“It is clear that the Church in our society must find new modes of life that are freshly responsive to the gifts and requirements of the gospel.”
- Walter Brueggemann
Friends Gloria and Joe,
in front of the Potters' House
From the beginning we have existed as "the church in the marketplace" When you come to us you will find here a vitality—an openness- a strength—inspired by the Spirit at work among those gathered here. In our day-to-day lives we move beyond our walls into the surrounding neighborhoods and the city of Washington. We move together, as a community of faith, which walks with Jesus between the worlds of the rich and the poor - building bridges of love and trust.
Gordan and Killian
in the restaurant
In order to introduce you to our mission and reason for being, we have asked one of our founding ministers, Gordon Cosby to tell us in his words why the Potter’s House is here:
“Could Christ be served in a coffeehouse in Washington, D.C.?”
It wouldn't be out of the ordinary to ask this question in these days with the proliferation of coffee houses across the country--but that very question was raised in The Church of the Saviour forty years ago …and then, as now, the answer is a resounding 'YES!'
The idea first came to Mary and me after a disapointing out of town speaking engagement in a church which felt as though there was no life in it. We stopped for the night at a motel which had only one vacant room, which was above a tavern. The noise from below kept us awake most of the night. As we drove home the next morning and thought of the contrast between the camaraderie we had heard in the tavern and the somber mood in the church we had visited, the idea of a coffe house began to emerge--it could be a church in the marketplace which would say to the city:
We will serve you, we will be with you in the way in which you naturally gather: We will live a little chunk of our life where you can watch what is going on…see whether we know anything about the mercy of God, whether or not there is a quality of being here which is different from what you have found elsewhere.
Those feelings, which enabled us in the beginning, inspire us still.
Sydney and Gordon
The Church of the Saviour in Washington D.C., has been seeking new modes of life for 50 years now. And through the Potter’s House and the Servant Leadership School, it is eager to share its search with you."
Please, share your journey with us!