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[Back to index of May 2008 articles] Body of Christ
Washington Window Good Shepherd Episcopal Church 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. Patricia Downing, rector of Good Shepherd, Silver Spring, to learn more about the life, history, plans and character of that congregation. WW: You went through some major renovations a few years ago, didn’t you? DOWNING: We didn’t renovate; we basically built a new church. We had been given a bequest from a longtime member, Eleanor Deeble’s estate of $160,000, which was enough to get us dreaming. We entered into a process of discernment about what we needed and why we needed it. And that led us to set the goals for a building project that included visibility in the neighborhood, more of a presence on University Boulevard, accessibility for all people, and then space for worship, for classrooms and for our pre-school. And this led us, also, to better utilize the space that we had. WW: Because needs change. DOWNING: They do. For instance, we have a lot of young families coming into the parish. Silver Spring, as a bedroom community of Washington, really expanded in the 1950s, with starter homes for the new federal workers. Now ownership of those homes is turning over and we have a new wave of young families. WW: How have you attracted them to Good Shepherd? DOWNING: It’s been mostly word-of-mouth and our Web site. We also have a pre-school and that attracts families to our worship community. WW: I read your school has been there for some 25 years. That’s quite a success story. DOWNING: We have a wonderful staff dedicated to each child that comes through those doors, providing them with an atmosphere where they can reach their potential. Good Shepherd started this school as an outreach to the community, and now we have programs for older 2s, 3 and 4-year-olds who come for a half-day, September through June. We work very hard with the parents to prepare the kids for kindergarten. Part of this is keeping our class size down, so that, as good stewards, we have the time and energy to attend to each child. WW: Is there a religious component to the program? DOWNING: I am the chaplain to the pre-school and I’m in touch with the kids daily, talking with them and with the teachers and parents. Also we have special things, such as St. Francis Day and the blessing of their stuffed animals, and a St. Nicholas Day celebration when they leave their shoes in the church and we explain about St. Nicholas. And we have a Chanukah celebration and Passover – we have children of many faiths here – and we have Mother’s Day coming up. WW: What other long-term outreach programs do you have? DOWNING: Well, there’s the Heifer Project, which Good Shepherd has done for years, long before I came here and I’ve been here 11 years. This is an international program where you provide the funds to buy a family a heifer or a flock of chickens or a lamb or a goat, to help that family become economically independent. This is a great program, through which the children of the parish can make a real connection between themselves and the family that they’re helping, people they’re never going to meet but that they have a connection with by virtue of being brothers and sisters in Christ. WW: It’s difficult to teach children about the sadness of poverty, isn’t it? DOWNING: It takes a lot of care to help children learn that their experience is not every child’s experience. A careful education process allows that to happen, which is aided by the fact that the Heifer Project provides wonderful teaching materials. We also support the Fair Trade Coffee program, which supports small farmers in developing countries by cutting out the middle man and selling at cost. We sell their teas, coffee and cocoa on Sunday mornings. And then we collect money for Hunger Globe. WW: You seem to have taken alleviating global poverty as a major goal. DOWNING: Good Shepherd is about feeding: feeding the soul through liturgy, feeding the mind through education, and feeding the body. A lot of our programs are under that umbrella. We also look to managing our growth effectively and efficiently, so that we can, to the best of our ability, serve one another and God and make space for the newcomer and make the newcomer feel welcome. Learning to be strategic is another goal, because a lot of times churches can be reactive instead of proactive. WW: Any big events coming up? DOWNING: In June we’ll start collecting for our giant rummage sale which is the weekend after Labor Day. And we have a major fellowship opportunity in our softball team, the Good Shepherd Wolves. We’re trying to organize a Region 4 softball league, and would love to hear from any church or series of churches that would like to field a team. I should add that our team, God bless us, has someone 16 and someone 62 playing, so this is more about fellowship than winning. We want to join other parishes in something other than regional meetings, so that we can get to know each other and a softball league is a great way to do that.[Back to index of May 2008 articles]
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