Rev. John Allen has joined First Parish Church in Brunswick as the new senior pastor. Courtesy photo by Jared Morneau

The congregation of First Parish Church of Brunswick, United Church of Christ, has celebrated the arrival of Rev. John Allen, as its new senior pastor. Rev. Allen joins First Parish as the 24th senior pastor in its 304-year history.

The Senior Pastor Search Committee recommended Rev. Allen after a yearlong search, calling him “an authentic, thoughtful, inspiring, and accessible faith leader, who offers First Parish the opportunity to live into our mission in these challenging times,” said Margo Knight, chair of the committee.

Rev. Allen accepted the congregation’s invitation saying, “The life of faith is a journey and it is a journey that we are not meant to take alone. I am grateful that God calls us together to be the church, to support one another through life’s challenges, to celebrate together life’s beauty, and to work together to make the love of God unmistakable in a hurting world.”

“We are impressed by his spirit, depth of his discernment process, leadership training and skills along with his financial and technical capabilities, and his alignment in vision with First Parish,” said Laura Lee, chair of the church council.

Before arriving at First Parish, Rev. Allen served as the Minister at the First Congregational Church of Milton, Massachusetts, United Church of Christ. He has also previously served as a Pastoral Resident at Village Church in Wellesley, Massachusetts. The Pastoral Residency is a full-time, two-year ministry which seeks to build on seminary education in order to equip leaders for a lifetime of ministry.

Rev. Allen is a graduate of Davidson College and received his Master of Divinity in New Testament from Union Theological Seminary. While at Union he planned daily worship for the community, and coordinated a lecture series on “Theology and Economics.” Before attending seminary, he worked as a firefighter and EMT in North Carolina. He is joined in Brunswick with his wife, Molli, and daughters Cora and Lydia.

First Parish Church, 217 Maine St., offers Sunday worship services at 10:00 a.m. in person and on Facebook Live. Masks are required in the sanctuary at this time.