Old South Church Celebrates 350th Anniversary

On May 12, 1669, the founders of Old South Church in Boston first gathered. Since then, the church has become known as the church of Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, Phillis Wheatley, the Boston Tea Party, and the many bold social justice stances it has taken over its long history.

350 years to the day, the vibrant congregation and historic leadership institution is marking the occasion with a special worship service, ceremony, and celebration. All of the following events are free and open to the public:

11 A.M. WORSHIP SERVICE AND OPEN DOOR AWARD
A special Anniversary Worship Service at 11am on Sunday, May 12th, featurees the presentation of their Open Door Award to racial justice icon Rev. Traci Blackmon. Blackmon serves as the Executive Minister of Justice & Local Church Ministries for the United Church of Christ, and Senior Pastor of Christ The King United Church of Christ in Florissant, MO. She is a prominent speaker and activist in the Black Lives Matter Movement, a leader in the Poor Peoples’ Campaign, and one of the most effective women preachers today.

Old South Church established the Open Door Award in 2014. Carved in stone above the Portico to Old South’s 1875 National Historic Landmark building are these words from the Book of Revelation: BEHOLD, I HAVE SET BEFORE THEE AN OPEN DOOR. They take these words to mean that in God’s name, it is their duty and privilege to pry open doors shut against any persons and to keep oiling the hinges of any doors rusting shut.

12:30 P.M. CEREMONY
Following the worship service, Old South will hold a ceremony featuring heraldic trumpets and an interreligious blessing. Faith leaders performing the blessing include Sarbpreet Singh (Sikh), Rabbi Howard Berman (Jewish), Sister Clare Carter (Buddhist), Imam Taymullah Abdur-Rahman (Muslim), Dr. William H. Smith (Baha’i), and Rev. Laura Everett (MA Council of Churches).

1 P.M. PARTY FOR THE CITY
Old South Church presents a free, family-friendly celebration inside and outside of the church at 1 p.m. The party features dance music by Keytar Bear and DJAB Entertainment, historical reenactors, face painting, children’s games, cupcakes and ice cream (Ben & Jerry’s), a magician, tours of the 350th Anniversary exhibits, and more.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION
In 1669, dissenters broke from the First Church in Boston over the requirement of religious conversion for membership (and hence, citizenship in Massachusetts) to form the Third Church in Boston, which later became known as the Old South Church. Thus began Old South’s history of proclaiming justice, inclusiveness, and reconciliation.

The church’s first home was the Old Cedar Meeting House, followed by The Old South Meeting House (AKA the Sanctuary of Freedom, today a museum on Boston’s Freedom Trail). The Meeting House was a rallying point in the rebellion against the British crown. Among its members were such well-known patriots as Samuel Adams and Old South Deacon William Dawes, who was one of the midnight riders that famed night when the British were coming. Benjamin Franklin was baptized in the church in 1706. Other notable members were Elizabeth Vergoose, (AKA  Mother Goose); Judge Samuel Sewall, who presided over the Salem witchcraft trials, who later repented of his participation, and then went on to write in 1700 the first pamphlet advocating the abolition of slavery in the colonies; Phillis Wheatley, a freed slave and the first published African American poetess; William Billings, the father of American choral music; Rev. Joseph Secombe, the father of American angling literature; Samuel Adams and his Sons of Liberty used the Meeting House as a springboard for their seditious activity, including the Boston Tea Party. Old South Church moved to the current Back Bay site in 1875.

Today Old South Church stands as a vibrant, intergenerational, multicultural, theologically progressive Christian church that opens its doors to all.

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