Amid the fear and sadness of the COVID-19 pandemic, our congregation, like so many others, adapted to new ways of worship overnight so that we could be together in a time when we could not safely gather in person.  In March 2020, we began worshiping solely online, using the Zoom platform.  Returning to in-person worship after the worst of the pandemic subsided, we saw an opportunity to rethink our worship experience in light of what we learned as a virtual Christian community.  We decided that we now can conjoin the advantages of a virtual church with our traditional in-person worship to make Dumbarton a more powerful and far-reaching witness to God’s word in the years to come. 

The result of our rethinking, approved by the Church Council on June 8, 2022, was a strategy document that sets forth our vision for digital ministries as an integral part of the church’s mission.  It finds that hybrid church is here to stay, although our worship services and other church activities will continue to adjust as technology evolves and creates more possibilities.  Our online tools already permit our Sunday services to include both more of our local congregants who have difficulty attending in person and more remote participants nationwide -- and eventually, we hope, globally.  These tools also enable both local and far-flung members of our community to participate remotely in our Discovery Groups, committee work, study groups, and all aspects of the life of our congregation. 

The strategy document also commits us to develop an implementation plan to improve virtual participation in all aspects of the church’s life while also restoring and enhancing the attractions of in-person worship and post-service fellowship.  The plan will be reviewed periodically and adjusted as needed to address changing technology, changing opportunities to reach new audiences, and changing practical needs, including those for protecting people’s health and safety.  As a starting point, some measures the implementation plan might address are presented in a temporary addendum to the strategy document.

In 1974, the General Conference of the United Methodist Church adopted a first-of-its-kind resolution calling for a national ban on the manufacture, sale, and private possession of handguns, with exemptions for police, military, and licensed security guards.

Rev Jack Corbett of the Board of Church and Society turned to his predecessor, long-time Dumbarton parishioner Mike Beard, to create an organization to implement this resolution.  Mike had been the founding executive director of two earlier successful national coalitions, and was then on the staff of then-Congressman Walter E. Fauntroy (D-DC). 

Mike persuaded Rep. Fauntroy to convene a meeting of national religious organizations to discuss forming a coordinating committee. The first meeting took place in January, 1975 at the United Methodist Building with 15 organizations attending. They called for a plan of action and a budget.  At the second meeting in January the initial 15 organizations agreed to the plan to create a National Coalition To Ban Handguns as a "special project" of the United Methodist General Board of Christian Social Concerns.  The UMC provided office space, each participating organization made a financial contribution to the annual budget, and they elected Mike Beard to be the Coalition’s executive director.

The NCBH was immediately denounced and attacked by the National Rifle Association.