About this experience

United Methodist Building

Washington, D.C., USA

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Published: 2024 (v1)

Story outline

  • United Methodist Building

    United Methodist historic presence on Capitol Hill

  • Stop 1. Faith, Peace, & Justice

    Constructed from 1917 to 1924, the building and its grounds have served as a witness to the intersection of faith, justice, and peace. Rooted in the Methodist tradition of social witness, today this work is carried out by the General Board of Church and Society.

  • Stop 2. Local and Global Communities

    The land that the building resides on is part of the ancestral home of many Indigenous communities. The front lawn offers opportunities for reflection about this history and advocacy work in the pursuit of peace and justice carries out through the building.

  • Stop 3. Foundational Principles

    This building was founded on social teachings of the Methodist tradition observed on the walls of the building’s green and white marble lobby and elevator entrance. The Temperance movement was central to the early establishment of the building which was originally home to the Board of Temperance, Prohibition, and Public Morals.

  • Stop 4. Faith & Community

    This chapel is named after Bishop Matthew Simpson and his wife Ellen Holmes Verner Simpson whose legacies connected to the temperance and anti-slavery movements that are carried on in the United Methodist Building today. The chapel has served as a place to come together during times of trial as well as celebration.

  • Stop 5. Social Justice

    The historic cafeteria became the first integrated carefteria on Captol Hill in 1947 and continues serve as a gathering space for people engaged in advocacy for social issues on Capitol Hill including racial justice and disability rights.

  • Stop 6. Local and Global Advocacy

    The wooden table in the third-floor conference room highlights the grassroots organizing and international impact of the work carried out in the building. The General Board of Church and Society has offices at the Church Center for the United Nations in New York City where advocacy is carried out on a global scale.

  • Stop 7. Hope for the Future

    The work carried out at the United Methodist Building builds on the foundations of its establishment to look towards the future in shaping a more just and peaceful world.

Voices

  • Dr. Ashley Boggan D.

    General Secretary of Archives & History

  • Congressman Emanuel Cleaver

    Representative of Missouri's Fifth Congressional District

  • Aimee Hong

    Senior Executive Director of Education and Engagement

  • Rev. Dr. Liberato Bautista

    Assistant General Secretary for UN & International Affairs

Partners

About the Project

The United Methodist Building is home to the General Board of Church and Society which carries on the Wesleyan and Methodist traditions emphasizing social witness and faith-based action through social and political advocacy. This project was made possible through a collaboration between the General Board of Church and Society and the General Commission on Archives & History of the United Methodist Church.

Related Links

Credits

This project is a collaboration between the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society, the General Commission on Archives & History, and CyArk.