Get Involved
As the famous hymn says, "they will know we are Christians by our love." At Westmoreland, we are an active, welcoming community with a sincere commitment to social justice and loving our neighbors as ourselves.
Scroll down to learn about worship, church life, community outreach, and so much more.
Worship
Worship
We gather for worship on Sundays at 10:00AM in the Sanctuary. Old and young, gay and straight, rich and poor — all are welcome. Worship is filled with soaring music, heartfelt prayers, readings from Scripture and other meaningful works, thoughtful sermons, and an awareness of the world's needs.
Fellowship Time
Join us after worship for beverages, snacks, and conversation in the Social Hall.
Communion
We celebrate Communion on the first Sunday of each month during our regular 10:00AM worship service. We also celebrate Communion each Sunday during Advent and Lent. Communion (also called the Eucharist or The Lord's Supper) is a liturgical feast to remind us of God's nourishing love for all the world. The Communion Table at Westmoreland is open to all.
Dress
There is no dress code here! If you are comfortable, we are comfortable.
During the year, Westmorelanders typically gather for special services in addition to our regular Sunday morning worship.
Christmas Eve
We have two Christmas Eve events at 5:00PM and 10:00PM. The 5:00PM Christmas pageant is presented by our children and youth. Experience festive carols, bells, and great joy, we experience the story of the birth of Jesus. The 10:00PM service typically features the Chancel Choir, Communion, a sermon, and prayers as we await Christmas Day.
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday begins the Lenten season. Ash Wednesday typically brings a thoughtful mid-winter service of repentance and contemplation as being our journey toward Easter.
Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday is the church's observance of the Last Supper — the gathering that the gospels describe as the first Communion meal. We typically gather for a shared meal, then sing hymns, share Communion, and wash each other's feet as we explore the aspects of sacrifice and service. Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter.
Good Friday
For the past several years, Westmoreland's ministers and members have joined with area congregations in marking the day of Jesus' crucifixion.
Easter Sunday
On Easter Sunday, we gather to celebrate new life. After the worship service in the Sanctuary, we gather in the Social Hall at 11:30AM for a light brunch (with mimosas!), and an Easter Egg Hunt for children.
Martin Luther King Day
The Washington Interfaith Conference and other interfaith groups regularly host services around MLK Day to honor our diversity and our unity for the common good. Westmoreland members and ministers take part in various ways.
Thanksgiving
From time to time, Westmoreland joins with other area churches for Thanksgiving celebrations.
Baptisms
Baptism means different things to different people. To some, baptism is a commitment on the part of parents who are promising to raise their children in the love of God. To some, baptism is an entry into the community of faith. To some, baptism is an awareness of God's grace. At Westmoreland, baptism is typically performed in the context of congregational worship. The United Church of Christ welcomes and encourages baptism of all ages, including infants. Contact the church office for more information. Contact the church office to learn more or download a copy of our Celebration of Baptism informational packet!
Weddings
Ministers will be happy to talk with couples who wish to be married at Westmoreland. Normally several counseling sessions between the presiding minister and the couple are required. Please contact the church office for more information.
Confirmation
Confirmation is a conversation, a beginning point, and a celebration. At Westmoreland, confirmation is typically a year-long class for middle and/or high schoolers. The class is led by the minsters and committed church members. The cofirmands (fancy name for participants) are asked to think about what it means to be a church member and to be a Christian. At the end of the year-long conversation, the confirmands may choose to confirm their faith, which includes joining the church, or they may choose to join without confirming, which indicates they are continuing to learn and explore their faith. The confirmation process is open to any adults and teenagers who want to explore their faith. And despite what you may have heard, being confirmed does not mean "graduating" from church; it means beginning a life of thoughtful, spiritual adventure.
Memorial Services
Westmoreland Church gladly opens its doors to grieving families who wish to have services giving thanks to God for the lives of deceased loved one. You do not have to be a member of our church to be married here or to have a memorial service. For more information about funerals and memorial services at Westmoreland, contact the church office.
Faith Formation
Each week, the joys and concerns of the congregation are listed in the church bulletin and newsletters. To include your concerns or joys, email Rev. Dr. Bruce Epperly who is coordinating the prayer list.
In addition, Westmoreland has a prayer team who will pray for you on a confidential basis.
Pastoral care and visitation is provided by staff to all Westmorelanders in need of pastoral care of any kind. Contact Rev. Dr. Kate Epperly to learn more.
Here at Westmoreland, we encourage our children to learn, play, and grow — instilled with values of love, open-heartedness, justice, and care for others and for creation.
Contact Abigail Chamblee to learn more about our children’s and youth ministries.
Westmoreland’s Youth Ministry gives our young people (grades 6-12) an opportunity to explore their relationships with God, each other, and the world through learning, service, worship, and recreation.
Youth Group
Youth meet one to two Sundays a month before worship to enjoy a fun treat and time of fellowship. In addition, there are fun activities that include "lock-ins," movie nights, swim parties, and more.
Summer Service Trips
Every summer, our youth embark on an out-of-state trip to participate in a community service project. Recent projects have focussed on housing justice, poverty, caring for creation, advocacy, and more.
Confirmation
Youth in grades 8-10 are invited to join in Confirmation class, where ministers and lay leaders engage with youth as they explore their faith and make decisions about confirming the promises made at their baptisms; or, if they were not baptized, the decision to be baptized and to join the church.
Our Whole Lives (OWL)
Youth in grades 8-10 are invited to participate in a comprehensive human sexuality education course that aims to help youth make informed and responsible decisions about caring for their bodies, sexual health and behavior.
Contact Abigail Chamblee to learn more about our children’s and youth ministries.
Groups & Activities
First Saturdays from 10:00AM to noon in the church library
Wednesdays at 2:00PM in the Parlor, alternating between fiction and non-fiction
First Tuesdays at 6:00PM down the street at Pizzeria Paradiso
Sunday worship, special occasions, and community events
Weekly gatherings before worship, service trips, classes, and more
Two sits on Sundays at noon in the Sanctuary with Alec Davis
Westmoreland Children's Center shares our space and is open to any family
Al-Anon, ACOA, and other groups meet multiples times each week
Sandwiches for Martha’s Table, packed meals for RISE, and more
Monthly informal service on Saturdays at 4:00PM in the Social Hall
Roughly one Saturday per month for "Bring Your Own Lunch"
For those shaped by the 1960s, meet up at social events
Tuesdays at 6:30PM on Zoom for sharing, prayer, new spiritual practices
Wednesdays at 11:00AM on Zoom with Rev. Dr. Kate Epperly
Thursdays at 11:00AM on Zoom with Rev. Dr. Bruce Epperly
Monthly activities that offer understanding and promote advocacy
Occasional after-worship sessions led by Rev. Dr. Bruce Epperly
Meals for the home-bound, rides to the doctor, and more
Annual fall gathering for fellowship, fun, and reflection
This is just a sampling, so contact us to learn more or drop by one Sunday
Music @ Westmoreland
From Sunday worship to our Festival Chorus to incredible community events, there's so much to see (and hear).
Music in worship is an integral part of Westmoreland. We have a long and grand history of high-quality music-making. Learning and singing hymns is an important part of the shared worship experience for the entire congregation.
Each Sunday, the musical portions of the worship service enhance the scripture focus for the day. The Chancel Choir presents music that enhances the theme of the service. In addition, special musical presentations are a frequent part of worship at Westmoreland, celebrating gifts from a variety of genres, including classical, jazz, and folk.
Westmoreland is also fortunate to host internationally acclaimed performers on a frequent basis.
Westmoreland’s Chancel Choir is a warm and welcoming community within the broader church family. The choir rehearses on Thursdays at 7:00PM and sings on Sundays and several holidays from September through June.
We welcome singers of all ages. You don't have to be a church member, and you will benefit with working with our professional soloists.
Director Alec Davis and the worship team select music that complements the liturgy and themes of the week. Music at Westmoreland includes contemporary, classical, Renaissance, gospel and other genres. Guest instrumentalists are frequently a part of worship, too.
If you would like to sing occasionally, but don’t have time for a weekly commitment, you can join the next Choir for a Day. These periodic Sundays welcome the day’s singers to the chancel at 9:00AM for a quick rehearsal before the 10:00AM service. When it’s Choir for a Day, we skip robes — wear what is comfortable for you.
The Chancel Choir also performs in concerts and special performances during the course of the year.
Contact Alec Davis for more information.
The Westmoreland Festival Chorus is a community organization that prepares both sacred and secular works for the Bethesda community, and raises funds for local charities and service organizations. A part of the social outreach activities of the church, the choir is made up of a diverse group of singers from the surrounding areas and beyond, and engages both amateur and professional musicians. They have presented the Requiems of Mozart, Brahms, Fauré, and Duruflé; cantatas by Bach, Britten, and Pinkham; and major works by Vaughan Williams, Handel, Schubert, Vivaldi, and others. The chorus often collaborates with local ensembles, such as the Apollo Symphony, the Washington Conservatory of Music, and the Great Noise Ensemble, as well as soloists, such as Laura Choi Stuart, Lena Seikaly, and Richard Giarusso. In 2014, they presented the world premier of The Imaginary City, a cantata inspired by the life of Palestinian violist Ramzi Aburedwan, which raised over $17,000 for Al Kamandjati music schools of Palestine. The Westmoreland Festival Chorus continues to work with many of the area’s best musicians to create beauty in the world, sustain a rigorous yet edifying experience for its singers, and provide support to the many local organizations that seek to do good in our community.
Westmoreland is proud of it’s Aeolian-Skinner Organ, restored and maintained by the Di Gennaro-Hart Organ Company of Washington, DC. The organ is a three-manual, 50-rank instrument. It is installed on both sides of the divided chancel. The Great and Choir divisions are located in the right chamber; the Swell and Pedal divisions are in the left chamber.
The piano in our Sanctuary is a Steinway O, donated by the family of late Jean Lutterman. Each year we hold the Jean Lutterman Memorial Concert to celebrate her contribution to the music world and our community. It is maintained, along with all the pianos at Westmoreland, by Steve Jones.
Want to hear some of our music or stay in the know, follow Music @ Westmoreland on Facebook.
Outreach
Wheaton Woods Elementary School
In 2024, Westmoreland initiated a partnership with this elementary school in Montgomery County. Volunteers now help distribute free nutritious food to hundreds of needy Hispanic and Ethiopian school families and hand out backpacks. The school is proposing more volunteer options including tutoring and other support in 2025.
Lincoln-Westmoreland Housing, Inc.
In April 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Washington, D.C., erupted in protest. More than 6 blocks with affordable housing were lost in the ensuing protests. This was directly east of Lincoln Congregational Temple, a UCC church in Washington. This created a wasteland; new construction was needed. Lincoln Temple and Westmoreland had already developed a partnership as they attempted to deal with some serious problems in Washington. Lincoln-Westmoreland Housing, Inc. was ready to develop land in the Shaw neighborhood, on Seventh Street N.W. between R and S Streets.
Today the Corporation owns and manages two multi-family low-income apartment buildings in the area and is preparing for additional buildings in other areas of the District of Columbia. Representatives from Westmoreland serve on the board that administers these buildings.
Marie H. Reed Community Learning Center
Since 2004, Westmoreland has provided various forms of assistance to the Marie Reed Elementary School and Marie Reed Community Center. In 2022, we continued our support by conducting an after-school Chess Club at the to Shaw Community Center at Lincoln Temple . Additionally, our Social Justice and Action grants supported the Marie Reed PTA’s Food Prints Program and the Shaw Community Center’s computer lab.
Shaw Community Center
Shaw Community Center (SCC) was founded in 1991 as ‘Shaw Community Ministry’ (SCM), an urban ministry of Westmoreland and Lincoln Temple Churches and the Potomac Association, United Church of Christ. SCM's mission was to work together with the children, youth, adults and seniors of the Shaw community to enhance lives and to expand opportunities. SCM had office space in Lincoln-Westmoreland Apartments. Today SCC operates from the former Lincoln Temple Church building.
Over the years, Westmoreland has provided financial and volunteer support for SCM/SCC activities. For more information, visit https://www.shawcommunity.org.
Other Outreach Opportunities
- Bethesda Cares
- Action in Montgomery
- Denominational Offerings
- Briggs Center for Faith & Action
“I was a stranger and you welcomed me." (Matthew 25:35)
For more than 100 years, our congregation has sought to live into our Declaration of Purpose to be “a church of the open mind, the warm heart, the aspiring soul, and the social vision, which ever seeks to express, in all the ways of life, the mind and spirit of Jesus.”
We have a long history of welcoming the stranger. From Vietnamese refugees to Iranian, Guatemalan, Honduran and, most recently, Afghans, we provide welcome and care. Offering safe harbor, social services and housing, we stay present with them as they resettle. We have partnered with other faith communities, as well as non-profits and governmental agencies to offer a full range of services and comfort. Members of our congregation volunteer to teach English, help register for school and serve as advocates for the family. We assist with finances, including help in setting up bank accounts and establishing credit. We assist with job hunting, grocery shopping and getting much needed medical assistance. We drive to appointments. Most importantly, we listen and offer friendship to often traumatized people.
Every year, Westmoreland UCC awards small grants up to $5,000 to local non-profit organizations for programmatic activities that address persistent and urgent issues, such as shelter/housing/food, nutrition/medical care/health education, elementary school tutoring & activities, teen development and job training, and transitions to self-sustaining independence.
The Middle East Committee, established in the 1970s, offers monthly programs and activities that focus on Middle East issues and the pursuit of peace with justice using a human rights-based non-partisan approach. Together with global and local partners, we encourage understanding and challenge the root causes of injustice, inequality, poverty, and war in the region.
Olive Oil Ministry
The Olive Oil Ministry evolved from the Middle East Committee’s sale of olive oil at Westmoreland events to an ecumenical ministry with more than 25 local congregations from eight different denominations.
By purchasing and selling Palestinian agricultural products these ministry partners support Palestinian farmers, promote peace and justice between Palestinians and Israelis, and raise awareness about the realities on the ground. Proceeds from the sales are donated to causes that meet the needs of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
