The National Presbyterian Church Edward L. R. Elson, who succeeded McCarthy in 1946, worked tirelessly to inspire the entire denomination to the potential for Christian witness and service by a national church. On October 15, 1947, clergy throughout the denomination and the city of Washington converged at the Covenant-First Presbyterian Church for a dedicatory service to establish that church as The National Church of the Presbyterian denomination. For the new national church of the denomination, the General Assembly, in conjunction with church leaders, was anxious to expand the facilities to support a wider array of religious, educational, and cultural activities. His parishioner, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, whom Elson baptized in 1953, supported him in meetings with denomination leaders. 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. In January 1966 the congregation acquired its current property and began the design and construction of a new church complex. For three years during construction, the congregation worshipped in the Capital Memorial Seventh Day Adventist Church. The cornerstone of the new church was laid by President Eisenhower on October 14, 1967, and the congregation first worshipped in its new home on September 7, 1969. The year 1969 also marked the opening of the National Presbyterian School, a private school that has grown to serve preschool through sixth-grade students. The school is open to children of all faiths in the Washington area. 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. He was succeeded as Senior Minister by Louis H. Evans Jr. Each Senior Minister was supported by Associate or Assistant Ministers, who included Thomas A. Stone, memorialized in the church's fellowship hall; John Hayes, missionary and martyr in China; and chaplains from the Navy and Army. Evans was followed after 1990 successively by Bryant M. Kirkland (interim), Craig Barnes, Thomas A. Erickson (interim), Gareth W. Icenogle, Earl F. Palmer (interim), Patrick J. Willson (interim), and, in 2011, by David A. Renwick. Notable milestones 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. The church’s