About Immanuel United Church of Christ
-
The first meeting of Immanuel Church took place in a small schoolhourse and church on Maple Dam Road on May 13, 1894. The congregation then consisted of 12 families and was soon joined by another church in North Dorchester. The first Congregational Meeting took place on January 20, 1895 with the first full-time pastor serving from August 1900 to August 1904.
In 1929, the parsonage was build on Peachbloosom Avenue and was dedicated during the pastorate of the Rev. John D. Kehoe. The Rev. Paul A. Menzel, of Washington, DC preached the dedication sermon. An educational annex was built in 1950 and improvements were made to this structure in 1962 under the pastorate of Rev. Daniel Kasten.
“Immanuel Images” began publication in July 1958 and continues today with a circulation over 200. Since 1960 the pastorates have found the church in the midst of the changing life of Cambridge. Courage and foresight were shown by the ministeries of the past and present in bringing Immanuel Church into the active, serving life of the United Church of Christ.
In the middle of the 1970′s the church became actively involved with mission to the larger world as well as to the immediate community. Mission Committee was resurrected in the 1970′s to help members of the community and has been active throughout the years assisting with rents and utilities. Under the pastorate of the Rev. Joan Evans, Immanuel was instrumental in establishing the Emergency Cold Weather Shelter in Cambridge.
In the spring of 1997, a Long Range Planning Committee was formed to look into finding a new location for the Church. Land was obtained on White Hall Road in Cambridge and ground was broken on June 5, 2005. The first worship service held in the partially completed building by Pastor Joan Evans was on August 1, 2006 in the Fellowship Hall. The first worship service in the finished sanctuary was on July 15, 2007 and the formal dedication was held on October 5, 2007 with UCC President, The Rev. John Thomas attending.
In April 2010, The Rev. Joan Evans retired and Immanuel began the search for an Interim Pastor. In late 2010, The Rev. Anne Swallow Gillis was welcomed as our interim pastor. Pastor Anne continued to move the church forward into 2011 and 2012, when a search committee was established to begin the process of putting together a church profile and finding a “settled” pastor. During the pastorate of Pastor Anne, we continued our outreach to the community in aiding with rent and utility bills, food and working closely with the Emergency Cold Weather Shelter.
In August 2012, Pastor Anne accepted an interim position with the Emmaus UCC in Vienna, VA Her last worship service with Immanuel was on Sunday, October 28, 2012.
The Rev. Dr. Robert Peters joined Immanuel on November 1 as our transitional interim pastor and will be with us until such time as a “settled” pastor has been obtained.
The Rev. Dale Krotee was affirmed as the new “settled pastor” at Immanuel at a congregational meeting held on March 17, 2013. He began his ministerial duties on April 21, 2013. Pastor Dale, his wife, Diana, and children, Leah and Elizabeth reside at the parsonage.
