|
Dear Friends of National City,
This month has been filled with the work of the Holy Spirit and not just because we celebrated Pentecost and not even because we met as a board, but because we are a board, a church, a denomination, and a movement that allows for the loving work of God to move us as we are needed. As people of the resurrection, we must be ready to face the day’s joys and challenges with truth and collaboration, while maintaining faith that all things, even things beyond our wildest imagination, can and will be done through Christ who strengthens us together.
As I mentioned, this month we had our board meeting and we made some faithful steps toward fulfilling our mission to support the National Church and to live out our call to bear witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ to local and global leaders in our nation’s capital. We continue to strengthen the collaboration between the two pillars of National City, the church and foundation, and dream with God of ways we can tell the story of this historic community in new and faithful ways. We worked toward a better support system for our overextended staff and are making headway to address some acute and systemic staffing needs. We celebrated new ministry partners and discussed some of our historic relationships while starting to think ahead to our centennial in 2030. We discussed the unique security threats our staff is subjected to due to our visibility as the national church and our vulnerable location in the heart of DC. And yet we continue to dream of new partnerships for the building and her people, both worshippers and tenants alike. We even had some exceptional generosity from our board members to help refresh the tenant lounge on our third floor. This generosity helped us extend our welcome and care for all the non-profit organizations that call 5 Thomas Circle home. And at the beginning and end of it all, we gave thanks to God for giving us all that we have and a faithful knowing that if we all do the work, we have all that we need.
All this to say, National City, is a community that was placed intentionally nearly 100 years ago, for such a season as we are in, and we are a National Church doing our best to live into that faithful call. We cannot do it alone, in fact, we need each other. And we are grateful that you are a part of this work. The board meeting is a wonderful place to highlight some of the work that we are doing, but it is never comprehensive, as we are a community who is active daily in the work of being a good neighbor locally, nationally, and globally. The work you will hear about next month is being planned this month, and was dreamed of in the months before that. So, I ask that you continue to hold your national church in prayer for all of our ongoing works with God.
Finally, May kicked off the recognition of America 250. Celebrating at this moment, while the country deepens international conflict, further disenfranchises vulnerable Americans, weakens constitutional checks and balances, and rolls back historic progress that not only our nation but our very church helped to gain, such as protections around voting rights signed by our very own President Johnson, feels incongruitous. All of these things should trouble every Christian regardless of political affiliation. We follow Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, who does not name His children as victors but as neighbors. And while this affects all of us, I ask that you hold those of us in the Capital Area in special prayer as these changes to the fabric of our nation are often felt first and most sharply in DC. .
Despite our deep concerns for a country we love enough to challenge and celebrate, God continues to guide our steps and lead us to still waters of grace and love through community. We shall not be afraid, but we will also not be silent. May war and hate on soil both foreign and domestic be past tense stories soon. Your prayers are felt and your support is appreciated.
Gratefully,
Pastor Stephanie
| 
