Alexandria Church Marks 60th Anniversary with Open House

Local members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) are opening their doors this Sunday for a special event with their neighbors and friends, according to a news release from the group.

The LDS chapel on King Street is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, and the local congregations are holding an evening of fellowship, music and tours of the building to commemorate the occasion and offer visitors a chance to learn more about the LDS faith.

“We are grateful to be part of a strong community of faith in Alexandria,” said Stake President Keith Davey, the spiritual leader of 13 LDS congregations in the Alexandria, Mount Vernon and south Arlington area.

“It would be impossible to calculate the sacred messages that have been shared, uplifting songs that have been sung, and lives that have been enriched in this building,” he said. “But there’s one number we do know, and that’s how long the building has stood: 60 years. A testament to the faith of the members who built it and a sign of the legacy they left for us to inherit. We look forward to welcoming the community as they have welcomed us.”

The LDS community in Alexandria first took root in the 1940s, though ground was not broken for a formal meetinghouse until 1953. On June 19, 1955, the building was dedicated by Ezra Taft Benson, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and future president of the church. At the time, Benson was Secretary of Agriculture under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. J. Willard Marriott, the founder of Marriott International, who was the leader of the Latter-day Saints in the Washington, D.C., area at the time, was instrumental in supporting the building of the Alexandria chapel.

There were less than 100 Alexandria members meeting back then, but nowadays more than 1,000 members gather there each Sunday. Three congregations meet in the chapel – and the building is full of activity from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every Sabbath.

“It’s great to belong to such a strong and diverse family of worshippers here in northern Virginia,” said Jared Whitley, a longtime member of one of the local wards. “Sundays are always such a flurry of activity in this building. And I’m sure it has many more years ahead of it too.”

The original Alexandria Ward boundaries were 125 square miles and went as far south as Fredericksburg. There are now about 50 congregations (or wards) located within those original boundaries and three buildings in Alexandria alone.

The open house event is open to all:

Date and Time: Sunday, Jan. 25, 7 to 9 p.m.

Location: 2810 King St., Alexandria, Va., 22302 (Map here)

Facebook event: Here

PHOTOS: Groundbreaking Dec. 12, 1953. Pictured: Alexandria Ward Bishop Horace C. Crowther, Bishop Wendell E. Thorne, and President of the Washington DC Stake J. Willard Marriott, photo courtesy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; church building at 2810 King St. Photos courtesy of LDS, via Facebook