Welcome to United First Parish Church
Church of the Presidents
A member of the Unitarian Universalist
Association of Congregations
Tours of the Church and Presidential Crypt Open July 1 through November 11, 2021
For the first time since the COVID pandemic closed the doors to the United First Parish Church (UFPC) Visitor’s Program, the church and presidential crypt will be open for tours starting July 1, 2021. Tours will run daily from 11am-4pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday through Saturday, and 12pm-4pm on Sunday (The church will be closed on Wednesdays). There is no admission fee, but donations are welcome as the program is funded through the gifts of visitors. No reservation is necessary, except for larger group tours.
In keeping with the church’s mission of being inclusive and its commitment to keeping everyone safe, COVID safety protocols will continue to remain in place during the 2021 tour season. All guests and docents will be asked to wear face masks during the tour and guests will be encouraged to maintain social distance from those not in their pod. In addition, the tours will flow one way through the building to further encourage social distancing and hand sanitizer will be provided at both the entrance and exit .
Updates on Covid-Safe Building Usage
Your Board of Governors has been working alongside our Reopening Taskforce (Jim Petosa, Daphne Souvenir, Bill Westland, David Downs, David Bousquin, Joan McDonald, and Rev. Rebecca Froom) to thoughtfully outline plans and policies to begin to use our building and grounds for regular programs and special events. Our work is grounded in our UU principles that respect the worth and dignity of all people and is guided by science. Though the State of Emergency in Massachusetts has now been lifted, we know the global Covid-19 pandemic is far from over. We are looking at the recommendations coming out of the CDC as we consider how to create safe and welcoming spaces for our multigenerational community and for all of the programs, groups, and renters who use our building and grounds. Our policies assume that we are living in a mixed-vaccination society. Though many of us have been vaccinated, not everyone is eligible and not everyone chooses to get a vaccine. Note, UFPC feels strongly that unvaccinated people have a responsibility to continue to protect themselves through masks and social distancing throughout all aspects of their daily lives.
Here are some highlights of our changing Covid-19 policies and practices:
- Masks are no longer required outside.
- Masks are required inside with two exceptions for staff and speakers and performers at events.
- Indoor events are allowed with capacity limits set for each room, including Sanctuary (200), Parish Hall (40), Parlor (14), Dining Room (30), Kitchen (10).
- Room reservations can be made to David Bousquin in the church office at office@ufpc.org David has a complete list of capacity limits for each room.
- We will use our building in ways that encourage social distancing, such as roping off every-other-pew in the sanctuary, creating a one-way path through the building for our historic tours, having all our restrooms be single-occupancy, etc.
- There are many topics the Reopening Task Force will still be discussing including safe practices around eating together, singing together, and the particular needs of young children and families.
Daily Tours: The History and Visitors Program opens for the 2021 season on July 1 and closes on November 11. We will continue to evaluate our ability to provide tours in a Coronavirus-safe manner.
Tour Times: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays: 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM. Sundays: 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm. Wednesdays: closed.
We are wheelchair accessible! We have an access ramp and automatic door opening system that allows folks to safely enter our building. We have an elevator available to allow our differently-abled visitors to reach all levels of the building, including our crypts. We also have an ADA-accessible restroom available to all visitors for our visitors program or those who come to our services on Sunday. We have a wheelchair available for use on-site if you find yourselves needing one after you arrive.
