A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF OUR HISTORY

We, the members and friends of The Church of the Pilgrimage, are very proud of our storied history and critical part in the development of American democracy and Congregational church governance.

We trace our roots back over 400 years to the  Pilgrims who originally moved from England to Holland to practice their religion freely from the restraints of the Church of England.  Eventually, in 1620, these brave men and women sailed to the New World to protect their English heritage and started a colony.  They first arrived on Cape Cod, but the severity of the weather and lack of potable water caused them to seek other shores. 

They landed in the coastal town that would become  Plymouth, Massachusetts in December, 1620 and started a colony and a church.  We are direct descendants of the Pilgrim’s First Church of Christ, known today as First Parish Church of Plymouth.  While our theology is a bit different from our Pilgrim ancestors, we remain committed to their Trinitarianism, Congregationalism and the fervent belief that we will walk in God’s ways, known or to be made known to us.

For more in-depth information on our history, click here.

The Church of the Pilgrimage is moving forward today in our modern world—for The Pilgrimage Continues!  In 2012, we called our first woman Senior Pastor, the Rev. Dr. Helen Nablo.  Today, we have our first female Transitional Minister, the Rev. Dianne Arakawa. We have many lay women members who are critical to the operation of our church. Working together, the dedication of all our men and women members has made our church a much respected success.

We also are an Open and Affirming Congregation of the United Church of Christ. As such, we covenant that all persons regardless of race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation will be welcomed and treated with equal dignity. We have several gay and lesbian members and they too have been chosen for key leadership roles. 

From 1620 to now –- our ancestor church and our present church covenant to serve God, care for one another and serve the community.   The Pilgrimage Continues!  We hope that our Pilgrim ancestors would be proud if they saw us today.

Click here to see a timeline of our history.

Our History in Video

Please click below to see the 2020 Committee’s video, “Walking in His Ways”, which was created by the 2020 Committee with the help of a class at Plymouth South High School.   We hope you enjoy this very special video.

Please look at the Celebrate 2020 page in the Get To Know Us tab for links to informational sites, including pages created by members of the 2020 Committee on:

~ Our church’s Covenant today, rooted in the Pilgrim’s Covenant

~ an Image Gallery page on the history of the Pilgrims and our church

~ a Resources page on the Pilgrims and Observing 2020   

We have one additional video to share with you.   You may remember that our UCC General Minister and President, Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer, was scheduled to be with us this Fall to participate in the celebration. Due to the Pandemic, he could not be with us as planned.  Instead, he has sent us a video message.  It’s truly a gift. 

 In this video, Rev. Dorhauer discusses the Pilgrims’ important role in shaping Congregationalism and eventually, the United Church of Christ, our denomination.  Moreover, as a Mayflower descendant himself, Rev. Dorhauer shares a bit of his own 2020 story.  Enjoy this wonderful video.