ResourceUMC history

The Civil War and poor economy would halt construction at the foundations and construction would not resume again until 1866.

Metropolitan Memorial Methodist Church was dedicated on February 28, 1869, with its first members joining on Easter Sunday, March 28, 1869.

The Sunday school had classes for both adults and children, and beginning in 1881, a class for Chinese immigrants.

By 1894 when the church celebrated 25 years in ministry, Metropolitan Memorial had 549 members, an average attendance of 280 in Sunday school, and approximately one quarter of its $9,600 budget going to missions, charities and other ministries of the church.

The church property was sold to the government, and the church closed its doors on December 31, 1930, and decided to relocate to our present location.

By 1938 the church had built a parsonage and was beginning plans to build an education building.

During the 1952 General Conference, more than 480 radio stations featured the commentary of Rev.

Racial Violence (click on title to listen to program, please) Date:1968-06-06 Del Shields, (Host) ; Stokely Carmichael, (Guest)

As Metropolitan Memorial celebrated its centennial in 1969, the church reached a new numerical peak, worshipping over 600 every Sunday.

A group of 300 users grew to an impressive 1,350 by 1970 and the commission had to work to restrict its distribution.

Originally named the Joint Committee on Communications, the 1972 General Conference attendees saw the critical need to unify all church communication functions under one umbrella.

Their work came to life in 1983, when a demonstration and consultation event was held to help general agencies, annual conferences, and local churches grasp the possibilities of new tools.

~ NAMS was created in 1988 to develop and strengthen Native American ministries.

The 1999 addition of the Great Hall and administrative offices poised the church to continue its ministry in the twenty-first century.

In the spring of 2004, the Baltimore Washington Conference approached Metropolitan Memorial and Eldbrooke United Methodist Church and asked that they meet to consider a merger of the two churches.

In November 2008, the Baltimore Washington Conference approached Metropolitan Memorial and St Luke’s United Methodist Church and asked that they join in a cooperative parish.

The campaign is still thriving today, with more than 1 million people served through Rethink Church volunteerism events in 2014.