Justice & Compassion

Justice and compassion are at the core of our outreach and missions.

Reconciling Statement of Commitment 

We celebrate God’s gift of diversity and value the wholeness made possible in community equally shared and shepherded by all. We welcome and affirm people of every gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, who are also of every age, race, ethnicity, physical and mental ability, level of education and family structure and of every immigration, marital and social status and so much more. We acknowledge that we live in a world of profound social, economic and political inequalities. As followers of Jesus, we commit ourselves to the pursuit of justice and pledge to stand in solidarity with all who are marginalized and oppressed.

  1. advance racial justice/anti-racism

Mission and Outreach creates and amplifies opportunities through which individuals, small groups, and the entire congregation may learn about, engage with, and affect change or give support.

Our community partners include:

  1. Georgetown Ministry Center
  2. Just Neighbors
  3. Mt. Zion Church Saturday Suppers
  4. Organization for Youth Empowerment (OYE)
  5. Reconciling Ministries Network
  6. Rural Coalition
  7. Washington Interfaith Network 2023 priorities, as spoken about by WIN Board members from across D.C.

 

 

​Seasonally, we facilitate alternative giving to additional organizations, including So Others Might Eat (SOME), The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, and Hope Secondary School.

Whether we take action as a congregation, as small groups, or as individuals, we work together as we engage with the world’s needs through acts of justice and compassion. We invite you to be a part of this work with us.

Local Social Justice

Dumbartonians participate in these and other programs serving the local area: Here you can start editing this area.

Georgetown Ministry Center

A joint effort of many Georgetown churches, a synagogue and other organizations, the center reaches out to the homeless of Georgetown. Located at 1041 Wisconsin Ave. NW, the Georgetown Ministry Center allows people to do laundry, shower, pick up mail and use the computer/coffee room. One of Dumbarton’s roles is to provide meals for two weeks in the winter. Two Dumbarton members sit on the board, and the pastor and at least one Dumbartonian walk Georgetown neighborhoods to visit with the unhoused one afternoon a week.

Washington Interfaith Network

Dumbarton is one of the founding churches of WIN, a multiracial, nonpartisan District-wide organization comprising more than 50 churches, community groups, labor unions and other organizations. WIN is committed to training and developing neighborhood leaders, to addressing community issues, and to holding D.C. elected and corporate officials accountable. Over the years, WIN has built affordable housing, started after-school programs and promoted jobs for D.C. residents on D.C.-funded projects.

Denominational Justice

Labyrinthing Together is a film resource for United Methodist individuals, groups, and congregations grappling with justice issues in the wake of General Conference 2019, and seeking to broaden their perspectives as they prayerfully discern a way forward.

Drawn from a series of 2020 online forums, the video weaves together perspectives from:

  1. Central Conferences
  2. Liberation Methodist Connexion
  3. Black Methodists for Church Renewal
  4. grassroots organizers
  5. a disaffiliating congregation
  6. and others

to highlight increasingly complex perspectives on interdependent justice issues facing the church.

Designed to be exploratory rather than prescriptive, Labyrinthing Together can be viewed

  • in its entirety, OR
  • in shorter sections devoted to particular issues.

Our study guide can serve as an aid for personal reflection or group discussion.