advertisement
Washington City Paper home page

The DISTRICT LINEOctober 13, 2006

Service Industry

Rating D.C.'s houses of worship

By Aaron Leitko

(Photo by Darrow Montgomery)
E-mail the writer
Send a letter to the editor
St. Alban’s Episcopal Church
Cathedral Heights

Associate Rector: the Rev. Louis T. Wheeler Jr.

Homilist: the Rev. Douglas A. Greenway

Attendance: about 20

Service Length: 1 hour

Sample Worshipper Dress: khakis, white golf shirt, ample hair mousse

Teen Wooing Activity: Mad Libs (morning service)

Congregational Fervor

The St. Alban’s Web site calls the 5:30 p.m. Sunday Eucharist “a good choice for those who relish informality.” Whereas the early-morning services offer a more traditional environment, the evening meeting relies heavily on lay volunteers. At the start of the proceedings, several congregants assisted the celebrant by performing the evening’s readings and assisting with the ministration of communion.

Food for the Soul

In response to a reading of Mark 10:2–9, Greenway presented a no-laughs sermon on the real meaning of divorce, infidelity, and the season premiere of Grey’s Anatomy. “What really disappointed me was the ending, where the wife answered her husband’s infidelity with an infidelity of her own,” he remarked, expressing his dismay with one of the medical drama’s poorly handled love triangles. “Not that we are to obtain our life answers from TV shows.”

Food for the Body

Although coffee is available after both of the morning services, none was provided for the evening meeting.

Overall Worship Power

Perhaps the most attractive characteristic of the early-evening worship service at St. Alban’s is that the church’s digs—located right next to the National Cathedral—are indeed pretty sweet. Exiting worshippers were able to enjoy a pleasant autumn stroll and an elegant view of the city as they reflected on the nature of God and the trustworthiness of television.

CP