This data was last updated on 7 August 2017.
Address: 11 Garden St, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Phone: (617) 547-2724
Email: parishadmin@firstchurchcambridge.org
Website: http://www.firstchurchcambridge.org
History: For over 380 years, First Church in Cambridge has dutifully served the people of Cambridge and beyond. After its initial gathering in 1633 under Rev. Thomas Hooker, it was officially recognized in February 1, 1636, and is considered the 11th oldest congregation in New England. Harvard College was founded in Cambridge six months later, in part so that students could “benefit from proximity to the soul-ravishing preaching” of Thomas Shepard, the church’s second minister. Its first meeting house in 1632 was located near the corner of Dunster and Mt. Auburn streets. The trial of Anne Hutchinson took place there in 1637. In 1648, the Cambridge Platform of Church Doctrine and Discipline was adopted at First Church, codifying the Congregational way. By 1829, the ‘Unitarian split’ divided the church and led part of the congregation to meet for two years at the Old Court House, the current location for the Harvard Coop. In 1872, First Church moved to its current site on the corner of Garden and Mason Streets. The congregation has also undergone a number of name changes, examples of which are The Cambridge Church, Church of Christ in Newtowne (1633), The Shepard Congregational Society (1829) and finally First Church in Cambridge, Congregational, United Church of Christ (1957). First Church joined the United Church of Christ in 1957 upholding its biblical motto, “that they may all be one” and affirming that the church should always be “united and uniting” under Christ. It has had a total of 17 Ministers since its beginning, with its current being Reverend Daniel A. Smith, who was called in 2008. In recent decades, First Church has taken public stands on a range of peace and justice concerns. In 1991, First Church became Open and Affirming to gays and lesbians. It was also a strong advocate for equal marriage leading up to 2005 Massachusetts Supreme Court decision allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry.
Activities: First Church Cambridge gathers for worship every Sunday morning at 11 am (10 am in July and August) and offers robust music and programming for people of all ages. It hosts Night Song, a weekly Sunday evening candlelit, Vespers service of meditation and chant, along with weekly opportunities for meditation and spiritual formation. For 30 years, First Church has been home to the 14-bed First Church Shelter, offering daily meals and services to homeless men. First Church also hosts the Friday Café, a weekly drop-in center dedicated to serving the opoor and marginalized. As a church that deeply concerns itself with the world around it, First Church Cambridge participates in a wide range of local social justice initiatives and wider relief efforts through its denomination, the United Church of Christ. First Church is a founding member of the Daughters of Abraham, an interfaith women’s reading group that now has dozens of chapters around the region and country. First Church is also a leading member of the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization, a faith-based community organizing coalition that has helped to deliver statewide healthcare reform, affordable housing and gun violence prevention legislation. The congregation hosts a range of environmental and immigration justice efforts as well as peace groups, including the Palestine-Israel Task Team. The church also opens up its space to community groups for 12-step meetings, classes, rehearsals and performances, and is home to a cooperative pre-school, The Newtown School. First Church further support the community by giving away 10% of their annual income to groups working to make the world more just and sustainable.