Reception 5:30 p.m.
Dinner 6:30 p.m.
Meeting after Dinner
This meeting will be held at the Sheraton Hotel in Needham
Cabot Room - not the Grand Ballroom this night.
Our Guests | |
| Mr. John McNiff | Historian/Story Teller Roger Willams Re-enactor |
|---|---|
| Rev. Dr. Margaret J Howard | Messiah Baptist Church |
| Rev. Gregory Sekal | Interim Pastor First Baptist Church Medford |
| Mr. Robert Howard | Director Boston Baptist Social Union |
| Mr. Doug Tibbets | Director Boston Baptist Social Union |
Meeting Agenda | |
| Welcome | President Wesley Babbitt |
|---|---|
| Song | “O God, Our Help in Ages Past” |
| Invocation | Rev. Dr. Margaret J Howard |
| Dinner | |
| Business | |
| Benediction | Rev. Greg Sekal |
John McNiff, a Rhode Island native, is an historian, archaeologist, story teller, and performer with a lifelong passion for uncovering and interpreting the hidden naratives of early New England. An historian with a flair for performance, a scientist with a storyteller's soul, he doesn't just tell history, he embodies it, bringing 17th century New England to life for modern audiences with a blend of scholarship, showmanship, and grounded truth.
McNiff majored in history at Rhode Island College, worked as a commercial fisherman and in advertising sales, then earned a masters degree in anthropology at Binghamton University, and launched a career in archaeology. His fieldwork has taken him across New England, England, and Mexico; driven by a deep interest in the CSI-like investigation that archaeology provides, of how everyday people lived, worked, resisted, and adapted. For him, history is not just about dates, kings, and wars. McNiff is hunting the human heartbeat behind the history.
In his spare time, McNiff worked as an actor and theatrical producer, working with Rhode Island's Cumberland Company for the Performing Arts as a producer and main stage actor. He also headed up the apprentice training program at king Richard's Faire in Carver, MA for several years as well as working as main stage actor there as well for almost 20 years. He has done voice-over work for History Channel, and independent films as well.
For 27 years McNiff served as a park ranger with the National Park Service at the Roger Williams National Memorial in Providence, RI. He specialized as Roger Williams, european contact with native inhabitants and 17th century New England history. He became the content expert for the National Memorial. His background in live theater, film, and video production enriched his ability to connect with audiences, making the past both relatable and riveting.
An active historic re-enactor since 1974, he has portrayed eras from the 17th through 19th centuries. He began this with a state chartered militia, the Kentish Guard, and later joining provate organizations. His heart, however, remains in the 1600's; a time of seismic transformation in both England and the Americas. It was a world of first contacts, cultural collisions, shifting languages, and philosphical upheaval, shaped by the minds of Shakespeare, Bacon, Newton, Locke, and Milton. All echoed, reinterpreted, and sometimes resisted on the other side of the Atlantic.
To McNiff, history isn't about dates and dust, it's about people navigating change, leaving traces, and shaping the world we live in. He has been helping others see that world more clearly for over five decades.
McNiff retired from the National Park Service in 2023 after 27 years of service. He continues to tell the story of Roger Williams and Rhode Island history in public programs both here and abroad.
so many folks say that history is boring. Not this time. This talk is going to be very different. No Power Point, no slides, just a man talking about his life. It is not often you will be able to hear from the founder of Rhode Island. Here is an opportunity.
Historian and archaeologist John McNiff will bring Roger Williams to life in a dynamic first person portrayal. He will talk of the issues that drove some English from their homeland to a so-called new world. Well, it was at least for them. 17th century English religion, politics, the very nature and structure of society was at stake. What was it like to live in this so called 'New' England? Who were the people that were here already? How could Williams live alongside them as a good neighbor? What was the legacy of Roger Williams' life work? Who is responsible for seeing that it continues?
Roger will speak for about 45-50 minutes and will spend whatever time necessary to answer all your questions.