Weekly eNews: Upcoming Events
This Sunday worship, fellowship and formation
Please Join Us for Sunday Worship:
8a, 9a, 11:15a | Wee Worship at 9:15a in the Great Hall
Sunday Bible, Coffee & Conversation
at 10:15a in Room 212 and on zoom
All are welcome. For more information and to obtain the zoom link, contact
The Rev. David Griswold
Children and Youth Forums
at 10:15a
(formally called Formation)
All are welcome.
Adult Forum, 10:15a in the Nave:
Annual Meeting, with Vestry Election Voting
Wednesday Night Suppers
5:00 – 6:45p

We hope you can join us for Community Supper on Wednesday evenings. There is an occasional Wednesday when we will have a special service, community conversation or we might have evening prayer, play BINGO but all of them involve fellowship. Bring a friend, bring your family, a neighborhood or pay it forward so someone can come.
There is an opportunity to buy a supper for a guest. Each week we often have several guests from our Water Ministry and the broader community join us at supper. If you would like to make a donation for one supper or several click HERE
No Supper 11/11
Sacred Ground Call for Facilitators
We are recruiting volunteers to co-facilitate Sacred Ground circles in 2027! This eleven-session curriculum of readings and documentaries is part of the Episcopal Church’s institutional commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice. As a co-facilitator, you will assist with participant recruitment, and co-lead bi-weekly prayer and conversation sessions. The curriculum has been significantly updated as of September 2026!
Interested in learning more or ready to volunteer?
Email Sarah Jencks (sarahbjencks@gmail.com) and Christina McAllister (dclingling@yahoo.com).
What is Sacred Ground?
Sacred Ground is a dialogue series on race, grounded in faith. Small groups use films and readings to walk through chapters of history of race in the United States, while weaving in threads of family stories, economic class, and political and regional identity. Participants are invited to peel away the layers that have contributed to the challenges and divides of the present day—all while staying grounded in our call to faith, hope, and love. Sacred Ground is part of Becoming Beloved Community, The Episcopal Church’s long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in our personal lives, our ministries, and our society.
To learn more about Sacred Ground: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/who-we-are/ministries/racial-reconciliation/sacred-ground/
Youth Lock-In Palooza
Friday, November 6 at 8pm
Join us for the Ultimate Youth Party Night, a beloved event among our youth group members! We will be spending the night at the church, embarking on exciting scavenger hunts, playing games, watching movies, enjoying tasty snacks, participating in a midnight service, and sleeping over at St. Columba’s. REGISTER HERE!
We kindly request parents to assist as chaperones and help out with breakfast the next morning. If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up here.
This event is open to youth in grades 7-12, and registration is mandatory. Guests are encouraged to join us but must also register beforehand. If you are not planning on staying for the entire evening, we ask that you depart by 11 PM on the evening of the 6th. We look forward to a fantastic time together!
Art & Spirituality Workshop with Mary Hall Surface
Saturday, November 7 from 11am to 12:30pm
National Gallery of Art, West Building Main Floor, Gallery M22
Discover the power of reflective writing inspired by close looking at a work of art. Join St. Columban Mary Hall Surface to explore 16th century Venetian painter Jacopo Bassano’s The Miraculous Draught of Fishes. Designed for everyone, not just “writers,” this workshop invites you to contemplate how the painting’s style and story resonate in your life. Mary Hall is a playwright and museum educator who leads writing workshops for the Smithsonian Associates, National Gallery of Art, Chautauqua Institution and more.
To register, please email maryhallsurface@gmail.com
Samaritan Ministry Gala “Faith in Action: Celebrating 40 years of Samaritan Ministry”
Saturday, November 7th at 3p
We are deeply honored that The Rt. Rev. Mariann Budde, Bishop of Washington, will join us to bless the occasion. Mindy’s Catering will provide the cuisine, and jazz saxophonist Eddie Baccus, Jr. will serenade everyone! Fun baskets provided by partner parishes will be auctioned off as well.
Get your tickets (or be a sponsor) at this link and we can’t wait to see you there! Gala 2026 – Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington https://samaritanministry.org/gala-2026/
Location: St. Paul’s Center, 201 Allison St. NW (The campus of St. Paul’s Rock Creek Church and Cemetery, NW DC) – plenty of free parking!
New Empty Nester Potluck
Sunday, November 15th, 5:30pm – 8:30pm
If you consider yourself a new empty nester (or relatively new in the last several years), this event is for you! We will connect with each other and take a few minutes to talk about how St. C’s can support adults transition into this new phase of life. We will be joined by Hillary who is still processing the fact that Delia went off to college in September! Please bring a dish to share.
This will be held at the home of Gina Lagomarsino and Ken Johnson. Please contact: lagomarsino.gina@gmail.com to RSVP.
Advent Quiet Evening- A Hush in the Rush
Wednesday, November 18 at 6:45p in Room 205
Sponsored by the Mothers Group and open to all, this special evening invites the entire parish to step away from the holiday rush and enter the quiet beauty of Advent. Join us as Rev. Hillary Raining leads us in conversation and a guided meditation designed to help us reconnect with the deep spiritual gifts of this season. Come experience a sacred hush and renewed sense of peace as we journey together toward Christmas.
Harvest Celebration
Sunday, November 22 from 10am- 12:30p in the Common
Join us on Sunday, November 22, for our Harvest Celebration, when we will bring our pledges to the altar for a special blessing and give thanks to God for the extraordinary generosity of this community. And because gratitude is even sweeter when shared, we’ll follow the blessing with a festive feast of Thanksgiving pie!
If you would like to bake or bring a pie to share, please contact Lauren Devito Kopek at ldevito@columba.org. Let us come together in a spirit of abundance, gratitude, and joyful celebration!
In case you missed it
How to Read the Bible
Led by the Rev. Hillary Raining. Many of us ask ourselves how we are to read the Bible, but we may hesitate to name that aloud. This forum series brings the question out into the open and creates an opportunity to deepen your understanding of the Bible and how you can engage the text on your own and in community.
To view part three, click here

Equipping the Saints
Imagine all the lessons Jesus needed to teach his disciples to equip them for ministry. Equipping the Saints, led by the Rev. Hillary Raining, is our modern equivalent; it is for leaders in the church AND people who may be curious about stepping up to leadership. This five-week course will include prayer and Bible study as well as practical ministry tips, like how to best use Realm (the church database).
To view replays of the classes online, click here
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Questions? Contact: Communications@Columba.org.