Our Faith, History & Governance
Overview
First Parish in Needham is both the oldest religious congregation in the community and one of the most inclusive and progressive. Below is information about the Unitarian Universalist faith, our rich history, and our governance practices.
What is UU?
Shared Values and Inspirations
Unitarian Universalism is a living tradition that has changed in many ways from the original Christian roots of its Universalist and Unitarian heritages, and it continues to evolve today. Most recently, this evolution has taken the form of adopting new language to describe who we are as UUs. As a non-credal faith tradition, it is required in our national bylaws to democratically reconsider how we describe ourselves and our shared covenant every fifteen years. At the national General Assembly in June 2024, UUs voted to replace the 1985 Seven Principles and Six Sources language with new language of Shared Values and Inspirations to describe Unitarian Universalism:
Values and Covenant
As Unitarian Universalists, we covenant, congregation-to-congregation and through our Association, to support and assist one another in our ministries. We draw from our heritages of freedom, reason, hope, and courage, building on the foundation of love.
Love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of our shared values. We are accountable to one another for doing the work of living our shared values through the spiritual discipline of Love.
Inseparable from one another, these shared values are:
Shared Unitarian Universalist Values
Interdependence. We honor the interdependent web of all existence. With reverence for the great web of life and with humility, we acknowledge our place in it. We covenant to protect Earth and all beings from exploitation. We will create and nurture sustainable relationships of care and respect, mutuality and justice. We will work to repair harm and damaged relationships.
Pluralism. We celebrate that we are all sacred beings, diverse in culture, experience, and theology. We covenant to learn from one another in our free and responsible search for truth and meaning. We embrace our differences and commonalities with Love, curiosity, and respect.
Justice. We work to be diverse multicultural Beloved Communities where all thrive. We covenant to dismantle racism and all forms of systemic oppression. We support the use of inclusive democratic processes to make decisions within our congregations, our Association, and society at large.
Transformation. We adapt to the changing world. We covenant to collectively transform and grow spiritually and ethically. Openness to change is fundamental to our Unitarian and Universalist heritages, never complete and never perfect.
Generosity. We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope. We covenant to freely and compassionately share our faith, presence, and resources. Our generosity connects us to one another in relationships of interdependence and mutuality.
Equity. We declare that every person is inherently worthy and has the right to flourish with dignity, love, and compassion. We covenant to use our time, wisdom, attention, and money to build and sustain fully accessible and inclusive communities.
Inspirations
Direct experiences of transcending mystery and wonder are primary sources of Unitarian Universalist inspiration. These experiences open our hearts, renew our spirits, and transform our lives. We draw upon, and are inspired by, sacred, secular, and scientific understandings that help us make meaning and live into our values. These sources ground us and sustain us in ordinary, difficult, and joyous times. We respect the histories, contexts, and cultures in which these sources were created and are currently practiced. Grateful for the experiences that move us, aware of the religious ancestries we inherit, and enlivened by the diversity which enriches our faith, we are called to ever deepen and expand our wisdom.
Inclusion
Systems of power, privilege, and oppression have traditionally created barriers for persons and groups with particular identities, ages, abilities, and histories. We pledge to replace such barriers with ever-widening circles of solidarity and mutual respect. We strive to be an Association of congregations that truly welcome all persons who share our values. We commit to being an Association of congregations that empowers and enhances everyone’s participation, especially those with historically marginalized identities.
Freedom of Belief
Congregational freedom and the individual’s right of conscience are central to our Unitarian Universalist heritage. Congregations may establish statements of purpose, covenants, and bonds of union so long as they do not require that members adhere to a particular creed.
We Are Unitarian Universalists: A Video Intro to UU
Unitarianism, Universalism and the UUA
Although Unitarian Universalism draws on many religious traditions, it originated in the union of two faith traditions:
- Unitarianism
- Unitarianism’s roots go back to the mid-sixteenth century in areas of Poland, Hungary and Transylvania where religious thinkers independently developed the understanding of God as one entity rather than a trinity. Unitarians thus came to regard Jesus as a key spiritual model, but not as divine.
- Unitarianism gained popularity in England and Wales in the wake of the Enlightenment, and gained a strong foothold in New England in the 18th century as liberal religionists called for a reform of the religion that had prevailed in Puritan times. Over the next two centuries, Unitarianism expanded throughout the US.
- Universalism
- The Universalists, on the other hand, believed in universal salvation. Like Unitarianism, Universalist ideas first came to America from England, leading to the founding of the Universalist Church of America in 1793.
- Universalism was more geographically diverse in its early years than was Unitarianism with early congregations in the South and mid-Atlantic, as well as New England. It was also the more evangelical of the two denominations, and over the years much of its growth came in rural areas of the growing nation’s heartland.
From early on Universalism and Unitarianism shared the basic values of liberal religion. By the 1830s both denominations were drawing on world religions in addition to Christianity. Both groups grew to include humanist voices that held that belief comes from within the person, rather than from some outside authority. And both Unitarians and Universalists were deeply involved in many of the most important social justice movements of the 19th and 20th centuries.
In 1961, the two denominations finally merged to form the Unitarian Universalist Association, of which First Parish is a member. Like all Unitarian Universalist congregations, First Parish is self-governed, with authority and responsibility — including the power to call and dismiss our ministers — invested in the membership of the congregation.
Our History
Historical Overview
First Parish in Needham is both the oldest religious congregation in the community and one of the most inclusive and progressive. The founding of the church on November 5, 1711, made possible the incorporation of the town.
Even at its inception as a Puritan church, the congregation at First Parish gathered on the basis of a covenant — a statement of shared hopes and an agreement about how to walk together — rather than on the basis of a creed, or required statement of belief. Ministers were, and still are, called by vote of the membership, and our governance has always been democratic.
As the parish church, First Parish served not only the members of the congregation, but everyone in the town (the parish). Its Meetinghouse was the site of town meetings for many years. The first Meetinghouse was raised in 1712 on Nehoiden Street, near Central Avenue. In 1720 Jonathan Townsend became the first of many ministers to be called to First Parish over the years; he served until 1762 and is buried, along with several other early First Parish ministers, in the Needham Cemetery also on Nehoiden Street.
The second Meetinghouse, built in 1774, stood at the same location. In 1811, First Parish acquired a bell made by Paul Revere, a bell that we still ring today at the beginning of Sunday worship and on other special occasions. Our present Meetinghouse was built on Nehoiden St. in 1836 using timbers from the pre-Revolutionary building. It is the oldest public building in Needham. In 1879, when Wellesley became a separate town and the center of Needham shifted to the site of the town square, the Meetinghouse was moved to its present location on Dedham Avenue.
Over the course of the 18th century, congregations like First Parish came to feel strongly about democratic governance in secular affairs, and many played a leading role in the American Revolution. By the war’s end, many of these parishes no longer preached the Calvinist idea of predestination, nor did they require even ministers to believe that God is a trinity of persons. Opponents began calling them “Unitarians.”
During the early and mid-19th century the congregation also came to include, and to call as ministers, “Universalists” who denied eternal punishment and affirmed God’s loving intention to save all people. (See What is Unitarian Universalism?)
The Parish maintained the traditional distinction between covenanted members (the church) and a wider constituency being served (the parish) for many years. But with the adoption of an “open covenant” in 1905, we made it explicit that no affirmation of belief shall be required for membership.
In 1944 the church formally merged into the more inclusive Parish. The congregational bylaws simply say that its purpose is “to provide a community where religious living is fostered through worship, study, service, and fellowship.”
Recent Milestones
- Attaining Welcoming Congregation status in 1999
- The renovation undertaken in 2007-8 to rebuild Parish Hall and renovate our office wing
- Obtaining Green Sanctuary status in 2010
- Voted to become a Level-2 Sanctuary Supporting Congregation in 2017
- Affirmed the Eighth Principle of Unitarian Universalism in 2022
The congregation is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (uua.org), which was formed by the union of the Unitarian and Universalist denominations in 1961.
For more information:
- Read Ruth Sutro’s excellent series of monographs chronicling our history. Chapter 9 is available separately.
- Read The Meetinghouse 275 Years Ago: A Church, A Town (1986, co-published with Needham Historical Society. This is a large file.)
Record of Ministers
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Jonathan Townsend Samuel West Stephen Palmer William Ritchie Lyman Maynard Charles H. A. Dall James F. Hicks George G. Channing Andrew N. Adams John S. Barry George B. Emerson Albert B. Vorse Solon W. Bush Charles A. Allen Philip S. Thacher William W. Peck |
J. Adams Puffer Arthur W. Littlefield Ben F. Allen Robert H. Schacht, Jr. James W. Macdonald H. Mortimer Gesner Fred I. Cairns Russell R. Bletzer Jack D. Zoerheide Charles C. Lemert, III Peter T. Richardson John Baker Robert E. Wolf Judith G. Mannheim John A. Buehrens Catherine M. Scudera |
Land & Enslavement Acknowledgement
Land & Enslavement Acknowledgement
Every Sunday at First Parish, we acknowledge our congregation’s history of indigenous displacement/land theft and enslavement of African adults and children with this statement in our orders of service:
We remember that we are gathered today on the occupied territory of the Massachusett and Pawtucket peoples, who have stewarded this land for generations, and that our early church financially benefited from our minister and members enslaving African adults and children.
Through participating in the national White Supremacy Teach-Ins organized by Black Lives of UU, First Parish uncovered previously buried history of enslavement in colonial Needham. This began the congregation’s ongoing journey toward deeper understanding of colonization’s violent history and legacy in Needham; relationship and reconciliation with harmed communities and descendants; and, public acknowledgement, apology, and reparations for harm done.
In partnership with Dr. Gloria Greis of the Needham History Center, First Parish has identified the names of fifteen people who were enslaved by 18th century Needham colonists. Their names were: Boston, Homer, Ishmael, Jack, Jenney, Jethro, Jupiter, Phebe, Phoebe, Primas, Prince, Rose, Silvia, Terence, and Violet. All of their lives matter. You can read the narrative biographies (and research notes) of those enslaved in Needham in this document, and a special recognition of Homer (who was enslaved by First Parish’s first minister) in this document.
First Parish unveiled and dedicated its first Memorial to Those
Enslaved in Needham in March 2026, with the great honor of having Chief Peter Silva and Darlene Troge (descendants of Jupiter and Private Ishmael Coffee) participate. The Memorial’s design is the result of a collaborative process between Darlene Troge, First Parish’s Community and Relationship Committee, and Senior Youth Group member and artist Josephine Calzada (whose artist’s statement can be read here). We hope this Memorial is but the first of many acknowledgements of enslavement and indigenous history in the Town of Needham.
To learn more about Needham’s history of African enslavement and indigenous displacement/genocide:
- Read Rev. Catie Scudera’s sermons on First Parish’s enslavement history: Northern Reparations (2019, also excerpted in the UUA’s Widening the Circle of Concern) and Revisiting Our Slavery Past (2020)
- Watch Needham Free Public Library McIver Lecture Series: Enslavement in Needham and Its Aftermath (2021, Rev. Catie Scudera and Dr. Gloria Greis)
- Listen to All Roads Lead to Needham Podcast: Dancing with the Enemy (2025, Rev. Catie Scudera and Dr. Gloria Greis)
- Watch the Needham Channel’s videos of Darlene Troge sharing her enslaved ancestors’ history, her connection with First Parish, and her research into the lives of Jupiter and Private Ishmael Coffee.
Governance & Bylaws
First Parish Leadership (effective July1, 2024)
President: Marianne McGowan
Vice President: Dennis Ross-Degnan
Clerk: Eva Jansciewicz
Treasurer: Katie Barnett
Parish Committee Members: Carol Alper, David Berman, Judy Hadrick, Jen Packard, Peter Panov, and Sherri Sklarwitz
Auditor: John Gallo
Trustees of Invested Funds: Vin Kennedy, Vicky Makrides, and Rick Vincent
The Parish Committee includes the four elected Officers, six other elected members of the congregation, and the (non-voting) Minister. They are elected according to the bylaws at the annual congregational meeting, typically in May.
The bylaws charge the Parish Committee with overseeing the programs of the church. As such they represent the entire congregation who are the people who carry out many of those programs.
The President signs all church contracts, conducts the annual meeting, conducts all Parish Committee meetings, and in conjunction with the Minister develops the agenda for all Parish Committee meetings.
The Parish Committee can be viewed as the central glue that pulls the various parts of the church together.
First Parish Operations
The members of the congregation run this church. Our congregation:
- contributes approximately 70% of the funds which are needed to run this church
- contributes 100% of the volunteers that run this church
At a congregational meeting, called by a warrant, our members:
- approve the rules ( i.e. the by-laws ) by which we operate
- approve the annual budget of incomes and expenses of the church
- approve the calling of the minister
- elect the four officers of this church and all voting members of the Parish Committee
The congregation does all of this under the guiding Principles and Purposes of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) with which our congregation freely associates.
First Parish’s membership gathers at least once a year in May for its Annual Meeting to vote on elected officers, the church budget, and other matters of importance to the whole community.
Our Bylaws
The Bylaws define the First Parish as a non-profit religious institution, outline the congregational structure, determine responsibilities and confer authority for carrying out the church business.
Our congregation’s bylaws specifically define the congregation’s voting requirements to call a new minister, approve the annual budget, elect the church officers (President, Vice President, Clerk, and Treasurer), and the Parish Committee membership.
Additionally they define the levels of authorization required for spending of church funds and identify what church committees should be, at a minimum, staffed each year (called standing committees).
Staff Positions and Their Roles
Please visit the Minster & Staff page.
The Role of Congregational Volunteers
The volunteers are crucial to the life of the church. Without volunteers the church is unable to fully operate.
Volunteers typically develop the ideas for church programs and activities, they then staff those programs and activities and related committees.
All volunteers who are legal members of the congregation have the same weight of voting rights at congregational meetings and are able to initiate action on behalf of the church.
Membership Requirements
The bylaws state that people who desire membership in First Parish merely have to do the following three things:
- subscribe to the principles and purposes of the UUA
- sign our membership book in the presence of the Minister or an elected officer
- contribute to church financially via an annual pledge or a stated contribution
There is also an expectation of service to the church in the form of some kind of volunteering.
Note: Members must be 16 years of age or older. To vote on items concerning money, property or the calling of a minister members must be 18 years of age or older.
For more information, visit the Path to Membership page.
Our Relationship with the UUA
As a member organization of the UUA, our congregation subscribes to the goals of the Principles and Purposes of the UUA which provide the over-arching values by which our congregation functions and support the democratic process by which we operate (i.e. one member, one vote).
UU congregations operate independently and autonomously, but we also benefit from our association with other UU congregations, i.e., the UUA.
Examples of these benefits include the help of the UUA’s Regional staff, religious education curriculum development, recruitment processes for ministers and religious educators, and the accreditation of UUA ministers.
Though the UUA facilitates ministerial searches, the choice on Ministers and staff rests entirely with the church.
First Parish does not receive any money from the UUA nor do we receive any subsidization of our paid staff from the UUA. However, as noted above we do receive valuable services, as needed, from the Regional and UUA organizations and we are asked to annually pledge dues to both of these organizations through a formula based on a percentage of our overall annual budget.