Union Church

Founded in 1796   Established by African American believers who left a segregated Beacon Hill church, Union Church emerged as a center of faith and resistance in the early 18th-century. Union became a hub of Black activism whose members included abolitionist David Walker, author of Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World. After several relocations, this 1872 sanctuary became home to the congregation in 1949. Union has hosted major political and cultural moments from national NAACP conventions to performances by Duke Ellington And His Orchestra. In the 1970s, Union developed Meth-Union Manor Cooperative, providing affordable housing to South End families, and co-founded the nation’s longest running Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast. In 2000, Union became the first Black United Methodist congregation to officially welcome persons of all sexual and gender identities. Three congregations merged with Union Church in 2023 to form the Union Combined Parish, a multisite community committed to love and liberation.