History

Founded in 1952 in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., our congregation grew and moved to the Woodridge neighborhood of northeast D.C. before settling at our current location in the D.C. suburb of Hyattsville, Maryland in 1959 under the name Hyattsville Mennonite Church (HMC). We have long been an eclectic congregation, welcoming members of the old “Mennonite Church” and “General Conference Mennonite Church” denominations (before they were transformed into Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada in 2001), those from other Anabaptist and Christian denominations, and many other diverse peoples, including multiple races and ethnicities, LGBTQIA+ persons, and those of different abilities. A major rebuild of our church building was completed in early 2013, with improved and increased access to all parts of the church, especially for those with physical handicaps; improvements included a lift between the main and basement levels, and an all-gender bathroom with a shower.

On Nov. 5, 2005, Allegheny Mennonite Conference (AMC) delegates voted to discipline HMC for its practice of receiving into membership LGBTQIA+ Christians in committed relationships. On March 7, 2015, HMC was restored to full membership in AMC by a 72-70 vote of the delegates. For a fuller picture of that process, see this article on The Atlantic magazine’s website. AMC is a district conference of Mennonite Church USA (MCUSA). HMC is also a member of the Supportive Communities Network (SCN), a program of the Brethren Mennonite Council for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Interests (BMC).

We strive to be a diverse church, affirming and welcoming all identities, with congregants from all over the U.S. and other countries like France, Honduras, Netherlands, Kenya, El Salvador, and elsewhere. While our services are held in English, many in our congregation are fluent in other languages, including Spanish, French, Mandarin, Swahili, German, and more.

We span a wide range of ages, and have a large group of younger children. We come with all sorts of abilities and gifts. We are at work both in our local communities and across the U.S. and the world. We are all at different places in our lives and faith journeys.