history of church of the covenant
Church of the Covenant has a remarkable history spanning 180 years. Today's Church of the Covenant formed from the merging of the Central Congregational Church and First Presbyterian Church in 1931, after a fire at the First Presbyterian meeting place. The new congregation then made its home in the Newbury Street sanctuary. The sanctuary was redecorated by the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company over the span of 2 years between 1894-96. The church is not only a beautiful example of interior design, however, but has also been a hub for social justice, faith, and the arts in the Back Bay community.
Please click the boxes below to learn more about the history and pioneers that led to today's Church of the Covenant.
Please click the boxes below to learn more about the history and pioneers that led to today's Church of the Covenant.
Central Congregational Church
The Central Congregational Church, one of our progenitors, organized in 1835, featured numerous examples of church staff and members’ contributions to the arts, education, and social justice ministries, both locally and globally. During the 1800s, the Director of Music, Lowell Mason, was a nationally recognized musician and composer known for establishing music education in public schools. Another church member, one of the first women active in world missions, became well known and presented papers internationally. In the 1860s the Central Congregational Church built a mission church in the South End. In 1865, they undertook construction of the current Newbury Street building, and were one of the first churches to relocate to the then-new Back Bay neighborhood of Boston.
First presbyterian church
First Presbyterian, our second progenitor church, was, in truth, the very first Presbyterian church in the Boston area. In 1852, a committee of seven Scottish residents of Boston, who wanted to worship under the Presbyterian form, arranged for a minister to be sent to them through the Colonial Committee of the Free Church of Scotland. “Knox Presbyterian Church” held its first service on December 11, 1853. In 1858, upon joining with what is now the Presbyterian Church (USA), they changed their name to First Presbyterian Church. First Presbyterian was a prosperous church with many members, but had a habit of moving from building to building.
the formation of today's Church of the Covenant
Eventually, in 1931, the Central Congregational Church and the First Presbyterian Church began worshipping together after a fire consumed the Presbyterian church building. Both congregations agreed to become a federated church while retaining some aspects of their distinctive identities, formally renaming themselves Church of the Covenant.
In 1979, the Committee to Renew the Covenant (CRC) was established for the renovation and restoration of the building. The result was a revitalization of both the structure of the building, and the mission and ministry of the members. The CRC launched a capital development campaign, and had raised $1.3 million by 1989. The church was renovated, and substantial improvements made to the parish house for use as church offices. This also created affordable rental space for non-profit agencies, including an art gallery and a women’s day shelter--both of which continue to operate out of the church six days a week--as well as other groups, including a community choir, an organization to prevent domestic violence, and offices for spiritual directors and counselors.
In the 1970s, Church of the Covenant introduced gender-inclusive language in our worship service, and began to address issues of sexuality and sexual orientation and were one of the first congregations to join the “More Light” movement in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and founded the parallel “Open and Affirming” campaign within the United Church of Christ. In 2004, Covenant lobbied to reform Presbyterian ordination standards, making a statement recognizing same sex marriages. In 2010, the congregation brought overtures to the General Assembly to allow PC (USA) ministers to formally officiate at same sex marriage ceremonies.
Church of the Covenant is overjoyed that after many years, we are now, by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the United Church of Christ, and the Presbyterian Church USA, able to join couples of all sexual orientations in fully legal and holy marriage.
In 1979, the Committee to Renew the Covenant (CRC) was established for the renovation and restoration of the building. The result was a revitalization of both the structure of the building, and the mission and ministry of the members. The CRC launched a capital development campaign, and had raised $1.3 million by 1989. The church was renovated, and substantial improvements made to the parish house for use as church offices. This also created affordable rental space for non-profit agencies, including an art gallery and a women’s day shelter--both of which continue to operate out of the church six days a week--as well as other groups, including a community choir, an organization to prevent domestic violence, and offices for spiritual directors and counselors.
In the 1970s, Church of the Covenant introduced gender-inclusive language in our worship service, and began to address issues of sexuality and sexual orientation and were one of the first congregations to join the “More Light” movement in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and founded the parallel “Open and Affirming” campaign within the United Church of Christ. In 2004, Covenant lobbied to reform Presbyterian ordination standards, making a statement recognizing same sex marriages. In 2010, the congregation brought overtures to the General Assembly to allow PC (USA) ministers to formally officiate at same sex marriage ceremonies.
Church of the Covenant is overjoyed that after many years, we are now, by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the United Church of Christ, and the Presbyterian Church USA, able to join couples of all sexual orientations in fully legal and holy marriage.
our historic sanctuary
The redesign of the sanctuary by Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company was completed in 1894 - 1896 under the Central Congregational Church. The huge chandelier was part of the World’s Columbian Exhibition in 1893 (aka the Chicago World’s Fair); likely one of the earliest and largest electric lights on display to the public. It was donated to the Church by member Joseph H. White and installed in 1894--the installment of the memorial windows soon followed. Later, the magnificent Welte-Trippe organ was installed in 1929.
Please click the boxes below to learn more about the sanctuary.
Please click the boxes below to learn more about the sanctuary.
original upjohn architecture
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The church was designed by Richard M. Upjohn, the son and partner famous Neo-Gothic architect, Richard Upjohn, in 1865-67 for the Central Congregational Church. One of the first churches in the new Back Bay area, Upjohn’s design followed the family style, with black walnut pews and Medieval-inspired stained glass windows. According to church records, the Upjohns "insisted that a high Gothic edifice be erected which no ordinary dwelling house would overtop;" the result is the church’s graceful spire, rising higher than the Bunker Hill Monument, which has been the subject of much admiration. Writer Oliver Wendell Holmes even commented, in One Hundred Days in Europe, that: "We have one steeple in Boston that to my eyes seems absolutely perfect--that of the Central Church on the corner of Newbury and Berkeley Streets."
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Tiffany redecoration
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During the 1890s, however, Church of the Covenant went through a drastic change. The sanctuary interior was completely redone by Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company, under the supervision of J.A. Holzer of the Tiffany Company and the minister, Dr. Edward L. Clark. The new interior, including a gigantic, electrified lantern, a baptismal font, 42 Tiffany stained glass windows, mosaics, new decorative arches, and a fresh paint scheme, displays both Tiffany’s unique aesthetics and the spiritual vision of the pastor and congregation.
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Welte tripp Organ
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Installed in 1929, and lovingly restored in 2001, the Welte-Tripp organ at Church of the Covenant is a masterpiece in the American Symphonic Organ tradition. With 3,530 pipes designed to imitate an array of instruments, ranging from the harp to the French horn, this organ is especially well-suited for orchestral transcriptions which were so popular during the early part of the 20th century. (Imagine Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre or Wagner’s Prelude to Tristan und Isolde, played on the pipe organ...). An eclectic repertoire is typical for Church of the Covenant where, on any given Sunday, you might hear the music of Messiaen and Michael Jackson, or Bob Marley and Bach.
For more information on the Welte-Tripp organ, contact Minister of Music Tom Handel at music@cotcbos.org or click here to learn more about this extraordinary organ. |
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a national historic landmark
