OP here, wanting to thank all of you who replied. This is all very helpful!

St Francis is pretty stuffy and more conservative. Rector seems good, but the Asst Rector drones on and on.

Anyone have experience with St. Francis in Potomac? I keep meaning to check it out. Used to attend St. Columba's. Looking for a friendlier church but love the intellectual nature of St. Columba's.

Anonymous wrote:Not the OP here, but I was raised Episcopalian and would like to know specific recommendations for the Alexandria area, in the vein that the OP was asking for.

My husband is Catholic, and we attended Catholic Mass a couple of times, but I've realized that too many of their teachings diverge from what I believe (particularly, "the sin of using contraception while married", people speaking out against Planned Parenthood and the Girl Scouts, etc.).

Christ Church in Alexandria is fairly liberal from a theological standpoint, although the services are generally more formal (although not as "high church" as some). St. Clement's is even more liberal (and very small). Do keep in mind that a "conservative" Episcopal church is "liberal" by Catholic standards. Everything is relative.

We travel way out of our way for St John's Lafayette Square b/c Rev. Leon's services are relevant to our lives no matter what. It's amazing. And yes, it is on the formal side, but absolutely welcomes all kinds and faiths. You're just as likely to share a pew with someone arriving with a secret service detail as a homeless person (neither are hugely likely, but at least one of each is at most services). EVERYone can take communion, questioning is encouraged. And yes, supportive of gays, marriage, ordination, etc.

Anonymous wrote:+1 Grace Episcopal, Silver Spring. It's on Georgia Ave. just inside the Beltway.

+2
Very diverse, welcoming congregation. Lots of young families (important for us) and nice Sunday School program. Rector and assistants are all very grounded and good speakers, making the sermons interesting and relevant.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hah -- I'm a semi-lapsed Episcopalian and just had this conversation with my priest. She was basically like, we Episcopalians will take ANYBODY, no matter WHERE you are on the journey, no matter WHAT you believe; if you feel called to be here, come be here.

This is exactly the philosophy of our church. Very open and easy going about what you believe.

So what's the point of being there?

We belong to St Marks in Alexandria. It is very welcoming. it has a female pastor, and I really enjoy that aspect of the Episcopal church.

I was a recovering Catholic, and tried several denominations. I found the Episcopal Church most welcoming. That said, the first one I went to was mostly G/L.

The liturgy is VERY FORMAL. I love the liturgy, it speaks to my soul. But some peple hate the liturgy. if so, stick to Baptist/Methodist/etc.

Most episcopal parishes are a mix of very old folks and young families. Do not look at the old folks and get turned away. All that I have interacted with have been very nice and sweet and welcoming. They love seeing young people in the church.

Good luck!

+1 Grace Episcopal, Silver Spring. It's on Georgia Ave. just inside the Beltway.

Plenty of Episcopalians (and some in other denominations too) see the resurrection metaphorically. But this may be discouraged in some parishes. So I like a PP's advice to look for a church that is welcoming to gays. There are a few Episcopal churches in the Takoma-Silver Spring area that have gay or lesbian priests - we attend one of these.

Not the OP here, but I was raised Episcopalian and would like to know specific recommendations for the Alexandria area, in the vein that the OP was asking for.

My husband is Catholic, and we attended Catholic Mass a couple of times, but I've realized that too many of their teachings diverge from what I believe (particularly, "the sin of using contraception while married", people speaking out against Planned Parenthood and the Girl Scouts, etc.).

I was raised Episcopalian (50s-60s) and had no idea at the time that it was supposed to be liberal. As a kid, I found my church to be stuffy and out-of-date. As an adult, I was an active member of a UU fellowship in a conservative town in Virginia where all the liberals came to find comfort and I loved it. But when we moved to DC, we tried All Souls for awhile but it didn't really stick, in part because it was so big, but also because we didn't need it so much anymore.

Last year, dd had to go to a religious service for her Western Religions class and we went to St. Mark's in Capitol Hill. Something really clicked for me there. Liturgy changed from the days of my youth. Seemed like a warm, friendly, and liberal congregation. We were invited to take communion even though we were just visiting. (I chose not to. I really believe that's only for genuine Christians.) I could see going to St. Mark's and thinking of Jesus as a metaphor (have previously worshiped with Christians this way) just to have the benefit of a spiritual community again.

Anyway, this all is to say, as an ex-Episcopalian, lapsed UU, I suggest checking out St. Mark's. You might find what you're looking for there. Good luck with your search, OP!

Thanks for the suggestions! Those of you who recommended specific churches, can you please tell me what you like about them?

Anonymous wrote:Have you considered United Church of Christ (UUC) AKA Unitarians Considering Christianity? They tend to be pretty non-dogmatic, and liberal but less overtly political than some UU congregations. I think services are usually less grandly ceremonial than Episcopal churches, generally speaking.

I agree that this is a good suggestion.

Grace Church in Silver Spring!