior Youth Group (grades 4 and up): The Junior Youth Group will be making teddy bears for the Teddy Bear Project from 1-2pm in the Commons Classroom! We hope that you can join us for this fun and special project!
Read MoreWhat Scares Us…
The news that we experience on a daily basis is presented through a lens of, “If it bleeds is reads” so how can we get a balanced perspective about the safety of our world, what is real and important and what is not? How do we face the reality of the newest pandemic virus, market swing, and political hoopla with a balanced frame of mind? Join Rev. Dr. Marjorie Matty and the First Parish congregation as they imagine what a world might look like where the use of fear is not the predominant motivator of the day.
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Building Your Own Theology….
Where do our beliefs fit in the construct of world religions? What do we each individually believe and how are we able to articulate our beliefs with one another? Join Rev. Dr. Marjorie Matty in a 10-week course that endeavors to unpack what might be our most important understanding of our theological legacy. The author of this Adult Religious Exploration course, Richard Gilbert shares: “The quest for ‘spirituality,’ however differently it is defined, has become a major influence in our Unitarian Universalist world…” Quoting DH Lawrence “Whatever the queer little word ‘god’ means, it means something we can none of us quite get away from, or at; something connected with our deepest explosions.’ I believe that religious exploration is a life-span process of building our own theology and harnessing those ‘deepest explosions… If you have ever wondered why bad things happen to good people, if creation is a ‘cosmic fluke’ or how Unitarian Universalists can behave virtuously without heaven and hell, then you are in danger of falling into theology. Somehow we have it in our heads that it is ‘unUnitarian Universalist’ to ‘do theology,’ because that is what the orthodox do; and we are, if truth be known, heretics. Heresy, while commonly understood as a deviation from orthodox belief, originally meant choice–the heretic is one who both dissents and chooses… UUs are very definitely happy Heretics. We choose to do ‘theology’ in a liberal religious mode. But if we are living, breathing, hurting, laughing. crying, questing human beings, it impossible not to be theologians. How do UUs do theology? I submit it is a different ‘doing’ from conventional methods. We do theology, not to become divine, as someone suggested, but to become more human.”
The course starts on Saturday, February 8th at 5:00 pm in the First Parish of Sudbury Commons. I have included your agenda for more information: