Dear Friends,

It was wonderful to hear Dr. Peck’s message last week on the power of a small community to accomplish great things. His history of the church and his highlighting of what has worked served as a reminder of the importance of gathering and praying together.

Following the service, we had a book signing. As you can see from the photos below, we had a lovely time. We are very proud of Dr. Peck’s book and grateful for his leadership. His work is a reminder to all of us to ask ourselves: How can we be more useful with our lives?

You can listen to Dr. Malcolm Peck's message HERE.

You can order your copy of the book HERE.

Special thanks to Kateryna, who spent countless hours producing Swedenborg House DC’s first publication.

Thank you to all of you who come together each week to pray, support one another, and build community.

Coming Up This Sunday

This Sunday, I will be at the Swedenborgian Convention with Katy and Malcolm. I’ll be leading our Council of Ministers meeting that precedes the larger gathering being held at Babson College. Kateryna will host the in-person space.

We are fortunate to have Dr. Ina Gjikondi return to share her message The First Voice: How to Hear What You Already Know.

Before you had words, you had a heartbeat. That heartbeat was your first voice, and it has never stopped speaking. In this talk, Dr. Ina Gjikondi draws on phenomenological research, HeartMath science, and the ancient wisdom carried in the Albanian word for heart to help leaders recover the one intelligence that never lies: the knowing that lives in the chest, before the mind arrives to complicate it.

Following the service, we'd love for you to stay and join in person for continued discussion over a shared meal.

RSVP HERE by noon on Friday, June 26th. Please feel free to share this invitation with others who may be interested in joining!

Birthday Celebrations 



Please join me in wishing Sheri Smith (June 18) a very happy birthday! Sheri, we wish you every blessing in the year ahead.

If you have a birthday or special event coming up, please let me know at revtafel@holycitydc.org so we can celebrate with you as well.

With gratitude and blessings,

Rev. Rich Tafel

Our Sunday Speaker | Dr. Ina Gjikondi

Dr. Ina Gjikondi is a visionary leader and systems innovator devoted to awakening human potential and elevating global consciousness through transformative learning. As Founder of One Humanity Lab at the George Washington University Center for Excellence in Public Leadership—a learning and innovation hub where leaders, coaches, educators, artists, and changemakers come together—her work is grounded in cultivating whole-person, whole-being, and whole-system leadership that transforms from within.

You can learn more about her work HERE.

Readings for the Coming Sunday

Proverbs 4:23

New International Version

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

Psalms 51:10

New International Version

Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Swedenborg Insights

Heaven and Hell §446

The deepest communication of our spirit is with our breathing and our heartbeat; thought connects with our breathing, and affection, an attribute of love, with our heart.

Upcoming Events

The Gospel According to Jesus Christ Superstar Discussion Series

Wednesdays - Biweekly, Starting on May 27 | 7:00 PM

The Swedenborg House warmly invites you to our discussion series, The Gospel According to Jesus Christ Superstar, led by Rev. Kelly Crouch, in which we’ll study Jesus Christ Superstar song lyrics as if they were sacred text and explore the ways they invite us to see the story of Jesus with new eyes.

The discussion series will take place biweekly on Wednesday nights at 7:00 PM on:

* June 24

* July 8 Rescheduled for Wednesday, July 15th

* July 22

Church News in Photos

As you'll see from the photos below, we had a wonderful book-signing celebration with Dr. Malcolm Peck.

Special thanks to Jason Bellini for helping us film new videos for Church of the Holy City and Swedenborg House DC.

You'll also notice that our outdoor space is coming together beautifully, creating a welcoming place to gather and connect throughout the summer.

Notes from the Pastor's Desk

The Swedenborgian Church was recently removed from the list of religious affiliation categories recognized by the U.S. military. The change has sparked discussion about how smaller faith communities are represented within public institutions. Read more HERE.

Just as questions are being raised about the representation of smaller faith communities, similar conversations are taking place about representation and bias in artificial intelligence.

As AI becomes an increasingly common source of information, we are faced with important questions: Can AI ever truly be neutral? Are ChatGPT and other AI chatbots politically biased?

See HERE for a Washington Post analysis that tested ChatGPT, Gemini, and other chatbots with political questions. The results suggest that these AI tools can exhibit different political leanings in how they respond (see graph below).

Thought of the Week