Lutheran Church of the Reformation — Attraction in Washington

In 2017, I-- along with many of my fellow Americans-- came to Washington D.C. on January 21st for a singular reason: to stand up against hatred. I'm a rather reserved person, but I felt so strongly about what was happening in our country that I left my home in Alabama, got on a bus by myself, and rode overnight to our nation's capitol. I was determined to show up and make my voice heard.

When I arrived in Washington D.C., the crowds of the Women's March were unbelievable. Words can't express how it felt to look in every direction and see nothing but people; people standing, people cheering, people in trees, people on stairs, people on light poles. I'm also only 5'2", so that added to the feeling of being engulfed in the crowd. While I was grateful to be there, and the energy was truly electric, I eventually needed a quiet place to breathe.

Unfortunately, restaurants were closed, and businesses were actively turning away the crowds; it was just too much to handle. There were no public restrooms in sight, and I was getting desperate. It was around this time I saw a church nearby that was welcoming folks to come in and rest. I remember one of the clergy members was a woman. I was hesitant, but-- with no other options in sight-- I took them up on their offer.

I was raised in the deep south surrounded by "fire and brimstone" Christianity. As someone who grew up non-religious, I had to go to significant lengths to hide my lack of churchgoing from my friends and peers; if I hadn't, I would have been ostracized. I grew up seeing Christianity as very much a "do as I say, not as I do" type of deal, and I had a lot of anger towards religion that had built up over the years.

Lutheran Church of the Reformation, though I only visited for a short time, played a special role in healing a lot of my anger. I had never encountered a church that was so welcoming, despite me not being a Christian. I had never encountered a church that was willing to give folks a place to rest and drink water with nothing expected in return. I wasn't forced to read a pamphlet or listen to a sermon or to even talk to anyone. I was just shown kindness. This was the first time in my life I had seen a church truly embody "Love one another" without exception. (And I grew up around a lot of churches, so this is saying a lot.)

When I returned home (again, on a solo, overnight bus ride), I thought often about Lutheran Church of the Reformation. I even made a small donation to them online. And here I am, many, many years later, leaving a review about my brief-yet-impactful experience. I'm not a Christian, but I am deeply spiritual now; I believe this church was an impactful stop on my spiritual journey.

Thank you for showing me love when I needed it and not expecting anything in return, and thank you for helping to heal a part of me that was deeply hurt. Your compassion is...

Reformation is an interesting and welcoming community. Walks it’s talk of service and engagement in the local and global community. It’s food pantry has been offering bags of food, assembled by member volunteers for 30+years. The Reformation partners of Good Neighbors Capitol Hill have furnished 120 apartments for refugees from Afghanistan, Honduras, Eritrea, Uganda, Cameroon, El Salvador, Syria, Ethiopia, Ukraine, and more. The music program is amazing with choir, concerts, and a gifted...

This church is a gem. It is LGBTQIA+ affirming, has great music, plenty of different ministries to get involved with, family friendly, and more. The new pastor, Kevin Vandiver, is breathing new life into the congregation as well and leading them on the next leg of the journey God has planned for Reformation. Even though I moved away a few months ago, it's still the church service I opt to tune into weekly. (Thank...