Cleveland Park Congregational UCC, like all United Church of Christ congregations, is self-governed by our lay leadership, pastor, and congregation. Our congregation gathers each January for an annual meeting at which church matters are discussed and voted on directly, like an old-fashioned town meeting.
Pastor: The Rev. Ellen Jennings
Rev. Ellen Jennings was called to serve as Pastor of Cleveland Park Congregational United Church of Christ on April 3, 2011. Pastor Ellen received her Master of Divinity degree from Harvard Divinity School in 1991 and was ordained as a UCC minister in 2007.
Prior to her call to Cleveland Park Congregational UCC, Ellen spent three years serving a Unitarian Universalist Congregation as Minister of Religious Education. From 2001-2008, Ellen served The Interfaith Families Project (IFFP), an independent interfaith community of Jewish and Christian families, as Director of Religious Education and Interim Spiritual Director. While there, she developed IFFP’s preschool through eighth grade religious education program and wrote much of its interfaith curriculum. more »
Please email to schedule a time with Pastor Ellen, gro.hcruhccpc@rotsap.
M, W, Th: Appointments and visits
Tuesday: Sabbath
Friday: Sermon and study day
Moderator: Melissa Loughlin
The Moderator is an elected volunteer lay leader who serves as a Church Officer along with other non-clergy volunteers and the Pastor. Melissa (she/her) and her family have been a part of the CPC community since 2010. Over the years, Melissa has served on various committees, taught Sunday School, and sung in the choir. She grew up in the DC area, holds degrees from the University of Delaware and the University of Minnesota (where she met her husband, John), and has worked for or supporting the aviation industry for nearly thirty years. Melissa has also volunteered as a Board of Trustees member of the Prevention of Blindness Society of Metropolitan Washington (POB). In her spare time, she enjoys traveling to take in “large print” scenery, playing bridge, connecting with friends, and reading.
Music Director: Dashiell Waterbury
Dash makes his living as both a professional tenor and stage director. He has also been lucky to spend a great deal of his career as an educator. He has performed all over the world in repertoire ranging from opera and oratorio to musical theater and Shakespeare. Most recently, Dash directed and sang the tenor solos in Haydn’s The Creation with the Washington City Choir and the National Symphony Opera Orchestra. Dash holds graduate degrees from the top-ranked Cincinnati Conservatory of Music (BM voice, MM voice) and Florida State University (MM opera directing), and is a former directing fellow at Wolf Trap Opera and an alumnus of Director’s Lab.
Soprano Choral Associate: Esther Tonea
Esther won the 2022 Metropolitan Opera National Laffont Competition and is a recent graduate of the Adler Fellowship, San Francisco Opera’s training program. She has premiered and workshopped operas around the nation, including works by American composers. She performed the one-woman opera Another Sunrise with Atlanta Opera and the soprano solos in Carmina Burana with the Charleston Symphony and Richmond Ballet as well as Haydn’s The Creation with the Washington National Opera Orchestra and City Choir of Washington. She was a 2024 finalist and semifinalist in the Elizabeth Connell and Tenor Viñas international competitions in London and Barcelona. Esther holds degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (MM Voice) and the University of Georgia (BM Cello Performance, BM Vocal Performance).
Sunday School Coordinator: Marian Cooper
Marian Cooper (he/him/his) graduated from Guilford College in 2020 with a BA in Religious Studies. He grew up attending the First Congregational UCC in his hometown of Corning, New York, where he was an active member of the youth group and later taught Sunday School. He recently moved to the Washington, DC, area with his twin sister and his terrier-mix, Ray. He enjoys taking his dog for walks, spending time with his family, and exploring the city.
Teen Group Leader: Grandon Purnell
Grandon leads our teen group for monthly meetings, excursions, and mission activities. He is also the Volunteer Coordinator of Seabury Resources for Aging’s Age-In-Place program. He lives in Maryland with his family.
Church Administrator: Meg Hanna House
Meg joined the staff in April 2015. Along with her background in editing, marketing and writing, she has a Master of Arts in religious studies from Wesley Theological Seminary and is part owner (with her husband) of Chain Bridge Cellars, a wine store in Virginia. She’s lived in the DC area most of her life, and is a member of New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC, where she has served on various committees, on the Session, and sung in the choir. Meg enjoys singing, playing the flute, and long walks.
In-Person Office Hours – Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
Call 202-363-8211 or email gro.hcruhccpc@ofni.
Custodian: Aaron Randolph
Aaron has cared for Cleveland Park Congregational UCC’s building for over 10 years. He works full time as a superintendent of a building in Chevy Chase. In his spare time, he can often be found watching his youngest son play basketball.