Finding Foundry

I realized that in my previous catch up most at the beginning of this month that I completely left out my church that I started going to a the end of November. A good church community has been one thing lacking in my life since the loss of the Wesley Foundation post college. I didn't realize how important it had been to me until I went back to camp last summer as a volunteer, so the second I got here I started looking for a church that could give me that same sense of community I had felt in college and at camp in an age range during which those things are difficult to get from many churches.

A news publication entitled The Washington Blade had a best of DC article that I found online while searching liberal United Methodist churches online, and Foundry United Methodist was the winner in the church category. Then when I discovered that they had a Friday night contemporary service, I was sold. I am terrible at having motivation in the morning, so a 5:30 service seemed like a good idea.

From the first night, I was hooked. I happened to attend a night of one of their coffee house services, which just means that different people were sharing things that had to do with the theme of the sermon. I love how casual it is. Everyone wears what they want to and snacks on cheese and other food during the service. There are people from a multitude of diverse backgrounds, income levels, sexual orientations, and political parties. Even with all f these differing opinions, I have never felt like anyone is being judged.

I felt so lucky to have found a church I liked on my first visit, so I haven't even bothered trying any others. Every week we go out for dinner afterward for fellowship. It's been a great way to make friends in the city that are al going through the same things I am and different things as well.

I also joined a small group through the church and have met even more new friends that are willing to have difficult discussions about faith and how it ties into the secular. Our group is reading a book about chastity, so it definitely brings up interesting conversations. I hate that I'm missing it during tour season, but the great thing is I know that any Thursday I'm free I have a place to go.