The Church of the Saviour, Washington D.C. - A network of small churches and ministries responding to Christ's Call in our lives, journeying inward, journeying outward, together. Having come from a common family history and vision, the churches and other affiliated communities share similar, but not identical, practices and commitments. Each is a unique local expression of the Body of Christ. The
churches welcome your participation in their worship services, classes and other gatherings. Inclusivity Statement:
The Church of the Saviour is an ecumenical Christian community, made up of eight small churches, rooted in the radically inclusive life and teachings of Jesus Christ. We believe that in our diversity, each of us is an image-bearer of God, equally valued and loved. We welcome all individuals to join in the life of worship, fellowship and ministry in any of our small faith communities. All of us have an essential role in bringing God’s love, justice and mercy to our world. Several of the faith communities have developed their own inclusivity statements. Please see those within each of the congregational descriptions on our Church List page (https://inwardoutward.org/church-list/). The Church of the Saviour History
Being part of a disciplined, committed, diverse, ecumenical church was an early dream of N. As children growing up in Lynchburg, VA, during a time of explicit separateness among churches, races and classes, they dreamed of a church that would be unapologetically devoted to the reconciling way of Jesus. Mary Campbell Cosby and Gordon Cosby
Gordon had a native curiosity and enthusiasm for race relations. When he was a teenager, he asked a rural African-American church who had no minister if he could be their preacher. They said they would give him a try and he preached there for two years. He and his older brother challenged each other to take seriously the evangelistic nature of the gospel, competing to share the Good News with at least one person each day, or pay a fine if they did not. Many nights, Gordon admitted, he would sneak out of the house from his second floor bedroom after curfew and go out in search of some “lost soul” so as to avoid paying the fine. A lonely night watchman down by the railroad got “saved” more than a few times, just to help Gordon out. During World War II Gordon enlisted as a chaplain and served in the Glider Infantry Unit of the 101st Airborne Division. It was there that he became convinced of the futility of war and it was there that he saw how desperately people need a deeper experience of faith than most churches are structured to offer. He promised God that if he survived the war he would dedicate himself to the pursuit of creating new structures and methods which he hoped would give the church greater integrity and help people enter the depths of discipleship and find the life that sustains. When he returned to the States in 1946, he and Mary began to act on their dream of a different kind of church. They started by hosting Sunday evening gatherings in restaurants and other borrowed spaces around Washington, DC. Several young people from the Baptist church that Mary’s father pastored in Alexandria formed the beginning nucleus, and in October of 1947 Gordon and Mary, along with seven others, made their first membership commitment as the founding members of The Church of the Saviour. From the beginning, church members sought to embody Christ in intentional ways, welcoming radical diversity and calling all to be ministers through the generous sacrifice of time, energy and resources. From 1947 to 2009, the “home place”
Never owning a traditional church building, the community had a “headquarters” building, a small brownstone mansion near Dupont Circle, for teaching and training members for mission. In 1953 the church was legally incorporated, and although the center of their life and activity was in the city, that same year they felt guided to purchase over 200 acres of meadows and lakes and trees near Germantown, Maryland, where they would learn to rest and play and absorb the rhythms of nature. Recognizing the tendency to mistake busyness for meaningful engagement, Gordon wanted the community to learn to trust the slower rhythms of God. So they began to have silent retreats on the land as well as work parties. In 1956 a lodge was dedicated on a remote part of the land, followed in 1962 by an inn, and Dayspring Silent Retreat Center was born.
