The Church in DC

On Nov. 3, First Baptist Church of Silver Spring (MD) will host a Homecoming Celebration and say farewell to its current church building on the corner of Wayne and Fenton Streets in Silver Spring. The church will be moving to a location nearby but must vacate the building by December 1. A light reception of cake and punch (a Baptist tradition) will be held after the morning worship service at 11 a.m. All are welcome to attend. Visit www.fbcss.org for more information. via  www.dcbaptist.org

Time To Fly Foundation  is devoted to helping abused women and their children regain their God given worth, break the generational cycle and strengthen the family unit with the unconditional love and transforming power of Jesus Christ! It is hosting FREE Domestic Violence Intervention and Prevention Workshops  on Dec. 3 (Tues, 6:45-9pm), Dec. 10 (Tues, 6:45-9pm), and Dec. 14 (Sat, 9:45am-12pm). For more info, visit  http://live.timetofly.org/contact-us-2/need-help / or call 877-570-9488. The intervention workshops, hosted in the DC area, will notify participants of the location within three days of the beginning of the workshop.

Jewish Rocker-turned-Pastor  Launches Arlington Church by Ethan Rothstein | October 30, 2013 at 1:15 pm It’s not every day that a new church starts in Arlington, but musician-turned-pastor Scott Maurer of newly formed West City Fellowship has a background even more unique. Maurer, 46, was raised Jewish, played in a rock band for five years in the mid-Atlantic region and worked in the D.C. tech industry for 10 years before deciding to join the ministry.  West City Fellowship , which is a nondenominational Christian church, held its first official service Sunday morning in a lecture hall at Wakefield High School, where it will continue to hold weekly services at 10:30 a.m. Raised in Alexandria, Maurer’s father was a “very religious Jew,” but his mother wasn’t observant, so when they divorced, Maurer said he was drifting spiritually. As he grew up, he had a natural curiosity; studying Eastern philosophy and several other Western religions, but shu...

STILL TIME TO REGISTER ! EVENT IS FREE - 12:30 to 5:00 WASHINGTON CONVENTION CENTER TRACKS: 1 - Fostering & Adopting 2 - Mentoring 3 - Support 4 - Advocacy & Mobilization To learn more about adoption and foster care, see: National Council For Adoption District of Columbia Child and Family Services Agency -- John Marienau Turpin TheChurchinDC

Explore the meaning of life and the insights of life oriented toward Jesus! Holy Trinity Church is hosting two Alpha Courses, introducing people to the Christian faith in a non-threatening environment that encourages questions. All - believers, skeptics, inquirers - are welcome, and welcome to bring a friend. September 26 information session open to all. Attendance at the information session not required to attend subsequent meetings. Downtown DC - 12-1pm Tuesdays, October 1 - November 12 at Shakespeare Theatre's Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW, DC. Mclean, VA - 7:15-8:15pm Thursdays, October 3 - November 21 at Holy Trinity Church, 850 Balls Hill Road, Mclean. -- John Marienau Turpin TheChurchinDC

www.fosterthecity.org Every child deserves a loving and stable home. There are 1,300 children in DC’s foster care system, three hundred waiting for adoptive families, and thousands more across Maryland and Virginia.  The good news? There’s something you can do about it. On November 2nd, the National Council For Adoption and DC127 invite you to Foster the City, a FREE, one-day, citywide event where you can learn more about making a difference in the life of a child living in foster care. Listen to inspiring speakers, ranging from national experts to ordinary people showing extraordinary love and sacrifice, and whose lives have been changed as result of their involvement on this critical issue. Choose one of several workshop tracks, specially tailored to your interests. Connect with others who are also in the process of thinking through how to take the next step. Register at  https://fosterthecity2013.eventbrite.com/

First Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Dumfries, Va. in partnership with Princeton Theological Seminary will be holding a Pastoral Renewal Conference (July 12-13) and a Church Leaders Gathering (July 13). The theme for both is “At the Heart of Leadership.” Participants will be encouraged to consider the theological and practical challenges for effective pastoral Christian leadership today. Speakers include: Rev. Dr. Craig Barnes, president and professor of pastoral ministry, Princeton Theological Seminary; Rev. Dr. Kenyatta Gilbert, assistant professor of homiletics, Howard University Divinity School; Rev. Dr. Adam L. Bond, assistant professor of historical studies, Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology; and, Rev. Dr. Leslie Copeland-Tune, director of communications & resource development for the D.C. Baptist Convention. The Pastoral Renewal Conference is open to pastors, while the Church Leaders Gathering is open lay leaders. Registration is now available online for both the Past...

“A Change Is Gonna Come,” an award-winning play, will be featured during the 4th Annual D.C. Black Theatre Festival. The play addresses the issue of domestic violence behind the walls of the church. Performances are scheduled for Saturday, June 22 at 8 p.m. and Saturday June 29 at 4 p.m. at the Cultural Arts Center of Silver Spring, Md. (at Montgomery College), 7995 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, Md., 20910. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit http://www.forgiven2.com . -- John Marienau Turpin via dcbaptist.org

The Global Mission Church of Greater Washington  in Silver Spring offers scholarships for Korean-American students pursuing seminary education. Applications are available directly from some seminaries, or stop by the church at 13421 Georgia Ave., 301-460-1656. -- John Marienau Turpin

Join the DC127 initiative! There are 1300 children in the DC foster care system, and 300 of them are looking for adoptive homes. We believe the C hurch is uniquely positioned to respond and care for these children. Starting on May 21 st , join DC127 each month this summer as we gather to pray for the children living in foster care, the families God is calling to respond, and the C hurch as we unite around this issue. Our first prayer gathering will be on May 21st in Columbia Heights. DC127 is a new initiative in DC that seeks to unite churches around the foster care issue . Our goal is to recruit and support foster families  so that there are no more children waiting for a family, but rather families waiting for children. For more information contact Chelsea Geyer at info@dc127.org Details: DC Foster Care Prayer Gathering Tuesday, May 21st at 7:30pm GALA Theatre 3333 14th St NW Washington, DC 20010 -- Blythe Scott Coordinator of City Partn...

Blessed Is He Who Comes in the Name of The Lord A listing of special services for Holy Week and Easter being held this week by churches connected to the DC Baptist Convention. Via http://dcbaptist.org/fliers/easterservices2013.pdf  7 th Annual Community Communion Service 6:45 p.m. Central Baptist Church of Camp Springs 5600 Old Branch Avenue Camp Springs, MD 20745 301.899.3800 With DCBC churches: Fort Foote Baptist Church (Rev. Joseph Lyles, pastor), Fort Washington Baptist Church (Rev. Darin Poullard, pastor) and Word of Life Church Ministries (Revs. Freddie and Myrtle Jones, pastors) East Washington Heights Baptist Church Maundy Thursday Service with Florida Ave. Baptist Church 7 p.m. 623 Florida Ave NW Washington, DC 20001 202.667.3409 (FABC) 202.582.4811 (EWHBC) First Baptist Church/Camp Springs Maundy Thursday Service 6:30pm 6936 Allentown Road Camp Springs MD 20748-4102 301.449.8987 Luther Rice Memorial Baptist Church Maund...

N. Gordon Cosby,  prophetic voice for church renewal and founding minister of The Church of the Saviour in 1947,  died on Wednesday,  March 20,  at the age of 95. A public memorial service will be held on Saturday,  April 6,  at Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington,  DC. ( http://www.inwardoutward.org/2013/03/21/depths ) Gordon and his wife Mary founded the Church of the Saviour in Adams Morgan in 1947. That movement now includes Christ House, Jubilee Jobs, The Potters House, and a wide variety of  other loving ministries in Washington, DC. In 1994, the Church of the Saviour-at-worship became a "scattered community," which now includes nine church congregations throughout the city. Even for those of us who only met Gordon briefly and in his old age, his legacy will be one of intensive humility and a foundational belief in Jesus' compassion and His ability to save poor and rich alike.  The Washington Post carries the reflectio...

Join Grace DC and churches from across metro DC on March 8th and 9th to learn how to better serve our city and world: March 9th Helping Without Hurting Seminar  A day-long seminar with Dr. Brian Fikkert, co-author of the renowned book  When Helping Hurts . Dr. Fikkert will provide useful information and practical concepts to help churches and non-profits make a more meaningful difference in their communities and in the wider world. Register Here March 8th Serving Our Cities Five-minute rapid-fire  present ations by local non-profits to give us an overview of various forms of mercy/justice ministry happening in our city and world. Stay afterwards for coffee and Q & A.  Free to attend. No registration. --   Blythe Scott Coordinator of City Partnerships,  The District Church Blythe@districtchurch.org

Last October, the Very Reverend Gary Hall became the 10th dean of Washington National Cathedral . Having led Episcopal dioceses in Massachusetts, California and Michigan before coming to D.C., Hall demonstrated early on that he's willing to make waves. He is an outspoken advocate for gun control and announced that same-sex marriages will be held at the cathedral. Kojo talks with Hall about his reputation as a fixer and his plans for the nation's landmark church. http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2013-02-06/very-reverend-gary-hall-dean-washington-national-cathedral (Site includes updated photos of reconstruction of the Cathedral since the 2011 earthquake.)

From The Trinity Forum and Church of the Advent . Thursday, February 21, at the National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW. Please join us on Thursday, February 21 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC for what promises to be a fascinating conversation on the links between genetics and human identity, and how to understand our bodies and our selves in the light of both genetic information and biblical truth. This is the final Evening Conversation in our three-part series entitled "Science & Faith in Conversation: Our Place, Self, and Soul" sponsored in part by the Templeton Foundation "Scientists in Congregations" Initiative, and co-hosted by The Church of the Advent and The Trinity Forum. Jimmy Lin, MD, PhD, MHS, is a 2012 TED Fellow and Founder/CEO of Rare Genomics Institute (RGI), the world's first platform to enable any community to leverage cutting-edge biotechnology to advance understanding of any rare disease. Partnering with 18 of the top m...

2013 District of Columbia "Point in Time" Homeless Census A project of The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness and District of Columbia Continuum of Care On Wednesday,  January 30,  2013,  the District of Columbia will conduct its annual census of homeless persons living on the street. From 9:30pm to 2:00am on the night the census, volunteer teams led by trained homeless outreach professionals will canvass the city for unsheltered,  homeless persons and conduct a brief survey about their experiences and circumstances.  Volunteers throughout Washington, DC are needed to assist with a survey of homeless residents that will help determine the need for services and guide decisions about how to use available resources. Results of the 2013 count and survey will provide benchmark numbers, which establish a basis for developing local community and regional strategies to help alleviate h...