Three Streams, One Congregation on Bridge Street
Dublin Community Church sits on the east edge of Dublin's historic downtown, at 81 West Bridge Street, just a few steps from the Scioto River crossings that give the city its name. The brick building, anchored by the 1877 Washington Gladden Chapel, has been the meeting point for this United Church of Christ congregation since the early twentieth century, and it remains a working hub of community life - a place where Alcoholics Anonymous gathers before sunrise, where a multi-faith women's group studies on Friday mornings, where scouting troops meet on weeknights, and where on Sunday at ten a congregation that traces its spiritual heritage through three Protestant streams comes together to worship.
The church is known for several things at once: a long commitment to interfaith work in central Ohio, an explicit welcome for all people as an Open and Affirming congregation, a small but active music program built around choirs and handbells, and a mission posture that sends youth across the country each summer and supports partner organizations from a local food pantry to a children's program in Pune, India. Members describe their congregation with words like down to earth, approachable, selfless, unpretentious, comfortable, humble, and sincere, and a beloved former minister used to say, "At DCC, we don't tolerate diversity, we embrace it."
A History Rooted in Three Congregations
The roots of Dublin Community Church reach back to the earliest settlement of Dublin. In 1808 a Methodist Episcopal Church was organized, followed in 1810 by a Christian Church and in 1817 by a group of Presbyterians who formally organized in 1829 and built a frame church the next year. Each congregation built its own sanctuary - a stone Methodist church in 1838, a log and then stone and then brick Christian Church (the brick building completed in 1877 is today's Washington Gladden Chapel), and the frame Presbyterian church in 1830.
By the early 1900s, none of the three organized churches was thriving, and none had a full-time minister. Conversations about merging stretched back as far as 1909, but the three could not agree on a single denomination. On Sunday, June 16, 1912, a tornado struck Dublin and seriously damaged the Methodist and Presbyterian buildings. The three congregations, assisted by Washington Gladden - the minister of First Congregational Church in Columbus - reorganized as the Congregational Church in Dublin, formally affiliating on March 4, 1913. Many years later, in 1957, the national merger of Congregational churches with the Evangelical and Reformed Church created the United Church of Christ, and Dublin Community Church joined that new body while preserving its Congregationalist heritage of local autonomy.
Sundays at Ten: A Blended Worship Style
Worship is at the heart of life at DCC, and Sunday mornings follow a steady rhythm. The single Sunday worship service begins at 10:00 a.m. and runs about an hour, followed by a time of fellowship in the Narthex. The atmosphere is described as casual and warm, with a mix of traditional and contemporary elements. The adult choir sings from September through the end of May, joined across the year by the Gladden Strummers (a strumming ensemble), the adult handbell choir, and the youth handbell choir. Sunday School students perform seasonally for Palm Sunday, Christmas Eve, and the annual Christmas Pageant, and during the summer the congregation hears the musical talents of members and friends.
Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of every month, and the table, like the church itself, is open - all are invited to participate as they feel comfortable. A sermon from one of the pastors and congregational singing from the hymnal complete the service. Services are livestreamed on YouTube, and a deep sermon archive is organized both by date, by speaker, by topic, and by book of the Bible.
Visitors coming for the first time will find the common entrance on the east side of the building by the lower parking lot, marked by a green awning and an accessible door. From the ground-level foyer, stairs or an elevator lead to the sanctuary, chapel, offices, and meeting rooms on the second floor. A separate Historic Chapel Entrance on Bridge Street remains, the main entry for many years before the larger Sanctuary was added in 1995. Greeters are posted on Sundays to direct newcomers to worship, restrooms, and the nursery. Come as you are - some dress up, but most dress casually.
Children, Youth, and the Next Generation
DCC celebrates children as part of its worshipping community, and the children's ministry stretches from infancy through high school. Childcare for infants through age three is available in the nursery on the lower level, staffed by two employed, background-checked adults. Children from preschool through fifth grade are invited to Sunday School, which meets during the worship service at 10:00 a.m. in the preschool classrooms below. They begin with their parents in the Sanctuary and are dismissed after the Children's Moment, walking to their classes with the Christian Education Director and teachers. The Sunday School program follows the Revised Common Lectionary and uses an online check-in system called KidCheck to print nametags. Inclusive classes for children with special needs are offered. Vacation Bible School takes place each July for ages three through sixth grade, combining Bible stories, music, crafts, science experiments, team-building, and games around a fun annual theme.
Confirmation is part of the program for youth ready to claim their faith publicly. The high school ministry includes a Mission Trip each summer in mid-June, when students and chaperones travel out of state for community service. The middle school version, called UnTrip, happens the same week - youth visit businesses and service organizations around greater Columbus (Meals on Wheels, the Dublin Food Pantry, Welcome Warehouse, Sedona Grace Ministries, animal shelters, and outreach programs serving people who are unhoused in downtown Columbus), leaving a donation behind at each stop.
One of the more distinctive offerings for high schoolers is the Young Ambassadors Program, a two-year faith and cultural exchange with young people from German partner churches. About ten students from each country participate; they get to know each other through social media, then each group visits the partner country across two consecutive summers, staying with host families, helping with mission work, and getting to know the wider culture and church life together.
Open and Affirming: An Explicit Welcome
Dublin Community Church declares itself an Open and Affirming (ONA) congregation. The church's official statement reads: "No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey: Dublin Community Church, being committed in word and deed to all God's people, and listening to the 'Still-Speaking God,' declare ourselves to be open and affirming. We are a congregation on a journey that includes all persons, embracing differences of age; gender; gender identity and/or expression; sexual orientation; nationality; ethnicity; family makeup; marital status; socioeconomic background; political and theological background/status and people with all physical, mental and emotional abilities. We welcome and affirm full participation in all aspects of our faith family." The statement ends simply, "All are welcome here."
The congregation includes members who came to DCC from Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, and many other backgrounds - what one former minister called a place that does not merely tolerate diversity but embraces it. That posture shapes everything from the music to the partnerships and the building itself.
What DCC Believes
DCC's statement of belief is rooted in the wider United Church of Christ tradition. Members affirm the triune God - Creator, resurrected Christ, the sole Head of the church, and the Holy Spirit, who guides and brings about the creative and redemptive work of God in the world. They believe each person is unique and valuable, on a spiritual journey at a different stage, and that the persistent search for God produces an authentic relationship with God, engendering love, strengthening faith, dissolving guilt, and giving life purpose and direction.
On baptism, DCC teaches that all who are baptized "belong body and soul to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," and that no matter who, no matter what, no matter where on life's journey - notwithstanding race, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, class, or creed - all belong to God and to one worldwide community of faith. Baptism takes place during worship when the community is present, because baptism includes the community's promise of love, support, and care, a promise the church says it will not take back no matter where the journey leads.
On communion, the church teaches that all people of faith are invited to join Christ at Christ's table; the breaking of bread and pouring of wine reminds the congregation of the costliness of Christ's sacrifice and the discipleship to which all are called. On the wider church, DCC affirms the UCC mottoes: "In essentials - unity, in nonessentials - diversity, in all things - charity." Because the UCC has no rigid formulation of doctrine or attachment to creeds or structures, "its overarching creed is love." The church also confesses a call to be servants, good stewards of the earth's resources, a prophetic church that speaks truth to power, liberates the oppressed, cares for the poor, and comforts the afflicted, and a people who believe in the power of peace and work for nonviolent solutions to local, national, and international problems. The UCC's tagline, "God is still speaking," threads through the statement.
Mission, Outreach, and the Greater UCC Connection
Mission is woven through the life of DCC. The Mission Committee supports a wide network of causes inside and outside the congregation, and Second Mile Offerings - monthly direct donations from the congregation - are directed each month to a different cause, identified by red envelopes in the pews and highlighted in the Messenger newsletter. Among the regular Second Mile recipients and wider mission partners are the UCC's wider mission, Star House, disaster relief efforts, Choices, St. John's Largest Table, the Dublin Food Pantry, One Great Hour of Sharing, the Souper Bowl of Caring, and Deep Griha Society.
DCC housed the Dublin Food Pantry in its lower level for 47 years (the pantry has since relocated to 6608 Dublin Center Drive), and the church continues to support its work. DCC also serves as a pick-up and drop-off site for Meals on Wheels deliveries through Life Care Alliance, supporting the delivery of meals to homebound people in Dublin and the surrounding counties. The annual Fall Rummage Sale is a major community event, with early admission at 8 a.m. and free admission from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Its proceeds underwrite youth mission trips, support DCC's pledge to Our Church's Wider Mission (OCWM), and provide very low-priced clothing and household items for neighbors who need them. Leftover clothing goes to Star House, books to Kobacker House, professional clothing to Dress for Success, and other items to local charities like Volunteers of America, Kidney Services, and the Furniture Bank.
On the international side, DCC has a long partnership with Deep Griha Society, an independent charitable organization working with low-income communities in and around Pune, India, in family welfare programs spanning education, healthcare, child development, and women's empowerment. DCC supports Deep Griha through a yearly Second Mile offering and several fundraising events, and several members serve on the Deep Griha USA Board of Trustees.
Interfaith Work and the Wider Community
Interfaith engagement is part of the church's identity. The Interfaith Outreach Facilitator at DCC co-founded and co-facilitates WORD - Women of Religious Diversity, a multi-faith women's group of 40 to 50 women that has been gathering on Friday mornings since 2003, with a parallel evening group that meets twice a month. WORD draws Protestants of many denominations, Catholics, and Muslim women, and has been part of DCC's life for more than two decades. The Interfaith Outreach Facilitator also represents DCC at SAIL, the Safe Alliance of Interfaith Leaders, whose mission is to promote dialogue, understanding, and acceptance among people of various faith traditions. SAIL's signature events include a Thanks and Giving Service the Thursday before Thanksgiving and an Interfaith/Ecumenical National Day of Prayer Breakfast the first Thursday in May. Each year during Ramadan, DCC hosts and the facilitator leads Iftar dinners with friends of the Islamic faith, with proceeds from accompanying bake sales supporting the Dublin Food Pantry and Deep Griha.
Inside the building, the church hosts Alcoholics Anonymous meetings six days a week, Scouting America Troops 185 and 581, and the Dublin Community Preschool, an independent, non-profit preschool on the lower level offering a play-based, research-based curriculum enriched with music and creative movement.
Men's and Women's Fellowship
The Men's Fellowship Group, also known as MORE (Men On A Religious Expedition), meets every Wednesday morning from 6:15 to 7:15 a.m. Formed in 1999 by a few diverse-minded men who wanted to explore their Christian spirituality together, the group studies books that challenge and ground its members in Christian teaching. The group is open to men from other Christian churches in the area and once a year takes a weekend retreat at a UCC camp. A second men's fellowship, the Saturday Morning Men's Fellowship, meets twice a month in the Goodwill Room for fresh bagels, hot coffee, and lively discussion.
WORD - Women of Religious Diversity - meets in person on Friday mornings from 9:15 to 11:15 a.m., with free childcare available, and on Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. via Zoom. Open to women of all ages, backgrounds, and religious affiliations, the group draws women from many faith traditions for Bible study, book discussion, support, and fellowship.
The Seekers is an adult Bible study group that meets weekly before the Sunday worship service through the school year, working through a variety of Bible studies. The Creativity Circle gathers fiber artists - knitters, crocheters, cross-stitchers, and encouragers - in two circles: the Wednesday Afternoon Creativity Circle on the last Wednesday of the month at 1:00 p.m. in the Parlor, and the Sunday Evening Creativity Circle on the second Sunday of the month at 4:00 p.m. in the Parlor. Projects include blankets for homeless shelters and school bags for underprivileged school children, in cooperation with the Mission Committee.
The Grief Group gathers anyone seeking support following a loss, regardless of how long ago the loss occurred or what kind of loss is being faced, on the first Monday of each month from 7:00 to 8:15 p.m. in the Parlor, for conversation and mutual encouragement. ConnecT is a fellowship group that gathers monthly for outings and meals designed to help members and friends get to know one another, with some activities marked as family-friendly.
Pastoral Care, Stewardship, and the Foundation
The Pastoral Care Committee keeps in touch with the church's shut-in and elderly members through visits, phone calls, cards, and flowers, including lilies at Easter and poinsettias at Christmas. The Stewardship Committee focuses on the giving relationship between members and DCC, conducting an annual Stewardship Campaign to request pledges for the following year; giving supports both operational expenses and special projects.
The Dublin Community Church Foundation, a separately incorporated 501(c)(3) non-profit, is dedicated to the long-term support of the church's mission and ministries. The Foundation stewards one-time, recurring, and planned giving - including bequests, beneficiary designations, and charitable trusts - and each spring announces an annual grant budget for projects that go beyond the church's annual operating budget. Giving is available online through the church's giving page, and the Foundation can be reached through The Columbus Foundation as well.
Music at DCC
Music is a year-round ministry at DCC. The adult choir anchors worship from September through the end of May, joined by the Gladden Strummers, the adult handbell choir, and the youth handbell choir. Children's music comes through Sunday School, with seasonal performances for Palm Sunday, Christmas Eve, and the annual Christmas Pageant. In the summer months, the congregation hears the musical gifts of its own members and friends. The Music Committee supports and develops this program, and the church's broad musical life is a thread that runs through nearly every ministry, from youth to seniors.
Pastors and Staff
Dublin Community Church is co-led by Rev. Becky Sunday and Rev. Bowersock. Rev. Sunday is the primary preacher in the current sermon archive, with a deep body of weekly entries organized by book of the Bible, by topic, and by series. Other preachers who appear in the archive include Rev. Dr. David Long-Higgins and lay preacher Gregg Dudash. The Christian Education Director oversees Sunday School, VBS, and the children's ministries. Barb Anderson serves as the Interfaith Outreach Facilitator and co-founder of WORD. Bianca DeMaria facilitates the Grief Group.
The Welcome on Bridge Street
Dublin Community Church stands today much as it has for more than a century: a building that has been rebuilt, expanded, and pressed into more uses than its earliest members could have imagined. It is a place where a child in the nursery, a teenager on a mission trip, an adult in a small group, and a hospice-bound member still in the church's prayers all belong to the same body, where the congregation's roots in three early Dublin churches and the wider United Church of Christ give it a particular shape - open in theology, open in welcome, mission-minded in its outreach, and rooted in a town it has served since 1912.