The United Presbyterian Church of Whitinsville gathers each Sunday morning at 10:30 in its sanctuary on Cottage Street in the village of Whitinsville, Massachusetts. Worshipers enter through the main doors, where greeters welcome them at the Welcome Center, invite them to sign the guest book, and direct them to comfortable seating. The congregation envisions itself as a community that "passionately connects with God and one another, seeking to discover His presence deep within through meaningful worship, prayer, and Bible study," and members describe their shared commitment as one of growing together in faith and unity while honoring the diverse needs of all who walk through the doors.
Sundays at 10:30 in the Sanctuary on Cottage Street
The Sunday Worship Service begins promptly at 10:30 AM. Bulletin information and song lyrics are projected onto a large screen so that visitors can follow along easily, and radios are available to assist those with hearing difficulties. Music is a featured part of the morning, drawing on a 1923 Skinner pipe organ, the chancel choir, the Marion Boyd Handbell Choir, and a steady rotation of anthems, offertories, solos, and duets offered by members of the congregation throughout the church year.
Visitors are encouraged to ask questions, move around with their children, or settle in however they feel most comfortable. The Sunday Bulletin is posted in advance, and a weekly devotional called "When Monday Comes" is distributed each week to carry the themes of worship into the days that follow. Services are also livestreamed on YouTube for those who cannot attend in person, and recordings of recent sermons are available.
What to Wear, Where to Park, and How to Get In
The dress code at United Presbyterian is intentionally relaxed. Shorts, jeans, and business casual attire all fit right in, and the church asks only that visitors arrive ready to worship. Street parking is available without restrictions, designated handicapped parking is offered on Spring Street, and visitors are also welcome to use the Unibank Parking Lot on Sunday mornings and evenings. A handicap ramp at the main entrance makes the building easy to enter for anyone with mobility considerations.
A Place for Children in Worship
Children are an integral part of the United Presbyterian family, and the church is committed to including them in every aspect of congregational life. Children ages four through seven are invited to join the opening portion of worship with their parents and may then transition downstairs to Junior Church, an interactive time of music, storytelling, crafts, and games designed to help them learn about God's love at their own level.
For the youngest children, a parent-staffed nursery is available during the morning service for kids five and under. Children's bulletins with activities are available at the Welcome Center desk for ages five and up, and parents may request nursery care as needed. A quiet room sits at the back of the sanctuary for any family that needs a bit more space or privacy during the service. The Christian Education Team, whose teachers and staff undergo background checks, encourages school-age children to remain in worship with their families throughout the morning, believing that the habit of family worship helps faith take root for the long term.
Music That Spans Gospel, Classical, and Praise
Music holds a central place in worship at United Presbyterian. Minister of Music Eileen Straub brings more than forty-five years of experience playing piano, organ, and flute in church settings across the Northeast and Canada, and she leads the congregation through a wide range of musical styles. Worshipers can expect to hear gospel, classical, and praise worship woven together across the church year, with anthems, offertories, solos, and duets offered by members of the congregation throughout the seasons.
The church's pipe organ was built by the Skinner Organ Company in 1923. Installed at a cost of ten thousand dollars in December of 1922 and completed in July of 1924, the instrument features two manuals, twenty registers, twelve stops, twelve ranks, and seven hundred and one pipes. Chimes were added in 1938 to round out the sound.
The chancel choir rehearses every Sunday morning from 9:15 to 10:00 and welcomes new voices at any time. The Marion Boyd Handbell Choir, which made its debut on Easter Sunday of 2020 in tribute to long-time handbell director Marion Boyd, rehearses following worship on pre-announced Sundays and includes both adult and youth ringers. Children, youth, and adults are all invited to sing, ring, or play instruments as part of the church's regular worship.
Peace of Bread: Wednesday Nights at 5:30
Since opening its doors on September 24, 2003, the Peace of Bread Community Kitchen has served free, nutritious meals to the Whitinsville community every Wednesday night at 5:30. The kitchen provides more than 150 meals each week, with some guests sitting down to dinner in the church's Fellowship Hall and others picking up to-go plates. Volunteers also deliver meals to several homebound families, and the local homeless population has been a particular focus of the ministry since its founding.
An on-site Food Pantry and Free Clothing Room, both stocked through donations from area churches, civic groups, businesses, and individuals, are available to anyone in need. Volunteer groups from the surrounding community fund, cook, and serve the Wednesday meals on a rotating basis throughout the year.
Presbyterian Women and the Kathryn M. Huston Mission Circle
United Presbyterian's women's ministry takes shape through Presbyterian Women and its local chapter, the Kathryn M. Huston Mission Circle. Named in 1935 for the sister of longtime pastor Dr. Thomas M. Huston, the Mission Circle is open to all women of the PC(USA) and meets monthly to support local, national, and global causes through Bible studies, bake sales, and the preparation of funeral luncheons for grieving families in the congregation.
The highlight of the year for the Mission Circle is the annual Homespun Holiday Fair, traditionally held on the second Saturday of November. The fair raises money each year to support global missions, including the Philippine Health Center and the Sun Valley Indian School.
Adult Education at 9:30
Before the Sunday service, adults gather at 9:30 for an Adult Education Class held during the academic year. The small-group setting gives participants a chance to study the Bible together, whether they are exploring faith for the first time or seeking to deepen an already mature Christian walk. No prior experience is required, and the church emphasizes that all are welcome and encouraged to participate.
From Smith's Hall to Cottage Street: 150-Plus Years
The United Presbyterian Church of Whitinsville traces its roots to immigrants from Ireland and Scotland who had previously been members of Presbyterian churches in their home countries. After settling in the Blackstone Valley, many of these families found themselves attending both the United Presbyterian Church of Sutton and the Congregational Church of Whitinsville.
The first formal organization of the United Presbyterian Church of Whitinsville took place in 1871, when members gathered in Smith's Hall above Duggan's Livery Stable on the corner of Park and Church Streets, a site that today is occupied by Unibank. The first elders, Hugh Young, William Anderson, and William McAllister, Sr., were installed on October 3, 1871, but the group disbanded after about three years.
Undeterred, the founding members reorganized on December 30, 1874, under the authority of a Commission representing the Boston Presbytery. This second organization marked the true beginning of the enduring congregation, with William McAllister, Sr., Richard Marshall, Sr., and Robert McNeil elected as the first three elders. From 1874 to 1882, the congregation worshipped in Chapel Hall, situated on the second floor over the Dudley Store on Douglas Road and generously provided free of charge by C. P. Whitin & Sons.
On December 28, 1877, the church was formally incorporated under Massachusetts law. The very next year, the fledgling congregation purchased its current site on Cottage Street from Cyrus Taft for five hundred dollars, and construction began on a new building. That first sanctuary was constructed for roughly six thousand dollars and dedicated on February 15, 1882, under the leadership of the church's first pastor, the Rev. James L. Thompson of Ohio. A parsonage followed in 1888 at a cost of two thousand seven hundred dollars.
Under the leadership of Dr. Thomas M. Huston, who became pastor in 1893, the church grew rapidly. The sanctuary was enlarged and a tower added in 1895. Around 1896, the church opened its doors to a group of recently arrived families from Holland, who held their own meetings in the building for several years before moving to the second-floor Great Hall of Memorial Hall. The first organ arrived in 1901 at a cost of seven hundred dollars, with boys from the congregation hand-pumping the bellows during worship.
By 1905, the congregation had outgrown the original building, and a building fund was established the following year. On March 29, 1914, the final service was held in the old sanctuary, and demolition began to make way for the present church. The cornerstone of the current house of worship was laid on June 27, 1914, and the dedicatory service took place on March 27, 1915. The total cost of the new building came to about fifty thousand dollars, sixty percent of which was paid by the time of dedication, with the remaining debt retired in the years that followed.
Dr. Huston continued to serve until 1935, having guided the church for more than forty-two years. In 1940 he returned as a guest speaker for rededication services, and in his honor the congregation named the Kathryn M. Huston Mission Circle after his sister Kathryn. A rotary system of elders was implemented in 1951 to broaden representation in governance, and the sanctuary was comprehensively renovated in 1955.
The church's national denominational journey mirrors the wider history of American Presbyterianism. The United Presbyterian Church of North America merged with the Presbyterian Church in the USA in 1958 to form the United Presbyterian Church in the USA, and a further merger in 1983, which brought together the mainline denomination and the southern body that had split off during the Civil War, gave the church its current denominational identity as part of the Presbyterian Church (USA), or PC(USA).
Other milestones along the way include the 1946 installation of a broadcasting system honoring the church's ninety-eight World War II veterans, the inclusion of women on the Session in 1971 and the Board of Trustees in 1972, the 1974 Centennial Celebration, the 1988 Rudy Gniadek drawing of the church that still graces the cover of the Sunday bulletin, and the opening of the Peace of Bread Community Kitchen in 2003.
Leadership, Office, and Practical Details
The Reverend Andy Hall serves as Temporary Pastor while completing a Ph.D. in Theological Ethics at Boston College. A graduate of the University of Arizona and Princeton Theological Seminary, he has previously served as Temporary Pastor at Clinton Presbyterian Church and as Student Pastor for Education and Service at Hopewell Presbyterian Church in New Jersey, and has completed a chaplaincy internship at Princeton House Behavioral Health.
Eileen Straub leads the music ministry. A graduate of Cairn University in Philadelphia, she previously served as organist at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in Shrewsbury and brings experience directing both choirs and praise worship bands.
The church office at 7 Spring Street is open Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 1:00 to 5:00, Tuesday and Friday mornings from 8:00 to noon, and is closed on Thursdays. The mailing address is 7 Spring Street, Whitinsville, MA 01588, while the worship address is 51 Cottage Street, Whitinsville, MA 01588. The office phone is (508) 234-8220, and the email is office@whitinpres.net.
Those who wish to support the church's ministry can do so online. Regular updates appear in the Sunday Bulletin, the "When Monday Comes" weekly devotional, and a periodic newsletter that reaches back through several years of congregational life.