An Open and Affirming Church on South Main Street
Pilgrim Church, United Church of Christ, stands on South Main Street in Sherborn, Massachusetts, in a white clapboard meeting house that has welcomed worshippers since 1830. The congregation draws members and friends from Sherborn and a ring of nearby towns - Ashland, Dover, Holliston, Medfield, Medway, Millis, and Natick - and from far beyond. A livestream carries Sunday services to viewers across the United States and on other continents.
The church's tagline is "Rooted in Faith. Connected by Community. Called to Serve." Pastor John F. Hudson signs his welcome letters, "Peace, Pastor John," and the open invitation is central to Pilgrim's identity. The congregation declares, "At Pilgrim Church, there is an open seat at God's table for you," and extends a particular 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.
Two Centuries on South Main Street
The Pilgrim Church story begins long before the building itself. In 1685, the First Parish in Sherborn was founded with its first minister, the Reverend Daniel Gookin. By the 1820s, members were divided over a theological question: was God Trinitarian - one in three, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - or Unitarian, one God? The argument split the parish in two. First Parish Unitarian continued in one direction. "The Sherborn Evangelical Society," the Trinitarian congregation, organized in 1830.
The frame for what is now Pilgrim Church was raised on July 8, 1830, and the congregation has worshipped in that original meeting house ever since. In 1941 the two Sherborn churches combined into one worship community for lack of members and finances. In 1961 the church split over doctrinal issues again. The name Pilgrim Church has carried the Trinitarian tradition through both unions and divisions.
Two pastors shaped Pilgrim's modern identity more than most. The Reverend Edmund Dowse began his ministry in 1838 and served for sixty-seven years - reputedly the longest ministry in the United States. He also served more than fifty years as Chairman of the local School Committee, was a driving force behind the railroad's routing through Sherborn, served two years as a Massachusetts State Senator, and twenty-five years as Chaplain of the Massachusetts Senate. His portrait still hangs at the rear of the sanctuary over the chair in which he sat in the State Senate.
A century and a half later, Pilgrim called the Reverend Kenneth Powell in 1979. Powell served more than twenty years and is remembered for strengthening Christian Education and Youth Ministry at Pilgrim. He succumbed to cancer in the fall of 2007. In May of that same year Pilgrim called the Reverend John F. Hudson, a Massachusetts native who has served UCC churches throughout New England and writes a newspaper column for several local papers. His ministry has been marked by a renewed commitment to social outreach and justice, mission giving, and a re-affirmation of ministry to children and young people.
An Open and Affirming Welcome
Pilgrim Church is an Open and Affirming Congregation of the United Church of Christ. The rainbow insignia of the Open and Affirming movement, surrounded by panels of black and brown to welcome people of all colors, with a gray panel acknowledging the wide range of human expression, identifies the church to passersby and visitors alike.
The congregation's welcome statement reads in part: "We welcome you, no matter who you are, or what you look like, or what labels the world puts on you. We welcome you if, like us, you struggle with flaws and imperfection but have a loving spirit and strive to let the light of Jesus shine within you and then to share it with others. We dare to welcome all because God, and not any human authority, extends this gracious invitation." The single requirement for life at Pilgrim Church is "a desire to deepen your relationship with God and neighbor."
Pastor John puts it personally: "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."
Basic Beliefs
Pilgrim's beliefs are rooted in the historic Christian tradition and include these points: Jesus Christ was God in the flesh and appeared in human history to teach about God's hope and love for the world; the Bible is a repository of human witness to the awesome power of God, and each person is responsible for engaging and interpreting scripture; "God is still speaking," and God's truth is still breaking forth; God wants the world to be a better place, and active Christians are called to be vehicles for God's peace, justice, and love; the church is a community to gather for worship and fellowship, to support one another, learn about Jesus, and apply the lessons of his life; baptism and communion are the two recognized sacraments; God calls a welcoming community of believers and seekers together, with full welcome to all.
Pilgrim belongs to the United Church of Christ, founded in 1957 from different Christian traditions and now a community of 1.2 million people in 5,600 congregations across the United States. Within the UCC, Pilgrim is part of the Southern New England Conference.
Sunday Morning in the Sanctuary
Sunday worship at Pilgrim takes place at 10:00 AM in the historic sanctuary, and the service is also livestreamed. In the summer, services shift to 9:00 AM. The order of worship follows a familiar pattern: organ preludes begin shortly before the service, the congregation gathers for a time of welcome, the children hear a special children's message from Pastor John or the Director of Christian Education, the choir offers music, the pastor preaches, prayers are shared, and the service closes with a postlude.
Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of every month. Communion is distributed individually in the pews, and the table is open - all are invited to participate. Masks are optional inside the building. Socially distanced seating areas are available for families, couples, and individuals who want them, and a balcony provides additional seating options.
After worship, many stay for a social coffee hour in Fellowship Hall during the program year and on the garden patio during the summer months. The Hospitality and Outreach Committee supports these gatherings, and they offer a wonderful time to catch up with old friends or meet someone new.
What to Expect on Your First Sunday
On arrival, the minister or ushers will greet you at the front doors. On a first visit, the Welcome Table just inside on the first floor offers a name tag and a Welcome Card to fill out. The sanctuary is on the second floor, reached by stairs or by an elevator just inside Fellowship Hall. Attire at Pilgrim ranges from casual to dressy; people wear what they are comfortable in. Communion is served on the first Sunday of every month at the pews, with an open table where everyone is invited.
Children may stay in the sanctuary with their families or attend the Church School after the children's message. Nursery care is offered for infants through age three. If a parent needs to step out of the sanctuary, the service can be heard in Fellowship Hall downstairs, and ushers are glad to help with anything else.
Music and Sacred Arts
Music is woven through every Sunday service at Pilgrim. Each worship hour includes organ preludes and postludes, anthems by the Chancel Choir, and hymns sung by the congregation from the Pilgrim Hymnal and other sources. Music Director David Tiedman leads a busy music program that draws on many ensembles.
The Chancel Choir welcomes all singers and rehearses on Thursdays at 7:30 PM. The Senior Handbell Choir rehearses on Thursdays at 6:15 PM - "No experience with bells needed; if you can read music, you can play!" Younger musicians contribute through the Cherub Choir, the Children's Choir, the Pilgrim Band, and student soloists. Bell choirs, the Pilgrim Band, and guest ensembles provide music on many Sundays throughout the year.
The Sacred Arts Ministry plans programs throughout the year that may include music, storytelling, poetry, film, theater, art shows, or field trips within the wider arts community. The Powell Fund, dedicated to the memory of former Pastor Kenneth Powell, sponsors an annual forty-minute presentation during a Sunday service followed by a one-hour workshop. Past "Powell Fund" presenters have included Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked; Patrick Gabridge, author of Fire on Earth; and storyteller Nora Dooley. Tiedman organizes a regular program of musical and pilgrimage trips for singers and travelers interested in choral festivals and Christian heritage tours.
Children, Youth, and Mission Trips
Pilgrim Church takes its ministry to children and young people seriously. The nursery, for infants and toddlers up to age three, opens during Sunday worship on the first floor in the children's Christian Education wing. Staffed by a professional child-care adult and student assistants from the congregation, it is open from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM September through June and from 8:45 AM to 10:15 AM during the summer.
Children in Pre-K through seventh grade begin in the sanctuary with their families. After a special children's message from the pastor and the Director of Christian Education, they head downstairs to their classrooms. Pre-K through second grade uses Godly Play, a Montessori-based curriculum that centers on storytelling, wondering, play, and creativity. Children in third grade and up explore "Inner Wisdom," character traits taught by Jesus and other faith teachers, through conversation, scripture, stories, music, games, and personal connection.
Two youth groups serve middle and high schoolers. The Middle School Youth Group (MSYG), for sixth through eighth graders, meets on Sunday evenings from 5:00 to 6:30 PM two to three times a month during the school year. The High School Youth Group (SHYG), for ninth through twelfth graders, meets on Sunday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 PM during the school year. The high school group draws members from ten different school systems and is open regardless of church affiliation. Both groups center on service projects, games, fellowship, and an interfaith welcome.
Pilgrim's youth groups have built a tradition of mission trips. During the last week of June, the Senior High Youth Group travels to Maine to work with the Mission to the Eastward (MATE), "reaching the last house on the last road," continuing the home repair work that has taken previous groups to New Orleans, Appalachia, Puerto Rico, New Mexico, and Washington, D.C. In alternate years the high school group makes a pilgrimage to a place of sacred significance around the world.
For eighth graders, Pilgrim offers two programs. In the fall, in partnership with the Dover Church UCC, the congregation hosts a nine-week Our Whole Lives course on human sexuality from a Christian perspective, led by trained adult teachers including medical doctors. In the spring, Pastor John leads a confirmation class that invites eighth graders to consider the basic beliefs of the Christian faith and to choose to become full members of the church. The class meets Sunday evenings from mid-January to May, with a parent-prepared dinner each week for fellowship.
Bible Study, Forums, and Adult Groups
Adults at Pilgrim have many ways to learn and grow. Two weekly Bible studies meet under Pastor John's leadership. "The Word in Our Lives" gathers on Wednesday mornings at 9:30 AM via Zoom. The pastor describes it as "a wide open fellowship of seekers" tackling a wide variety of spiritual issues using the lens of the Bible and scripture as a starting point. A bi-weekly men's Bible study meets on Thursday mornings at 7:30 AM, both at the church and on Zoom. "Biblical knowledge not a prerequisite - just curiosity!"
Fourth Sunday Forums take place at 11:15 AM in the Pilgrim Church Conference Room. Their dual goal is to explore how opinions are grounded and to practice discussing values-laden issues with respect. Past forums have focused on Christian Perspectives on Public Life.
On Tuesday evenings, an Adult Writing Group gathers to share stories from their lives in a class called "Writing About Your Life, A Spiritual Memoir Class." The group began in 2019 and has expanded to include members and friends of Bethel AME, Jamaica Plain, deepening the relationship between the two congregations. During the pandemic the group moved to Zoom, and many participants said it was enormously helpful to have something creative to focus on.
Adult small groups meet for breakfast, discussion, sports games, book groups, and service projects throughout the year. Members can ask about creating a new small group or join one that is already running. The congregation also organizes mission and education trips for college-age and older travelers. Past trips have included service projects in New Orleans, Appalachia, and Puerto Rico, and Christian heritage tours through Greece, Germany, and Italy. A twelve-day trip with the Oberammergau Passion Play began in Munich, traveled across the Alps, and ended in Padua, Italy, with side journeys to Venice, Salzburg, Verona, and Lake Garda.
Hands to Work, Hearts to God
The phrase "Hands to Work, Hearts to God" describes Pilgrim's volunteer ministry. The Hospitality and Outreach Committee invites members to help with Sunday services by donating altar flowers, ushering, reading scripture as a lay reader, or hosting the coffee hour after worship.
Caring Groups reach out to one another in need. Members sign up to provide meals, write weekly prayer notes, make phone calls, and send cards. Caring Cooks organize meals for members in difficult seasons. Janet Walsh, Director of Congregational Ministries, coordinates the wider outreach program.
The annual Church Fair and Tag Sale in the fall raises money for missions. Each Christmas, the Christmas Gift Program provides gifts for families in need. Hearts and Hands collects baby blankets for hospitals and other recipients around Mother's Day. The Summer Giving Table accepts garden produce donations for the wider community.
Several programs serve neighbors experiencing food insecurity and homelessness. Miracle on 25 South Main teams up with EndHungerNE.org to create high-protein meals that go to local food pantries; on a single day, the all-church effort produces more than 30,000 servings. Food Drives collect pantry items throughout the year. Family Promise Metrowest, a network supporting families facing homelessness, finds Pilgrim providing meals, children's playtime, and other support. Pine Street Inn receives volunteer support for those in shelter. Pearl St. Café provides meals and donations.
Habitat for Humanity builds homes in the wider region. City Reach is a youth urban outreach program that the Christian Education Director coordinates. The Fall Clothing Drive collects clean, gently used clothing for redistribution. AA meetings gather in Fellowship Hall on Wednesday evenings, and the Boy Scout Troop Committee meets at the church. A long-standing partnership with Bethel AME in Boston ties much of Pilgrim's social outreach together.
A Green Congregation
Pilgrim Church has set its sights on becoming a Green Congregation through the Southern New England Conference UCC program for Creation Care and Environmental Sustainability. A Green Church Initiative team leads the work, with Ron Jantzen as chair and Kat Dunlap, Judy Cranshaw, Beth Villa, and Frank Villa as members.
The Green Congregation Challenge has four levels of recognition across five categories: Educate; Organize; Reduce, Reuse, Rethink; Connect; and Advocate. Pilgrim shares creation-care resources and environmental-justice updates on a regularly updated blog and resource page, with recent posts covering topics from microplastics and recycling to the Massachusetts Bottle Bill and appliance electrification.
The Pilgrim community has also pursued solar energy. Peter Liffiton chairs the church's solar energy project and has presented the congregation's progress at Massachusetts Interfaith Power and Light webinars. The Green Team recommends local resources for sustainable living, including Sustainable Sherborn, Sustainable Wellesley, Sustainable Medfield, Sustainable Natick, Green Needham, and Sustainable Living Dover, alongside regional and national partners like Interfaith Power and Light, the Environmental Defense Fund, and Earthjustice.
The Witness Project: Pilgrim Church and Bethel AME
One of Pilgrim's most distinctive partnerships is its thirty-plus year relationship with Bethel AME Church in Boston. The two congregations work together on issues of racial justice and reconciliation, building fellowship between their two communities of faith.
The Witness Project, created by Pilgrim's Sacred Arts Ministry in 2020, grew out of the Black Lives Matter movement and the closing of the church during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The team hired Michael Dowling, founder of SPOKE, a non-profit dedicated to the healing power of public art, to help guide the work. Members engaged in a ritual washing of the church's front steps to symbolize a fresh start, and created mosaic panels that pose questions about justice. The panels now hang on the front of the church.
A 1619 Project discussion group at Pilgrim meets to talk about the history of race in America. Members of Pilgrim and Bethel AME also share the Tuesday evening spiritual memoir writing class. The Witness Project documentary film lets members of both congregations reflect on the history of faith and race in the context of their unique relationship spanning twenty years and more.
Plan Your Visit
Pilgrim Church sits at 25 South Main Street in Sherborn. The mailing address is PO Box 322, Sherborn, MA 01770. The church office is open Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 3 PM. The phone number is (508) 655-1667, and the email is admin@pilgrimsherborn.org.
Parking is available in the lot adjacent to the church or in the larger church lot across the street. Additional parking is available at the Town Offices lot behind the library up the hill, with a short walking path down. Three handicapped parking spaces sit in front of the church, with a ramp to the front door. An elevator just inside Fellowship Hall on the right takes visitors up to the sanctuary. A ramp near the choir provides access to the second floor from the sanctuary side.
Hearing assistance earphones and large-print bulletins are available for Sunday worship. Ushers are glad to help. Visitors who need assistance can use the buzzer at the front of the building. Restrooms are located on the ground floor beyond Fellowship Hall and near the Children's Wing.
For those watching from home, services are livestreamed online each Sunday and on the church's Facebook page. Recordings stay available afterward on YouTube (Pilgrim Sherborn UCC). New Member Classes are offered in spring and fall, led by Pastor John and Janet Walsh, Director of Congregational Ministries, in a low-key setting where questions are welcomed.
Giving can be done by check, online through the church's giving portal, or with PayPal. Contributions may be directed to general payments, stewardship pledges, or given "In Memory or in Honor" of someone.