First Church Cambridge

Address: 11 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138

Years Active: 1632/3–Present

Tradition: United Church of Christ

The First Church Cambridge was founded in 1636 as a Puritan Church built on education and a mode of free thinking that challenged the traditional Protestant beliefs at the time and “sought greater liberty than was permitted in England.” It was the eleventh church established in Massachusetts. This spirit of free thinking and education has shaped the evolution of the church over time. In 1957, the First Church Cambridge became part of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a denomination that blended five Christian traditions, “taking as [their] motto Jesus’ prayer for church unity, ‘That they may all be one.’” As part of the UCCdenomination, the First Church Cambridge encourages diversity within Christian belief, affirming “that Christians can live in communion even when we differ.” Rather than adherence to a rigid sense of doctrine or centralized authority, the First Church Cambridge encourages practitioners to be “engaged in a life-long effort to study, pray, wrestle with and live into the teachings of Christianity.” The First Church Cambridge subscribes to the idea that God “has created each of us in love” and values the practice of extending Jesus Christ’s “radical boundary-crossing love” to all. These values of welcoming diversity and inclusive radical love are reflected in how the First Church Cambridge has grown to become affirming of the LGBTQ+ community. 

The congregation’s Statement of Openness and Affirmation states that the church “does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, race, gender, age, nationality, ethnicity, economic class, marital status, or physical/psychological differences” and “commit[s]... to the struggle against homophobia, racism, and all individual and systemic attitudes and acts of injustice, discrimination, violence, and hatred that work against peace and wholeness.” First Church Cambridge was a pioneering member of the UCC Movement of Open and Affirming Churches, a group of churches that advocates for LGBTQ+ inclusion as part of a belief in the equality of all children of God. The congregation “affirms the full inclusion of all God’s people in the life and ministry of the church.” 

A delegation of members often represent First Church Cambridge at the Boston Pride Parade. In recent years, the church has also worked on advocating for transgender rights in Massachusetts alongside hosting learning sessions on how to make the church community safer and more inclusive for people of all genders. In the 2023–2024 program year, members of the First Church Cambridge “participated in a cohort of Southern New England UCC churches working towards becoming trans- and nonbinary-affirming churches.”  

The First Church Cambridge offers its sanctuary, reception hall, and ministers for any couple looking to get married within the congregation, including queer and interfaith couples, as part of endorsing the belief that “God blesses all couples who seek to join together in faithful covenant.” The First Church introduced a gender-affirming Blessing of Names liturgy and ritual in May 2024. In addition to the liturgical calendar, the church also has a Peace and Justice calendar: the months of May and June are dedicated to the issues of LGBTQ and Gender Justice. 

Sources and Further Information: 

https://www.firstchurchcambridge.org/ 

https://historycambridge.org/articles/founding-of-the-first-church-in-cambridge/ 

Relevant Pages: 

UCC Open and Affirming Coalition

Entry written by Peter Goswami in July 2026.