After 22 years of pastoral ministry, including eight years at Foundry, Pastor Ginger will begin a five-month health and spiritual renewal leave on January 15, 2023, returning June 15, 2023. This leave, part of how the UMC nurtures its clergy and available to full-time clergy every six years, was approved by Foundry’s Staff Parish Relations Committee (SPRC) and the Foundry Board. The Board looks forward to continuing to work with her once she returns.

While Pastor Ginger is on leave, the Rev. David Argo will serve as acting senior pastor, supporting and collaborating with staff, Board, and congregation to maintain the momentum of Foundry’s mission and ministry. Rev. Argo is known by many at Foundry, having previously served as our district superintendent.  On Sundays, a series of gifted preachers, together with Foundry’s clergy and lay speakers, will preach.  

Questions? Email Amanda Peterson Beadle, Board President, or any Foundry Board member at board@foundryumc.org.
 

Recently I marked my first year as a volunteer for Foundry's ID Ministry, and I'd like to share some of my observations about this remarkable program.

Our ID Ministry equips volunteers to help our low-income and unhoused neighbors obtain precious documents such as birth certificates, Social Security cards, and non-driver IDs. As you can imagine, these documents are essential for anyone applying for jobs, housing, health insurance, and public benefits. 

The ID Ministry operates for two hours every Friday morning and the first and third Saturday mornings of each month in the Community Commons area.  When necessary, cases are handled via phone interviews. We don’t issue the documents; we offer expertise and financial support to enable people to obtain the documents.

Volunteer training involves both learning the detailed procedures for obtaining certain documents and, more importantly, learning how to welcome and confer with our neighbor who is the client. A significant portion of training entails shadowing and assisting an experienced volunteer. You'll sense when you're ready to work on your own. No one expects a volunteer to be completely knowledgeable about ID documents. We're always asking each other questions, and the team has compiled many resources to provide answers. 

When I reflect on the one-on-one experiences I've had, the word "conversation" pops into my mind because listening is a vital aspect of what happens. Each neighbor who enters the Commons area has different needs, and I'm sure they're hoping for a different experience than they might receive at the Department of Motor Vehicles. At the same time, it’s important to make sure our conversation is focused and purposeful: we don't want to get sidetracked.

Trust is another cornerstone of this ministry. These neighbors are sharing their personal stories. They are trusting that we will respect them while they're possibly sharing some difficult details about their lives. A key sentence on Foundry's web page describing this ministry reminds us,  "…we believe all persons are created in God’s image, the Imago Dei." 

When volunteering with the ID Ministry, I'm frequently reminded of the central message of Micah 6:8: "To do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God." We have siblings in our city who are one step away from a job or an apartment, one step away from bettering their lives. They're looking for justice. They're looking for a neighbor who will help. If you're that neighbor,  seeking justice in this strained world, consider using your gifts as part of the ID Ministry. To learn more, contact jackie@foundryumc.org.

Michael's partner, Ralph Williams, introduced him to Foundry in 1999, and Michael became a member in 2010. Both have participated in several social justice programs at Foundry.

Lenten Devotional Development

This month the Foundry community creates this year's Lenten Devotional, sharing personal reflections, verbal or visual, for each of the forty days of Lent. This year's Lenten Devotional will explore what God is calling us to take on for Lent.

Sunday, January 1
Epiphany Sunday

We usher in this new year, worshipping together at one service at 10 a.m. both in person and online. Today, with Pastor Ben preaching, we remember the Magi, who followed the light of a star, bringing gifts to the Baby Jesus, and then returned home, forever changed by their encounter with the light of the world.

Sunday, January 8
Baptism of the Lord and Congregational Reaffirmation of Baptism
We remember the baptism of Jesus and celebrate the abundant grace of God that meets us just as we are, reminding us that we are each among those whom God calls "beloved children." Pastor Jonathan will be preaching a sermon titled "Let it Be" focused on Matthew 3:13-17 and Psalm 29. Join us in person or virtually at 9 and 11:15 a.m.

Mark as Story
Today we begin a six-week course on the Gospel of Mark, presented by Pastor Jonathan Brown and the Discipleship Ministries. We will read the entire gospel, discussing characters, settings and splits to discover their meaning. The class will meet in Room 202 at 10:15 a.m. today and each Sunday through February 19. Learn more and register at foundryumc.org/mark.

Lenten Devotional Creative Workshop
Interested in contributing to this year's Lenten Devotional? Attend this workshop from 12:30-1:45 p.m., in person in Room 203 or online. You'll learn more about the process, the theme and the resources that will be available to help. Learn more and register at foundryumc.org/workshop. 

Foundry Women's Retreat!
Registration opens today for the 2023 Foundry Women's Retreat, being held February 24-26 at the Pecometh Retreat Center in Centreville, MD! Check out the additional information in this issue of the Forge.

Sunday, January 15
Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.
Today, we observe Human Relations Sunday, and are honored to welcome Rev. Enger Muteteke as our Guest Preacher to kick off our new sermon series: "The Good Life." Rev. Enger Kuteteke is an Elder in the BWC and serves as the Senior Director of Programs and Education for the General Commission on Religion and Race. Join us in person or online! 

Tuesday, January 24
Foundry Board Meeting
Foundry's Board convenes its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Interested Foundry members can attend the Zoom meeting by visiting foundryumc.org/board-meeting.

Wednesday, January 25
Help in the Annual Count of Unhoused Neighbors
Be part of the Foundry team taking part in the Point In Time Count, the 'census' of unhoused neighbors in D.C., which provides policy makers and funders the information they need on homelessness here. Volunteers are needed to canvass the Foundry neighborhood. Like last year, training will be available online. For more information, email Jackie at jackie@foundryumc.org.

Sunday, January 29
Help plan Discipleship programs!
Come and have lunch with others interested in our discipleship offerings for this year. We'll think through what this year's discipleship classes, groups and experiences will be. We'll gather at 1 p.m. in the Community Commons. Questions? Contact Pastor Jonathan at jbrown@foundryumc.org. 

Monday, January 30
Lenten Devotional Deadline
Today's the last day to send in your contribution to Foundry's 2023 Lenten Devotional. Send it to lentendevotional@foundryumc.org. 

Foundry Women's Retreat is BACK!

This beloved annual, in-person gathering of the Women of Foundry with our sister congregations, return February 24-26 at Pecometh Riverside Retreat Center, a UMC facility across the Bay Bridge in Maryland (136 Bookers Wharf Rd, Centerville Maryland.) Registration opens Sunday, January 8 and closes February 13.

It is very important to sign up as member of the Women's Retreat Group on the Foundry website in order for you to receive our "save the date, registration of interest" communications and surveys. So sign up at foundryumc.org/join-womens-retreat now, and if already a member, please ensure your contact information is correct. 

This month, Foundry will welcome David Argo back as he steps in to support us during Pastor Ginger’s leave. He is known to many of us, having served as our district superintendent in recent years.

In addition to that service, he has been the pastor of rural, urban, and suburban churches within the Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church. He has also been the conference’s director of connectional ministries, a delegate to five jurisdictional conferences and two general conferences — one in which he led the delegation.

Rev. Argo and his wife, Linda, live in the District of Columbia. They have three married children and nine grandchildren.