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 Associate of Arts from Cape Cod Community College and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religious Studies from Saint Michael's College in Vermont. He then received a Master of Divinty degree from the oldest graduate school of theology in the United States.. He holds ministerial standing through the American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts. He is currently a member of the Commission on Ecumenism of the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ.
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 being a past president of the ARC of Greater Boston, a member of Human Rights Committees for TILL, Inc., Autism Services Association, VINFEN, and Co-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. Rev. Odams is also the legal guardian to numerous individuals with developmental disabilities and serves on Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council's Task Force of Guardianship.
