Submitting to the Indefinable: George Inness and the Language of Nature
June 1, 2024

ABOUT US

The Boston Society of the New Jerusalem (Swedenborgian) is a progressive Christian presence in the City of Boston, a reflection of the Swedenborgian theology of service and mission, through our commitment to education, social justice, and human rights. We attempt to be a “rock” of stability and support in an uncertain world – a tranquil and peaceful “home away from home” for all people, where a person is missed when he or she is absent, and where one can find comfort, healing, and normalcy when things are not going well.

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We worship the Lord Jesus Christ according to His Holy Word and the theological writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. And in following those teachings, this Church shall maintain free and open worship of the Divine and shall honor the good in all religions that seek to foster a positive regard for all humanity, recognizing unity and diversity.

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SUNDAY GATHERINGS

Join us on Sundays at 11:00 for our traditional worship service, but it is traditional with a progressive outlook! Music is an integral part of our worship, and our music program draws from a rich variety of traditional and modern music. Our church’s director of music conducts a professional choir and plays both organ and piano.

The church opens at 9:30 with coffee and discussion. At 10:00 on the first Sunday of the month, spiritual growth classes are offered for anyone who is interested in growing spiritually.

After worship, we gather in the Swedenborg Room and get to know each other better and share our thoughts and reflections on worship.

Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of the month.

The whole family is welcome! Sunday School and in-service children’s materials are available!

OUR HISTORY

The foundation of the Boston Society of the New Jerusalem can be traced back to 1784 and the Green Dragon Tavern in Boston. It was in that year when original members of the church first meet to hear a lecture on Swedenborg by James Glen. In 1818, twelve admirers of Swedenborg organized a Swedenborgian church in the city. Incorporated in 1823, the BSNJ is the first Swedenborgian church established in Massachusetts. Members of the church met at several locations before finally settling in 1845 at its present location atop Beacon Hill. The location inspired the name by which many today know the society: the Church on the Hill (Swedenborgian).

Through the years, members of the church included Timothy Harrington Carter, founder of the Old Corner Bookstore; Sampson Reed, mentor of Ralph Waldo Emerson; Lydia Maria Child, writer and abolitionist; Warren Felt Evans, healer; Theophilus Parsons, dean of Harvard Law School; Theophilus P. Chandler, architect; Clarence Barron, a financier who was editor of the Wall Street Journal and president of Dow Jones; George James Webb, hymnologist; Doctor Thomas Chalmers Peebles, and The Honorable Malcolm Nichols, Mayor of Boston.

A beautiful Gothic Revival structure served the membership until the mid 1960s when it was replaced with a new church facility and an 18-story apartment building. Today, the main sanctuary of the church is accessible from Bowdoin Street.