Set along Nahatan Street in the Boston suburb of Westwood, Massachusetts, First Parish of Westwood has occupied a central place in the life of its town for nearly three hundred years. The congregation's roots reach back to the early 1630s and the original settlement of Dedham, when farmers pushed south and east in search of more workable land and called for a closer meeting house. In 1730 the parish was formally gathered, and by 1736 the Clapboard Trees Parish was established by law. The community has carried forward that legacy ever since, and today identifies as an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ.
Two Hundred and Ninety Years on Nahatan Street
The story of First Parish is, in many ways, the story of Protestant New England. In the early 1800s the parish, like many in the region, became Unitarian in thought and affiliation. The great theological debates of the nineteenth century shaped the congregation further, and when Westwood boomed as a Boston suburb after the Second World War, the older Unitarian parish invited a newly forming Congregational Church to join with it. From 1950 onward the two traditions have been one congregation under the name The First Parish of Westwood, United Church.
That dual heritage still shapes the church's self-understanding. First Parish is historically tied to both the Congregational and the Unitarian streams, while today it maintains its cooperative relationships with the wider Christian fellowship mainly through the United Church of Christ, the denomination formed in 1957 by the merger of the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church. Governance is congregational, and the church is led by its members through an annual all-church meeting and a Church Council that gathers monthly during the program year.
The parish has called Westwood home since long before it was a town, and the town of Westwood itself grew up around the meeting house. The present congregation sees itself as a steward of that continuity - drawing on a tradition that includes the Pilgrims and their conviction that there is yet more light and truth to break forth from God's Word.
Open and Affirming, Rooted in Two Great Commandments
First Parish lives by a simple mission: Growing Faith, Sharing Love, Grounding Lives. The congregation seeks to learn, live, and love in covenant with one another and with the United Church of Christ, choosing to grow spiritually, to participate in hands-on mission, and to honor sabbath.
Those commitments are made concrete in the church's Open and Affirming statement. First Parish of Westwood affirms the dignity and worth of every person regardless of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, physical or mental ability, family structure, education level, economic circumstance, and faith or religious tradition. The congregation extends its hands in welcoming and including all who seek participation in the sacraments and rites of the Christian faith, in leadership, in fellowship, and in mission work. Members of First Parish covenant to continue to live out the inclusive love of Jesus, faithfully discerning what that looks like in both the present and the future.
The wider United Church of Christ shares that welcome. The UCC's purpose statement is taken straight from the Gospel of Matthew: to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength and our neighbor as ourselves. Its vision is United in Christ's love, a just world for all. First Parish also belongs to the Southern New England Conference UCC, which covers Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, and to the Metro Boston Association of the UCC.
Worship at 10:00 a.m. in the Meeting House
Worship is held every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. in the Meeting House, the congregation's historic sanctuary with its prominent and iconic steeple. The service runs about an hour, with fellowship following in the large gathering hall: coffee, juice, and food shared across generations. During the summer, from late June through Labor Day, services shift to 9:30 a.m. and take place in the air-conditioned Gathering Hall rather than the sanctuary, so that the historic space can rest and be refurbished.
Worship at First Parish is intentionally rooted in tradition while leaving room for refresh. The congregation uses material from sources such as the Worship Design Studio, layered with elements of the older pattern of hymns, scripture, sermon, and prayer. Themes tend to run for five or six weeks at a time, giving the community room to try new things and adapt as the next theme begins. Communion is celebrated regularly and is open to all who seek it. Children typically begin worship with their families and are invited forward for a children's moment before heading to Sunday School.
Worship is also livestreamed on the congregation's Facebook page. Recordings of past services are posted for anyone who wants to watch at another time. Sunday bulletins are available as downloadable PDFs.
The Meeting House, the Parsonage, and a Solar-Powered Campus
First Parish is the steward of three significant structures on its campus. The Meeting House itself is not the original 1736 building, which was sold to a Baptist group in 1809 and is still in use as the First Baptist Church of Westwood. Today's Meeting House was completed the same year at a cost of $5,500 and dedicated on March 1, 1809. A major expansion and renovation in 1969 increased capacity and updated facilities; the result is the sanctuary seen today, with its seating for about 150.
A nearly new office, classroom, and social space was completed in September 2017, bringing the church's program areas onto the same side of the street as the Meeting House for the first time in decades. The project was made possible by the sale of an older parish hall and other properties, along with a successful capital campaign. The Meeting House and adjacent buildings share a single integrated campus, and the sanctuary itself is undergoing phased capital work that has already addressed the steeple and exterior, with ceiling restoration, new carpeting, and sound and video upgrades in the works. The church is also solar powered, with panels installed on portions of the new roof soon after that building was completed, and the Meeting House has been retrofitted with a modern natural gas heating system.
Across the green sits the Parsonage, built next to the Meeting House in 1815 by the Reverend John White while he was pastor. The Church acquired the house in 1960, and it serves today as the residence of the pastor and his family.
Beyond Sunday worship, the campus hosts weddings, baptisms, memorials, and concerts. The Gathering Hall seats up to 80, with an adjoining outdoor patio of about 1,000 square feet. Classrooms of various sizes, a nursery and toddler room, a kitchen, and a meeting room are all available to community groups, with rentals handled through the church office.
Music at the Heart of Worship
Music has always been central to life at First Parish. The congregation maintains an active choir that participates regularly in worship, and singers of all abilities are always welcome to join. Two pianos - a grand on the sanctuary floor and an upright in the balcony - support services along with congregational singing from the pews.
Concerts are part of the rhythm of the year. Thanks to the generosity of the late Roy London and the Roy and Ellie London Fund, First Parish hosts the Music in the Meeting House series, which brings performances to the sanctuary for the benefit of both the church and the broader Westwood community. The Music Director also leads special music through the year, including seasonal offerings that draw on the congregation's youngest and oldest members.
Growing in Faith from the Nursery Through Adulthood
Christian education at First Parish is organized around the conviction that the faith journey continues throughout life, and that families should be able to worship together as well as learn together.
The nursery welcomes infants and toddlers with loving volunteer care. Parents are free to leave their child for the full service, drop in at any point, or keep little ones in worship - wiggles, cries, and giggles are all part of the welcome.
Elementary students typically begin worship with their families and then move to the Sunday School rooms, where teachers use the Sparkhouse curriculum to present lessons in lively, hands-on ways. Middle and high school students meet in a teen room for Breakfast Club discussions, help with the younger students, and take the lead on service projects. They participate in a Youth Bell Choir that performs on special occasions, plan youth-led services, and partner with several local organizations for ongoing community service. Adult offerings round out the program, with book studies, small groups, and seasonal series that support continued spiritual growth at every stage.
Fellowship: Coffee Hours, Pizza Parties, and the Annual Yard Sale
Fellowship is a hallmark of life at First Parish. Coffee hour after Sunday worship is a multi-generational gathering, hosted week by week by parishioner volunteers, where church friends and families catch up over coffee, juice, and simple food. The church calendar fills out the year with pizza parties on parishioners' back lawns, a Back-to-School BBQ on the church grounds, family milestone celebrations for birthdays, baptisms, and First Communions, a Holiday Fair with hand-knit items, baked goods, and a silent auction, and the famous annual First Parish Yard Sale each spring, a beloved community tradition that has drawn neighbors together for decades.
For many in Westwood, the yard sale is the front door to the church. Long before they set foot in the Meeting House, they meet parishioners across the tables, chat at the check-out, and carry home a treasure or two. Leftover items are distributed to appropriate social organizations in the area, so that the sale becomes an act of stewardship as well as celebration.
A Giving Spirit: Outreach and Mission
First Parish understands giving in the broadest sense: as a way of participating in a community that bears witness to the reign of God. Members are invited to pledge annually, to give spontaneously during worship, and to share their time and talent through a range of standing committees and outreach partnerships.
The congregation's outreach ministry reaches into Greater Boston and Norfolk County. Every Christmas, the Christmas Family Gift Tree invites parishioners to select ornaments naming gifts wished for by families served by Lifeworks, an organization that advocates for persons with disabilities and provides programs, services, and supports across the region. In a recent year, more than 120 presents were purchased for six families, and Church School students made and stuffed stockings for twelve children. The church also hosts an annual pumpkin sale with proceeds going to outreach causes, and collects winter coats for distribution to children in the Boston area through Coat Boston. Periodic donations support the Westwood Food Pantry, which serves area families, and First Parish periodically hosts luncheons in the gathering space for the Westwood Council on Aging.
Youth and adult volunteers also take part in hands-on service throughout the year, including sandwich-making events and furniture-building for the New Life Furniture Bank. The congregation collects clothing and toiletries for local ministries serving homeless individuals, and partners ecumenically with neighbors at First Baptist and St. John's Episcopal Church on shared worship and shared ministry.
Pastoral Leadership and the Wider Church
First Parish is served by a small but dedicated staff. Pastor Rev. JT Hills joined the congregation in August 2021, coming to the Southern New England Conference from pastorates in California, Indiana, and Michigan. A graduate of Doane University and Pacific School of Religion, he grew up in a family of pastors and is now immersed in the spiritual leadership of First Parish. He and his wife Kelse and their children Jay and Quorra live in the Parsonage next door to the Meeting House.
Music Director Ariadna Benítez Talavera is a Cuban conductor whose career has spanned orchestras in Cuba, Mexico, and the United States, with guest appearances across Latin America and ongoing doctoral studies at Boston University. Director of Youth Faith Formation Katherine Bynarowicz leads Christian education for the congregation's children, youth, and families, building on a background in nonprofit work and a faith journey that began in Massachusetts.
The congregation is also actively engaged with the wider church. First Parish participates in the Metro Boston Association of the UCC and the Southern New England Conference UCC, sending lay delegates to annual meetings and joining in shared worship with neighboring congregations. The pastor is a member of the Westwood Community Coalition for Combating Hate, an initiative led by the Westwood Public Schools that brings together faith leaders, educators, and community members to address bias and strengthen belonging across the town.
Joining in the Life of the Parish
Visitors to First Parish will find ample parking behind the church facilities, with handicap-accessible parking at the side of the building and a ramp leading into the entrance. The sanctuary, gathering spaces, and restrooms are fully accessible, and hearing assistance is available in the Meeting House. The main entrance into the church is at the side of the building, and latecomers are asked to enter street-side into what is the rear narthex. Worship runs about an hour, and dress is generally casual outside of the major holidays.
Whether a first-time visitor or a long-time member, anyone who walks through the doors of First Parish will find a congregation that has been gathering, learning, and serving in Westwood since before the town had a name - and that today is looking forward with the same spirit of welcome that has carried it through nearly three centuries.