“Journeying together in faith and love as disciples of Christ, we welcome diversity. We support and empower all people to worship the living God, inspiring a life of fellowship, stewardship, spiritual growth,
and outreach throughout the world.”
Our Congregation
First gathered in 1701, we stand together as a community dedicated to proclaiming the good news of God’s love for the world. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is at the center of our common life. We are a church with a wide array of thoughts, beliefs, and ambitions. But we come together, purposefully, to love God, to love each other, and to learn the love of self. To gain insight into our spiritual trajectory over the last 300 years, visit our Historic Statements and Passages page.
Church Governance
We are not bound by, nor subject to, any centralized hierarchy. We, as a congregation, own our own buildings and grounds. We seek out and call our own clergy. Congregationalism could be strictly defined as the application of democratic principles to church governance. We speak freely, we listen thoughtfully, and after prayerful discernment, we vote. Collectively, we set our own goals and define our own mission in the world.
Annual Meeting
Lay Leadership
As a Congregational church, we depend on the leadership of lay volunteers. We have program councils that serve all aspects of our ministry, from the management of our buildings and grounds to our Governing Council. Perhaps you can lend your gifts to improve our church?
Adult Faith Discovery
We offer classes and faith discovery for all ages. Just because you’re too old for Sunday School, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy learning. In addition to formal learning opportunities, The Plymouth Church in Framingham offers social activities to meet new friends and deepen relationships with familiar faces.
Plymouth Church Groups
Within the congregation, a number of groups have formed organically over the years. Some are purely social, others are prayerful. Some gather to plan and host community events, while a number of groups are service-based and focus their efforts on local and global charitable initiatives, like warm-clothing drives, food drives, and rummage sales. Among them are Women's Fellowship, the Early Bird Group, the Tuesday Prayer Group, the Plymouth Church Book Group, Cornucopia Group, and the Africa Exchange Project.
Open and Affirming
We believe all people are created in the image of God, and we embrace Jesus' call to love one another. We commit ourselves to the ongoing work of being an Open and Affirming congregation. We strive, with God's grace, to welcome all persons into our community. We celebrate our differences, including age, race, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, socioeconomic status, mental and physical ability, and spiritual tradition. We invite all to share fully the life, leadership, ministry and sacraments of this church. Trusting in the Holy Spirit, we journey together in faith.
Raising the Rainbow Banner after voting to become an "Open and Affirming Congregation."
The United Church of Christ (UCC)
The Plymouth Church is a member congregation of the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ. The UCC is a young denomination with old roots. Formed in 1957, the UCC brought together the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church. In Massachusetts, a large majority of the churches that joined the UCC were "Congregational" and still carry this name today. The Congregational Church dates back to the 1620's with the Pilgrims at Plymouth and the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The UCC is also the largest Protestant denomination in Massachusetts.
Church Policies
Safe Church
The Plymouth Church in Framingham, as a member congregation of the United Church of Christ, and as an Open and Affirming congregation, has a sacred responsibility to protect the members of our community, especially the well-being of children, youth, and vulnerable adults.
The Plymouth Church is, therefore, committed to creating and maintaining a worship and work community in which members, children, friends, staff and volunteers can worship and work together in an atmosphere that is safe, both physically and psychologically, and is free of exploitation or intimidation. We strive to provide an environment that is welcoming and in which each and every person in our congregation feels valued. This includes visitors, community members, and those who use our facility.
We recognize that a culture of caring is a key aspect of our congregation’s health and safety. This is especially true for the children and youth who are entrusted to our care. To that end, The Plymouth Church has established the following measures to assure that safety measures are established, exercised and periodically reviewed.
To review a copy of our Safe Church Manual, click here. Copies are also available in the Church Office.
Personnel Policies
The Plymouth Church in Framingham is proud to be a just employer. We comply with all state and federal laws regarding worker safety and fair compensation. We believe that each employee, though not a member of this community, is a beloved child of God and deserves our utmost respect and support.
To review a copy of our Personnel Policies and Procedures, click here. Copies are also available in the Church Office.