The First Church in Town
On a quiet side street in Stoneham, Massachusetts, the First Congregational Church has stood as the town’s oldest congregation since 1729, when it became the first church established in the community. Nearly three centuries later, the congregation on Church Street still gathers at ten o’clock on Sunday mornings, still teaches children in a Sunday School classroom just down the hall, and still opens its kitchen to neighbors who need a hot meal. The First Congregational Church in Stoneham is an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ, a designation that shapes everything from the welcome at the door to the words spoken at the font.
Visitors driving past the front doors quickly learn a few things about the place. The exterior ramp leading into the sanctuary signals that accessibility matters here. The chapel doors open onto Common Street, where the kitchen window hands out take-out containers of Community Dinner on the first and third Tuesday of every month. Down the hall, the Purpose School welcomes two-and-a-half-year-olds through six-year-olds every weekday morning. Across the same campus, the food pantry quietly stocks its shelves for families who stop by during the week.
Nearly Three Centuries on Church Street
The congregation dates to 1729, making it the oldest church in the Town of Stoneham. As a member church of the United Church of Christ, First Church Stoneham is covenanted with more than 430 other UCC churches in Massachusetts and roughly 5,100 across the United States. Its story, along with the stories of its pastors and members, is preserved at the Congregational Library and Archives in Boston.
The church has always carried a congregational identity, governed by its members and guided by a covenant. The congregation’s current bylaws were updated in June 2021, and the church continues to live out the historic Congregational commitment to local self-governance while participating in the wider UCC.
An Open and Affirming Welcome
First Church Stoneham describes itself, plainly and repeatedly, as a place where every person is welcome. The language is not generic. The congregation has formally adopted the Open and Affirming designation of the United Church of Christ, affirming the welcome of people of all colors, cultures, abilities, sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. The motto around the church is simple: “God is love.”
The welcome stretches beyond Sunday morning. It includes grandparents, single adults, parents and their children, believers, doubters, those with no church home, and those who have questions about faith. The congregation teaches that questions and even doubt can be essential parts of the spiritual journey, and that the Bible is taken seriously but not interpreted literally. Worshipers are reminded that they do not need to have everything figured out before they walk through the door.
What to Expect on Sunday Morning
Sunday worship begins at 10 a.m. in the sanctuary. The service follows a traditional Christian pattern, with the pastor preaching, the choir singing, and the congregation joining in prayer, Scripture, and Communion. The order of worship is rooted in the United Church of Christ’s Statement of Faith, and Communion is open to all who wish to share at Christ’s table. Children of all ages are welcome at God’s table.
Accessibility is built into the building. An exterior ramp leads into the sanctuary and the chapel, and a second ramp at the Purpose School door on Church Street leads into Fellowship Hall. Visitors who need assistance can ring the bell at either door.
First-time visitors are invited to sign in when they arrive and to leave their contact information if they would like to be added to the church’s mailing list. Coffee Hour follows the service in Fellowship Hall, and the congregation looks forward to getting to know newcomers over a cup of coffee and a plate of cookies. There is no dress code; people come as they are.
Music in Worship
Music has long been a centerpiece of worship at First Church Stoneham. The choir rehearses in the Music Room each Sunday morning before the service, and the adult choir sings regularly throughout the program year. Holiday Cantatas are a beloved tradition, particularly at Christmas, when the church hosts a free community concert. Soloists and instrumentalists round out the musical life of the congregation.
The Director of Music is Naré Kim, a Korean soprano who has sung with companies including the Cambridge Chamber Ensemble, Boston Opera Collaborative, San Diego Opera, Opera NEO, and the Seoul Metropolitan Opera. She holds Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in Vocal Performance from Seoul National University and has led choirs in Seoul and across the United States.
Sunday School and Vacation Bible Blast
Children are part of the Sunday worship service from the moment it begins. After a brief children’s message at the front of the sanctuary, the children are dismissed with their teachers for Sunday School. The program currently runs as a one-room schoolhouse, gathering children of different ages together with caring adults. A separate area with a video feed of the worship service is available for the youngest members and their parents, so families with infants and toddlers can worship together in their own way.
Sunday School meets every Sunday morning at 10 a.m. throughout the school year. In the summer, the children’s ministry shifts into Vacation Bible Blast, a week-long program packed with crafts, games, science, and Bible storytelling that has been a highlight for years. Rally Sunday in September kicks off the new program year.
The Food Pantry and the Wider Community
The First Church Stoneham Food Pantry is one of the most visible expressions of the congregation’s commitment to its neighbors. The pantry actively serves many in the Stoneham community, distributing groceries to families and individuals who come through its doors. Donations come from individual neighbors, businesses, and an Amazon Wish List that lets supporters ship items directly to the church. The pantry is led by Lynn Haddad, Director of Operations, who has been a member of the church since 1994 and serves as Church Treasurer.
Through its Board of Missions, the church also supports several non-profit organizations in Stoneham and surrounding towns, including Mission of Deeds in Reading and Seafarer’s Friend in Chelsea. These partnerships reflect the congregation’s commitment to serving both locally and globally.
Community Dinner on Common Street
Twice a month, the church kitchen becomes a neighborhood gathering place. Community Dinner is served to all in the community on the first and third Tuesday evening of each month from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. Meals are currently distributed as take-out only and can be picked up from the kitchen door on Common Street. No reservations are required; anyone in the community is welcome.
The Community Dinner program is supported by a separate network of donors, and contributions can be made through Venmo (@stonehamcommunitydinner) or PayPal. The program holds an annual Community Dinner BBQ each fall that brings together local businesses, scouting troops, and neighboring churches in support of the work.
Wednesdays, Fridays, and Books and Chocolate
First Church Stoneham keeps a steady weekly rhythm beyond Sunday morning. On Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m., the church hosts a Wednesday Fellowship hour on Zoom, an open gathering for conversation and connection. On Friday mornings at 9:30 a.m., a brief devotional time is held over Zoom. Choir rehearsals, a Psalms Bible Study in the Parlor, and Deacons’ meetings round out the calendar through the week.
Fellowship groups offer ways to build friendships across the congregation. The Amica Women’s group gathers women for shared activities. Books and Chocolate is a monthly gathering hosted at members’ homes. The Crafts group keeps hands busy making items for mission projects and the holiday fair. Holiday Cantatas bring the choir, the children, and the wider community together at Christmas. Visitors who want to get involved can simply contact the church office to learn more.
Purpose School
Sharing the campus with the church is Purpose School, a preschool that has been part of the church’s ministry for decades. Purpose School welcomes children from two years and nine months through age six, offering a play-based early childhood program in the Purpose School wing of the building. The school is led by Director Kristie Colwell, who has been with Purpose School since November 2000 and holds a teaching degree from Wheelock College. She is certified to teach pre-K through sixth grade in the public school system. The school’s Assistant Director is Katie Hunt, and the school can be reached at 781-438-2815.
Pastor Ken and the Wider Staff
The Rev. Ken McGarry began serving First Church Stoneham in the fall of 2020 as the congregation’s 39th Settled Minister. Before coming to Stoneham, he served as Associate Minister for Youth and Families at the First Church of Nashua, New Hampshire, and has directed youth programs for congregations in Connecticut, Colorado, and Kansas. He studied youth ministry at Central Christian College of Kansas and the New Testament at Denver Seminary, and earned his Master of Divinity from Iliff School of Theology in Denver. Ken and his wife Christine live in Reading.
Alongside Pastor Ken, the church is served by Director of Music Naré Kim, Office Administrator Joy Riordan, Financial Administrator Lisa Zani-Garrett, Food Pantry Director of Operations Lynn Haddad, Sexton Joe Halfelder, and Facilities Manager Rob Bardell. Each plays a part in keeping the church’s ministry running week to week.
Watching from Anywhere
For those who cannot be in the sanctuary on Sunday morning, the 10 a.m. service is livestreamed on the church’s YouTube channel, with the most recent services available for replay. Services are also broadcast on Stoneham TV’s public channel (Comcast/Xfinity Channel 9, RCN Channel 3, Verizon/Fios Channel 34). Sermons preached by Pastor Ken since 2020 are archived and available as PDFs, giving newcomers and regular worshipers a window into the congregation’s preaching and teaching. The church newsletter, the Meetinghouse Messenger, keeps members and friends connected between Sundays.
Through its livestream, its food pantry, its community dinner, its preschool, and its nearly three centuries of congregational life, the First Congregational Church in Stoneham continues to serve as both a spiritual home and a gathering place for the town that grew up around it.