United Parish in Brookline

Address: 210 Harvard St, Brookline, MA 02446

Years Active: 1970–Present

Traditions: United Church of Christ; United Methodist; American Baptist

The United Parish in Brookline was founded in 1970 as a merge between the Harvard Church, St Mark’s Methodist Church, and The Baptist Church in Brookline. The church vision is articulated as such: “United Parish was created as a joyful experiment in ecumenical unity to honor God and those in need. Ours is a living, changing, dynamic community that we depend on to challenge and sustain us.” The congregation is "home to more than 300 members and friends who come from all walks of life and a wide range of traditions."

The United Parish articulates a number of main ideas that they "believe the Holy Spirit is directing" them in their operation and programming. Of these, three are of particular relevant to their support for LGBTQ+ communities. These ideas are "gathering in community," which is defined as “creating a sense of home” by “offering extravagant welcome to any and every human being”; "stretching into justice," which is centered on focusing on becoming better “advocates of God’s love, justice, and mercy”; and "stewarding resources," which is focused on distributing resources “responsibly, faithfully, and equitably." These three ideas are all reflected in its acceptance of LGBTQ+ people. In its statement affirming LGBTQ+ people, the United Parish declares: “We seek to express God’s radical hospitality through the inclusion of all kinds of people in the community of faith. United Parish understands part of its prophetic witness to be advocacy for the full participation of LGBTQ people in the life and leadership of our three denominations and in our local church life.” This radical acceptance is rooted in the belief that “all people are made in the image of God.” United Parish has had a number of out queer pastors in its history and held an Interfaith Pride Service on the first Sunday of June in 2025 and 2026. 

The United Parish Brookline displays its support of the LGBTQ+ community through rainbow Adirondack chairs as well as LGBTQ+ and transgender pride flags on its lawn. The trans pride flag was vandalized in both 2022 and 2023 but the United Parish responded in both cases with continued statements of affirmation. In 2022, the official church response repeated:

“We at the United Parish in Brookline believe that all people are made in the image of God and embrace and cherish every person and every kind of family. Jesus Christ welcomed everyone; we seek to follow his example in our own life and worship, by extending God’s love and grace abundantly and equally to everyone. We affirm and welcome all people to share in worship, fellowship and leadership with us, to join us in a diversity of race, gender, sexual identity, physical and mental ability, ethnicity and economic means.”

Reverend Amy Norton responded to the burning of the transgender pride flag in 2022 by saying that United Parish would not be intimidated. Reverend Kent French responded by stating “we believe that the Christian faith is a progressive faith… that’s always looking forward, always looking to include” and that he believes in the responsibility to “overcome hate with love.” Following this, United Parish declared on its website: “This, and other blasphemous acts of hatred like it, have no place in the world that we believe God calls us to create—a world without oppression based on gender, race, or religion (Galatians 3:28), a world where everyone has enough (Luke 1:52-53), and a world where forgiveness and justice flow abundantly (Matthew 6:10-12)” and that “there is nothing that will ever intimidate us away from proclaiming God’s Truth that our trans siblings are beloved children of God, that the LGBTQ community is sacred and holy, and that it is our duty as a Christian organization to stand on the side of the marginalized and fight for justice, compassion, and peace.” United Parish is a part of the Brookline Police Department’s Safe Place Initiative which “enhances public education regarding the reporting of hate crimes.” In March 2026, United Parish Brookline became a part of a group of nonprofit organizations that received grants from the Massachusetts state government “to improve security in order to protect their facilities, members, and staff from hate crimes and extremist violence.” 

The United Parish’s social justice goals go beyond LGBTQ+ inclusion. It is the main location of the Brookline Food Pantry. It is also home to Thrifty Threads, a volunteer-run thrift store which helps fund the United Parish outreach efforts. The United Parish is also a member of the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization and has a dedicated Mental Health Awareness Team. In 2021, the United Parish Brookline launched the Negro Spirituals Royalties Project—the term "most commonly used by Black Americans and historians" to describe the body of spiritual music historically produced by enslaved African Americans. As part of this project, United Parish states, "Now, whenever we sing Negro Spirituals at the United Parish, we will collect an offering that will support the development of young Black musicians." This money is donated to the nearby Hamilton-Garrett Center for Music & Arts. 

Sources and Further Information: 

https://www.unitedparishbrookline.org/

https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/brookline-parish-speaks-out-against-vandals-that-burned-trans-pride-flag/VXDDPNEROJAGNBOJDSZ325RPAI/?outputType=amp 

https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/transgender-pride-flag-found-burned-at-brookline-church/2826393/ 

https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2022/09/05/transgender-pride-flag-found-burned-at-brookline-church/ 

https://patch.com/massachusetts/brookline/trans-pride-flag-burned-lawn-brookline-church 

https://www.mass.gov/news/healey-driscoll-administration-awards-nearly-5-million-to-protect-nonprofits-from-hate-crimes 

https://brookline.news/for-a-second-time-a-trans-pride-flag-at-brookline-church-is-destroyed/  

https://police.brooklinema.gov/230/Safe-Place-Program 

Relevant Pages: 

UCC Open and Affirming Coalition

Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists 

Reconciling Ministries Network of the United Methodist Churches

Entry written by Peter Goswami in Summer 2026.