About
Who we are
The Sanctuary Boston is a community of vibrant worship and real connection.
We gather in worship twice monthly on Wednesday evenings, online and in-person. Our in-person gatherings alternate between Boston and Cambridge. Whether you go to church on Sunday morning or light candles on Friday nights, whether you’ve been hurt by religion, saved by it, or some of both, whether you’re brand new to spiritual community, or a seasoned seeker, you are welcome.
Find out more about our worship services and our small group ministry or check out videos of past services here.
We believe…
You can have spirituality without the church.
Religion without the hierarchy.
Love beyond belief.
We are a community grounded in Unitarian Universalism and open to seekers of all kinds. Unitarian Universalism calls us to honor the sacredness in every person, find our own spiritual path, and live our shared values of love and justice in community.
We believe…
Trans people are holy.
Marriage equality is sacred.
Black Lives Matter is a spiritual mandate.
Our immigrant neighbors deserve love and respect.
Our individual beliefs and practices may vary widely. We are humanists, theists, Christians, Buddhists, Jews, pagans, and mystics. In the end we don’t feel spiritual community is so much about what we “believe to be true,” but about how we should live and love and share the gift of our lives.
Leadership
-
Matt Meyer
Director of Community Life
Matt Meyer is the Director of Operations and Community Life for Sanctuary Boston. He also works professionally as an itinerant UU musician and worship leader, having led hundreds of services for UU congregations around the country.
-
Mark David Buckles
Music Director
Mark David Buckles is a conductor, composer, singer, music educator, multi-instrumentalist, and worship leader. Mark’s many roles include serving as the Director of Music at Arlington Street Church, Music Director of The Sanctuary Boston, and instructor of piano and music theory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
-
Mac Perkins-High
Family Worship Coordinator & Campus Organizer
Mac Perkins-High (they/he) is a lifelong UU based in Harvard, Massachusetts. They have a deep love for intergenerational communities and delight in connecting people together. Mac has master's degrees in Divinity and Education, and (appropriately enough) also serves as a religious educator. In their non-work life, Mac spends time on projects that pull together threads of art, math, stories, and the outdoors. They can often be found running around the woods of New England, playing with their niece and nephew, or with their nose in a book.
-
Craig Hildreth
Multiplatform Tech Lead
Craig is an audio engineer, sound designer and musician based out of the Greater Boston area. In addition to his duties as the Hybrid Tech Lead at Sanctuary Boston, he also manages the weekly broadcast and AV system at First Church Boston and works during the week as the Music Clubhouse Coordinator for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell.
-
John Newhall
Ministerial Intern
John Newhall is a lifelong Unitarian Universalist from Salem, MA. He graduated Boston University with a Master of Divinity and a Master of Theology in 2023 and 2024. He also works as a religious educator ans serves as Trustee and Vice-Moderator on the UU Association’s Board of Trustees
-
Betiel Brhane
Administrator & Communications Specialist
Betiel is the Administrator & Communications Specialist for Sanctuary Boston. They have over ten years of experience in community organizing and nonprofit administration through their work with The City School and Dudley Neighbors Inc, a community land trust.
-
Ciyadh Wells
Campus Ministry Fundraiser
Dr. Ciyadh Wells is a guitarist who not only considers herself an artist, but also an activist and scholar. With a passion for promoting diversity and inclusivity in the arts, she firmly believes that access to artistic experiences of all kinds is crucial for a healthy society. Ciyadh strives to leverage the power of music to ignite transformative change and to foster community. When not playing the guitar, Ciyadh is also an avid language learning enthusiast and reader. She works as an arts administrator in Boston, MA.
“What then is sanctuary?
The sanctuary is often something very small. Not a grandiose gesture, but a small gesture toward alleviating human suffering and preventing humiliation.
The sanctuary is a human being.
Sanctuary is a dream.
And that is why you are here and that is why I am here.
We are here because of one another.
We are in truth each other’s shelter.”
~ Elie Wiesel
Supporting Our Community
This year we’ve given away over $8,000 from our worship collection to support organizations that share our values, including these.
We share our offering to support:
trans liberation
racial justice
LGBTQ equality
climate Justice
disaster relief
immigration justice
relief and peace in the middle east
violence prevention
food pantries
reproductive justice
Accessibility
We strive to make The Sanctuary Boston a welcoming and accessible space in as many ways as possible. Both of our host churches, First Parish Cambridge and First Church in Boston, are wheelchair accessible and our worship spaces are accessible by elevator.
Masking is required for everyone over five years old, who’s physically able, while indoors, except for worship leaders. You can remove your mask in the adjacent room for eating and drinking.
In an effort to better welcome our fragrance sensitive community members, we ask that you not wear perfume, cologne, or other strong scents to Sanctuary worship.
If you have any questions about accessibility, or dietary restrictions, feel free to be in touch.