At First Parish UU-Canton, a Neponset River UU Community, we strive for vibrant and interactive worship, centering our brilliant choir and music director as well as interactive rituals and conversations in worship.
Sometimes, our clergy or guest ministers will preach a sermon from the pulpit, but you will just as likely witness clergy on the floor with the congregation engaged in activities together or moving between the pulpit and the floor.
In worship, we have annual rituals and services in which we engage – such as our water and flower communion services, the blessing of the animals, All Souls Day, Christmas Eve, Easter, and Earth Day, among others. We also draw from theme-based worship resources, such as Soul Matters and Woven Faith, for inspiration and conversation.
We no longer routinely offer virtual services by zoom, but if you join our newsletter mailing list and/or our weekly emailed announcement list, you will be notified when there is a special virtual zoom offering and provided with the link if desired!
All Sunday morning worship services from September through June begin at 10:30AM. If you join us for worship, you’ll receive an order of service that will guide you throughout the various elements, and we utilize three different types of hymnals – a grey one, a teal one, and a virtual one. There are no formal dress expectations for worship, jeans and t-shirts are fine (and masking if you are immunocompromised also is fine). On this page, you will find information regarding our current month’s worship service plans as well as our current Faith in Action donation recipient.
Further down, you will find buttons regarding service plans beyond the current month (as in save the dates) as well as sample pictures of vibrant services from past years.
Our October Faith in Action (FIA) collection supports Waltham House, a program of The Home for Little Wanderers. Waltham House is the first residential group home in New England designed specifically for LGBTQ+ youth and was among the first of its kind in the nation when it opened in 2002. Its founding principles are that every child deserves to live in an environment in which they feel safe, respected, supported, and cared for by those around them. Waltham House provides a safe and supportive living environment with 24-hour staffing for up to 12 gay, lesbian, bisexual, and/or transgender youth ages 14–18. Many youth at Waltham House have experienced difficulty — at home or in placement — due to their gender expression or sexual identities. Their stay at Waltham House prepares them for what is next in their plan, which may be reunification with their families, transitioning to a foster family, or preparing for independent living.
To donate, please use the envelopes in the pews for your checks, with contributions payable to FPUU Canton, and tell us in the memo line that your contribution is for the Faith In Action (FIA). You also can use the Donation button on the FPUU website for PayPal or credit cards. Please give as generously as you are able. Thank you!
Led by Rev. Dr. Michelle Walsh and the Worship Team, 10:30AM
Join us for our annual Blessing of the Animals service with your furry, feathered, crawling or swimming family member you’d like to receive a blessing and honor in the community. Let us gather to bless them as they bless us! Bring us your photograph, story or poem of your animal family member, living or passed over the Rainbow Bridge, and tell us about their special gifts of creation in your life. If you dare (and you are very welcome to do so!), you also can bring your lovely along (respectfuly leased, crated or otherwise contained and connected with care and safety). Following this service, we also will have our First Sunday of the Month potluck as well as Rev. Dr. Clyde’s class on UU History and Theology.
Led by Rev. Dr. Clyde Grubbs, 10:30AM
Indigenous Peoples Day is a time set aside to talk about the original peoples of the North and South American continents. On this Indigenous Peoples Day, and in an oldie but goodie sermon with renewed relevance, Rev. Clyde will be talking about Indigenous wisdom, giving examples of Indigenous wisdom and some questions that might arise about what it means for us today. This also is a Five Points Cluster shared service with a zoom option!
CLICK HERE FOR THE ORDER OF SERVICE
Led by Rev. Dr. Michelle Walsh, 10:30AM
This year we are a pilot UU congregation for a new theme-based curriculum, known as “Woven Faith,” designed by our Unitarian Universalist Association. One of our core values as Unitarian Universalists is “Interdependence.” Join us in a consideration with interactive components of the history and meaning of this value, as well as how the practice of this value necessitates a stance of being “radically welcoming.” What are the ways in which we can challenge ourselves to deepen into this practice?
