The Palisades Community Church is a progressive, welcoming, and intentionally diverse congregation located in the northwest quadrant of Washington, DC. We are one hundred years old: multi-denominational, dedicated to religious inclusiveness, and committed to giving back to our community and world.
We believe that all people are unconditionally welcome and that the teachings of Jesus call us to love and serve all of our neighbors, both in the Washington, DC community and beyond.
The Palisades Community Church was founded in 1923 when several families became interested in developing a neighborhood Sunday School for their children. They called a community meeting and were happy to learn that the idea was quite popular among area families.
Because the neighbors were from eleven different denominational backgrounds, they feared that it would be too competitive to focus their teachings on one particular tradition. One of the founders suggested that they begin a Community Church in which all would be welcomed and to which all members could bring the best of their spiritual heritage.
The Palisades Community Church is now an independent, multi-denominational church that welcomes all into our family. Our progressive Christian congregation is dedicated to religious inclusiveness, care and concern for our congregation and giving back to the world around us.
If you were to ask any regular attendee of The Palisades Community Church what they believed about God, their faith and the meaning of life, their answers would be varied. We are not a congregation that recites a creed on Sunday mornings.
But with that said, there are a few values that we hold in common.
We’re a Christian congregation that believes that the teachings of Jesus are important to be studied, reflected upon with modern interpretation and lived out through action. We do this by attending worship on Sunday mornings.
We do practice the sacrament of baptism. We practice both infant and believer’s baptism by request. We accept all baptisms done by other churches. We offer confirmation classes to teens who were baptized as infants. Baptism is not mandatory for membership in the church or to receive communion.
The second sacrament we practice is communion. The first Sunday of the month, you’ll be welcomed to a service of Holy Communion. All are welcomed to participate who choose to do so. Occasionally communion will be offered at other special services. We use grape juice for our communion and bread (not gluten-free).
We believe in the beauty of Christian community. We are dedicated to building a community amidst diversity of race, lifestyle and belief. We believe that God’s love compels us to give back in service to those in need. For this reason, we have ongoing mission projects throughout the year with opportunities for material giving and volunteerism.
We believe that we’re a part of the wider Church universal. For this reason, we’re a member of the International Council of Community Churches (ICCC), an organization founded to bring community churches like ours together for shared fellowship, service and racial reconciliation. The ICC is not a denomination; but rather a voluntary association of diverse types of churches that believe in their mission.
The cornerstone of our church is commitment to give back to the greater community. We believe every person has something to offer which will enrich our community. This translates into active volunteerism in our neighborhood, city, country and the world.
We encourage every participant to embrace the spirit of giving and set an example of how to live a life of positive values through personal action. Stewardship to our church and community missions includes regular commitments of time, energy and financial support.
We are vibrant, close-knit and open-minded. Active engagement in the life of the church and in the lives of its members and friends is an essential component of our values and vision.
Our church is a way of life that enriches the lives of all those who participate in it and the community of which we are a part.Our church is a place for reflection and connection, to renew us for the work and pressures of our daily lives.
Our church is a place for families to introduce their children to strong Christian values, sense of purpose, moral confidence and genuine respect and care for one another. Individuals and families across generations come together within the church as a true community of friends.
Because we believe in the power of racial reconciliation and missions, we are a member of the International Council of Community Churches (ICCC) — an international, intercultural, interracial fellowship of churches which seeks to realize Christian unity in local, national and world relations.
We nurture our own congregation and promote the best attributes of humanity in the Christian tradition. However, members and visitors from every denomination and spiritual background find a place at our church. We are an independent Christian church affiliated with the International Council of Community Churches.
Our life together is based upon faith in Jesus Christ and the values which he taught. We are welcoming to all, regardless of race, creed or lifestyle. We recognize many paths to spirituality, connection to God and community.Our desire for religious diversity reflects our recognition that every individual finds his or her own way to God. Our church is completely open to any and all people without prejudice.
We are a family and we build our values around our concern not for ourselves, but for each other. These values include great curiosity about the world in which we live and all the peoples and cultures of the world that make up the fabric of humanity. As our Spiritual Identity Vision Statement proclaims, “Our diversity is our unity!”
In the Palisades Community Church’s 100 years of existence it has had two children grow up in the church family and become pastors themselves. Both have served PCC at some time in their careers. One is me. The other is Rev. Jeffrey Newhall.
My parents were married at PCC in 1960 and I have been a part of PCC off and on since 1961.
I have been a public health dental hygienist since 1986 working in insurance, military, hospital, research and county government. I received my MDiv from Wesley Seminary in 2012 and was ordained at PCC. I did my internship at Grand Oaks Assisted Living Center. My ordination is recognized by The International Council of Community Churches, Disciples of Christ and United Church of Christ. I have served PCC off and on as laity and clergy.
I assumed the duties of the pastor after Easter, 2024.
I am passionate about healing and wholeness and see no difference in my ministry in the dental clinic with the poor and underserved, and my ministry at PCC. I am a certified Biblical Storyteller and I enjoy bringing the Bible alive by telling its stories instead of reading them. If you would to learn more about biblical storytelling, I invite you to visit the Network of Biblical Storytellers at nbsint.org.
Almost 70 years ago our church in Palisades became my church. Of course, my parents chose it for me. My father came to DC before WWII, lived with his aunt and uncle on Sherier Place while going to school and building the Pentagon. He probably went with them to this church before he was drafted. He moved back to DC with my mother after the war, eventually settled in Palisades. They joined the church, taking first my brother and then me to church and Sunday school. Pretty regularly.
Growing up and living in DC included: attending Public Schools, St John’s College High School, George Washington University; working for US General Services Administration, finally retiring; moving across the Potomac to beautiful Arlington.
This church, which included many people who became close to me, probably influenced my thinking much more than its Christian message alone intended. Its non-sectarian foundation and early stance for the civil rights movement, added to DC’s cosmopolitanism, created in me a heightened acceptance of diversity and tolerance. Maybe that’s a good part of Christianity and a healthy church?
Bio Coming Soon.
PCC has been a family church for me for much of my life. My sister and I became members when we were young kids, when my mom was seeking to introduce us to a friendly church where we could build community and learn Bible stories in an accessible and open-minded way. My childhood and young adulthood involved sweet friendships with the young and old in our congregation.
When I lived in DC in my younger 20's, I became enthusiastic about bringing friends along to church and leading some community-based service projects. At that time, I was invited to consider seeking a council position to lead mission projects for the church. Since then, we have engaged in several fulfilling service projects as a church to our local community, including preparing meals and goodie bags for the elderly and homeless, preparing hygiene and clothing kits for underprivileged individuals, and gathering donations for causes around the world.
In addition to mission projects, I also manage the church's social media accounts and email account.
In 2020, the Palisades Community Church launched the Palisades Hub, an organization separate from the faith community, aimed at sharing the church’s building and campus as a gathering space for the community at large.
Since its establishment, the Hub has become a thriving cultural center, featuring concerts, dances, speaker series, suppers, classes and other community events. It is also continues to serve as home to the Community Preschool of the Palisades, the Palisades Village, the Washington Jung Society, and a local Boy Scout troop, and rents space for private gatherings as well.
To learn more about the Hub and the exciting opportunities it offers for the community to connect, learn and serve, visit the link below.
