Upcoming Events

Child looking at a bowl with string of lights

Jan. Theme: Imagination

Cup of Coffee

Zoom Café - Thursdays 11AM or 6:30 PM

Trivia Night graphic with swirling colors

Trivia Night 1/29/21 6:45PM

Service Times

Sunday Services
10 AM
We will be holding our services online using Zoom for the rest of the 20/21 Church year

Religious Faith Formation for Youth
Resumes September 20th. Information is being sent to “RE" FF families. Please contact [email protected] if you want to be on “RE”FF email list.

  • Welcome to First Parish of Chelmsford!
    We invite everyone of good will to come to worship and to our community, in the fullness of who you are across age, race, gender, ethnicity, class, religious background, sexual orientation, ableness and family. We are a Unitarian Universalist congregation. While Unitarian Universalism began in the Protestant tradition, we have grown beyond our Christian roots into a non-creedal faith, welcoming of different spiritual and theological perspectives. Join us for worship, mutual care, and in service to the common good.

    Join any of our 4 announcement lists to keep up with what is going on at First Parish

  • The start of 2021 seems to be picking up where 2020 left off and then some. Yesterday's mob attack on the Congress was disturbing, frightening, surreal and overwhelming, to name a few of the adjectives that come to mind. Like many of you I imagine, I was glued to the news all afternoon and into the night.

    We are in a liminal time and by definition, liminal times are anxiety-provoking and chaotic. They are also times of possibility and creativity. It is more important than ever that we stay grounded in the values and ethics of our Unitarian Universalist faith: affirming and promoting human worth and dignity, responsible searches for truth and meaning; justice, equity and compassion in human relations, the use of the democratic process; and awareness of the interdependence of all life. We cannot choose the times and circumstances under which we live but we can choose how we will live into them. I am grateful for all of you and as I hold all of you in my thoughts and prayers, I am comforted in knowing that you are there, that we are here, working together to bring these practices of beloved community to life as best we can.

    So, if you can, take time to step away from the TV, computer or phone and all the noise of immediate analysis going on around us. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Go for a walk. Play with your children. Write a note to a friend. Read a poem. We will be in this liminal season for awhile and need to care for our souls.

    I leave you with these well-known and well-worn words from Unitarian minister and Abolitionist Theodore Parker, from a sermon text he published in 1853: "I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight, I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice."

    Take care and stay safe.
    Rev. Ellen

  • Healing Conversations
    In keeping with the commitment in our First Parish covenant to care and be present to one another in our joys and sorrows, Rev. Ellen and the Pastoral Care Team offer this grief and loss group on the second and fourth Mondays of the month for virtual check-ins via Zoom to nurture and hold a sacred space to share stories, experiences, and emotions around love, loss and grief in a spirit of mutual care and deep listening. This is an ongoing group that folks in our First Parish community can join during the year, while maintaining it as a confidential and supportive space. The Zoom session will last only as long as needed for people to check in and get support if needed.
    If you are interested on joining, please contact Rev. Ellen
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COVID Task Force Update 10/28/20

Update from the COVID Task Force

Church leadership remains concerned about your health, safety, and connectedness as we manage through the

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Rev. Ellen's Reflections, January 2021

I imagine that most of us are ready to say farewell to 2020. It was certainly a tough year and one that will not be forgotten for its disruptive and traumatic nature and the great cost of...

Music Notes, January 2021

I just want to thank everyone who made Christmas Eve so wonderful: our wonderful readers, our amazing musicians, our volunteers and staff, and everyone who attended. And thank you for the feedback....
We, the members of First Parish of Chelmsford, covenant together to sustain and strengthen our beloved community by:
  • Honoring and celebrating the Spirit of Life
  • Nurturing all souls in our search for truth and the sacred
  • Caring and being present to one another in our joys and sorrows
  • Bearing witness through service to justice and peace
  • And being good stewards of our congregation, our heritage, our Unitarian Universalist Principles, and our earth.
Nosotros, los miembros de la Primera Parroquia de Chelmsford, comprometemos convenimos juntos a sostener y fortalecer nuestra amada comunidad en:
  • Honrando y celebrando el Espíritu de la Vida
  • Nutriendo toda almas en búsqueda de la verdad y lo sagrado
  • Cuidar y estar presentes al uno y otro en nuestras alegrías y tristezas
  • Dar testimonio mediante servicio a la justicia y paz
  • Y ser buenos cuidadores de nuestra congregación, nuestro patrimonio, nuestros Principios Unitarios Universalistas y nuestra nuestro mundo.