Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Washington, D.C., recently hosted a special interfaith event in celebration of the Capitol Hill meetinghouse’s 10th anniversary.
The late President Russell M. Nelson, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, dedicated the meetinghouse in November 2015, promising that Jesus Christ’s Atonement would be proclaimed in the building and that people of many nations would learn God’s doctrine there.
President Nelson also dedicated the meetinghouse to the Lord’s holy purposes, praying it would be a warm and welcome refuge for all of God’s children. The meetinghouse would become a light upon a hill, he said, a place protected from evil and violence and where all who entered would feel peace, reverence, respect and admiration.
Ten years later, on Nov. 15, 2025, local Latter-day Saints and community members gathered to reflect on the fulfillment of President Nelson’s promises. Some wore pins stating “I was here 10 years ago.”
Youth volunteers gave tours to guests, among whom were Symi Rom-Rymer, associate director of the InterFaith Council of Metropolitan Washington; Kathryn Tobias, board member of the nonprofit Good Neighbors Capitol Hill; and Lev DePaolo, student rabbi at Hill Havurah, who gave the closing prayer.
MaurLo Parker, Relief Society president of the Capitol Hill Ward in the Washington D.C. Stake, welcomed guests to the meetinghouse. She had children who were blessed or baptized in the building, she said.
Charity Beam, faith community liaison for District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser, read a letter from Bowser commemorating the occasion: “Over the past decade, the chapel on Capitol Hill has been more than a place of worship. It has served as a safe space for community, genuine connection, and for personal and spiritual growth, benefiting the many Washingtonians who visit the Hill’s summit and find sanctuary within your church.”
Other guests included faith leaders from neighboring Seventh-day Adventist and Jewish congregations. Event attendees also participated in a fundraiser benefiting Good Neighbors Capitol Hill, a nonprofit comprising several congregations serving refugee families. The Capitol Hill Ward is one of the nonprofit’s founding congregations.
The Capitol Hill Ward has also supported homeless people at Shirley’s Place Day Center; packed meals with Islamic Relief USA; provided volunteers for Light the World Giving Machine kiosks in Washington, D.C.; hosted Children’s National Hospital blood drives; and participated in a community cleanup along the Anacostia River.
The Capitol Hill Ward began in 1991 as the Capitol Hill Branch, which held meetings in a converted row house. The congregation later moved to a former grocery store.
Today, the Capitol Hill meetinghouse’s design blends with the historic neighborhood. The building is home to the Capitol Hill Ward, the Washington D.C. American Sign Language Branch and the Eastern Market Young Single Adult Ward.
