Becoming a Member
Our intention is to help you feel welcome and accepted as you become part of our community at your own pace and in your own time. For some, the journey may be quick. You may feel that this is the place for you and want to make connections very soon. Others may wish to take slower, but no less meaningful steps.
Our Sunday morning service is our gift of friendship to you, so relax and enjoy the music, the message, the coffee and the conversation. Those interested in entering into membership in the First Parish Church should feel free to contact the minister or any staff member of the church. It is not necessary to be a member of First Parish in order to attend services or small groups here, or to donate to the church. The minister will request those interested in membership to participate in a brief “First Steps” meeting (held approximately monthly, following a Sunday service) where they will receive an informational packet and sign the membership book if they choose to become members.
Responsibilities of Membership:
New members should plan to participate in a “First Steps” meeting.
New members sign the Membership Book of the First Parish Church in Taunton.
New members will make a financial commitment to the church, through an annual pledge.
Rights of Membership:
Unitarian Universalist congregations practice “congregational polity,” which means that congregations are responsible for creating and supporting their own churches. Members become part and parcel of church life, making decisions and having an impact on church life every day. Members may vote at the church’s Annual Meeting and any Special Meetings called throughout the year. Members are eligible to serve in leadership positions.
Finally, as members of First Parish Church, your family may well spend some of its biggest and most important days here, celebrating weddings, child dedications or anniversaries; or mourning a loss at a funeral or memorial service. The celebration of these rites of passage in our lives and the lives of our loved ones is also part and parcel of church life -- providing support, assistance and structure to members and friends in times of deepest need.
Our Sunday morning service is our gift of friendship to you, so relax and enjoy the music, the message, the coffee and the conversation. Those interested in entering into membership in the First Parish Church should feel free to contact the minister or any staff member of the church. It is not necessary to be a member of First Parish in order to attend services or small groups here, or to donate to the church. The minister will request those interested in membership to participate in a brief “First Steps” meeting (held approximately monthly, following a Sunday service) where they will receive an informational packet and sign the membership book if they choose to become members.
Responsibilities of Membership:
New members should plan to participate in a “First Steps” meeting.
New members sign the Membership Book of the First Parish Church in Taunton.
New members will make a financial commitment to the church, through an annual pledge.
Rights of Membership:
Unitarian Universalist congregations practice “congregational polity,” which means that congregations are responsible for creating and supporting their own churches. Members become part and parcel of church life, making decisions and having an impact on church life every day. Members may vote at the church’s Annual Meeting and any Special Meetings called throughout the year. Members are eligible to serve in leadership positions.
Finally, as members of First Parish Church, your family may well spend some of its biggest and most important days here, celebrating weddings, child dedications or anniversaries; or mourning a loss at a funeral or memorial service. The celebration of these rites of passage in our lives and the lives of our loved ones is also part and parcel of church life -- providing support, assistance and structure to members and friends in times of deepest need.
