Key Policies

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Policies define a course of action that has been voted on by the Parish Committee, by Congregational Meeting, or by the authority of program staff. Below is a subset of policies that apply to common situations. For a complete list of policies and procedures, see this pdf of our policies handbook, which is kept up to date.

In September, 2022 the Parish Committee, our elected governing board, unanimously voted to bring our COVID protocols in alignment with those of the Town of Arlington, which align with Massachusetts guidance. We also affirmed that:

We care about each other within our community, we do our best to keep each other healthy and safe, and we expect each other to stay up to date on our Covid-19 vaccinations.
We encourage everyone to make decisions about reducing risk that reflect their personal and family circumstances.
We encourage respect for others’ decisions and around masking and other practices to reduce the risk of infection.

Details are here.

First Parish encourages its members to live their faith through specific words and deeds. Public witness – i.e., public statements about our moral principles and their practical applications – can be an important part of living our faith.

We are aware, however, that our members may have different moral and political beliefs and priorities. We are also aware that statements made on behalf of First Parish may affect both our members’ sense of belonging and First Parish’s reputation in the larger community. We therefore expect members of the First Parish community to observe the policies and procedures regarding public witness listed here.