Recommend your "black" church

[Anonymous]

Looking to take my African American children to an Easter church service. Sure we could go to any church, but I'd like them to see how their culture tends to worship. We are in NOVA.

[Anonymous]

Do you not have any black friends or co-workers you can ask?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you not have any black friends or co-workers you can ask?

What a horrible response. Is this how you respond in General Parenting when someone asks how to get their baby to sleep?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looking to take my African American children to an Easter church service. Sure we could go to any church, but I'd like them to see how their culture tends to worship. We are in NOVA.

How does their culture tend to worship exactly?

[Anonymous]

Good list here

http://www.ziplocal.com/business/VA/northern-virginia/churches-ame-african-methodist-episcopal/1-R26-11862.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking to take my African American children to an Easter church service. Sure we could go to any church, but I'd like them to see how their culture tends to worship. We are in NOVA.

How does their culture tend to worship exactly?

Well, if you've ever been to a black church, you'd know. I'm white and Catholic, but I've been to St. Augustine's in DC which was founded, is run by, and attended predominately by AA's, and the service, while adhering to the tenets of the mass, is so different. The music is pretty full-on gospel inspired, when I was there there was a lot of call and response type stuff going on, etc. This is common. While it's not my cup of tea, I appreciated that it is a cultural expression that AA's feel deeply and are very comfortable with. It's not a terrible thing to acknowledge that black church services feel very different than a church that is predominately white. It's just a fact and I don't see why we have to go all faux outrage overly PC about this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you not have any black friends or co-workers you can ask?

What a horrible response. Is this how you respond in General Parenting when someone asks how to get their baby to sleep?

No I am serious - I would rather have someone I know give me a reference for a church than an anon person online. And I wonder why OP is asking an anon source. I would hope for her children's sake she has some AA friends in her life.

[Anonymous]

I have seen people in Off Topic (prior to the invention of the REligion Forum) asking for recommendations of churches and synagogues all the time. I see nothing strange about it.

[Anonymous]

I will definitely avoid the Pentecostal or the black/racist militant type of churches. They could be not as open to outsiders. I'm assuming that you're Caucasian and that you've adopted black children. So, I'm going to recommend places that will be welcoming and that embrace diversity.

I recommend the following two churches:

Saint Augustine's Roman Catholic Church http://www.saintaugustine-dc.org Even though it's predominately AA, it's a very diverse church. My multiracial family attends here.

All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church http://www.all-souls.org All Souls is probably the most ethnically diverse church in DC.


Since it is Easter (tons of crowds) you better arrive at church atleast 20 minutes before the service start time in order to get a seat. Honestly, many of the Catholic Parishes that I've visited in DC tend to have members of all ethnic groups and are diverse. Another predominately AA church that I like is Holy Comforter Saint Cyprian Roman Catholic on Capitol Hill.

[Anonymous]

Alfred Street Baptist in Old Town is fantastic, but be forewarned that it will be packed!

[Anonymous]

Yes, Easter is like the worst day ever to go to an unfamiliar black church. Way more people and logistically challenging than on any, any, other day of the year. But, I guess you have to start somewhere.

Your phrasing of how their culture tends to worship was off-putting. It sounded so removed, cold, almost like an anthropologist. Yikes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, Easter is like the worst day ever to go to an unfamiliar black church. Way more people and logistically challenging than on any, any, other day of the year. But, I guess you have to start somewhere.

Your phrasing of how their culture tends to worship was off-putting. It sounded so removed, cold, almost like an anthropologist. Yikes.

This is exactly how I felt. Something a little off about why and how she is going about this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, Easter is like the worst day ever to go to an unfamiliar black church. Way more people and logistically challenging than on any, any, other day of the year. But, I guess you have to start somewhere.

Your phrasing of how their culture tends to worship was off-putting. It sounded so removed, cold, almost like an anthropologist. Yikes.

This is exactly how I felt. Something a little off about why and how she is going about this.

I felt the same way - although I guess to be fair - you can't tell everything from a couple sentence post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you not have any black friends or co-workers you can ask?

What a horrible response. Is this how you respond in General Parenting when someone asks how to get their baby to sleep?

No I am serious - I would rather have someone I know give me a reference for a church than an anon person online. And I wonder why OP is asking an anon source. I would hope for her children's sake she has some AA friends in her life.

OP here.

Geez. Yes I have AA friends, although none in the area who are particularly religious. It's just like asking for a rec for a restaurant. Yes I have friends who eat, but I could still ask here, right?

To the pp's who didn't like how I phrased it, I don't see how that's a problem? AA Christians often worship differently, I think it's awesome, just wanted my young children to see.

Thanks to those who gave useful responses. I appreciate it!