The roots of this congregation go all the way back to 1846 when it was officially called “The Washington Society of the New Jerusalem Church,” quite the mouthful to say. By 1908 most of its members had affiliated with a new organization grown from the same faith called “The General Church of the New Jerusalem” based in Philadelphia, and services were being held in the Washington, D.C. homes of church members.
Douglas Street Church, Washington, DC
In 1959, the congregation purchased a church at 2800 Douglas St. NE in the District where they continued to worship and learn together until December, 1964. Then, realizing that the potential for further growth there was limited, they bought approximately 10 acres of land at our present location in Mitchellville, MD and began to plan a new building with the vision of a distinctive school and church community surrounding it. This building was dedicated in November, 1965, when most of the surrounding area was farmland and you could still ride a bicycle down the middle of Enterprise Rd. Since then, the building has undergone at least two renovations to create a brighter space for worship of the Lord and more classrooms for the Washington New Church School.
Acton Park
Acton Park Nature Trail
Over the years, another 85 or so acres were purchased and the area was named Acton Park. This beautiful land was purchased for use by the congregation, who since then have completed and maintained a network of nature trails in the beautiful woods that are home to many species of insects, birds and animals including hawks, eagles, foxes, beaver and of course the local white-tailed deer. This land is part of the extended Chesapeake Bay Watershed which has a rich ecological and cultural heritage. The forest acts as a riparian buffer filtering water so that it will be clean when it reaches the Bay. Acton Park has volunteers who help maintain its trails and meadow. Find out more about how you can help in the SERVE section of our website.
Forested, Inc. leases 12 acres of Acton Park land for the purpose of an educational forest garden. They let their light shine by sharing knowledge of forest garden ecosystems as a sustainable way to supply people with the food and forest supplies they need. Many students from the area universities take classes there. The Washington New Church School also frequents the garden for lessons on insects, plants, animals and the environment.