The next in our series about houses of worship attended by Greenbelters is St. George’s Episcopal Church in Glenn Dale, but this isn’t their first time on this blog.  Here’s a story about St. George’s Marriage Equality Celebration, at which I met Rector Connie Reinhardt.  But in a recent chat with Connie I learned lots more about St. George’s.

A life-long Episcopalian, Connie reveals that the services at St. George’s are nothing like the ones she grew up with.  For one, her sermons are interactive, with parishioners being asked their opinions on the topic at hand.  Also, everyone is welcome to receive communion, in contrast to the traditional practice of restricting communion to those who’ve been confirmed in the church.  (I grew up Episcopalian myself and remember some members of my family  not being allowed to participate with the rest of us.)

Something else that might surprise a visitor on Sunday, especially at the 10:00 service, is how lively it is.  Instead of an organ, music is provided by either piano or guitar, and for the last hymn the kids hand out percussive instruments and a visitor would notice high energy and fun being had.

The central role that children play in the church is another notable feature of St. George’s.  In addition to a full complement of Sunday school classes and a strong mentoring program, the church features kids in many of its services (top photo) and the kids even write their own Christmas pageant.

Connie describes St. George’s members as “open, welcoming, eclectic, diverse, quirky, and an interesting group”.  Its Sunday attendance has been increasing steadily over the last few years to its current size – about 90 people on an average Sunday, from all backgrounds, ages and family configurations.

Its most popular events are riding in decorated vehicles in the yearly Pride Parade, its Mardi Gras party, make-your-own-pizza parties and Bowie Baysox outings.  They also have a theater group, the St. George’s Players, that puts on two shows per year, usually comedies like “The Complete History of America, Abridged,” which will go up this November.

St. George’s members in DC’s Pride Parade include Greenbelt resident Josephine Ross (L) with Rose Exum.

Social Action. Connie describes St. George’s as being on the progressive end of the Episcopal Church USA, from which some of the more conservative groups have broken off entirely.  The DC-area diocese sets a progressive tone under the leadership of the Right Reverend Mariann Budde, and has worked for such causes as marriage equality, immigration reform, and reduction in gun violence.

The social-action causes that St. George’s concentrates on include hunger and homelessness, with the church offering space in their parish hall for up to 15 homeless men for a week in the winter, as part of the county’s Safe Haven program.  Marriage equality has been a top priority for members, and with the passage of equality legislation in Maryland, it’s now working for the inclusion of transgender people in Maryland’s civil protections, which now include sexual orientation but not gender identity.  It also hosted a workshop on how churches can support the transgender community.

Another issue dear to the hearts of St. Georgians are the environment, with they celebrate during seasonal creation-themed services, their popular Blessing of the Animals service in early October, and animal welfare.  Young members even started St. George’s Kids for Animal Welfare.

Greenbelt Connection?  Though located just outside Greenbelt itself, many a “sizable percent” of St. George’s members live in Greenbelt, and the church has a strong presence here.  Their entry in the Labor Day Parade is noted and has led to parade-goers attending St. George’s for the first time – it’s a reenactment of St. George fighting the dragon, with a small child dressed up as the dragon.  Other Greenbelters discovered  St. George’s based on a profile of the church a few years ago in the Greenbelt News Review.