First Parish Church
Unitarian Universalist
 of Duxbury, Massachusetts

     Catherine Cullen, minister
     Sunsue Fleming, director of religious education
     Carie Johnsen, ministerial intern
     Edwin Swanborn, music director
     Marty Kearns, church administrator

 842 Tremont St. (Rte. 3A)
(Directions here)
P.O. Box 1764
Duxbury, MA 02331
 
uuduxbury@verizon.net
781-934-6532

Welcoming Congregation Committee

First Parish Church became a Welcoming Congregation in 1998 following a lengthy period of education and discussion. The decision was made at an annual meeting of the parish, on a secret-ballot vote of 52-4. To read about the history of Welcoming Congregation at FPC, click here: History. (Note: this file is a PDF. To open it, you need the free Adobe Reader program. To get that program, go to www.adobe.com)

As a Welcoming Congregation, we are committed to promoting the first Unitarian Universalist principle, which recognizes the inherent worth and dignity of every person.  We strive to support civil rights and to foster understanding, enabling us to welcome gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people into the church family. For more information on the Welcoming Congregation program, click here: Welcoming Congregation FAQs

The Welcoming Congregation Committee of First Parish in Duxbury was invited by First Parish in Cohasset to participate in a worship service on January 27, 2008. The Cohasset church is exploring the process of becoming a Welcoming Congregation, and Jim Hamilton of our committee joined Steve Brown and the Rev. Dr. Jan Carlsson-Bull of the Cohasset church in their pulpit . To read more about that event, click here: Welcoming Congregation in Cohasset

FPC Demonstrates Support
for Same-Sex Marriage

On November 9, 2006, a group from First Parish Church went to the State House to demonstrate our support for same-sex marriage. It was a remarkable experience that you can learn more about, in words and photos, by clicking on this link: Demonstration

 

We support CIVIL RIGHTS FOR SAME-sex couples

Our second Unitarian Universalist Principle concerns our search for justice.  Attention is drawn to the 1,138 rights denied at the Federal level to same-sex couples.  Massachusetts has made some corrections but more adjustment is needed in the areas listed below:

● Laws relating to the acquisition, ownership or transfer of real or personal property of estates or interstate succession.
● Laws relating to government protections, including worker’s compensation, unemployment insurance, public assistance, transfer of licenses upon death, and ability to apply for absentee ballots and other documents for a spouse.
● Laws relating to domestic relations and family maintenance, including the rights and obligations of support during and after relationship division of marital property and evidentiary privileges.

Married couples have many rights and obligations that are not available to unmarried couples. It is also true that civil unions generally provide only a subset of the rights and obligations of civil marriages. If you are interested in seeing an excellent overview on this topic, we recommend that you look at a document published by GLAD (Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders). It's called "Protections, Benefits and Obligations of Marriage under Massachusetts and Federal Law: Some Key provisions of a Work-in-Progress." To read this document, click here: PBOs Of Marriage
 
For much more information that GLAD has gathered on the topic of marriage, please see: http://www.glad.org/marriage/

Welcoming Congregation Committee takes a stand on Boy Scout issue

The Welcoming Congregation Committee believes the Duxbury troop of the Boy Scouts of America should not be allowed to meet at First Parish Church on a permanent basis because of the national organization's policy to exclude gays from its membership and leadership. This issue is currently being reviewed by an ad hoc committee of First Parish Church. Our position on this matter is consistent with the Unitarian Universalist principles and our status as a Welcoming Congregation. 

 
Show Your Support for Gay Marriage

The Welcoming Congregation committee has beautiful rainbow ring pins (two rings intertwined) that you can pin on your collar to show your support for gay marriage rights. The pins are $5 and proceeds go to support South Shore Civil Marriage for All (www.SSCMRA.org), which advocates for gay marriage on Boston's south shore. If you would like to buy a pin, please see Jim Hamilton after church on Sunday.
 

Questions or comments about this Website? Contact Jon Lehman at jonlehman@verizon.net