Ours is a church where you can feel at home; where you can be who you are & feel unconditional acceptance.
Religious spaces haven’t always been welcoming places for all people, especially when it comes to gender and sexuality. We, along with other Unitarian Universalist congregations are out to change that. The spiritual practice of welcome is a very important one in our Church community.
Welcome is not simply about hospitality, its a spiritual practice that requires focus and continuous growth. FPC has worked hard to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people are full members of our community. Welcoming means striving for radical inclusion, and creating spaces that honor every part of our identities,backgrounds and experiences. We practice welcome at First Parish by:
Promoting inclusivity and using inclusive language in all we do
Creating welcoming spaces within our Church home
Building our welcoming skills as congregational leaders and greeters
Deepening our understanding of identities that differ from our own
Offering sexuality education for the entire lifespan
Engaging in social justice activities within our parish and beyond
History was made in 1998 when FPC officially became a Welcoming Congregation. Becoming a Welcoming Congregation, by standards set by the United Universalist Association (UUA), is a highly intentional, congregation-wide decision process requiring lengthy education and discussion, and a parish vote in favor of radical inclusion of the LGBTQ community.
We are radically inclusive, and we mean it!
The Social Justice Committee acts to affirm and promote two Unitarian Universalist principles, recognizing the inherent worth and dignity of every person and promoting justice, equity, and compassion in human relations. We strive to support civil rights and to foster understanding enabling us to welcome LGBTQ people into our church family by focusing on the needs of LGBTQ people within our church, in our surrounding community and throughout the world. (revised 2015)
Our Welcoming Blog
We invite you to learn more about what we do through our blog!
The South Shore PFLAG Support Group, affiliated with Greater Boston PFLAG, is families and allies united with LGBTQ people to foster inclusiveness. Meetings are held the fourth Monday of each month. For more information see their FaceBook page or email duxburypflag@gmail.com.
SShAGLY is a youth-led, adult-supported organization committed to providing social connection and education for LGBTQ+ and ally youth in middle and high school throughout the south shore of MA. Currently, the group meets virtually every 2nd and 4th Monday. For more information, visit their website or emailsshagly@gmail.com.