The National Presbyterian Church is a Christian congregation of approximately 1,500 members of all ages from the greater metropolitan Washington, D.C., area.

The mission statement of the church is "Leading People to Become Faithful Followers of Jesus Christ Together in God's World"[1] The congregation meets at 4101 Nebraska Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.

It includes a mid century modern style main church which is the third largest religious center in the nation's capital.

The National Presbyterian Church dates its origins to 1795, when a group of Scottish stonemasons working on the construction of the White House met for worship.

These services include biblical preaching, a full choir, hymns traditional and modern, and organ music of all periods.

Adult Christian education classes are held on Sunday mornings, and small group studies occur throughout the week.

Lectures, conferences, and seminars are frequently hosted, including meetings of the National Capital Presbytery and the Reformed Institute.

[8] The main six divisions of the Hopkins Organ are located behind the choir at the front of the sanctuary with the pipework shielded from view behind a series of vertical screens.

The design of its 65-foot (20 m) ceiling gives the appearance of an inverted ship's bow, more specifically Noah's Ark, symbolizing its purpose as a place of refuge and safety.

The chancel area contains the liturgical cent with the pulpit, communion table and lectern which are the focus of the corporate worship.

The south transept window depicts the mission of the church, showing historical figures in science, art, politics, and ecclesiastical endeavors such as astronauts.

Originally part of the Hillcrest Children's Home, the Cotswold-style stone structures now house the National Presbyterian School, offices, and meeting spaces.

An acre immediately in front of the sanctuary building (facing Nebraska Avenue, NW) is landscaped and contains a marble Fountain Court and stone walls engraved with Biblical verses.

The small group persisted, meeting in several places between 1802 and 1811 including a school on East Capitol Street, a Masonic Lodge between 1st and 2nd Streets near the Washington Navy Yard, and even the Supreme Court of the United States chamber on the ground floor of the unfinished United States Capitol.

Under the leadership of Ruben Post, First Presbyterian Church erected a substantial brick edifice on 4½ Street NW, which stood for over 100 years.

In 1857, Sunderland began to preach in favor of the abolition of slavery, a bold act in a city that was essentially a conservative Southern town.

[15] Sunderland served as Chaplain of the United States Senate during the Civil War and again in the 1870s and was a friend and adviser to President Abraham Lincoln.

[16] Among the pastor's many contributions to the Presbyterian denomination and the Washington area was his role as a founder of what is today Gallaudet University.

Presidents John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Ulysses S. Grant, Grover Cleveland, and Benjamin Harrison worshiped at “Old First.”[17][18] Sunderland performed the marriage ceremony of President Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsom at the White House.

The Federal Government changed the name of 4½ Street to John Marshall Place and acquired the church site to erect court buildings.

On March 11, 1883, eleven men, meeting in the home of Supreme Court Justice William Strong at 1141 H Street, N.W., formed the nucleus of The Church of the Covenant.

Officially organized on October 13, 1885, with 53 charter members, this congregation acquired a strategic site at the intersection of N and 18th Streets and Connecticut Avenue NW, the heart of a fast-growing and affluent residential area.

[23][24] The Church of the Covenant flourished with strong lay leadership and a succession of pastors whose reputations extended throughout the denomination and the nation.

In the early 1900s, the congregation established in Georgetown the Peck Memorial Chapel, which provided, in addition to Sunday services, a vocational education program for minorities and disadvantaged youth.

Edward L. R. Elson, who succeeded McCarthy in 1946, worked to inspire the denomination to the potential for Christian witness and service by a national church.

The obsolescence of the existing church building, along with the lack of space to expand, were among the determining factors for selecting a new location.

[30] Edward L. R. Elson, who had overseen the conception, design, and construction of the new church, retired in 1973 to devote full-time to his duties as Chaplain of the United States Senate, a position to which he had been elected in 1969.

[31] Over the span of more than two centuries, The National Presbyterian Church or its antecedents have sponsored, hosted, or participated in a long list of events of historic interest.

Responsibility for governance rests with an elected group of Ruling Elders (presbyters) of the church called the Session.