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On the morning of September 18, 1834, a group of Boston churchmen met at the Dudley School to organize a church for "the friends of Evangelical Truth in Roxbury." It was named for John Eliot, a, well-known missionary (1604-1640) and a "society" was established to sell pews and control the church's financial affairs. Meetings were held in the school until a building was erected on Kenilworth Street.
Nine years later, the church initiated a Sunday School on Davis Street. In 1856, the church's missionary society built a chapel for the school (on Vine Street) and shortly thereafter, members of Eliot were sent to form the Vine Street Church. When this group moved to a new building on Moreland Street, its name was changed to "Immanuel.?
On December 19, 1870, members of Eliot were sent to form still another church for families holding Sunday School in the Walnut Avenue area. The Walnut Avenue Church purchased land ($11,682) and built a Chapel ($42,418) on the corner of Walnut and Dale. The Chapel was dedicated on May 26, 1 873. Sixteen years later (February 27, 1889) they dedicated a full-sized church building ($62,915). A parish house was added in 1909 ($25,000).
Immanuel Church declined in attendance and support as its members moved away or died. In 1 906 it agreed to merge with the Walnut Avenue Church, forming the Immanuel-Walnut Church on January 1, 1907.
Before long, Eliot Church was also experiencing a decline in numbers and negotiations began for second union. Eliot Church held its last service in the Kenilworth building on January 29, 1922. Thereafter, Immanuel-Walnut dismissed all of its members to unite with Eliot and went out of existence. Eliot closed the Kenilworth building and its congregation came down to Walnut & Dale. The Immanuel-Walnut minister (B.A. Willmott) became pastor of the merged church. Thus began the Eliot Church on the corner of Walnut & Dale.
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