Celebrate with Us
It’s our 70th Anniversary! To mark this milestone, our leadership declared 2025 to be a year of celebration. Many fun and exciting events are planned for our 70th, with a theme of celebrating past, present, and future.
Social Media. Post your 70th stories and photos. Use hashtag #celebrateBHPC70Summer
Summer Stories
Over the summer, we will hear from a variety of voices from our congregation, showcasing the rich personal histories of our church family.
70th Birthday Party
September 21, after 10:30 worship. In the fall, we will look toward the future, by focusing on families and children. We start with a birthday party!
Our usual Welcome Back Brunch is being transformed into a 70th birthday celebration, with food, birthday-themed decorations, games for the kids (a bouncy house!), and birthday cake.
All will culminate with a hearty singing of “Happy Birthday” to Bradley Hills. If you are interested in planning family-friendly activities and want to help plan the brunch, contact Pastor David or Pastor Denise.
Celebrating Our History
Historical Documents
BHPC Stained Glass Windows (pdf)
Theology of BHPCs Sanctury Architecture and Stained Glass Windows (pdf)
70th Anniversary Crossword Puzzle
The 70th Anniversary Team invites you to test your BHPC knowledge by working on this crossword. If you are having trouble, you can find some of the answers on this website. Or you can view the adult ed program from January 12.
Celebration Hymn
“The Lantern’s Own Beam” is a hymn with new lyrics written by Pastor David Gray on the occasion of the 70th Anniversary.
Previous 70th Events
May 3, 70th Gala Dinner
May 4, Barbara Brown Taylor delivered the message at 10:30 worship
February 23, 2023
The Rev. Dr. Susan Andrews, former pastor of BHPC from 1989-2006, returns and provides the message, “Celebrate the Light!” during service.
For her Adult Education presentation, click here.
January 12, 2025
Our 70th kicked off with a special discussion in worship and adult education on the spiritual symbolism of the Bradley Hills sanctuary. View the adult education presentation or download a pdf of the report: Spiritual Symbolism of the BHPC Sanctuary.
A Short History of Bradley Hills
It all began over 100 years ago on Easter Sunday in 1900 in a carriage house on Kalorama Road in northwest Washington, D.C. Clara Finley Bliss, M.D., one of the first women physicians to practice in Washington, gathered a group of children to form a Sunday school. From this beginning grew the Washington Heights Presbyterian Church.
The Washington Heights PC served its neighborhood until after World War II, when it sought to relocate. At the same time, a group in Bethesda was organizing to build a church to serve the growing community.
With the assistance of the Presbytery, the two groups joined to form Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church in 1955. In 1957, our Nursery School was founded, which to this day is a much respected, play-based school.
Our Buildings & Organ
The present church building (the education wing and Memorial Hall) was constructed in 1956, and the present sanctuary and its wing were completed in 1965. The Holtcamp pipe organ was added in 1972. In 2002, Covenant Hall and the Gathering Space were completed.
Covenant Hall transformed the overall building so that our structure reflects the covenant between Bradley Hills and the Bethesda Jewish Congregation.
The addition was designed as a hexagonal space — a Star of David standing next to the original cross-shaped sanctuary. In architecture, as well as in spirit, BJC and Bradley Hills are “spiritual siblings sharing sacred space.”
Called by God for 50 Years (PDF) Written for the occasion of our 50th Anniversary in 2005.
Photos
Announcing the 70th Anniversary Celebration with confetti and noisemakers at the 2024 Welcome Back Sunday.
Chancel Players preview the big Celebration Dinner that will be held on May 3.
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Planning for the 70th Anniversary Gala on January 14.
