Our Meeting House is home to a vibrant community of young adults, including undergraduate and graduate students from local universities. Young adults are active in many aspects of church life and gather regularly to support and enjoy one another. First Parish also hosts a youth homeless shelter run specifically by students and young adults, where First Parish members are encouraged to volunteer.

Young Adult Group

Our Young Adult Group is a blossoming community in First Parish! If you are 18 to 35 years old and looking for a place to bring the big questions of life, and to have fun along the way, you’ve found the right place. We are a group with diverse beliefs, cultures, passions, and curiosities, committed to respecting and supporting each other on our spiritual journeys. 

We gather for:

• Meaningful & Meaningless Conversation

• Retreats

• Spiritual Workshops

• Arts & Crafts

• Volunteer Opportunities & Protests

• And Much More!

We meet  at 12:15 p.m. every second and fourth Sunday of the month upstairs in the Mikelson Room.

The Second Sunday gathering offers a space for getting to know one another and deepening our sense of community. Our Fourth Sunday workshops, often led by a minister, offer a deep dive into a topic or theme chosen by the young adults and reflect the big questions coming up for the group. Every Spring, the Young Adult Group goes on retreat!

If you have questions, or if you would like to join our email list, email youngadults@firstparishcambridge.org. 

Campus Ministry

First Parish offers a spiritual “home-away-from-home” to undergraduate and graduate students from nearby universities. Our clergy and members specifically support campus ministries at both Harvard University and MIT. Our lead minister, Rev. Rob Hardies, is the Unitarian Universalist Chaplain at Harvard. If you’d like to learn more about our campus ministry, please contact Rev. Rob at rhardies@firstparishcambridge.org.

Y2Y Youth Homeless Shelter

Young adults and students at First Parish are especially invited to volunteer with the Y2Y Youth Homeless Shelter located in the lower level of the First Parish Meeting House. Y2Y is the nation’s first youth homeless shelter led by students and young people. Our shelter has 22 beds, which make up about half of the youth-specific shelter beds in the Greater Boston Area. Y2Y Harvard Square provides opportunities for both guests and volunteers to become the next generation’s leading advocates for youth-driven solutions to homelessness.