If you are looking to deepen your connections and friendships with people in Christian community consider joining a small group. Exploring your faith with fellow church members within your age group or your identity is a unique experience that can provide another way to get support in your faith journey.
Youth Group generally meets monthly on Sunday afternoons, with a few Friday evening social events on the schedule as well. All 9th-12th graders are most welcome in the 2024-25 program year!
Our vibrant young adult population at First Church is active in all aspects of the congregation’s life and leadership. Folks in their 20’s and 30’s are welcome to join for events like our Faith On Tap meet-ups, ice-cream strolls, and gathering at each other’s homes. It’s a great way to meet new friends and ask questions about faith, life, and First Church. This group gathers a few times a month on a rotating basis.
Please check the events calendar for our next meeting date or contact us directly to sign up on our listserv.
This group is by BIPOC for BIPOC. If you are a Black, Indigenous or Person of Color (BIPOC) member of First Church, please consider joining our periodic Zoom meetings designed as active listening sessions to reflect, heal, support one another, and build community.
Contact Moana Bentin with questions, or to receive a Zoom invitation to participate.
Every year at the end of September, First Church folks head to Cape Cod for a weekend retreat Craigville Retreat Center.
The All-Church Retreat is a a weekend of community-building in fellowship, formation, and fun. All ages are invited to come together as a multigenerational community to talk, laugh, play, dance, eat, sing, worship, and connect!
The 2024 All-Church Retreat takes place on September 27-29, 2024.
Save the date and register now!
Throughout the year, women at First Church are intentional about creating space for all who identify as women to explore their faith together. The monthly Women’s Community Book Group is a great way to connect with others around novels and non-fiction texts that move us and spark deep conversation. Bi-annual Women’s Community gatherings, usually in Advent and in Lent, give women from all walks and seasons of life the chance to create community with one another.
Books we read in 2023-24:
Women Talking by Miriam Toews (September 19)
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates (November 7)
The Time is Now: A Call to Uncommon Courage by Joan Chittister (December 5)
Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger (January 9)
Inciting Joy by Ross Gay (February 6)
Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng (March 12)
Necessary Trouble: Growing Up at Midcentury by Drew Gilpin Faust (April 16)
Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor (May 21)
Watch the Sunday bulletin for notices of upcoming events and find links to virtual meetings on our events calendar.
All who identify as women are welcome to this annual daylong retreat, which usually takes place the first weekend in Lent. Participants take time to rest in silence, explore creative expression, and enjoy a nourishing lunch in each other’s company. Join us for reflection, Lenten preparation, and community. Come for all or part of the day. Your unique presence is cherished!
All who identify as men are invited to join us monthly for a hearty breakfast and even heartier conversations about topics that connect our faith to our lives and our world. One-time visitors, friends, and newcomers are always welcome. After many months of Zoom gatherings, we have been meeting in person again, following current masking guidelines.
Send an email to the address below to sign up for the Men’s Breakfast email list, which receives monthly reminders.
Every year in the late Spring/ Early summer, all folks who identify as men are invited for a weekend of outdoor recreation, simple meals, and heartfelt discussion starting at 10 a.m. Saturday and ending at 10 a.m. Sunday. In past years, First Church members have hosted the retreat at their homes in scenic areas in New England. The agenda is casual, meal assignments are shared, carpooling is encouraged and the memories are warm.