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"I guess the most important response is love. Where I struggle is how we define that love and if that love is abusive or misguided.
The love of all people and things.
The love in nurturing others.
The love of a parent protecting your child regardless.
The love of country.
The love of security.
The love of a partner, a lover, a friend.
The love of God.
The love from God."
- David Rice, member DUMC

Opportunities for Participating in
Dumbarton's Missions & Ministries

In addition to worship, study, and times of fellowship, DUMCers are invited to be involved.  Our four program clusters -- Education, Mission and Outreach, Nurture, and Worship -- bring together a number of functions in each of these areas so that ministry can be effectively coordinated without the overtaxing members by asking them to serve on several committees.  Our three elected committees -- Finance Committee, Staff-Parish Relations Committee, and Trustees --  fulfill essential administrative work.  Interest groups share interest in a common topic or issue.

      Anyone interested in participating may join any of the DUMC's program clusters or one of the committees within a cluster-just talk to the committee chair, who is listed in the Parish Directory. If you wish to serve on one of the standing administrative committees, talk to the pastor or another member of the Lay Leadership Committee.  If you want to join in an interest group, please contact the church office.

Program Clusters

Education Cluster brings together the persons who plan for education for all age levels at DUMC.  Work for some of the age levels is coordinated by a committee while other age levels may be coordinated by one or two people.

      Adult Education Committee plans and coordinates opportunities for adult education. This often involves setting up discussion classes, selecting themes and readings, arranging for outside speakers if needed, and working with other committees that might want to use the time for education in their areas of interest.  The Sunday morning Adult Ed discussions begin at 9:45; they do not meet in the summer.  Other classes meet as scheduled, such as on Wednesday evenings.

      Children's Education Committee provides Christian education for Dumbarton children and youth aged 2 to 12.

     The youngest children--ages 3 - 3rd grade--are involved in Godly Play; The Intermediate class is for elementary children in grades 4 - 6.

      The committee is responsible for finding teams of teachers for all the children, for providing training and development for those teachers, and for developing or providing curriculum for Sunday School and special programs.

      Youth Team works with the youth grades 7 - 12, coordinating educational and social gatherings for them.

Mission & Outreach Cluster has some of its functions carried out by committees and others by individuals or teams of two or three people. Working as a whole, the Cluster seeks to help the congregation provide an effective witness to the world for social justice, including overseeing the money the church tithes for mission and outreach.

     Georgetown Ministry Center, a joint effort of many Georgetown churches, a synagogue, and other organizations, reaches out the homeless of Georgetown. Two DUMCers sit on the board of GMC, and many in the congregation help with the in-church shelter (usually at St. Paul's, on K St.) during two weeks in the winter.

     Inter-America Committee oversees our outreach with our sister community, Santa Marta, El Salvador, and with our missionary friends in Nicaragua and Honduras. The Committee keeps the congregation informed about the conditions in Central America, coordinating letters to Congress, raising funds, and encouraging work teams to travel to Nicaragua and other areas.

     Reconciling Community Committee mobilizes members of the congregation to work for acceptance of gay lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons and their families within the United Methodist Church, raises funds to support these efforts, and plans an annual Reconciling Worship Celebration followed by a Mardi Gras Pancake Brunch.

      WIN Liaisons encourage members of the congregation to work within D.C. through the Washington Interfaith Network. A special project is working at J.O. Wilson Elementary School, tutoring, hosting parties, teaching parents, etc.

Nurture Cluster has the following committees, but is also in charge of areas that are not specifically the responsibility of any single committee, including the Coffee Hour server list, the nametags, etc.

      Accessibility Committee makes sure we have hearing assistive devices and that they function, that the sound system works, and that the church is accessible in other ways.

      Fellowship Committee helps plan and organize social events – church-wide parties for seasonal events (Christmas caroling, New Year’s Eve at West River, etc.); small-group dinners in homes of congregation members or picnics in a park; wedding and baby showers and sending-forth parties.  New ideas for fellowship are always welcome.

      Inreach Committee is made up of coordinators who respond to requests from church members in needs of food, transportation, child care, and other household assistance, particularly when a DUMC member is ill or experiencing the loss of a loved one. More than 70 members of the congregation have volunteered to help when called upon by the committee coordinators.

      Membership Committee identifies and contacts prospective new members, bringing them together for a retreat and several class sessions. The classes, open to all DUMCers, may cover DUMC history. Methodist history, DUMC's Mission and Outreach involvement, and other topics. The Committee tries to encourage inactive members to more active membership and to get newcomers integrated into the DUMC community.

      Newsletter - Chips Off the Old Rock is published monthly. Committees may keep the congregation informed about their work through Chips; Sharing Column has news shared in Sunday Sharing of Joys and Concerns and news told to the editor specifically for the newsletter. Any DUMCers may submit articles, other material, etc. for publication.  Those on an editorial board check to see that most news is covered and track down stories.

      Nursery Committee works on finding caretakers and space for our littlest ones on Sunday mornings, and at other times when DUMCers get together, such as evening meetings, retreats, special worship services, etc.

     Public Relations Committee keeps the foyer windows supplied with brochures about the church and maintains this website about the church.  Any new ideas are more than welcome.

      Stewardship Committee helps the congregation be good stewards of their time, their talents and their money.>  During the fall pledge campaign, the Committee asks DUMCers to consider these and be thoughtful about pledging these in the service of God. The Committee has also worked with the congregation on being good stewards of Earth, encouraging recycling and other conservation efforts.

Worship Cluster, as a whole, coordinates laity participation in the Sunday morning worship services, develops liturgies and worship plans for special Sundays and seasons (Advent and Christmas; Lent, Holy Week, and Easter; etc.) and for other special services, coordinating with other Clusters. The Cluster works to balance the elements of the Sunday services; it sometimes holds workshops to train lay participants to lead in worship.

      Design Committee highlights the liturgical seasons by bringing wall hangings, mobiles, banners, and other symbols or decorations to our worship space. The Committee needs both willing workers and idea people ands has a great time climbing ladders and filling the wonderful space in our sanctuary.

Dumbarton Choir in an Epiphany Concert

      Music Committee coordinates special music and other arts, such as drama and dance, in the worship service.  The choir needs helpers as well as singers, and persons may volunteer to perform at any time.

Elected Committees

     Dumbarton has several committees whose members are elected at the Annual Charge Conference, presided over by the District Superintendent.  The members of these committees, and the Cluster Coordinators, Committee chairs, and extra elected Cluster members, are nominated by the Lay Leadership Committee (also an elected committee), but others may be nominated from the floor of the Charge Conference and elected if those attending wish to do so.

      Church Council is made up of the elected church officers, including the elected Cluster Coordinators and chairs of the committees, plus at-large members.

      Finance Committee is made up of DUMC's treasurer, assistant treasurer, financial secretary, Finance Committee chair, Stewardship Committee chair, lay leader, pastor, and Church Council chair, all of whom are elected, plus a few elected members at large (if anyone wants to so serve).

      The Finance Committee works to balance the many claims on finances of the church as a whole, with a key, role being to prepare the budget for the forthcoming year and to report on income and expenses during the year. If funds need to be raised for special projects, the Committee is always involved.

      Staff-Parish Relations Committee (SPRC) is made up of nine elected members of the church who meet monthly to work closely with the pastor.

      SPRC acts as a liaison between the pastor, other staff persons, and the congregation, handling any concerns from either side. SPRC evaluates the needs of the congregation and tries to establish related priorities for the pastor to address through his/her ministry. A process of ongoing evaluation of the effective ministry of the church and the pastor is also the responsibility of this committee.

      SPRC recommends salary levels for any church staff, including the pastor. When the church needs new support-staff persons; SPRC organizes the search and interviews and hires the person, consulting with Church Council as needed.

      Trustees labor on the physical condition of our aged church and parsonage. Subject to the constraints of the Trustees' annual maintenance and capital budget, the Trustees scout out and arrange for needed repairs to the church's and the parsonage's building and grounds. The Trustees coordinate cleanup days, at which all DUMCers are urged to pitch in and help get the place looking better.  Each of the nine Trustees must be willing to work hard.

Interest Groups

      Community Life Groups were begun in the mid 70s as small groups that meet regularly for worship, study, and sharing. Only one CLG is functioning; more could be formed. Contact the Nurture Cluster if interested.

      Discovery Groups What are they, when do they meet, and how can I join? You don't have to "join" since everyone is invited! The Discovery Groups are geographic- or interest-based groups that meet about once a month for dinner, sharing, sometimes study, and fun! It's a great way to get to know other DUMC folks in a setting that is more conducive to conversation than Coffee Hour. If you'd like to come to the next meeting, contact the coordinator in your area:

         Northwest DC/Bethesda and I-270 corridor Discovery Group meets approximately once a month. Melinda Murray is the coordinator.
          Arlington and Alexandria Discovery Group meets the first Saturday of each month from Sept to May. Pam Thielman is the coordinator.
         The NW Virginia (Falls Church, McLean, etc.) Discovery Group meets on the second Sunday of each month at 6 PM for potluck supper and sharing. Libby McKnight is the coordinator.
          Silver Spring, Prince George's County, NE DC Discovery Group meets from 5:30 - 7:30 pm monthly, usually on the second Sunday. Michael Manson and Marianne Noble are the coordinators.
         Families with Young Kids Discovery Group meets monthly. Amy Houser is the coordinator.

      Friendly Bridge meets occasionally for a friendly game of bridge (no one gets mad about anyone reneging or bidding wrong or not knowing what to play). The evening often begins with a potluck supper.  Contact the Nurture Cluster if you are interested in playing bridge.

      Friday Night Moviegoers meets for a movie, food, and discussion. The movie is announced on an answering machine, the number of which is published in the calendar in Chips Off the Old Rock.

      Meditation Group meets at various times through the years. If you are interested in joining such a group, watch for meeting times in the bulletin or the newsletter or contact the chair of Adult Education.

      Playback is interactive theatre performed by members and friends of Dumbarton.  Proceeds from each performance benefit a selected ministry. 

      Dumbarton Concert Series is a diverse chamber music series with seven subscription concerts October through April, plus a number of nonsubscription concerts in early December (Celtic Christmas) and at a few at other times.The Concert Series maintains an office in the church, and the Social Hall is sometimes decorated with pictures from their Art Gallery. DUMCers can get a discount on concert subscriptions, or they may join the Guild, whose members sell tickets or concessions or usher and get in free.