Luther Rice Memorial Baptist Church (LRMBC) is named in honor of the legendary Baptist minister Luther Rice, who served as a missionary in the mid-1800s. Mr. Rice is known as one of the founders of the Baptist movement in the United States. In addition, he was fiercely dedicated to the importance of missionary work.
LRMBC has MISSIONS at heart. Many individuals who grew up in our church have become foreign missionaries, and Luther Rice Memorial Baptist Church regularly supports mission efforts in India, and many others. On a local level, LRMBC seeks to be a church with the congregational vision of using our building as a central focus for doing Christian ministry.
Our church identifies with American Baptist Churches through active membership in the District of Columbia Baptist Convention. It also supports and benefits from the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Baptist World Alliance. Historically, our church has always cared deeply about sharing the good news of Jesus Christ beyond its own walls.
Who Are We?
True to the Baptist convention, we at Luther Rice Memorial Baptist Church believe that Christ is “in charge” of his church and that our members are asked to seek and follow Christ’s will for the church. While Christ is in charge, the head servant of our church is our Pastor, the Rev. Aleisha A. Langhorne.
On March 14, 2021, our church unanimously called the Rev. Langhorne to serve as our Pastor. She served as our Interim Pastor since June 2019. Her ministerial passions include preaching, teaching, and providing care and support to families and individuals in crisis. Above all else, she loves God and the people of God.
God gifted Rev. Langhorne with an aptitude for learning. As such, she holds a Master of Divinity degree with honors from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC and two Masters Degrees in Public Health from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She also graduated magna cum laude from Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia.
As a federal government employee, Rev. Langhorne dedicated the first half of her career to improving the health, and well-being, of women and girls across the nation. She continues her federal career in public health working to support the development of a skilled, diverse healthcare workforce. Her latest pursuits include establishing the Elsie Marrow Legacy Foundation to support students pursuing careers in education.
Rev. Langhorne grew up in Smithfield, Virginia, the Ham Capitol of the world. Despite living in DC over a decade, she remains a country girl at heart, enjoying the simple things in life.
Pastor Aleisha can be reached as follows:
We are blessed to have other faithful leaders who help us do the work of God in our community, nation, and world. Please feel free to reach out to our committee chairs directly for information, prayer, or donations (listed below).
| Role | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chair, Diaconate | Tom Harrison | deacons@lutherricechurch.org |
| Music Director | Dewayne Morgan | music@lutherricechurch.org |
| Treasurer | Carol Wilson | treasurer@lutherricechurch.org |
| Admin/Building Facilitator | Gwen Howard | office@lutherricechurch.org |
| Custodian | Orlando Villatoro | |
| Chefs | Bill and Larry Shackleford |
| Role | |
|---|---|
| Chair, Diaconate | Tom Harrison |
| Music Director | Dewayne Morgan |
| Treasurer | Carol Wilson |
| Admin/Building Facilitator | Gwen Howard |
| Custodian | Orlando Villatoro |
| Chefs | Bill and Larry Shackleford |
How To Worship With Us
Luther Rice is pleased to offer a few ways to worship on Sunday mornings at 11:00 am.
Online Service
In-person Service
Please note: In-person service is always subject to change, as COVID-19 protocols require. Masks are currently optional. Social distancing is highly recommended.
Weekly services are recorded and can be viewed from our Facebook page and on YouTube: Luther Rice Memorial Baptist Church.