First Church in Boston Unitarian Universalist- 1630

09/11/2026

Sunday, September 13, 2026, 11AM
Sermon: "Disreputable Ancestors"
Rev. Dr. Stephanie May
As the 400th anniversary of the founding of Boston approaches in 2030, our origin story confronts us with the legacy of our puritan ancestors. While lauded for centuries by many, today the reputation of these founders and their relevancy is more contested. How might we speak of our puritan ancestors whose beliefs and actions we may question or reject today? How might telling fuller stories about our origins as a church, city, and nation intersect with the work of justice in our contemporary moment?

As Boston’s first church, we host an annual Charter Day service in collaboration with the Partnership of Historic Bostons to mark the naming of Boston on September 7, 1630. Later this fall, First Church Boston joins with the Partnership, American Ancestors, the Mass Historical Society, and others to host a day-long conference, “Puritans in the 21st Century: Politics, Myths, and the Future” on Saturday, November 7. Learn more at https://www.americanancestors.org/events/puritans-21st-century-politics-myths-and-future

For Families: Childcare for children aged 1-8 is available. Mx. Ebonié Smith-Cooper, will share a story for all ages in the service. Following the story, older children are invited to remain in the service after or to join Anna for stories, play, and craft. Children of all ages are also always welcome in the sanctuary

09/04/2026

Sunday, September 6, 2026, 11AM
Summer Porch Gathering
Join Barbara Martin this Sunday for our Final Porching Gathering of the Summer for a time of connection and conversation. Bring reflections and questions you might want to share—and the host will have a reading or thought in mind to get conversation started.

08/28/2026

Sunday, August 30, 2026, 11AM
Sermon: "The Wisdom Hidden in Pain"
Dr. Helen Riess, Guest Speaker

Most of us spend our lives trying to avoid pain, yet it can become one of life's most profound teachers. Drawing from my own experience of living with relentless pain for nearly half a year and from close friends who have lived with physical and psychic pain for years, I will explore lessons about vulnerability, humility, self-empathy, resilience, and our shared humanity. This sermon reflects on how suffering can deepen compassion, reshape perspective, and reveal unexpected wisdom.

For Families: Children of all ages are always welcome in every service. Quiet activities are available in the rear of the chapel. Childcare and religious education classes resume in September.

08/21/2026

Sunday, August 23, 2026, 11AM
Sermon: "Growing up UU – and Returning as an Elder" Barbara Martin, Guest Speaker

Unitarian Universalism is notoriously a denomination of converts—only about 10% of UUs grew up as such. It’s more common to hear a church member describe entering a UU church as an adult and immediately feeling at home than to encounter tales of UU childhood.

What was it like to grow up in a UU church founded only a few years before you were born? What values and expectations were carried away from that experience and community? Returning at retirement age to join the oldest UU congregation in the US, what seemed constant and what seemed different—in individual experience and in Unitarian Universalism?

For Families: Children of all ages are always welcome in every service. Quiet activities are available in the rear of the chapel. Childcare and religious education classes resume in September.

08/20/2026

Come work with us! We're looking for a part-time Membership Coordinator.

First Church in Boston is now hiring for the position of Membership Coordinator in Boston. Apply today.

08/14/2026

Sunday, August 16, 2026, 11AM
Sermon: “Repair and Renew”
Rev. Daniel Lawlor, Guest Minister

Unitarian Universalism is a faith tradition that draws inspiration from many wisdom stories, including the Hebrew Prophets. What might ancient visions of transformation say to our time? We are approaching the mid 21st Century in a moment of upheaval - and profound possibility. What habits might help us repair and renew?

For Families: Children of all ages are always welcome in every service. Quiet activities are available in the rear of the chapel. Childcare and religious education classes resume in September.

07/31/2026

Sunday, August 2, 2026, 11AM
Sermon: “Infinite Paradox”
Peter Banos, Guest Speaker

What does it mean to be unlimited? Or to have a limit? For everything to be forever, or to have a beginning and end? Is everything just the same as every thing, and is nothing merely no thing? Do words and concepts have foreordained meanings, or do we make them up as we go along? Join Peter Banos as he again tries to make sense of things we say and think every day!

For Families: Children of all ages are always welcome in every service. Quiet activities are available in the rear of the chapel. Childcare and religious education classes resume in September.

07/24/2026

Sunday, July 26, 2026, 11AM
Sermon: "Cultivating Darkness”
Ms. Lindsay Donnelly-Bullington, Guest Speaker

Summer pushes light all around us. Our human cultivation of constant illumination - from bright streetlights to screens we can’t quit - reaches beyond nature’s rhythms. Grateful for the summer’s knowing lumens, we risk the joy and wholeness we may find in the unknown of intentional darkness. How might we make room for mystery, creativity, and opportunity? How might we cultivate darkness?

For Families: Children of all ages are always welcome in every service. Quiet activities are available in the rear of the chapel. Childcare and religious education classes resume in September.

Image Credit: NASA

07/17/2026

Sunday, July 19, 2026, 11AM
Sermon: "Preaching Good Trouble”
Rev. Hank Peirce, Guest Minister

This Sunday service is part of a national movement called, the Good Trouble Lives On weekend. Inspired by a quote by the late Congressman John Lewis, Good Trouble is the act of coming together to take peaceful, non-violent action to challenge injustice.

For Families: Children of all ages are always welcome in every service. Quiet activities are available in the rear of the chapel. Childcare and religious education classes resume in September.

Photo Credit: Photo by Robin Jonathan Deutsch on Unsplash

07/16/2026

Our first Porch Gathering happened July 12 and they will continue several other Sundays this summer, along with guest speakers upstairs in our beautiful (air-conditioned!) Hale Chapel. Summers are a great way to get to know one another, and enjoy the occasional out-of-town visitors that stop by.

If you can’t make services in-person, you can watch then on the First Church Boston YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/