When Truth Stands Accused
Lent Devotion by Rev. Rachel Cornwell
Dumbarton United Methodist Church
“I was born and came into the world for this reason: to testify to the truth.
Whoever accepts the truth listens to my voice.”
Rev. Rachel Cornwell invites us into the trial of Jesus before Pilate, asking hard questions about truth, power, and where real authority comes from. Filmed in a public space shaped by our own justice system, her reflection connects the gospel story to the courage required to speak truth in the face of unjust power—and to live that truth together.
Rev. Rachel Cornwell
serves as the appointed pastor at Dumbarton United Methodist Church in Washington, DC. An ordained elder in the Baltimore-Washington Conference, Rachel has served congregations in Maryland and DC for the last 24 years. She also serves on the Board and District Committee of Ordained Ministry and recently completed a term on the Reconciling Ministries Network Board of Directors. Rachel authored Daring Adventures: Helping Gender Diverse Kids and their Families Thrive (published in 2023 by ACTA Publications) and is currently pursuing a Master's in Social Work in order to work with transgender youth and their families.
Dumbarton United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C., is an inclusive, justice-minded congregation rooted in a long tradition of faith and community in Georgetown. Their mission is to be “instruments of God’s love, compassion and justice” in their local community and throughout the world, living out that calling through worship, education, and service.
A Reconciling Congregation since 1987, Dumbarton UMC affirms the full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people and seeks to be a radically welcoming community where all can find belonging and spiritual nourishment. Grounded in the belief that every person is created in God’s image, the congregation gathers to grow in faith and then be sent back into the world as witnesses to love, justice, and compassion.