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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
December 8 – Revelry Sunday
First Parish of Sudbury invites the community to its Revelry Sunday Service on December 8, 2019, at 10 am. The service, which honors earth-centered traditions, will be filled with dancing, reveling, and the reenactment of ancient rituals originally designed to bring back the sun and ensure the rebirth of the natural world, at this time of year when we experience the longest night.
The service will be filled with music and dance by both the youth and senior youth Morris dance groups and First Parish Choir, and the congregation is welcome to join in the music.
Leading the service will be First Parish dance master Tom Kruskal and Minister of Music Debra Morris-Bennett.
The Morris Dancers welcomes new participants to First Parish. Hopbrook Morris and Sword, for 9-13 year-olds, takes place on Sundays, from 11:30 am- 1 pm and Great Meadows Morris and Sword for 13-18 year-olds takes place on Sundays from 4:45 – 6:45 pm.
Read MoreYule – Winter Solstice Ritual and Feast – Sat. 12/21, 6:00pm
Please join us for the Earth Centered traditions group’s annual Winter Solstice Ritual. We will celebrate the Shortest Day of the year on Sat, Dec 21 at 6:00pm. We turn the wheel of the year and bring back the sun, a chance to leave things in the old year and gather others for the new. The ritual will be followed by a pot luck feast and carols in the Parish Hall.
The ceremony is appropriate for those approximately 12 years and up – use your own judgment. Childcare is available if requested by Thursday before the event (12/19). The children are welcome to join the adults for the feast.
If you are interested in helping in any way ( reading, singing, drumming, setting up, clean up), see Leslie Lowe.
Read MoreFriday, December 6 – Student Climate Strike
First Parish of Sudbury invites the community to take part as it joins the Global Student Climate Strike on Friday, December 6, 2019. Join First Parish at 11 am to make posters and then demonstrate in the center of Sudbury at 327 Concord Road, Sudbury, from noon to 1:30 pm.
First Parish will provide supplies to make posters.
Contact the First Parish office at 978-443-2043 for further information.
Read MoreThis Week in Religious Exploration
- Nursery care for children ages 0-5:
Nursery care is not available during worship this weekend. The nursery classroom will be open, and parents are welcome to bring their children there to play during the service if needed.
- Religious Exploration for children and youth in grades K-8:
There will be no Religious Exploration classes this Sunday, December 8. We hope that your whole family can join us for our fun and festive all-ages Revelry Sunday service!
Read MoreSpirituality Book Group Saturday Dec 21, 10am – Walden
All who are interested are welcome to come on 
Saturday, Dec 21 at 10am when the Spirituality Book Group is meeting to discuss Walden by Henry David Thoreau. From Wikipedia:
There has been much guessing as to why Thoreau went to the pond. E. B. White stated on this note, “Henry went forth to battle when he took to the woods, and Walden is the report of a man torn by two powerful and opposing drives—the desire to enjoy the world and the urge to set the world straight”, while Leo Marx noted that Thoreau’s stay at Walden Pond was an experiment based on his teacher Emerson’s “method of nature” and that it was a “report of an experiment in transcendental pastorialism”.
Likewise others have assumed Thoreau’s intentions during his time at Walden Pond was “to conduct an experiment: Could he survive, possibly even thrive, by stripping away all superfluous luxuries, living a plain, simple life in radically reduced conditions?” He thought of it as an experiment in “home economics”. Although Thoreau went to Walden to escape what he considered, “over-civilization”, and in search of the “raw” and “savage delight” of the wilderness, he also spent considerable amounts of his time reading and writing. …
After Walden’s publication, Thoreau saw his time at Walden as nothing more than an experiment. He never took seriously “the idea that he could truly isolate himself from others”. Without resolution, Thoreau used “his retreat to the woods as a way of framing a reflection on both what ails men and women in their contemporary condition and what might provide relief”.
We hope to see you Saturday Dec 21, at 10am, in the Brackett room.
For more information, contact Tom Yelton or Leslie Lowe.
To see some of our past readings click here.
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12/15 Bohm Dialogue — Ritual and Tradition
Bohm Dialogue is a freely-flowing group conversation in which participants attempt to reach a common understanding, experiencing everyone’s point of view fully, equally and nonjudgementally. This can lead to new and deeper understanding.
For December our topic-phrase is “Ritual and Tradition”.
Join us to listen to what others think and to share what you think. The Religious Exploration Salon is a group that meets 3rd Sundays to discuss various topics in the format called Bohm Dialogue which emphasizes respectful listening and balanced, synergistic sharing. For more details about how Dialogue works, please see this intro.
Everyone is welcome. You are welcome to think about the topic beforehand but no preparation is required or expected — come as you are with whatever thoughts/intuitions you have, ready to listen, learn and contribute. We next meet Sunday December 15 at 7pm in the Brackett Room.
Contact Paul Reising, Tom Yelton or Jan Hardenbergh for more information.
Read MoreThis Week in Religious Exploration
- Nursery care for children ages 0-5:
Nursery care is available during worship this weekend!
- Religious Exploration for children and youth in grades K-8:
This Sunday, December 1, our students will begin the holiday season by participating in a class called “Simple Gifts”! This is an old FPS tradition that gives each of our students an opportunity to “shop” for a holiday gift to give to someone special in their life. We will begin our class with a story and discussion about the spirit of giving, and then our students will be ready to visit our “Simple Gifts Store”! They will choose a recipient for their gift and find something thoughtful to give to them from the items that members of our congregation have generously donated. After a visit to the “Gift Wrapping Station” to wrap up their gift and create a handmade card, they will be ready to leave church with a holiday surprise for someone they love! We hope that you can join us for this very special RE program event!
We still have a number of open RE Volunteer slots for Sundays this fall! If you are interested in signing up to help in our nursery or our RE classes, please contact Jenna at or visit our Sign-Up Genius page to add your name to some dates!
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