We are an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), which means that we recognize and welcome all people of every race, age, ability, gender and sexual orientation as created by God.

We are committed to the Gospel and its call for social and economic justice. We are a church where Jesus the healer meets Jesus the revolutionary and where together, we serve to create a more just and peaceful world.

We gather to worship God, celebrate life and practice our faith in the world. This is a place of healing, comfort, social action and spiritual deepening. All are welcome to worship, pray, question, volunteer, unburden, explore and hang out here.

You are welcome not in spite of who you are, but because of who you are.

Come bring your happy and hurting hearts

your searching and supple spirits

your wise and whimsical beings,

so God may embrace and empower us for good

as we embrace and empower each other for life.

All Are Welcome

Join us for Service!

Sunday Service at 10:30am (In-person, Zoom or Facebook Live)

Sunday Bible Study at 9:15am (In-person or Zoom)

Please feel welcome to join us for any of the events, programs and groups we offer to grow your spiritual strength and be part of a loving community.

Sunday service at 10:30 am which includes sermon and worship led by our beloved, trans, BIPOC Pastor Nikira Hernandez and our associate minister, Pastor DeShay; in-person, Zoom & Facebook Live
Bible study on Sundays at 9:15 am in-person or on Zoom
Prayer circle on Tuesdays at 5:30 pm on Zoom (Prayer circle is paused for the Summer!)
Young Adult (18-40) fun gatherings once a month, 2nd Wednesday at 7:30
Get some food in our Food Pantry (est. 1974) the second and fourth Saturdays of the month 10 am-1 pm or volunteer. This year (2024), we're celebrating 50 years of feeding the community!
Come get a free, freshly-cooked, hot meal at our Community Supper (est. 1984) every Wednesday 4:30-6 pm
Come Garden with us every third Sunday of the month at 12 pm. The fresh food we grow in the raised beds on the front lawn (est. 2023) are free for you to come pick and take home!
AA meetings (email us to inquire)
Shop and volunteer in our award-winning Nearly New Thrift Shop! 100% of the proceeds go to the food pantry. Featured on Boston Insider!

Photo by Rada Ruggles

Why Come to Church?

This church is a great place to:

Share great food, conversation and friendship
Rest in mystery, lay burdens down
Support each other, deepen and reflect
Live Justice together, be completely yourself
Explore hard questions, offer time, gifts and talent

There is a wheelchair-accessible ramp located on the Dighton Street (east) side of the building. This brings you to the first floor of the church where the sanctuary, community hall, Thrift Shop and the accessible restroom are.

Give

You can donate to the church clicking on this yellow PayPal link or by scanning the PayPal

QR code or Venmo QR code on your phone's camera and clicking the link that pops up!

In-kind donations of food, seasonally appropriate clothing, and other treasures can be dropped off Tuesday-Thursday 9-3 and Friday 9-1.

The community fridge (est. 2021) is open 24/7 for donations and folks in-need.

You may also give and take books at our Little Lending Library in our front yard under our colorful sign!

Who We Are

We are:

An open and affirming church
Home to a free food pantry and free community supper
An edible garden and the only green space in Brighton Center
An award-winning thrift shop
A safe space to gather for fun, support and growth
A caring, diverse, inclusive community

The Brighton Allston Congregational Church (BACC) in its current iteration was established in 1827 and sits on the ancestral lands of the Mashpee Wampanoag and Nipmuc peoples.

We are currently a diverse congregation and were the first historically white denomination to ordain:

-African Americans

-Women

-An openly gay man

We were also the first Christian church to affirm the right of same-gender couples to marry. We were lovingly on the forefront of the anti-slavery movement and the civil rights movement. In our church, we affirm that Black Lives Matter. We commit to equity through our social justice work, our hiring and by funding a 2-year Trans BIPOC Pastoral Residency to enable folks with marginalized identities attain their first leadership position as a pastor.

We take part in food justice ministry through our weekly food pantry, free food fridge in our front lot and free, freshly-grown food in our front garden beds.

We make our home in Boston's Brighton Allston neighborhood. We come from many nationalities, ethnicities and life experiences and we celebrate our religious, educational and economic backgrounds. In word and action, worship and service, we seek to be ourselves as we nourish heart, body, mind and spirit in our ministry together.