Boston Chapel Timeline
(Research from the Church of the Nazarene Archives):
For Boston, MA, prior to 1961, there is no organized Church of the Nazarene having Boston in the church name or in the location address. Here’s is the information for the years prior to 1961 for the Boston, MA area (from the New England District journals):
Beverly Living Hope – Status is active. Organized in 1907 as Beverly and changed the name to Living Hope in 2007.
Brockton - Status is active. Organized in 1928.
Cambridge First - Status is active. Organized in 1907 as Cambridge and changed the name to Cambridge First in 1990.
Danvers - Status is active. Organized in 1907 as Peabody and changed the name to Danvers with relocation in 1987.
Dorchester - Status is dropped. Started in 1955 as an ”Approved Home-Mission Project” with 12 active Sunday School members and 4 officers and teachers. The pastor was R.E. Lockwood. Continued to be a Home-Mission until it was no longer listed after 1960. It never organized and this is not related to any current Dorchester church.
Duxbury Saint Paul’s - Status is active. Organized in 1950 as Duxbury and changed the name to Duxbury Saint Paul’s in 1979.
Easton - Status is disorganized. Organized in 1954, reported inactive in 1978, and disorganized in 1982.
Everett - Status is disorganized. Organized in 1907 and disorganized in 1971.
Framingham - Status is active. Organized in 1929.
Lowell First - Status is active. Organized in 1907 as Lowell and changed the name to Lowell First in 1990.
Lynn First - Status is active. Organized in 1907 as Lynn and changed the name to Lynn First in 2007.
Malden First - Status is active. Organized in 1907 as Malden and changed the name to Malden First in 1990.
Medford - Status is disorganized. Organized in 1952 and disorganized in 1959.
Melrose - Status is active. Organized in 1929.
Quincy Bethel - Status is active. Organized in 1947 as Bethel Beach and changed the name to Quincy Bethel in 1955.
Quincy Wollaston - Status is active. Organized in 1921 as Wollaston and changed the name to Quincy Wollaston in 1955.
Reading - Status is inactive. Organized in 1947, reported inactive in 2005.
Salem - Status is disorganized. Organized in 1907 and disorganized in 1924.
Saugus-Cliftondale - Status is active. Organized in 1907 as Cliftondale and changed the name to Saugus-Cliftondale in 1968.
South Weymouth - Status is active. Started in 1950 as Quincy Chapel, changed name to Quincy Granite Chapel in 1954, organized in 1955 as Quincy Granite and changed the name to South Weymouth in 1978 with relocation.
Walpole - Status is merged. Started in 1943 as Norwood, organized in 1944 and changed the name to Walpole in 1967. Merged with Walpole Emaus in 1995.
Walpole Emaus - Status is merged. Started in 1955 as Boston Chapel, organized in 1962 and changed the name to Dorchester Emaus in 1979 with relocation. Changed the name to Walpole Emaus while relocating to and merging with Walpole in 1995. Merged with Brockton Bethel in 2006 with the new name Brockton Nova Alianca.
Waltham - Status is disorganized. Organized in 1932 and disorganized in 2006.
West Medford - Status is disorganized. Organized in 1917 and disorganized in 1924.
West Somerville - Status is active. Organized in 1907.
Boston Chapel
Boston Chapel pastors (from the New England District journals):
1954 – Fred Wenger (Approved Home-Mission Project)
1955 – Jerry Huft (Approved Home-Mission Project)
1956-59 – Nevin Crouse (Approved Home-Mission Project)
1960-61 – James Tasker (Approved Home-Mission Project)
1962 – Robert Ritter (Boston Chapel organized)
1963-64 – (Earl) Tom Hollett
1965 – Harold Henderson
1966 – Richard C. White (arrived sometime in 1965)
1967 – Raymond L. Patch
1968-70 – Gary L. Goodell
1971-75 – Robert C. MacDonald
1976-78 – F. William Freed
Some notes from the annual District Superintendent reports (from the New England District journals):
1962 – D.S. Fletcher Spruce reports “Boston Chapel, organized this year, has nearly $1,000 in savings for eventual relocation of their church, thanks to the leadership of their pastor, Rev. James Tasker."
1963 – D.S. Fletcher Spruce reports “Boston Chapel has been displaced by urban renewal and is relocating.”
1964 – D.S. Fletcher Spruce reports “Boston Chapel where Rev. Tom Hollett is pastor, dedicated their newly acquired place of worship April 26. They have also increased the pastor’s salary by $15 per week."
1969 – D.S. Kenneth H. Pearsall reports “Rev. Gary Goodell, a recent graduate of ENC and pastor of the Boston Chapel, has just led his people into a relocation program. Since the old chapel was purchased by the city, a four-story dwelling on Massachusetts Ave. has been purchased and will provide a multipurpose building for our inner-city work."
Locations listed (from the New England District journals):
1954-62: 26 Dover St., Boston, MA
1963-68: 14 Elmwood St., (Roxbury, MA 02119) Boston, MA 02120
1969-78: 665 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, MA 02170