Hosted by Partnership of Historic Bostons
Sunday, September 10, 11am
This year the Partnership of Historic Bostons delighted to mark the moment when Boston was named and formally founded on Sunday, September 10, 11am, with a powerful sermon, Seeds of Enslavement, by the Rev. Dr. Stephanie May as she begins her ministry at First Church in Boston.
First Church is as old as the city itself, created as John Winthrop and his party stepped off the Arbella and signed a covenant to “walke in all our ways… in mutuall love and respect each to other.” In the 17th century, that mutual love and respect applied only to English Puritans, but today these qualities are a hallmark of First Church in Boston, which describes itself as a “generous-hearted” church, and all its members.
Seeds of Enslavement will, in the Rev. Dr. May’s words, “reflect on the missing and discordant stories we tell (and do not tell) about the beginnings of our city, our church, and our nation.” She will also explore her own family’s entanglement with the legacy of slavery, and consider how we continue to reckon with our past.
All are welcome! You can register here, or just turn up on Sunday, September 10, at 11am at First Church, 66 Marlborough St. In Boston’s Back Bay.
The Rev. Dr. May’s sermon also marks the start of this year’s fall lecture series – and what a wonderful way to begin! You can sign up for our entire series on 1620-1760 New England enslavement and resistance – with historians and Tribal representatives including Jared Hardesty, Aabid Allibhai, Loren Spears, Margaret Newell, Joshua Carter and many others – here.
Sarah Stewart
Partnership of Historic Bostons
