The Rev. Mr. John R. Odams has been the Pastor of Pilgrim Church since 1999. Prior to that time he was a colleague to the late Rev. Mr. David A. Venator, who was the Pastor of Pilgrim Church from 1961 - 1999.
The Rev. Mr. Odams received the Degree of Master of Divinity from Andover Newton Theological School in 1988. Previously, he received a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Michael's College in Winooski, Vermont, and an Associate of Arts from Cape Cod Community College. He holds ministerial standing through the American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts.
Before becoming associated with Pilgrim Church, Rev. Odams was Pastor of the First Baptist Church in Dorchester. He also had been a pastoral intern at the First Baptist Church of Boston.
Rev. Odams has also devoted many years to working with individuals with developmental and cognitive disabilities: including serving as the president of the ARC of Greater Boston, and as a member of the Human Rights Committees of TILL, Inc., Autism Services Association, and Chairperson of the Human Rights Committee of North Suffolk Mental Health Association, Inc. He is a member of the Govermental Affairs Commitee of the ARC of Massachusetts and a member of the Board of Directors of the ARC of Greater Boston. Rev. Odams is also the legal guardian to numerous individuals with developmental disabilities.
Rev. Odams is a past president of the Massachusetts American Baptist Historical Society. He is the treasurer of Serve New England Food Cooperative and Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries. He is also the immediate past president of the Meetinghouse Hill Civic Association in Dorchester.
Pilgrim Church 540 Columbia Road Dorchester, MA 02125 617-282-0456 fax: 617-825-0189 pastor@pilgrimchurch1862.org
