Emmanuel Church is in the heart of Boston. It is an Episcopal church. Emmanuel Church offers Sunday worship services. It also offers Sunday school services. Please stop by, call or visit its website for more information.
The Church on the Hill, or the Boston Society of the New Jerusalem, is a Christian church following the teachings of Swedenborgianism, a movement created in the 18th century by Swedish scientist and theologian Emanuel Swedenborg.
The church was established in 1818 but traces its creation in Boston back to 1784, when a group of men started meeting regularly at the Green Dragon Tavern to discuss Swedenborg's teachings before deciding to form a church. The church has been on Beacon Hill since 1845.
The atmosphere is very warm and welcoming. The sanctuary is a down-to-earth, intimate setting for worship and the church has lots of community room space used for church functions and by various nonprofit groups.
There's free garage parking for church worshippers on Sundays. The church is currently looking to expand its base of younger members and is on a mission to welcome younger members with new initiatives and programs. If you go, be sure to check out the delightful (and sizable) tropical fish tank outside the church's office. Services are held every Sunday at 11am.
A National Historic Landmark, and ranked as one of the top 10 most important buildings in the country by the American Institute of Architects, Trinity Church, designed by Henry Hobson Richardson and built in 1877, is still a sight to behold with magnificent steeples and stained glass windows overlooking Copley Square. It's a major draw for tourists, especially in the summer, and self-guided tours of the interior are available daily for $6. The price is worth it, but you can also see the inside for free on Sundays at 12:15pm.
Heavy rounded arches, rough stone and the use of many colors propelled Richardson and Trinity Church to international fame, and it's considered the start of the "Richardsonian Romanesque" architectural style.
Trinity Church is also known for its collection of stained glass windows, including 19th-century work by John La Farge, one of the first to use a layering technique that brought new colors, shadings, and a three dimensional look to stained glass.
Downstairs from the sanctuary, visit the Shop at Trinity Church, where you can purchase a tour or pick up a unique spiritual gift. Religious and secular items include books recommended by the clergy, stationary, jewelry, postcards and other souvenirs. Much of it is designed by local artists.
Park Street School was founded in 2002 as an outgrowth of the successful preschool, Park Street Kids, founded two years earlier. It is affiliated with the Park Street Church.
The school was founded by a group of mothers from the Park Street Church who recognized a real need for a good school in the neighborhood, says Park Street's communication director, Kim Twitchell. Since then the school has grown by leaps and bounds and it now receives many more applicants per year than it can accept.
Seventy-five percent of Park Street's students come from downtown Boston neighborhoods and the vast majority walk or ride a scooter to school.
The school is committed to diversity and most of its students come from families outside the Park Street Church community.
The school says Christianity is its guiding principal and it puts a lot of emphasis on fostering Christian values in its students.
The school's gymnasium features a climbing wall and recess is often held on the Esplanade or Boston Common.
To enroll their child parents must submit an application and application fee, visit an open house and schedule their child for one-on-one testing.
Tuition is $15,100 per year for kindergarten; $17,500 per year for grades 1 - 3 and $19,600 for grades 4 - 6. Financial aid is available.
This location, inside a historic Beacon Hill building, houses the administrative office of this ecumenical partnership organization. Take the elevator to the fourth floor and turn left.
A landmark in Wrentham since 1872, the Trinity Episcopal Church can be found just off the town common. The church offers services at 8am and 10am on Sundays, as well as a coffee hour at 11am. The church's interim priest is Rev. William W. Eddy.
People's Baptist Church was founded in 1805 as the First African Baptist Church. The church offers Bible study class, prayer meetings and a variety of ministries including the Prison Ministry, Bereavement Support Ministry, Hospitality Ministry and more. Service is held twice on Sunday.
Grant A.M.E. Church meets in an impressive building on Washington Street, close to the Roxbury border. Rev. Ellis Washington leads Sunday services at 11am and Sunday School is held at 9:30am. Prayer meeting and Bible class are held every Tuesday at 6:30pm and 7pm.
Located near Copley Square, Old South Church has been serving the local Christian community for more than 340 years. It hosts regular services, religious education for adults and children, missionary services and a non-religious preschool for children ages two through five.
The Unitarian Universalist Association is the national headquarters of the faith. The building was originally headquarters of the Unitarian faith until Unitarianism and Universalism merged in 1961.
The lobby of the building is open to the public and features a book store stocking materials about the faith and also about the history of Beacon Hill. There's an original John Singleton Copley painting above the mantle in the store, so it's worth a peek if you are an art fan.
The administrative offices are upstairs. The Association hosts large-scale meetings at headquarters as well. Tours of the building may be arranged ahead of time.
This large congregation has a number of members who drive from out-of-state to attend services each Sunday. As the only Boston-based Missouri Synod Lutheran church, it also attracts college students, especially those from the Midwest, and offers a number of youth programs and service projects for its young population. Bible studies are Sunday mornings and Monday evenings, and students have partnered with organizations like the Charles River Clean-up and Project Bread.
The church also offers Brazilian worship services for its Portuguese-speaking community, and the Blind Ministry supports two local outreach programs: Boston Light of the World and Lutheran Braille Workers.
Music is an important part of the congregation, and Balint Karosi, a native of Hungary, leads a traditional organ-based program during services and concert series.
The church itself was built in 1956 by Pietro Belluschi, who designed a modern building that would fit in with the historical character of Back Bay. Visitors enter the church through a gateway and private courtyard, which leads to the warm, wood-paneled sanctuary.
This church, found in Wrentham's village of Sheldonville, serves the area's Baptist population. Services are held on Sundays at 11am, and are preceded by Sunday School and coffee hour programs. The church's pastor is Doug Pettit.
Park Street Church has been conducting worship services at the same place at the foot of Beacon Hill for more than 200 years. The Evangelical Congregational church is well established in Boston with a congregation size of more than 1,500 people, 60 percent of whom hail from Boston proper.
The church at 0 Park Street is connected to a large church office building at 1 Park Street that also houses Park Street Kids, a local preschool started by Park Street parents 10 years ago.
Church officials describe services as liturgically oriented and traditional. Four services are held every Sunday, with traditional services at 8:30am and 11am and contemporary-style services at 4pm and 6pm.
ESL and TOEFL classes and homeless outreach number among the many programs based at the church's Park Street office. On Friday the church holds family night and college ministry night.
Emmanuel Gospel Center is a Christian ministry serving urban churches and communities in the Boston area. The center works to enable churches to better support and care for the spiritual and physical needs of all people, especially those who have suffered setbacks such as homelessness or addiction. Emmanuel Gospel Center helps churches develop programs for urban youth and creates venues for collaboration among youth leaders and pastors. The center is also home to the South End Neighborhood Church.
Boston's Old North Church is the city's oldest surviving church and most visited historic site. Located in Boston's famous North End, also known as Little Italy, the church is a stop on the Freedom Trail. Anyone can enjoy exploring the church and its associated shops and gardens. Kids and teens will especially love the Behind the Scenes Tour up the steeple and down into the crypt, but anyone with mobility or claustrophobia issues may want to pass on this part.
Parking and public transportation at Old North Church
Parking in the North End can be really tough; many spots are resident-only, and what few spots are available often have a two hour maximum or evening only hours. Read signs carefully or opt for a paid lot or garage. The North End Garage isn't cheap but it is reliable and well-located. Fitz-Inn Auto Parks is priced more competitively but double check that you weren't overcharged, and you may find yourself waiting for an attendant. If you are able, take the T instead. Take the Orange or Green Lines to the North Station stop or Haymarket.
Best and worst time to go to Old North Church
The church generally doesn't get too crowded, and you can always wander around the area a bit if it is. In January and February tours are only by request except during February school break, when it can be busier, so it's probably best to go in warmer months. In March tours run on weekends only from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tours run every hour, every day from April through December with the exception of lunchtime. This is still a functioning church, so be aware of religious holidays and also Sunday mornings, when the you'll find Episcopal churchgoers rather than tourists.
Admission to Old North Church
Admission is free, but the church does rely on donations from the public. A suggested donation of just a few bucks earns you a "One if by land, two if by sea" sticker; access to the church, chocolate shop, printing office, restrooms, and outdoor spaces; a discount on the Behind the Scenes tours and gift shop; and smiles from the staff.
Must see/do at Old North Church
Take the Behind the Scenes Tour. For about five bucks, you'll get a thirty minute guided tour that not only goes into greater depth of the story of the church, but also brings you up into the bell ringing chamber in the steeple and down into the crypt below. Tours run frequently in the warmer seasons, but in the winter, call ahead for a special request.
Check out the Printing Office of Edes & Gill, home to an 18th century colonial printing press. A master printer will demonstrate the process and speak of the impact printing had on Boston and the nation's revolution.
Do you need to be persuaded to explore Captain Jackson's Historic Chocolate Shop? See how chocolates were made in the 18th century and treat your senses to some samples of authentic chocolate as Paul Revere would have enjoyed it in his day.
Other places to visit near Old North Church
You're in Little Italy. Walk. Explore. Eat. Mikes Pastry is famous; it's worth the lines. Dine at Giacomo's Ristorante for authentic pastas and general Italian happiness. Again, prepare for a wait. If you're up for a laugh, venture to the Improv Asylum, Boston's premier comedy spot. For more history, the Paul Revere House is just a short walk away as well.
Insider tip for visitors to Old North Church
While you're perusing the church, read the many signs and posters, but also go to the church's website, OldNorth.com on your smartphone or tablet (ask the staff for help if needed) and read the stories associated with each pew, the men behind the pulpit, and more.
Author's bio: Deborah Jarvis is a freelance writer who grew up and currently lives in the Greater Boston Area. She never pahks her cah in Hahvahd Yahd and tries not to drive like she's from Boston if she can help it. The famous lantern in the Old North Church was lit on her birthday (a few years prior) and she feels as though this makes her more Bostonian than her friends.