Foundry’s building is a valuable asset for ministry. For years we have looked for ways to use this space for collaborative community. We have shared space with organizations like DC Books to Prisons and Pathways to Housing so their outreach workers can better address the needs of prisoners and our unhoused neighbors.
But we were also interested in using our space to support job creation activities. An opportunity emerged last fall when I was connected with the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development that was helping groups looking for commercial kitchen space.
The group now connected to Foundry is Holiday Thyme, founded by Nicole Sanders and Monica Cole, professional chefs and food enthusiasts with over 30 years of global culinary experience. They started the effort initially as a pop-up for holiday catering to support a friend, but it evolved into an incubator, training mostly minority women. Holiday Thyme builds skills and experience to help their chefs excel in corporate kitchens or their own businesses.
Their search for a facility in the D.C. area where they could begin their work found most spaces crowded and expensive. A contact at The Potter’s House café/bookstore put them in touch with me and Foundry.
We met, they explained their mission, goals and need, which I found compelling, the sort of job creation activity we were looking to support. In sharing those goals with Pastor Ginger and the Foundry staff we determined the group was a great match especially given our goals emerging from the Journey to Racial Justice.
We’ve now shared space with Holiday Thyme for their Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter efforts, and so far, the results are both positive and delicious! I close with the words of Nicole Sanders from Holiday Thyme:
“Our relationship with Foundry has been essential to helping us build a stable foundation for our business while supporting minority chefs and line cooks in the process… Having a dedicated space that is more reasonably priced…allows us to directly invest more money into the education and edification of our staff. We could not have [begun] this project without your support.”
We continue to look for opportunities to leverage all we have to create beloved community. Let us know of other efforts Foundry can explore for partnerships. We often say our building is in ministry 24 hours a day, partnerships like these help us steward that gift in fruitful ways.
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Rev. Ben Roberts
Associate Pastor
Executive Director of Programs and Justice Ministries
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Hail and Farewell — for now
Meg Lavery
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Now that I’m leaving, allow me to say, “Hello, greetings!
My name is Meg Lavery. I’m a former Catholic, former evangelical from Wheaton, Illinois, married to fellow Midwesterner Evan Mayo.”
Early in life, I felt called to work for reconciliation and have since cobbled together a career in international peacebuilding. In 2012, I moved to DC for my master’s degree and came to Foundry in 2013. I have never looked back.
Despite my love for DC, I’ve felt chewed up and spit out by this city, more than once. Foundry, though, has been unwaveringly good. It was a balm to walk through these doors and know, regardless of where I was (and wasn’t) in life, this is who I am, these are my people.
Pre-COVID, you would find me seated in the balcony, arriving reliably 15 minutes late. Even after the 11 o’clock service moved to 11:15 – I was always 15 minutes late. Evan and I attended Pre-Cana here. I had the joy of being involved in ESL, and for several years led a small group of marvelous humans who ranged from the ardent to most reluctant of Christians.
During the bleakest period of my life, Joanne Steller invited me to be Ethel to her Lucy to produce the annual Lenten Devotional. This process gave me purpose and connected me more deeply to Foundry. Five years and five Lenten devotionals later, the Lenten Devotional Ministry is one of my favorite things about our church.
For almost ten years, Foundry has been my spiritual home. A place to electrify and grow my faith. A building I could bring anyone to with confidence that they would feel welcome and embraced. A shelter to lean on during COVID when I didn’t have much faith to offer. A community I can point to and say, “This is Christianity.”
In July, we move to Nigeria where I will begin my career with USAID’s Foreign Service managing conflict resolution programs. It’s more than I could ask for or imagine. We are gutted to leave our community, but we will always find our way home.
I will say goodbye for now with the words I pray each time I walk into Foundry, “Thank you for letting me be part of this community.”
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Foundry Forward
MAY 2022 ACTION ITEMS
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Sunday, May 1
"When You Get Knocked Down"
We are now in the fifty days of Easter, focusing in worship on Resilience for Times When…. Today, Pastor Ginger Gaines-Cirelli preaches on the text from Acts 9:1-20 as we explore stories of the early church and find inspiration for the living of these days.
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Sunday, May 8
Resilience: "When You Don't Want to Get Out of Bed"
Today we continue learning from the stories of those who followed Jesus’ way in the days of the early church. Pastor Ginger will preach on verses 36–43 of the ninth chapter of Acts.
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Saturday, May 14
Parenting Seminar
We invite parents and grandparents with children of any age to join us today from 9 a.m. to noon for our parenting seminar “Creating Space for Gender Diverse Kids to Thrive” with Rev. Rachel Cornwell. In full-time ministry in the Baltimore-Washington Conference since 2002, she is currently writing a book called Daring Adventures: Helping Parents and Gender Diverse Kids Thrive in Body, Mind and Spirit. For more information and to register to attend, click here.
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Sunday, May 15
Resilience: "When Cherished Beliefs Are Challenged"
Today, Pastor Ginger addresses what some of us find most difficult – having beliefs we have long held dear criticized and called into question. Her text today is Acts 11:1-18 in which Peter delivers disturbing news to the Jewish community: Gentiles are welcome to become followers of Jesus.
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Friday - Sunday, May 20-22
Youth Spring Retreat
Foundry youth are invited to a spring retreat at Manidokan camp in Knoxville, Maryland. We will leave the church on Friday at 4 p.m. and return on Sunday around the same time. Register and find more information here.
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Sunday, May 22
"When Our Plans Get Messed Up"
Continuing our series on resilience, Pastor Ginger uses Acts 16: 6-15 as her text for today’s sermon, demonstrating how early followers of Jesus’ Way faced obstacles, kept going, learning, and growing as a result.
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Tuesday, May 24
Foundry Board Meeting
Foundry’s Board will have their regular monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Foundry members interested in attending may use this Zoom link.
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Sunday, May 29
Resilience: "When You Have to Figure it Out Alone"
Today we will celebrate the baptism of new members of our community, and hear Pastor Ginger preach on texts from Luke (24:44-53) and Acts (1:1-11).
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