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Weddings, Baptisms, and Other Special Ceremonies

Weddings

We are happy to conduct weddings in our sanctuary, chapel, outdoor garden, or elsewhere, understanding that the sacred covenant of marriage is a beautiful reflection of God’s covenant with humanity. We believe that the public profession of sacrificial love and life-long commitment is the ideal toward which all our relationships, both human and divine, point. Weddings are scheduled through the church office and in consultation with either Rev. Will or Rev. Maeve. Couples are required to meet with a minster three times in preparation for the wedding as a way of getting to know one another, discussing the key ingredients to healthy marriages, and planning the ceremony.  We are willing to discuss a sliding scale of fees with couples who are unable to meet the full cost for the sanctuary and minister’s fee.

It is also our joy to make God’s boundless love manifest by celebrating  LGBTQ weddings in our sanctuary. Although we didn’t need a court to tell us what a real marriage is, we delighted in the court rulings—here in Massachusetts and much later at the Federal Level—that made these marriages legal. Even before those rulings, many LGBTQ relationships were blessed in sacred services by our clergy.

Our Wedding Service Fees schedule is here: Wedding Fees

Baptisms

Baptisms take place during the regular Sunday service of worship. They are scheduled in consultation with a Pastor and the Office Manager. If we are performing a baptism for your family for the first time, we arrange a meeting to review the meaning and origin of baptism and to walk through the ceremony so that parents know what to expect.

 

 

Funerals

First Congregational Church provides a sacred and comforting site where the life of a loved one can be celebrated and their passing can be mourned. Our ministers and staff are experienced in helping families design a service that reflects the life and legacy of the deceased. They work with longtime members as well as those who find themselves without a church home at the loss of their beloved. Our memorial service fees can be found here: Memorial Service Fees

 

Special Ceremonies

The members of the Ministry Team are available to be of service to you in times of challenge, need, and celebration. The team is experienced in accompanying those who are going through life’s major transitions, such as marriage, birth of a child, divorce, or the illness or death of a loved one. They are happy to provide short-term pastoral counseling and to lead various ceremonies and rites of passage to accompany these transitions. Whether it’s a house blessing, a ritual of separation at the time of divorce, a healing prayer circle, a blessing of rings at a wedding anniversary, or a departure blessing when leaving town, the Ministry Team is happy to call awareness to God’s presence in your life at such sacred times.