St. Philip the Evangelist Episcopal Church
2001 14th St, SE
Washington, D.C. 20020
202/678-4300
www.stphilipanacostia.org
Church established 1887, parish, 2002; 130 members
The Rev. Dr. William B. Lewis, Rector

Body of Christ aims to introduce readers to a different parish in the church family of the Diocese of Washington each month. This month, writer Diane Ney speaks with the Rev. William B. Lewis, rector of St. Philip the Evangelist, Anacostia, to learn more about the life, history, plans and character of that congregation.

WW: You came to St. Philip’s in 1996, when it was still a mission. What drew you to the church?

LEWIS: Prior to my leaving St. Paul’s (Rock Creek), I told Bishop Haines that I was looking for a parish that would really challenge me. I was fortunate to be called to
St. Philip’s. Even though the church building was in poor condition, I was really impressed with the resilience and commitment of the members. Because of lack of funds, they did most of the repairs themselves, mainly by undertaking projects like plastering, painting and plumbing.

WW: Renovating the church was quite an undertaking for a relatively small group of people.

LEWIS: When I got there, I discovered that St. Philip’s is a family church, a very close knit congregation. The renovation of the church building was a collective effort between the then mission and the diocese. The first thing I did was to come up with a proposal and worked jointly with the members of the congregation to develop it. Then we formed a building committee that worked with the diocese and the architect. The bulk of the renovation funds came from the diocese, and we pledged our part of it. So, it was a partnership.

WW: What challenges you today?

LEWIS: One of the challenges we have is to grow as a congregation, and we are beginning to address that very seriously. For example, our style of worship has changed in order to sustain the interest of younger members. We have what I call a balanced form of worship. The base remains Episcopal, but we also incorporate gospel/contemporary music into the worship service. Another big challenge is with our Child Development Center. It takes up the entire second floor and parts of the first floor, and yet, with all that space, we still have a waiting list of about 100 infants that we can not accommodate. Currently, we have 70 children, ages 3 months to 4 years. There is a real need for infant care in the community but we are hampered by limited space. Fortunately, we have a very committed board that is desirous of improving the curriculum, so that when the kids leave for kindergarten they would perform at grade level or above. We are also looking into getting accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. With that in mind, we are trying to solicit funds that would enable us to achieve accreditation. We are also concentrating on expanded teacher training to enhance classroom instruction.

WW: In what other ways do you connect with the surrounding community?

LEWIS: We have an emergency food pantry that provides food by way of referrals, mainly from social service agencies. In October, we had a community outreach event to foster better relationship with the community. Furthermore, we are coordinating a major project – the renovation of Logan Park, across the street from the church. We have been working on this for the past three years with the District’s Department of Transportation, DC Green Spaces, councilmember Marion Barry’s office, the residents in the immediate neighborhood and TKF Foundation, a major funding source. We hope to break ground for the renovation of the park in January. When completed, the park will have a children’s reading area, chess tables, a kiosk to announce community activities, a meditation area, and hopefully, we will have a portable stage for summer programs. We are in conversation with Serenity Players to establish an after-school program that would engage children in theater programs.

WW: I often find the smaller churches seem to have 10 things going at once. How do you all manage that?

LEWIS: I think it depends, not so much on the number of members but the level of their commitment. I have empowered the laity by allowing them to take ownership of the various projects, and that has worked well. The members’ commitment to St. Philip’s and its ministries is superb and infectious.