St. Columba's Parish Profile | Page 4

ALL ARE Welcome We are a vibrant and inclusive community that seeks to explore our faith and follow God’s call to us. St. Columba’s is a large community, with membership exceeding 3,500 and Sunday attendance that averages more than 700. We welcome parishioners of multiple generations, diverse families and different faith traditions. This is a spiritual place. God is felt and present here in many ways that we do and do not understand. We support one another and the greater community. When committed, we can be a powerful body of energy, resources and service to do the Lord’s work with great joy. We are in our 140th year as an Episcopal parish. Our history includes many notable stories of taking risks to grow and implementing bold programs that changed the lives of others. There were Columba “saints” who led the way, including previous rectors and parishioners who shaped our identity. We have a long history of service to our community, especially the homeless; we are founding members of Samaritan Ministry and Friendship Place. We continue to minister to the homeless today through our Water Ministry and other service initiatives. We founded a Nursery School at a time when the District of Columbia did not provide preschool classes in its public schools. In addition, St. Columba’s has embraced changes in our faith community that furthered the inclusion of women and gay clergy in the church. We invite you to read more about our history in the St. Columba’s Newsletter celebrating our 140th anniversary. Our traditions are shaped by where we have been, our hopes by what we aspire to be. Who is St. Columba? 4