At 1 South Main Street in Randolph, Massachusetts, First Congregational Church, UCC carries a meetinghouse tradition begun in 1731 into a present-day community centered on love and justice. The congregation is an Open and Affirming member of the United Church of Christ, known for music-rich worship, faith formation for all ages, community meals, digital ministry, and an enduring youth theater program. Sunday worship is at 10 a.m., both onsite and online.
Five Meetinghouses and a Randolph History
The church began in 1731 as an outgrowth of settlement in the southern part of Braintree. The area had been set off as the South Parish or Precinct in 1728, and its meetinghouse stood on parish land now known as Bicentennial Park in Crawford Square. The building hosted precinct and town meetings after Randolph was established in 1793, and it housed high school classes until Stetson Hall opened across the street in 1842.
Five meetinghouses have stood on the hill. The 1728 building was small and rectangular, with a gallery and movable box pews. Its successor, built in 1764, was the first with a bell tower and clock. The Declaration of Independence was read from that pulpit in August 1776, and in 1814 word of a British raid on Cohasset reached the congregation there, prompting local militia to march with Rev. Jonathan Strong.
The third meetinghouse, erected in 1828, occupied the site of the present building and received the earlier clock and bell. It was later sold and moved to North Street, where it served as a Grange Hall, Knights of Pythias Hall, and an apartment building. The fourth meetinghouse, built in 1860, seated more than 500 and was the largest of the five, but a spectacular fire in October 1936 destroyed it along with its clockworks and bell.
The current fifth meetinghouse rose after the fire in Colonial Revival style, designed by Malden architect Arlan Dirlam. The damaged bell was recast at the Holbrook bell foundry in Medway. An educational wing was added in 1962, and a careful restoration in 2011 and 2012 renewed the front facade, including plaster capitals and swags and a shield bearing a ship, a book of law, and a lamp of learning. Seventeen full-time pastors have served since Rev. Elisha Eaton was called in 1731, including two forty-year pastorates.
The congregation's earlier ministry also helped shape Randolph and the wider world. Missionary outreach began in the 1790s with the Massachusetts Missionary Society and the commissioning of Stephen Turner to Maine. One of the area's first Sunday schools opened here in 1821. Church members later supported temperance and abolition, schools for American Indian children in the West, overseas missions in the Far East and southern Africa, and, in the later twentieth century, civil rights and social justice movements.
Love and Justice at the Center
Mission statement: "Sharing an experience of belonging, with God's music and the love and justice of Jesus at the heart of what we do."
First Congregational Church is an Open and Affirming setting that welcomes everyone into full participation regardless of sex, gender, gender expression, sexuality, race, ability, ethnicity, religious background, political affiliation, or socioeconomic status. Its welcome explicitly includes LGBTQIA2S+ people and emphasizes belonging, affirmation, and shared ministry rather than simple admission.
As a member of the United Church of Christ, the church shares the denomination's affirmation that God is Still Speaking and its mission to love God with all heart, mind, soul, and strength and the neighbor as oneself. The congregation's vision describes the church it hopes to become in these words:
- Unconditional in its love of God and neighbor
- Extravagant in its commitment to following Jesus
- Life-Changing in its affirmation of others
- Boundless in its welcome and hospitality
- Courageous in its work for justice
- Bold in its efforts to dismantle racism
- Faithful in its stewardship of the earth
- Generous in its sharing of resources
Sunday Worship at Ten, Onsite and Online
Every Sunday at 10 a.m., the congregation gathers onsite and online. YouTube serves as the primary livestream platform, while Facebook also carries the Sunday service and ministry updates. A worship bulletin is available for online participation, and previous worship services can be accessed as well. The service is marked by congregational singing, a four-part voice choir, a praise band, occasional solos, and opportunities to serve as a lay reader.
For in-person visitors, the large parking lot sits directly behind the building. Designated accessible parking is near the office entrance and the Vestry Hall entrances on both sides, with additional parking at the adjacent food pantry and high school for large events. Mobility access continues through the Vestry Hall entrances. An elevator reaches the Sanctuary level, a ramp serves the church offices, and an accessible bathroom is just inside the Vestry Hall near the elevator.
The historic Randolph building and the livestream are both part of the same worship community, allowing people to participate onsite or from beyond the town. Worship resources bring together the bulletin and other online materials.
Faith Formation for All Ages
Faith formation at First Congregational Church is defined as a lifelong, holistic, Spirit-led process of growing in relationship with God, self, others, and creation. It is presented not simply as instruction, but as a way of living through worship, relationships, justice, curiosity, and belonging. The congregation emphasizes that this formation is for all ages, not only children.
Faith-Full Affirmations, a confirmation-style program for ages 13 and up, meets Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. ET on Zoom. Participants of any level are invited to encounter God through ancient texts and grow in their understanding of who God is calling them to be. The program explores the Bible, different faith practices, and what it means to belong, while also serving as a gateway toward fuller participation in the church's life.
Some faith-formation events are offered in hybrid form, making them accessible both onsite and online. This flexibility supports people who live near Randolph as well as those joining from elsewhere.
Take Out Tuesdays and Shared Resources
Take Out Tuesdays place the church's mission of sharing resources directly into the Randolph community. On the last Tuesday of every month, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m., the congregation offers free, nutritious, hot meals for takeout. The work is done in partnership with Randolph's Friendly Food Pantry and municipal program departments such as the Turner Library, Randolph Inter-generational Community Center, and the senior housing director.
The church's missions ministry also supports the Friendly Food Pantry through canned tuna collection drives. These practical efforts reflect the phrase "Generous in our sharing of resources" and the wider goal of meeting the needs of vulnerable neighbors.
Choir, Praise Band and Bells
Music is integral to worship at First Congregational Church. The four-part Voice Choir sings in a variety of styles, with choral selections helping worshipers enter a worshipful space and building toward joyful praise. During the choir's summer break, singers and musicians from the congregation and community provide vocal or instrumental solos and ensembles. All singers are welcome to join the choir.
The praise band includes keyboard, guitars, drums, percussion, and bass, while bell ringers also help center the congregation in worship. Director of Music Ministry Jeff Hobart brings experience in classical, gospel, and contemporary music and directs both the choir and theater ministry. The church also uses music and concerts to connect with people beyond its own worshiping community.
Community Theater on the Randolph Stage
The church's summer youth theater program began in August 2015 with the Broadway version of Godspell. Productions that followed included Jesus Christ Superstar, Guys and Dolls, Children of Eden, and the New England premiere of Here We Go 'Round! A Musical Fantasy, written by Rev. David Henkelmann. A 2023 production of Rent sold out three performances.
The theater ministry has also staged Shakespeare, family musicals, and original devised work, with a team of church and community volunteers contributing to every aspect of each production. Young actors come from the congregation and the wider Randolph area. The result is a substantial artistic ministry that brings people together through music, theater, and the collaborative work required to put on a production.
Racial Justice in Conversation
The Racial Justice Team invites people into thoughtful, engaging book-club conversations about race, privilege, and identity. These discussions create an environment for challenge and vulnerability, with participants joining from across the nation. The team's stated purpose is to help dismantle racism and end white supremacy, directly connecting this work with the church's vision of being bold in its efforts against racism. Racial-justice learning is therefore an active part of the congregation's shared ministry.
Digital Ministry Near and Far
Although First Congregational Church holds its physical space in its historic Randolph building, its digital ministry extends the community across distances. YouTube is used primarily for livestreaming worship, Facebook carries Sunday worship and information about ministry opportunities, and TikTok provides another avenue for connection. Pastor Timoth Sylvia uses social media to minister to a diverse community interested in Progressive Christianity, including many people who have been hurt by the institutional church.
The church also offers online giving for one-time or recurring contributions through a credit or debit card or an ACH withdrawal. Giving is described not as an obligation, but as a way of sharing resources so that the lives of others may be touched and blessed.
At First Congregational Church, UCC, the meetinghouse history and outward-reaching ministries form one continuing story: a Randolph community worshiping at 10 a.m., learning together, making music and theater, sharing meals and resources, seeking justice, and welcoming people near and far into the love and justice of Jesus. Its motto, "Because of YOU... We Are Changing Lives," expresses the church's conviction that a faithful community changes lives by extending welcome and showing up for its neighbors.