A Welcoming Progressive Parish in the Heart of Newton Highlands
Newton Highlands Congregational Church sits at the corner of Lincoln and Hartford Streets in the Newton Highlands village of Newton, Massachusetts, two blocks north of Route 9 and a short walk from the MBTA Green Line's D branch. The congregation describes itself as "a fundamentally traditional, theologically progressive community, with worship at its heart and mission in its soul," and the church's own welcome page sets out the question that has shaped the parish: "What if they built a church without dogmatic authorities, without hierarchies, with acceptance of wide-ranging opinion, with complete respect for the freedom of conscience of every member?" Founded in 1872 and now an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ, NHCC gathers each Sunday morning for worship that combines scripture, prayer, preaching, choir, and organ, and sends its members out to a steady rhythm of mission, education, and care for neighbors near and far.
Sunday Worship at 10 AM
Each Sunday at 10 AM (9:30 AM during summer, from late June until Labor Day) the congregation gathers to praise God through what the church calls a blend of modern and traditional forms. Coming from diverse faith traditions, members discover God's word in music, prayer, and preaching and relate it to the concerns of daily life and the wider world. Services are enriched by choir and organ music, and Scripture readings usually follow the three-year Revised Common Lectionary used widely across Protestant, Catholic, and Episcopal churches. Holy Communion is generally celebrated on the first Sunday of each month, with some variation for special days in the church calendar, and Communion is always observed on Easter. Worship is also livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel, NHCC Worship, so that those who cannot be present in the sanctuary can still take part. During summer months, the parish reflects its commitment to a "priesthood of all believers" by inviting lay members to serve as worship leaders, preachers, and guides.
The main floor is wheelchair accessible, with a fixed ramp entering from Lincoln Street; hearing-assistance devices, large-print bulletins, and large-print hymnals are available for those who need them. Hearing the service in person is welcomed; for the homebound, the livestream is a regular rhythm of the parish's life.
An Open and Affirming Congregation Since 1995
In October 1995, the congregation voted to declare itself an Open and Affirming church, joining other UCC congregations in declaring that discrimination on the basis of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, nationality, ethnicity, economic condition, marital status, or physical limits is incompatible with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In 2004, the parish voted to support the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry, becoming one of the first two Massachusetts UCC churches to take that congregational action, and later offered its name, prayers, and energies to a similar statewide resolution. The 2004 update affirms the parish's commitment to "the Biblical values of hospitality, welcome, and embracing the exile." In 2005, NHCC marked the tenth anniversary of its Open and Affirming commitment with a special worship service.
The parish's welcome extends to weddings. The church performs weddings for members and non-members, for mixed-gender and same-gender couples, and for life partners across history's long tradition of blessing committed couples. Weddings are prepared through conversation, and the planning is collaborative.
A Teaching Church for Children, Youth, and Adults
Christian Education is central to NHCC's identity. The church provides professional childcare and a Church School program for infants through high schoolers on Sunday mornings, led by Director of Christian Education Wendy Donnell and a team of teachers and nursery caregivers. Megan Kolodny serves as Church School teacher, and Rachel Donnell and Gabe Adorni lead the nursery care. The curriculum is largely homegrown, and special events and middle and high school leadership form part of the rhythm of the program. Children and youth regularly participate in mission activities, learning to help neighbors near and far.
Confirmation is offered roughly every other year to eighth through twelfth graders. The class includes about ten discussion sessions, a short trip, a mission project, attendance at some worship services, a meeting with a committee, and a private meeting with the pastor. Confirmation is usually celebrated around Pentecost, fifty days after Easter, marking the ritual initiation of full adult membership in the parish and the Church Universal.
Music, Organ, and Choir
Music is woven deeply into the life of NHCC. The sanctuary's Hook and Hastings pipe organ and a concert-quality grand piano accompany the choir, and the Music Director is Jan Zimmerman, DMA, who holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Music from the Boston Conservatory. She is an active performer and teacher, on the faculty at Endicott College, and brings experience in opera, musical theater, and choral work. The organist is Yevgenia Semeina-Maroyan, an acclaimed organist and pianist who has performed across the former USSR, Europe, and the United States, earned special prizes at organ competitions in Paris and Russia, and completed her post-graduate diploma at the Moscow Conservatory. She has been a dedicated teacher in the Greater Boston area for nearly two decades. Services are enriched by their playing, by the choir, and by soloists and guest musicians. Liturgical colors follow the seasons of the church year: green for ordinary time, violet for Advent and Lent, white or gold for major feast days, red for Pentecost and the martyrs, and no color for Good Friday and Holy Saturday.
Sacraments and Milestones
NHCC celebrates two Protestant sacraments: Baptism and Communion. Baptism is a free, lifelong gift, given across the Trinitarian formula with an additional decades-old prayer, "one God who is Mother of us all," embracing both historic faith and the parish's inclusive spirit. Baptisms are arranged in conversation with a pastor and can take place at any age, from infancy through the eighties. Communion is open to anyone on the journey of faith, including visitors and those "on the journey to baptism." Grape juice is used so all may participate, and gluten-free bread is always available.
Beyond the two sacraments, the parish organizes Confirmation, weddings, and funerals or memorial services. The Senior Pastor typically officiates at funerals and memorial services, with other UCC clergy sometimes invited to participate. The church organist plays when music is requested, and other musicians may join at the discretion of the pastor and organist. The parish walks alongside families in planning services that reflect the life of the loved one while remaining grounded in Christian worship.
Mission and Justice: A Tenth of the Budget
NHCC's mission statement is short and direct: "Feed the Hungry. House the Homeless. Keep the Creation." The church allocates ten percent of all donations to mission efforts beyond its walls, and the giving is local, national, and international. The Mission Committee makes recommendations about how to spend mission funds, and members and friends participate in a steady stream of hands-on service projects, fundraisers, and direct giving.
Recent and ongoing mission activities include making sandwiches for the Community Day Center of Waltham, walking to combat homelessness for Family Promise Metrowest, providing Thanksgiving meals at the request of the Newton Food Pantry, and donating funds to UCC-supported national and international services and to an emergency response fund. Each year the parish hosts a Nicaraguan Scholarship Lunch and an Advent Giving Market, gathering funds for partner organizations and reminding the community that "we are a giving people." Children and youth participate in mission activities through the Christian Education program, learning that the work of compassion is part of the church's life from the start.
A Building with a Village Clock, Stained Glass, and a Ramp
The present church building was dedicated in 1906 after the congregation decided in 1905 to replace its first wooden meeting house. The cornerstone was laid on July 29, 1905. In 1922, on the occasion of the parish's 50th anniversary, the organ was replaced. Founders Hall was excavated beneath the sanctuary and dedicated in May 1953, and an upstairs office suite was built in 1946. The "Village Clock" that hangs in the building dates to 1875 and was last restored with donations in 1951. A capital campaign from 2017 to 2020 raised about $525,000 in pledges for building and program needs, and the parish has steadily renewed the building and its instruments in the years since, including substantial work on the organ.
The sanctuary features stained glass, including six double-paned teaching windows added in the 1960s, each illustrating two Bible stories. Subjects include Moses and the Burning Bush, the anointing of Saul, the prophecies of Ezekiel, Daniel, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, the Parables of the Lost Son, the Young Virgins, the Good Samaritan, the Sower, and the Banquet, and Jesus teaching the multitude. The building is fully accessible: a fixed ramp enters from Lincoln Street to the upstairs sanctuary, great hall, and parlor, while the basement is reachable via a ramp and electric wheelchair lift from Hartford Avenue. All-gender accessible restrooms are available on both the main floor and the basement.
Rental Spaces and a Hub for the Village
Beyond its own ministry, NHCC's spaces serve as a hub in Newton Highlands. The Sanctuary seats 350; the Great Hall (with exposed beams, decorative windows, a stage, and a mirrored wall) holds 300 standing or 150 seated; the Parlor seats 60 to 80 and opens into the Great Hall through sliding wooden doors; the kitchen in the basement has quartz counters, two sinks, and a large refrigerator; the Large Meeting Room seats 25; the Small Meeting Room seats 10. Outdoor grounds are also available for rent. Current tenants include the C.G. Jung Institute, Pine Village Preschool, and Dance Stream Studio. Alcohol is permitted at events, with renters responsible for complying with the City of Newton's requirements.
Getting There and Getting Involved
The church is two blocks north of Route 9, at the corner of Lincoln and Hartford Streets, and two blocks from the Newton Highlands stop on the MBTA Green Line (D or Riverside line). Parking is available in the church lot behind the building and in a large public parking lot just across Hartford Street; meters are not in use on Sundays. Visitors who cannot easily climb steps can use the ramp entrance on the Lincoln Street side; pulling the door handle or ringing the doorbell brings assistance. The church suggests logging in to the YouTube channel about ten minutes before the service to attend online.
For those who want to participate, there are many doors. Greeters and coffee hour hosts sign up to serve on Sunday mornings. Members give through an annual stewardship pledge, and the parish makes its finances an open book, with all members and friends invited to discuss and approve the budget. A Stewardship Council, a Worship and Spiritual Life committee, a Buildings and Grounds committee, and a Board of Endowment Trustees help the church function, and there are leadership roles for Moderator, Assistant Moderator, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Clerk, Auditor, and Historian. Members of all ages, gifts, and talents are invited to find a place.
Who Leads the Parish
The Senior Pastor is the Reverend Dr. Kenneth F. Baily, called to NHCC in the spring of 2002. He grew up in Pennsylvania and Maine, attended college at Vassar, divinity school at Yale, and earned a Master in Public Administration at Harvard. In 2006 he was awarded his Doctor of Ministry by Hartford Seminary, focusing his dissertation on types of congregational leadership. Before parish ministry, he worked as a carpenter and lobsterman and as a legislative aide, speechwriter, and lobbyist in Maine. He served churches in Yarmouth, Maine, South Hadley, Massachusetts, and West Hartford, Connecticut, before coming to Newton Highlands. He holds particular commitments to mission, stewardship, Bible study, and youth activities, and was awarded the Mersick Prize for excellence in preaching by Yale University.
Wendy Donnell has served as Director of Christian Education since 2010, a Davis Scholar graduate of Wellesley College with further study at Andover Newton Theological School. Jan Zimmerman directs the music program, and Yevgenia Semeina-Maroyan serves as organist. Annemarie Rom-Weisenbach joined as Office Administrator in September 2025, with a background in technology and database management. Yoko Bryden has served as Building Manager since January 2023, working closely with the Buildings and Grounds Committee. The leadership team works alongside a deep bench of volunteers who serve on committees, teach, lead mission projects, and care for one another.
A Living Congregation with Deep Roots
Newton Highlands Congregational Church traces its roots to 1872, when the first meeting house was raised in what was then a small village. The 50th anniversary was celebrated in 1922, the 75th in 1946-47, the 100th in 1972, the 110th in 1982, and the 150th on Sunday, October 2, 2022, with songs, sweets, and special guests. The parish is autonomous in decision-making, theological interpretation, and fundraising; as a Congregational church it receives no money from a statewide or national body, and it is its members and friends who keep the ministry alive.
Faith at NHCC is described as a journey, and the Statement of Purpose reflects that: "We are a community called by a loving God through Jesus Christ to worship, grow, and serve. From diverse paths, we come together on a journey of transformation, which brings us to accept ourselves as loved by God and encourages honesty in our relationships with others and with God." The parish closes its covenant with the words of the 1629 Salem Church Covenant, binding itself "in the presence of God, to walke together in all His waies." Visitors are welcome to come and see, to come and worship, to come and serve.