New Member Sunday, April 2009. Pictures from Rebecca Greene.
The church was founded in 1805. In 1808, Reverend Hosea Ballou (a founding member of the Universalist Church) laid the cornerstone of the current building, a beautiful example of classic Federal architecture. The Hutchings organ, built in 1888, has 1,200 pipes and is one of the finest historic organs in New England.
We are a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, which does not require a commitment to a specific creed or school of thought, which enables us to embrace people of all faiths and those who seek community but consider themselves agnostic or atheist. We do endeavor to abide by the Unitarian Universalist Principles, which provide a guideline with which to engage in community and the larger world.
We are situated in downtown Salem across from the North River and the Salem train station which runs from Boston to Gloucester.
Worship is conducted every Sunday. During the church year from early September to the middle of June services and children’s religious education classes start at 10:45 pm. Summer services are held in June and July at 10:00 am at First Unversalist and in August at First Church on Essex Street.
We are a Welcoming Congregation which celebrates and supports the lives, the relationships and contributions of its lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and heterosexual members and friends. We affirm and promote full participation of all in the life of the congregation and community. We pledge our congregation's commitment to continue to enlighten and educate our members, friends, children and community regarding sexual orientation and gender identification.
First Universalist was established in 1808 and is a member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (UUA).
Our mission statement adopted by the congregation on April 28, 1997 is as follows...
Through worship, educations and action,
we create a loving place for individuals,
young and old to:
seek nourishment for their spiritual lifes;
explore teachings from a wide variety of
religious and philosophical traditions;
support and be supported by a diverse
group of co-seekers;
work to ensure that there is justice and
dignity for all people in our world.
We are a congregation that places high value on worship. Our expectations include worship services to draw on personal experience as well as on a wide variety of sources; to be personally as well as intellectually challenging; and to both prod and nurture.
We are accustomed to hearing the terms god, goddess, spirit, and so on, referred to in a way that ties people together. We enjoy an occasional non-traditional service, and also appreciate ritual. For instance, though the majority of us do not consider ourselves theological Christians, we take communion four times a year. We hold an annual All Souls, Samhain and Beltaine service also.
We are indeed a congregation that loves to celebrate, laugh, and have fun. We are a congregation that cares for and respects our children and youth and includes
them in the community. We are respectful of our church building (as one of the children said, "we keep things neat"), we are somewhat casual in appearance on Sunday mornings.
We takes risks at being vulnerable and share quite openly.
We invite you now to take a closer look at some of the work and activities of our community. Come join us for services, rituals, and many of the other fun events that happen at First Universalist Society in Salem, Massachusetts.
