There are a bunch of ways to get involved! Check out the list below and fill out our information form if you’d like more information about any of them.

375th Anniversary Planning

2023 is the 375th anniversary of the founding of First Parish. We hope to celebrate with a year long commemoration/celebration. The goal is to have a mix of events including a Masquerade Party in October, history lessons/conversations on our church’s role in the oppression of BIPOC folks in the founding of Malden, performances, etc. We welcome all folks with ideas and/ or enthusiasm to help commemorate First Parish.

Brew Crew

We are looking for volunteers to help run our Sunday coffee hour for the church year. We will train you on everything you need to know.

Circle Keepers

The Circle Keepers at First Parish in Malden hold periodic meetings, called Circles, with all FPUUM members who want to join. The practice of circles has many names: Talking circles, healing circles, restorative circles. Among First Nations people, circles are used for formal education, passing on the knowledge of elders, community building, healing from trauma, and restorative justice. Pat Paul, a member of Maliseet First Nation Community of Tobique in New Brunswick, says “A Talking Circle is a place of comfort, wisdom, security and redress. It is where people come in search for new directions, abandoning the old, making amends, righting the wrongs and establishing new pathways for tomorrow.“ The Circle Keepers were trained in Circle facilitation by Pathways to Restorative Communities, and continue to deepen our understanding of the origin of Circles in Indigenous communities and the role of Indigenous leaders in bringing the practice of Circles to white-led spaces.

Community Garden

Last year we installed two raised garden beds on the Pleasant Street side of the church and planted flowers there. We’re looking to expand the project of making a community garden on the grounds of the church.

CUUPS (Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans)

October’s meeting will be introductory and informational. We will discuss plans for worship services (both Sunday main services as well as various vespers services) and other programming such as full moon rituals etc. Anyone who identifies as Pagan, UU Pagan, nature worshiping, (with or without belief in god(s)) or is just curious about CUUPS is welcome to attend.

House & Grounds

House & Grounds manages the stewardship of our building and grounds, helping our facilities manager Rich manage repairs and improvements to the church, and assisting our administrator with managing rentals and fees.

Outreach & Membership

We are currently looking for folks to help us with making sure the community knows about the amazing things happening here and our mission.

Pastoral Care

Are you passionate about caring for each other? Folks are invited to join our pastoral care team, a committed group of folks who support and care for those in need in our community. Are you interested in visiting people who can’t make it to church, providing rides, and sending cards? Join our pastoral care team.

Prom Committee

You read that right! First Parish is planning a Prom for June. If you wish you’d spent more time planning prom is high school, this is the time for you to get in on it!

Racial Justice Committee

A group of folks working to dismantle racism and white supremacy within the congregation. Currently the Racial Justice Team is working on where our reparations money will go, the possible adoption of the UU 8th Principle, and more.

Sabbatical Team

Rev. Otto will be on Sabbatical from December through April. During that time Rev. Aisha Ansano, our affiliated community minister, will be serving as our Sabbatical Minister at ¾ time. During this time, she will need support getting acclimated to the congregation and with the knowledge to fulfill her role as minister as well as support the board in the tasks that will not be covered by her more limited time.

Small Group Ministry

Join us for regular small group discussions to dive deeper into the monthly themes for worship and to get to know each other better. Sign up before the first session on October 16, 2022 following worship from 12:15-1:45pm.

Sunday Morning Support (Ushers, Worship Associates, Greeters)

There are a lot of things that happen to make Sunday morning happen! We need folks to help welcome people to church, make sure everything runs smoothly, and participate in the service. 

UU The Vote

UU the Vote is a non-partisan faith initiative to engage our neighbors, educate our communities, mobilize voters, and rally around key ballot initiatives.  First Parish engages voters to involve them in the democratic process through postcarding, phonebanking, and deliberately brave conversations.

We meet the 2nd Wednesday of every month to plan activities.

Website

Our website needs an overhaul! Do you know WordPress or want to learn? We’d like to untangle some of the links, make the navigation more intuitive, and update content where needed.

Worship Team

Worship is the center of what we do here at First Parish in Malden. Do you want to be a part of deciding what we talk about, brainstorming ideas, and making sure worship runs smoothly every Sunday? Please join us! Meets First Thursday of the month.