SUMMER 2011
A Walk Through 375 Years of History in Harvard Square
Sunday, June 5, at 12:30 pm
Since 1636, the people of First Church in Cambridge have worshipped in six meeting houses, all within two blocks of Harvard Square. Lindsay Miller leads a one-hour tour of the six sights, highlighting key moments in First Church history, its role in the founding of Harvard College and in American history.
Meet under the yellowwood trees on the First Church lawn, planted in 1871 by renowned botanist and First Church member Asa Gray.
Finding Ancestors at the Congregational Library
Saturday, June 11, 10 am to 12 noon
A workshop with Michael Brophy, a professional genealogist who specializes in church records and also teaches and coaches amateur genealogists.
Meet at the Congregational Library, 14 Beacon Street, Boston, near the Massachusetts State House.
Note: There is a $15 fee for this program. If you attend the Congregational history presentation on July 28 (see below), the fee for both programs is $25. Advance registration is required. Register online at CongregationalLibrary.org/news-and-events/program-and-workshop-schedule or call Susan Thomas, 617-523-0470, ext. 4.
A Walk Through 375 Years of History in Harvard Square
Sunday, July 10, at 11:30 am
Since 1636, the people of First Church in Cambridge have worshipped in six meeting houses, all within two blocks of Harvard Square. Lindsay Miller leads a one-hour tour of the six sites, highlighting key moments in First Church history, including its role in the founding of Harvard College.
Meet under the yellowwood trees on the First Church lawn, planted in 1871 by renowned botanist and First Church member Asa Gray.
Growing Deeper Roots: Exploring the Congregational Tradition
Thursday, July 28, 10 am to 3 pm
Dr. Peggy Bendroth, an American historian, director of the Congregational Library and a member of First Church in Cambridge, tells the story of Congregationalism from its English Puritan roots to the denominational merger that created the United Church of Christ in 1957. After the formal program, from 3:00 to 3:30, she and Karen Anne Zien offer individual guidance to First Church history researchers.
Meet at the Congregational Library, 14 Beacon Street, Boston, down the street from the Massachusetts State House.
Note: Fee of $15 includes lunch. If you also attend the workshop on “Finding Ancestors at the Congregational Library” on June 11 (above), the fee for both is $25. Advance registration is required. Register at CongregationalLibrary.org/news-and-events/program-and-workshop-schedule or call Susan Thomas, 617-523-0470, ext. 4.
Walk Through 375 Years of History in Harvard Square
Sunday, August 7, at 11:30 am
Puritan non-conformists “gathered in the Spirit” in 1636 to form the Church of Christ in Newtowne, as First Church in Cambridge was then known. For the last 375 years, this congregation has worshipped within two blocks of Harvard Square -- from its first meeting house to the sixth location across from Cambridge Common. Lindsay Miller leads a one-hour tour, highlighting key moments in First Church history, including its connections to Harvard University and American history.
Meet on the First Church lawn under the yellowwood trees planted in 1871 by renowned botanist and First Church member Asa Gray.
FALL 2011
Watch for updates!
Plans include:
The Church with the Rooster
A tour focused on the art, architecture and history of First Church in Cambridge's current building at Garden and Mason Streets, across from the Cambridge Common. How did a gilded cockerel, made by colonial coppersmith Shem Drowne in 1721, find its way, 150 years later, to the top of First Church in Cambridge?
Finding Friends Along the Way
Presentation by First Church members and friends about their research into some of the notable or forgotten, historical or living, people of First Church who for 375 years have been “on the way” -- trying to love God and each other and to do God’s will in Harvard Square and beyond.
A New Oratorio by Patricia Van Ness
December 2011
Premiere of "Doxology Oratorio" by Patricia Van Ness, an internationally-acclaimed musician who is also Staff Composer for First Church in Cambridge. This oratorio, commissioned for the church's 375th anniversary, features the First Church Choir, strings, and soloists from the vocal ensemble Tapestry.
The oratorio will be an integral part of Sunday morning worship.
Listen to an interview with Patricia Van Ness and hear the First Church Choir performing her composition “Advent” on National Public Radio.
PREVIOUS 375th ANNIVERSARY EVENTS
Singing the Psalms the Puritans' Way
Sunday, January 30, 2011
All the music at today's worship service is from the Bay Psalm Book, which was the first book in English printed in North America, printed here in Cambridge in 1640. Seventeenth-century Puritans did not sing hymns because, they said, there were no hymns in the Bible. But they certainly sang Psalms. We sing them as the Puritans did -- line by line. For this festival service, the First Church Choir is joined by the choir of the United Parish in Brookline.
First Church and Harvard: A Brief History of a Long Relationship
Sunday, January 30, 2011
A talk and discussion led by Dr. Stephen Shoemaker, lecturer in the Study of Religion at Harvard University. Starting in 1636, the histories of these two institutions have intersected. Harvard is located in Cambridge because its founders wanted students exposed to the "soul-ravishing" preaching of Thomas Shepard, the first pastor of First Church. Download audio of talk/discussion (MP3, 39MB)
Why People of Faith Need Long Memories --
Remembering as a Spiritual Practice
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
A talk and discussion led by Dr. Margaret Bendroth, church historian and executive director of The Congregational Library at 14 Beacon Street in Boston. Download audio of talk/discussion (MP3,53MB)
Long-Term Memory and Worship
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
A talk and discussion led by the Rev. Dr. J. Mary Luti, director of the Wilson Chapel and Visiting Professor of Worship and Preaching at Andover Newton Theological School. Mary Luti was senior minister of First Church in Cambridge from 2000 to 2008. Download audio of talk/discussion: Part I (MP3, 13.5MB) - Part II (MP3, 23MB) - Part III (MP3, 24MB)
Becoming a 21st Century New-Old Church:
The Challenge of Re-traditioning
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
A talk and discussion led by Dr. Diana Butler Bass, nationally known commentator on the liberal side of contemporary Christianity. Her books include A People’s History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Story and Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith.
Finding Friends Along the Way Workshop
Sunday, May 29, 2011
First Church "history detectives" select (or being given) a past or present member of First Church to research and get to know over the summer. Peggy Bendroth has tips on how to conduct historical research. Karen Anne Zien offers guidelines for oral history conversations.
Most events take place -- and walking tours begin -- at First Church in Cambridge, Congregational (United Church of Christ), located at the corner of Garden and Mason Streets in Cambridge, Mass. We are next to the Sheraton Commander Hotel, across from Cambridge Common and a short walk from the Harvard Square T stop. Please join us!