DC wants to go to church and I have issues

[Anonymous]

Our Lady Queen of Peace is a small, progressive Catholic Church in South Arlington that attracts a lot of "recovering catholics" such as yourself.

It is very diverse and welcoming and I've never found a place quite like it! They actually allowed altar girls before the Arlington Diocese permitted it and would probably have a woman priest if they could actually get away with it.

It might be worth checking out if you are open to revisiting a Catholic denomination. I believe we actually do a few joint events with the Arlington UU Church others have referenced.

Good luck with your search!

[Anonymous]

There are also a lot of liberal and social-service minded Episcopal churches in MD and VA that share a similar liturgy that Catholics will recognize. St. John's Bethesda has a woman priest, welcomes same sex couples, and has open communion to all faiths. The Sunday school director is amazing, also.

[Anonymous]

OP, I've been wrestling with this myself lately. I'm also ex-Catholic but still struggling with latent guilt that DS isn't baptized anything yet, plus I do get sentimental over certain elements of church traditions, especially at Xmas and Easter (not the politics though!) It's funny, I'm in NoVa and was strongly considering the Arlington UU among my options until I happened across the same picture of dancers a while back! I hate to be quick to judge, but knew my Dh would also not be able to take it seriously. I see several posters saying the dancers aren't always there, so maybe we'll give it a try after all.

If ithelps you on your search, I also looked into Quaker/Friends also after feeling welcomed/at peace in a service I dropped in on a few years ago in Costa Rica (there's a community near the Monteverde Cloud Forest), but am not sure I could handle a silent service every week. My current religious-preference-of-the-week is Lutheran. It's what my husband was baptized, though they never went to church, and as a Catholic, I'm already familar with the basics tenets. I was just digging around their website earlier this week and it seems like a good fit for my family, way more progressive than Catholicism on social issues (http://www.elca.org/What-We-Believe/Social-Issues.aspx)

[Anonymous]

St. Mark's Episcopal Church on Capitol Hill prides itself on welcoming people of any faith background, including the agnostic. As a former Catholic, I like it because it still has the traditions that I am familiar with, but it teaches people to use their own life experiences to understand right and wrong and to be closer to God. It is certainly on the fringe of the Episcopal Church, but it works for my family.

The following is a welcome letter from the pastor of St. Mark's: http://www.stmarks.net/about/index.html

[Anonymous]

I'll throw in another vote for Episcopal churches if you're looking for something Christian with socially liberal leanings. Many, many of the local (NoVa, DC and MD) churches have women priest and rectors (the priest in charge, so to speak) and the Presiding Bishop of the US Episcopal Church is a woman. They aren't 'perfect' - see the current fallout between congregations that support the ordination of openly gay Bishop Gene Robinson and those who do not - but that they are even having this discussion is refreshing to this former, now reformed, Catholic. The church includes "reason" with scripture and tradition, something I always felt was missing in many denominations.

Episcopal churches, like most others, also vary slightly between congregations - some are more traditional (high church) in their celebration and some are more low-key. Children's services vary by the size of their parish as well.

If you're in NoVa, Christ Church in Alexandria is a historic church with a growing children's program and a very strong commitment to community outreach and mission. There are literally tons of opportunities to help those less fortunate in our communities and around the world.

[Anonymous]

OP here, thank you for so many thoughtful responses.

I am hoping to avoid Christianity (sorry). I'm more of a divine-feminine mind set these days. But I don't want to spoon feed her too much. VERY generic is what I am looking for.

If she finds Christ later in her life I am fine with that, as long as it is her choice, not the "believe or burn" message I was given in grade school....

Thank you again for sharing!

[Anonymous]

20:25 here - no apologies necessary. It wouldn't be very Christian of us to judge you, now would it.

I really hope you find what something that makes you and your DC feel comfortable and supported.

[Anonymous]

to the 15:35 poster - the "UU" in California, you should try a UU Church in Massachusetts or Maine. They tend to be very conservative in NE. I took my in-laws to Christmas Eve service at a church I had never been to with my fingers crossed that it wouldn't be too fruity loopy, and lo and behold, they read the Christmas story from the Bible and sang Christmas carols, not too different from Catholic Mass. It really does depend on the church and the members.

[Anonymous]

Not sure it would fit the bill for the OP, because it does tend to lean Christian, but Unity churches are another less-traditional alternative along the lines of Unitarian Universalist churches. It's welcoming of diverse viewpoints and absolutely devoid of any "you must believe"-isms, but a bit more solidly Christian than UU churches - e.g., the weekly message often quotes from the Bible. We go to the one on Capitol Hill and really like it.

[Anonymous]

OP
please try NATIONAL COMMUNITY CHURCH
they have services on sunday mornings at 10 30 at Ballston Common Mall - in the movie theather.
they're a congregation of young adults and lots of young families that preach christianity in a different perspective.
I was raised Baptist and I LOVE the way they present God and our job as Christians.
there's no such thing as burning in hell or whatever.
they teach us in a very "modern" way how to reach God and overcome adversities, also beautiful moral values.