Sadly Old First Church closed after it conducted its
last service on Sunday, December 30th & has been sold.

Historical & Membership Records

are now located at the Springfield Library & Museum Assn. (Historical section) at 194 State Street.


Open Pantry now resides at 721 State Street, Springfield.  1-413-737-5353


History:  Founded in 1637, Old First Church is the oldest church in Western Massachusetts, and among the oldest in the United States. At the time of its incorporation, the Church counted among its membership every resident of Springfield. The current Meeting House, completed in 1819, was designated as a state historical landmark in 1971 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. In fact, the church’s historical significance cannot be overstated—in addition to its integral role in the birth of the Springfield, the church provided a stop along the Underground Railroad, and played host to famed statesman Daniel Webster, and abolitionist John Brown. Upon his death in 1848, the body of President John Quincy Adams lay in State at Old First Church.

Through its denomination, the United Church of Christ, Old First Church has long participated in worldwide outreach programs to aid the poor. Locally, its efforts have included housing the Open Pantry, the city’s largest food distribution center for the needy; participation in the Loaves and Fishes meal program for the homeless; and serving as host to the city’s first and largest Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Despite its conservative New England roots, Old First Church is among the most socially progressive in Massachusetts—a church that has paved the way for other congregations to follow suit, and one that has provided unconditional resources within and beyond the city of Springfield.