Welcome - Pilgrim Church

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We are a diverse lot, from many Christian backgrounds, non-Christian backgrounds and no faith backgrounds. Located in the heart of Sherborn, Massachusetts, we draw members and friends from Ashland, Dover, Holliston, Medfield, Medway, Millis, Natick, and other surrounding cities and towns, as well as a few friends and neighbors across the U.S. and on other continents.

We come for Christian community, to find God in relationships with neighbors and new friends. We come for lessons from the incredible life of Jesus Christ. We come for spiritual rest, time to think, pray, and center on God, for comfort in hard times, and gratitude in good times. We come to serve God, each other, and the world. We passionately believe that Christian faith matters most when put into action, when words reflect deeds. We come with questions and together seek answers to life’s most profound mysteries.

We may be the place for you and your loved ones. We have vibrant youth ministries, joyful music, lots of outreach, and small groups for everyone.

We’re not perfect. We trust in God’s gentle grace and unconditional love. We seek meaning for the life God has gifted us.

Stay awhile. Get to know us better. No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.

Peace, Pastor John

pastorjohn@pilgrimsherborn.org

Pilgrim Church is Inclusive…

As an Open and Affirming Congregation, we extend a radical welcome to people of every gender identity and sexual orientation, and to persons of every skin color, culture, physical and mental ability, and every diverse expression of humanity found in God’s universe.

The rainbow insignia denotes support for the LGBTQ+ community surrounded by panels of black and brown to welcome people of all colors. The addition of a gray panel acknowledges the wide range of human expression inherent in each individual.

Learn about Us

New Here?

All are welcome at Pilgrim Church! We offer Sunday Worship, weekly programs, and opportunities to serve to families from all over Metrowest. Members range from families with children, married, single, young and not as young. People come for Service and Worship, and find a supportive, caring Community.

Sunday services are at 10AM both in person in our beautiful historic sanctuary and streamed live online. In the summer our services are at 9AM.

A time of Fellowship Coffee Hour follows every service throughout the year. Join us for a time of fellowship hosted by members of the congregation with support from our Hospitality & Outreach Committee. It’s a wonderful time to catch up with old friends or meet someone new. We welcome you to join us!

Parking is available in our lot adjacent to the church or in our large Pilgrim Church lot across the street. If needed there is additional parking available at the Town Offices lot behind the library up the hill, follow the short walking path down.

Our building is accessible from the front and side. Please use the buzzer located on the front of the building if you need assistance. We have an elevator located just inside Fellowship Hall on your right which will take you upstairs to the sanctuary.

Our Worship Service offers a range of wonderful music from our voice choir, adult and youth bell choirs, Pilgrim Church band, and guests musicians. Services include a time of welcome, children’s message, call to worship, sermon, music, prayers, and other programs. Communion is served on the first Sunday of each month, and special services are offered throughout the year.

Children are welcome! They may stay in the sanctuary with their families if they choose, or attend our creative and fun Sunday School program during service. Nursery Care is also offered.

Restrooms are located on the ground floor beyond Fellowship Hall and near the Children’s Wing.

Our Office is located toward the back of the church. You may access it through Fellowship Hall, or through it’s own entrance on the left side of the church.

We have many programs ongoing at Pilgrim Church during the weekdays and it is a lively building. We offer both in person and online opportunities for attending services and classes.

No matter where you are on your faith journey, you are welcome here!

>See our WORSHIP Page for more information about what to expect on a Sunday

Membership

Faith thrives in a community with shared values, hopes and dreams. New member classes are offered throughout the year.

Have you wondered what it means to be a member of Pilgrim Church?

Are you interested in learning more, leaning into your questions or faith journey?

Would you like to meet new folks, share in fellowship with others who share similar values?

Do you seek a place for your family and children to learn about Christian beliefs in fellowship?

Have you attended service on Sundays, participated in a committee, or volunteered for ministries?

You may have been here for a while and would like to make a deeper commitment to our church community, or you may be new to our congregation and ready to jump in. There are so many ways we go deeper at Pilgrim Church. Please reach out if you would like to explore what membership means. We welcome you, and are happy to answer any questions you have about membership!

Contact Information:
Janet Walsh, Director of Congregational Ministries
(508) 655-1667 x13
ministries@pilgrimsherborn.org

>See our Membership Page for more information!

Accessibility

Our goal is to be fully accessible.

FOR PERSONS WHO NEED ASSISTANCE:

We have three handicapped parking spaces in front of the church and a ramp to the front door.
There is an elevator to assist people to the sanctuary (go into Fellowship Hall through the right door after you enter the building).
There is a ramp from the door near the choir in the sanctuary that provides access to the second floor.

HEARING AND SIGHT ASSISTANCE:

Hearing assistance earphones and large-print bulletins are available for Sunday worship.
An usher will be happy to help you with them upon request

We are exploring ways to be fully accessible, and truly welcoming to all. If you or your children have needs that we should be aware of, please call the church office at 508-655-1667.

>Email our our Church Office

Our History

In 1685, the First Parish in Sherborn was founded with the first minister Reverend Daniel Gookin.

In the 1820’s there were disputes among members about the nature of God—was God Trinitarian (one in three—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) or Unitarian (one God)? The argument split the church into two parishes, First Parish Unitarian, and “The Sherborn Evangelical Society” (Trinitarian) formed in 1830.

The frame for what we now call Pilgrim Church, was raised on July 8, 1830 and we worship in the original meeting house. In 1941 the two churches combined into one worship community for lack of members and finances. In 1961 the church split over doctrinal issues again. Pilgrim Church has been blessed with powerful and faithful ministers. Two of our most influential shepherds were Reverend Edmund Dowse and Reverend Dr. Kenneth Powell. Reverend Dowse began in 1838 and served for sixty-seven years, reputedly the longest ministry in the US. He also served more than 50 years as Chairman of the local School Committee, and was instrumental in the railroad routing through Sherborn. Rev. Dowse was also a Massachusetts State Senator for two years and served as Chaplain of the Senate for twenty-five years. His portrait hangs at the rear of the sanctuary over the chair in which he sat in the Massachusetts Senate. In 1979, Pilgrim Church called Reverend Ken Powell to be its new Pastor. Rev. Powell, a beloved Pastor to Pilgrim Church and the wider Sherborn community served Pilgrim Church for more than twenty years. His ministry was marked by a strengthening of the spiritual community and expansion in our Christian Education and Youth Ministry programs. Ken succumbed to cancer in the fall of 2007.

In May of 2007 Pilgrim Church called the Reverend John F. Hudson to be its new Pastor. Reverend Hudson is a Massachusetts native, has served UCC churches throughout New England, and is a newspaper columnist for several local papers. His ministry has been marked by the church’s renewed commitment to social outreach and justice, mission giving and a re-affirmation of our ministry to children and young people.

>Reach out to a member of our Archive Committee for more information

Membership

The Strategic Planning Group report is now available on our website. We invite you to read our report, evaluate our recommendations and share your thoughts as we move forward.

Learn more about Sacred Arts at Pilgrim Church. Enjoy opportunities to explore Music in Worship, Powell Speaker Sereis and our many Sacred Arts Ministry Programs.

Our Beliefs

We engage heart and mind. We affirm that Christians do not have to always agree to live in communion. We embrace a variety of faith expressions. In covenant together we explore what it means to be a Christian. We invite all spiritual seekers to join us. Our basic beliefs are rooted in the historic Christian tradition, and include:

Jesus Christ was God in the flesh and appeared in human history to teach us about God’s hope and love for the world.

The Bible is a repository of human witness to the awesome power of God. It is the responsibility of each of us to engage and interpret scripture for our lives, the life of the church and the life of the world.

“God is still speaking.” God’s truth is still breaking forth.

God wants the world to be a better place. It’s our job as active Christians to be vehicles for God’s peace, justice and love.

Church is the community to gather together in worship and fellowship: to support one another, learn about Jesus and apply the lessons of his one life to our whole lives.

We recognize two sacraments: baptism, which affirms a personal relationship with God and connection to the Church; and communion, where we remember Jesus in breaking bread and drinking from the cup.

God calls us into a welcoming community of believers and seekers; young and old, new and old members, families and individuals, gay and straight. No matter who or where you are, you are welcome here.

We belong to the United Church of Christ (UCC), founded in 1957 from different Christian traditions, and now a community of 1.2 million in 5,600 congregations across the US.

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