Welcome to The First Parish in Waltham!

We are an inclusive, caring, and welcoming Unitarian Universalist community dedicated to fostering spiritual growth for all ages through worship, fellowship, and service. Our congregation is religiously and spiritually diverse, and we strive to build authentic relationships guided by our Covenant of Right Relations. We honor and respect people from various faith traditions and religions, creating a space where everyone can feel at home.

Guided by our Mission and Vision we strive to create spiritual community that serves both its members and the wider world. As a liberal religious community, we are united in our search for truth and spiritual meaning. We do not adhere to a specific doctrine or creed but follow the Unitarian Universalist principles of radical acceptance and inclusivity.

Love and community are at the heart of each service, where ministers and guest speakers draw wisdom from the world’s religions, philosophy, literature, science, poetry, and the natural world to deliver messages relevant to our times.

Our covenant, a promise we make to each other, unifies First Parish members and friends across a wide variety of perspectives and beliefs. It is spoken aloud at every service.

“Love is the spirit of this church And service its law. This is our great covenant: To dwell together in peace, To seek the truth in love, And to help one another.”

We have radical roots and a history as self-motivated spiritual people: we think for ourselves and recognize that life experience influences our beliefs more than anything. We are people of many beliefs and backgrounds: people with a religious background, people with none, people who believe in a God, people who don’t, and people who let the mystery be.

Diversity in all its many forms enriches our community. Anti-racism and anti-oppression work unites us and is integral to community life. We have a long history of LGBTQI+ inclusion and welcome people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.

We welcome you: your whole self, with all your truths and your doubts, your worries and your hopes. Join us on this extraordinary adventure of faith.

To find out more about becoming a member of our community see Becoming a Member.