Our Beliefs

We are a United Methodist Church.  You may learn about the denomination’s history and beliefs at www.umc.org.

 

Our History

Mount Vernon Place UMC was founded in 1850 as a local church in Washington, D.C. for the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. What started with 50 members quadrupled in size until the Civil War when membership dropped significantly. After the Civil War, the church experienced a steady period of growth. During the 1940s and 1950s, the church became a center of spiritual and social activity in the center of Washington. The church employed a full-time social worker and had extensive outreach ministries to the people living around the church, especially the homeless. The church's membership roll experienced an all time high of 4540 members in 1960. The ensuing six years proved to be very difficult for the church, and the church lost over 1500 members between 1960 and 1966. The church has continued to experience a steady decline in membership. The church and its neighborhood are experiencing significant changes, however, and the church is starting to show signs of new life again.

The historic sanctuary was built in 1917 when Mount Vernon Place became the national representative church for the Methodist Episcopal Church South. The Methodist Episcopal South merged with the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Protestant Church in 1939, and the church became Mount Vernon Place Methodist Church until 1968 when the church became Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church. The church's membership has also changed through the years, and the church now has a diverse congregation of people of many ethnicities, ages and backgrounds.

In 1995, Mount Vernon Place created a shared ministry with the Chinese Community Church of Washington. Since this time, the two congregations have been serving together at 900 Massachusetts Avenue, NW. The Shared Ministry was created in part due to the space supply and demand of the two congregations. It was also believed, however, that the two congregations had a common vision for ministry that was grounded in the Lordship of Jesus Christ and that the two congregations could better serve the needs of the city by serving together.

In 2005, the Chinese Community Church and Mount Vernon Place UMC began to make plans to follow separate paths. The Chinese Community Church discerned options to sell their property on L Street and purchase another property, while Mount Vernon Place discerned that it should sell a portion of its property for redevelopment. The Chinese Community Church sold its property and purchased the former Corinthian Baptist Church at 5 th and I Streets, NW, and Mount Vernon Place has moved forward with plans to sell a portion of its property for the development of a twelve story building, using the proceeds of the sale to purchase 25,000 square feet in the new building and to completely renovate its 1917 historic sanctuary. The Shared Ministry ended in August, 2006, and the Chinese Community Church is now worshipping at 5th and I Streets, NW.

We give thanks and praise for all that God has done since 1850. We are thankful to have the opportunity to continue to serve in the heart of the nation's capital, and we look forward to seeing how God will use us in the years to come.

There is a place for you here. Come join us!