United

Since 1833, pastors have answered the call to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the Washington, DC community of Foggy Bottom. Founded in 1833, Concordia Church was established to serve the German immigrant community of Washington. In 1846, the neighboring Union Chapel was begun to serve Methodists in Foggy Bottom and the West End. These two historic congregations merged in 1975 amidst a neighborhood shifting to business and government use. For the past fifty years, it has engaged in ecumenical ministry as The United Church + Die Vereinigte Kirche. Rev. James Semmelroth Darnell, a long-time member of The United Church, shares the stories of each clergyperson to serve these three congregations over nearly two centuries. American and European born, scholars and humble parish pastors, Methodist, Lutheran, and Reformed, these 80-plus ministers are profiled in their enrichment of the spiritual life of the nation's capital.