Now Jesus had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” ~John 4:4-10

Will you give me a drink?

What a question! It can seem quite simple and straight forward and simultaneously very powerful. A question that can stir, as surely as a well is stirred when drawing water.

We may experience this question from Jesus to the woman at the well as quite direct and clear, even as it touches into our own basic bodily sensations of thirst. And, how we respond to any arising thirst will likely connect to our access to safe drinking water. Indeed, in reflecting on this narrative set at a well over two thousand years ago, we might be reminded that as access to a drink was limited at that time, it is also today, for people in our own, or nearby, neighborhoods, and all around the globe. We might also be reminded of limited access to unpolluted life-giving water for the more than human beings of this realm we all inhabit.

In our text, Jesus, divine and human, was thirsty, had located a source of water, and requested a drink of a local woman as she arrived at the well. In vulnerably asking for what he needed, Jesus initiated contact across gender, cultural, and religious lines. And, through his social rule-breaking, he provided an opening through which contact turned into genuine engagement. The woman took the risk of answering Jesus, revealing her questions. She was seeking. She courageously posed her questions to the stranger. Jesus listened as she expressed the challenges of accessing water to meet her physical thirst and needs, revealing to her that she was known by him in her struggles. In the process he engaged her spiritual seeking and thirsts, making known to her the gift of living water offered by him, the Messiah. The woman left the well to tell the community about her life-changing encounter Jesus.

This narrative invites us to contemplate our own spiritual thirsts this Lenten season. To reflect on our own and others’ thirsts, to contemplate connection, and doing justice. To be encouraged to request, engage, and embody the living water Jesus offers. To ask ourselves: What am I spiritually thirsty for right now? Who would I ask for a drink as Jesus did? To whom would I give a drink? Do I share with others my encounters with the God of my understanding? If so, how do I do that? What are we thirsty for as a MCCDC community?

Please join us this Sunday, in-person or by live stream at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. Eastern and later on demand, as we continue to explore these questions of thirst and spiritual seeking.

Blessings,

Dr. Carla Sherrell

Spring Forward

Don’t be late to church! Remember to change your clocks for Daylight Savings Time. We

“spring forward”

and lose an hour overnight this Sunday morning.

Congregational Forum & Meeting

Please plan to join us after worship at 12:30 p.m. EST for our Congregational Forum this Sunday, March 12th and our Congregational Meeting on Sunday, March 26th, when we will ask active members to approve the Ministry Action Plan.

Here’s how you can participate on both Sundays:

Join us in person at Fifth & Ridge St NW after worship.

* Click here to open Zoom and join automatically
* Launch Zoom and enter Meeting ID 849 4265 4825
* Dial (301) 715-8592 by phone, using the same Meeting ID

(New to Zoom? Here’s a tutorial on joining a meeting and the basics of participant controls. You do not need a Zoom account.) Contact Rev. Cathy, revcathy@mccdc.com, with questions.

Holy Week Services

We invite you to plan ahead for Holy Week and put these worship services on your calendar…

* Palm/Passion Sunday: April 2nd at 9:00 & 11:00 a.m., youtube.mccdc.com
* Maundy Thursday: April 6th at 6:00 p.m., Click here to Join via Zoom
* Good Friday: April 7th at 6:00 p.m., Click Here to Join via Zoom
* Resurrection Sunday: April 9th at 9:00 & 11:00 a.m., youtube.mccdc.com

Annual Giving Statements

We have begun preparing giving statements for the 2022 tax year. We will be sending giving statements via email, in batches, beginning January 25th and continuing through March 3rd.

If we don’t have a working email address on file for you, or if you don’t have access to email, we will mail your giving statement via USPS, or you can pick it up in-person after an MCCDC Sunday worship service. Please contact Chocolatté Miller at chocolatte.miller@outlook.com if you have questions.

Borderfree Worship Update

Effective Tuesday, November 1, MCCDC adopted a flexible masking policy. That means when you enter the church at 474 Ridge St NW, you have the flexibility to choose* to wear or not to wear a mask.

• · Please continue to social distance. Respect personal space.
• · Respect personal masking choices. Others may be at high risk.
• · Be responsible. If you don’t feel well, have tested positive for COVID, or are otherwise sick; stay home and join us online.

*Note: Individual ministries or other activities/events at MCCDC may still require masks under certain circumstances

Worship Volunteer

We still need volunteers to sustain in-person worship. Please visit volunteer.mccdc.com and fill out the form for the dates and positions in which you can serve your church. Have questions about roles and responsibilities? Contact Chocolatté Miller, chocolatte.miller@outlook.com

Pathways 2 Generosity, Prayer #52, by Clara Carter, MCCDC Prayer Supporter

“The movement of the Spirit of God in the hearts of men and women often calls them to act against the spirit of their times or causes them to anticipate a spirit which is yet in the making. In a moment of dedication, they are given wisdom and courage to dare a deed that challenges and to kindle a hope that inspires.” ~Howard Thurman

Dear God, thank you for all you do for us, with us, and through us. We are committed to continue spreading the good news of your enduring gifts of love, wisdom, mercy, compassion and forgiveness throughout the world. We pray to remain a shining light of your goodness that shines in the darkest corners of the earth and all people will come to know that you are God of all creation.

We are grateful for Metropolitan Community Church of Washington DC, and all spiritual places of worship gathering souls for your beloved community. Thank you for the enduring gifts of generosity that inspire us to share talents, skills, financial gifts, time, and treasures for the work you have ordained us to perform for your glory. We shout hallelujah and claim the victory in your many names. Amen!

“But thanks be to God! God gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear siblings, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” ~Romans 15: 57, 58

“For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.” — Habakkuk 2:3

Support for Tim Helm

Beloved longtime MCCDC member Tim Helm is recovering from spinal and back wound complications at BridgePoint Hospital on Capitol Hill. Tim welcomes your calls in the afternoon and evening at (202) 368-9877.

Tim, our love and prayers are with you!
~Your MCCDC Family

Prayer Corner

Please lift the following people up during your prayer time:

Johanna Hardy• Jerry Giem • Tim Helm • Min. Diedre Gray • Bill Campbell • Denise Wright, her mother Lucy Mae Coombs and her Aunt Lottie Mae King. • Rose Williams• Cecilia Hayden-Smith and Esther Smith’s health• Delores Fowler • Vernessa D. Wilson • Family of Ms. Brittany Harrell • Veronica Franklin• Rev. Dr. Robin Hawley Gorsline • Glenn Conway • Michelle Lax •Anthony Goode • Valeria Myers’ children Chantelle & Donald • George Kerr, III • Randy Punley • Lynn Sulyma • Marcus Garnett •Renee Valentine’s brother • Arden Shutt • Evelyn Jones• Steve Sloane • Jeffrey Luckenbach • Cathy Batson’s niece Lisa • Cynthia Melman •Kim Battle • Joshua Benkins’ father Isaac •Elaine Durden-Hunter’s recnet loss of her mother Earline • Angela Terrell • Mike Washington •Carol Washington mother’s health •Angela Dodd for healing •Buck Carlson •Lolita Gleaton for healing from her cancer • Mezyi Choi request prayer for her success healing from surgery • Lost of Melvin Moore Adams’ sister Krissandra Moore •Kia Murphy • Doris Carter Washington of Alexandra, Va. request prayer • Loss of Melvin Moore Adams’ sister Krissandra Moore • Patricia Ryan due to the loss of her brother Mickey
•John Hylton

“Church Ministries & Events”

Virtual Choir

Come and join the Virtual Voices of MCC Choir! Lift your voice in our virtual rehearsals while singing from the comfort of your home. For more info, email Music Minister Deidre Mouton Gray at msdeedeemusic@gmail.com.

Spiritual Gifts, Get Involved!

Your’re invited to consider sharing your spiritual gifts by making a Scripture Reading Video or sharing a Video Testimony on what MCCDC means to you.

It does not have to be long and the AV team is standing by to help you with the video. Please email me at revdwayne@mccdc.com for more information.

Moving Spirit Dance Ministry

Come dance for God! No experience needed. Email Cathy Batson at cathybatson1@verizon.net for more information. Check out past performances on our YouTube channel, including “I Can Only Imagine” (April 2019) and “Mighty River”(February 2018).

Singing to God

Join the Virtual Voices of the MCC Choir. Lift your voice in our virtual rehearsals while singing from the comfort of your home. Email Music Minister Diedre Gray at msdeedeemusic@gmail.com

JOIN PRAYER FROM NOON TO 12:30 PM Monday thru Saturday

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7078722334

Meeting ID: 707 872 2334

The dial in is 301-715-8592

Meeting ID: 7078722334

Intercessory Prayer Team
Meets the 2nd and 4th Thursdays each month at 7 pm
Contact LaMar Jenkins at 202-750-08887

Bible Study Tuesdays at 7:00 pm Eastern

Click here to Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/434566329
or Dial: (301) 715-8592 ,Meeting ID: 434 566 329
Contact Dale Madyun-Baskerville at mccdcbiblestudy@mccdc.com for more information.

Pastoral Care Meeting
Meet 1st and 3rd Wednesday, each month at 6::30pm
Contact pastoralcare@mccdc.com for more information or interest in joining this vibrant church ministry this Fall

Writing Ministry
Meets Monthy
For more information, contact Jacqueline Laughlin at yemayah@icloud.com.

Barnabas Culture Sessions

Barnabas Culture, Session 7:00 p.m. Eastern, Thursday. Click Here to Join The Zoom Thursday Nights. For more information contact MCCDC Ministry Intern Rev. Teresa Tygart at Email preachertygart@gmail.com.

Join Us on YouTube and subscribe to the MCCDC YouTube Channel!

Watch on YouTube