Visit us
Sunday services:
We worship on Sunday mornings at 10AM. Our worship is currently hybrid online and in-person.
In the sanctuary, masks and hand sanitizer are provided at the door, but not required. Childcare is provided during in-person worship.
Email office@firstchurchsomerville.org to receive the link to attend Sunday worship via Zoom.
Contact us
Address
89 College Ave
Somerville MA 02144
Directions
First Church Somerville is located at 89 College Ave in Somerville, MA.
First Church is easily accessible by public transportation. We are a few blocks from the Davis Red Line and Ball Square Green Line MBTA stops, and are near several bus lines (87, 88, 89, 93, 96).
If you are driving, you may park all day Sunday on College Avenue without a Somerville resident parking sticker. On other days, you may park on College Avenue for up to two hours.
From the West: Take Route 2 East to the split just past Alewife T station. Bear left onto Route 16. Follow it past Massachusetts Ave., taking a right on Broadway at the next big intersection (Stop & Shop is on the corner). Follow Broadway less than a mile to the Powderhouse Rotary. Take the exit out of the rotary onto College Avenue southbound (from Broadway, the exit is immediately to your right, but you must cycle all the way around to use it). First Church is just over a block down on the left.
From the North: Take 93 South to exit 22, Revere/Route 16. Get into the right hand lane as you come off the ramp, and take a right at the light onto Harvard St. Follow Harvard St. straight through four lights, until you come to Powderhouse rotary. Take the rotary half-way around, exiting for College Avenue southbound. First Church is just over a block down on the left.
From the South: Take 93 North to exit 21 (Routes 28/38N). Follow the signs for Route 38 (Medford), which runs parallel to the highway. Staying in the left hand lane, follow route 38 for about a mile. Just past Bank of America, take a left onto Harvard St. (a sign on the right will say Route 16 East/Everett). Follow Harvard St. straight through four lights, until you come to Powderhouse rotary. Take the rotary half-way around, exiting for College Avenue southbound. First Church is just over a block down on the left.
Accessibility
During our Communion, the Bread is vegan, the Cup is non-alcoholic grape juice, and we have gluten-free loaves available.
During our Coffee Hour after worship, we strive to label all homemade food with ingredients and have a strict nut-free policy in our entire building.
We are comfortable with—and used to—a normal amount of some kid-noise during worship. We have fidget boxes and wiggle seats to help your child feel more comfortable in worship. Kids are also welcome to play quietly in our play area in the back of the Sanctuary.
You don't have to be a child to be allowed to move around! If you need to knit, doodle, or do something else while seated to be able to focus, please do so. If you need to get up and move around, please do so.
All bathrooms on our ground level have baby-changing tables: both the single-stall gender-neutral handicap-accessible bathroom just off the fellowship hall by the elevator, as well as the two-stall women's bathroom past the kitchen.
There is accessible parking closest to our entrance on Francesca Avenue. We have an accessible restroom on the ground floor and an elevator to the sanctuary on the ground floor. Wheelchair pew seating is available in two locations in the sanctuary. A digital bulletin is available for use with a screen reader or for magnification on a phone or tablet. If you would like an electronic copy of the bulletin in advance, you may ask for one ahead of time by emailing office@firstchurchsomerville.org. We also have an online audio feed that can be accessed by phone (via Zoom) and hooked up to headphones if sound amplification is helpful. If an ASL interpreter would enhance your worship experience, please email office@firstchurchsomerville.org with three weeks’ notice, and we will hire an interpreter for the Sunday(s) you will be attending.
Photo policy
First Church Somerville hosts events that are open to the public in public settings. We occasionally photograph church events for the purposes of documenting and sharing information about our ministries and the life of our congregation with the community, and our worship services are broadcast via Zoom with video. However, we are also aware of the need to provide for the safety and comfort of those who are a part of our community. To that end, we would like to share the following policy on photographs and videos.
For those under age 18, the option to opt-in to having a child appear in church photos and videos shared in public venues such as our website and social media (without names identifying those in the images) will appear on the WoRM (church school)/nursery/Youth Group registration form, starting Fall 2024. If a child is not opted in on the form by a parent/guardian, no images of that child will be shared on our public website or social media. Parents/guardians should be aware that children in the sanctuary may be visible on Zoom (especially during the Children’s Moment), which is a password protected video feed that is not typically recorded, stored, or shared after the service.
As appropriate, we encourage parents/guardians to involve their children in the decision to share their photos or not.
Any adults who do not wish to appear in photographs or videos published in venues such as our website and social media may request that by emailing the Communications Committee at communications@firstchurchsomerville.org. We will update our records and check that you are not visually identifiable in anything we publish
Signs will be posted in the church building to share basic information about photography and Zoom and advertise this policy. An area of the sanctuary that does not appear on the Zoom video feed and will not be photographed will be designated in which those who prefer not to appear on video may sit. Those seated in this area should be aware that parts of the service involving movement on or near the chancel (e.g. receiving Communion) may result in being visible briefly on the Zoom feed.