We Are Better Together
United Congregational Church in Milton emerged as a new congregation when First Congregational Church and East Congregational Church voted to consolidate in 2025. Both First Congregational and East Congregational have rich histories.
First Congregational traces its roots back to the Puritans and Pilgrims who first settled in this colony in the 17th century. Milton was incorporated in 1662. At the time, the area did not have a settled pastor, but the King granted them a charter because they had visiting preachers leading worship, and the population of the area was growing as more and more people crossed the Neponset river from Dorchester.
First Congregational, along with First Parish Unitarian, consider the year 1678 as its year of “birth” and founding. In 1680, Reverend Peter Thacher, became the first permanent minister, and served from 1680 to 1727. He was not only the pastor and teacher, but because of some medical training, he also served as the only doctor and veterinarian in town!
The sanctuary, called “the meetinghouse,” was also the site of all of the town’s business meetings. The democratic form of government employed by those early “Congregationalists” had a profound impact on the emerging political structure of the colony, and eventually on the Constitution of the United States.
In 1834, our forebears had an internal theological “disagreement” about the nature of Jesus Christ. When the dust finally settled, those of “Unitarian” leanings remained in the meetinghouse (which is now First Parish, UU), while our “Trinitarian” predecessors moved across the yard and built our present sanctuary, completing it in less than a year. The original congregation was re-named First Parish Unitarian, and the new congregation named themselves First Evangelical Congregational Church. For decades the two congregations lived side by side in silence. Relations gradually thawed and we even worshiped together during World War I in order to save fuel. Now, we have a very cooperative relationship, coming together in a “Unity Service” once a year, and serving our community together in a variety of ways.
East Congregational Church held its first organizational meeting in 1843 above Babcock’s Store in “Railway Village” (now East Milton Square) with 18 people from Milton and Quincy. Worship services were initially held in this hall and for a short time in the “Old Stone Church,” built in 1826, at Adams and Church Streets, by Unitarians who had broken away from their Quincy church. That church building was later used for the first Roman Catholic services in Milton.
This congregation first called itself The Second Evangelical Congregational Church. Even before they had their own building they formed a Sunday School. Land was soon purchased, and, three years later, their meetinghouse was built at 577 Adams Street. For almost 105 years, this was the congregation’s house of worship.
The women in the church organized the Ladies Aid Society (later named the Women’s Society) in 1860 for the purpose of sewing for the soldiers in the Civil War. At one point, in 1890, there were only 11 members and the women of the Ladies Aid Society were largely responsible for keeping things going.
In 1898 the church was incorporated and its name changed to East Congregational Church of Milton. As membership and activities in the church grew in the early 20th Century, so too did the need for more space. In 1921, a parsonage was bought, and in 1935 land was purchased and a building fund was started. Construction was delayed by World War II, but a new church building was finally dedicated on September 23, 1951. This building is still the “pretty” church sitting diagonally at the corner of Adams Street and Granite Place.
In the 180 years of its ministry East Church was served by 30 settled pastors, all of them men until 1981 when the Rev. Llewellyn Smith became the first of seven women clergy to serve in either an interim or settled capacity. In 2014, the congregation called the Rev. Shelly Davis, as the first openly LGBTQ settled pastor to serve East Church.
The consolidation of First Congregational and East Congregational churches in 2025 is based on our belief that we are better together. Throughout the past 327 years both congregations have been blessed with very fine pastoral leaders and dedicated members. We have been a steady and influential presence in the town of Milton, offering hope, faith in God, inspiration, and challenge. It is our hope that our uniting together will better enable us to serve the wider community in such a way that those who follow will say the same about us.
