Holy Local
A podcast about religion, history, and community that tells the story of a unique church group located in Washington, DC.
This is the companion digital exhibition for Holy Local, a podcast about religion, history, and community that tells the story of a unique church group located in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, DC. It explores the intersection of service groups, religious belief, and neighborhood change.
Every city is a unique ecosystem, with neighborhoods, landscapes, and people coming together to create a specific way of life; each society has a culture, a currency, a language. For the vast majority of human existence, the people in these ecosystems have sought meaning through spiritual expression and religious practice. There is archaeological evidence of these practices stretching back to the first recorded human settlements, animism, shamanism, polytheism, the veneration of ancestors. Historically, people have relied on religion to guide their life choices, provide comfort in times of trouble, and create a community out of shared moral values. For centuries, religion has been the bedrock of human interaction.
Yet recent studies by the Pew Research Center show that religious affiliation and observance is dropping around the world. According to the Global Religious Futures Project, economically prosperous countries that provide individuals with religious freedom have seen a steady decline in religious affiliation and observance in recent years.
Since the 1990s, the United States of America has seen one of the most significant drops in religious affiliation with, the percentage of U.S. adults who identify as atheist, agnostic, or unaffiliated rising from 8% to 29%.
So, what, then? If you’re not religious, none of this concerns you, right? Yet perhaps these statistics are further evidence that today's America is vastly different than that of previous generations. Perhaps it is evidence of significant societal change over a short period of time, one that is worthy of study and understanding. It’s communicating something, but what is it trying to say? How does the decline in religion directly impact American lives, whether people care about it or not?
What gaps has the decline in religion left behind in society? What could we incorporate from religious practice into our daily lives that would make them more enjoyable? What can we learn from religious histories about community values and public service? How can we combat loneliness through volunteering and social connection?
These are the questions that have driven my research, and shaped the story featured in Holy Local. My name is Shae Corey, and I’m a public historian living in what has officially been declared the loneliest city in America: Washington, DC. In my research, I’m primarily interested in the ways that people collectively experience and create urban communities, both in the present and the past. I’m interested in lived history, how people felt, what they thought, and what happened along the way.
Since June of 2023, I have been interviewing members of the Church of the Saviour, an ecumenical church founded in 1946. The Church of the Saviour is an impressive organization, with radical ideas of service, self-discovery, and dedication. With a constant presence in DC for nearly 80 years, the Church of the Saviour functions as a unique lens through which to view the immense changes in the city, and ultimately, the nation.
The Church of the Saviour was established in 1946 by a small group of dedicated members, who would go on to build a nationally renowned church in Adams Morgan, a DC neighborhood known for its diverse cultural fabric and intense history of community organizing. The Church entered DC in the late 1940s, when the city was still largely segregated by race, with a majority white population and strict racial covenants separating Black and White residents. The Church of the Saviour stood firm in DC during a period of immense social and demographic change, one of the largest in the city since the 1860s. The Church would not only remain in the city as a bystander, but would participate at the forefront of some of the biggest social campaigns in the 20 th century: Civil Rights, the HIV/AIDS crisis, immigration and asylum efforts, equal education for children, and dignified affordable housing were issues that the church became directly involved in, and provided solutions to.
This digital exhibition contains a map of the Church of the Saviour's existing ministries, to demonstrate their expansion in the Adams Morgan neighborhood, and a photo gallery of various individuals and properties mentioned in the podcast. This project is being presented with financial assistance from HumanitiesDC, a state council of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations do not necessarily represent those of HumanitiesDC or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
How to Use the Map:
This map includes each organization affiliated with the Church of the Saviour, from its founding in 1946 to the present day. Each organization listed here remains in operation as an active non-profit, excluding one location. The excluded location is the original headquarters of the Church of the Saviour (2025 Massachusetts Avenue NW), which the congregation sold in 2009. All information and photographs included are provided courtesy of each individual organization's website.
FLOC (For Love of Children)
In operation for more than 50 years, For Love of Children (FLOC) has served more than 10,000 children and youth and has been one of the most respected nonprofits in the community. FLOC was founded in 1965 by a consortium of churches and concerned citizens to assist 900 abandoned and abused children, who were then being warehoused in the District of Columbia’s overcrowded and understaffed “Junior Village.” FLOC and its partners arranged viable schooling and living alternatives for these kids, and secured the closing of Junior Village in 1973. FLOC’s early leaders also founded DC’s first Child Advocacy Center and co-founded the Consortium for Child Welfare, a city-wide collaborative of 16 foster care and adoption agencies.
Church of the Saviour Headquarters
The Potter's House
The Potter’s House is a nonprofit café, bookstore, and event space in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, DC. Since opening our doors in 1960 we have been a key place for deeper conversation, creative expression, and community transformation.
Wellspring Conference Center
Wellspring Conference Center is located on the property of Dayspring - a 200+ acre expanse of woodlands, meadows, ponds and wildlife in Germantown, MD, a suburb of Washington, D.C. Dayspring is also home to Dayspring Church, and the world-renown Dayspring Silent Retreat Center. Originally ministries of the Church of the Saviour of Washington, D.C., Wellspring and Dayspring are part of a faith community of eight independent area churches that grew from the missions of the Church of the Saviour. With a history comprised of ordinary people making extraordinary commitments, the churches are structured to nurture intentional relationships and practice to support the inward/outward journey in community of faith in Christ.
Jubilee Housing
Jubilee Housing was founded in 1973 when members of Church of the Saviour saw a need to address substandard housing in the heart of Washington, D.C. We banded together to purchase The Ritz and Mozart apartment buildings in Adams Morgan. Since then, we have grown to encompass 13 buildings in Ward 1, serving more than 1,000 people with housing and supportive services each year. Today, as low and moderate income families are being squeezed out of the District due to lack of affordable housing, our work makes sure they can benefit from the progress of the city.
Recovery Cafe DC
In Southeast, Washington, DC (Ward 8), SAMHSA estimates that in 2014, 11.46% of Ward 8 population needed, but did not receive treatment for alcohol and illicit drug use, and 19.25% suffered from mental health challenges. Ward 8 is home to the largest population of ex-felons and defendants under supervision in DC.
Dayspring Silent Retreat Center
In 1953 The Church of the Saviour, an ecumenical church in Washington, DC, purchased the property that is now Dayspring as a place for retreat. Members of the small but committed congregation spent many weekends building the Lodge of the Carpenter, which was dedicated in 1956. A few years later the Inn was completed and overnight retreats began. So Dayspring has been a place of silent retreat for over 50 years; its walls and grounds are soaked in prayer.
Columbia Road Health Services
Christ House
Joseph's House
MANNA DC
Over the last four decades, Manna’s commitment to helping low- and moderate-income persons acquire quality housing has resulted in over 1,900 units of affordable housing. Based on a study completed in 2015, we have helped our buyers collectively accumulate over $160 million in home equity. Manna began in 1982 to renovate and sell homes to formerly homeless families graduating from transitional housing, as well as to serve low-to-moderate income households searching for affordable homes. The vision was to help families end intergenerational poverty.
Festival Center
Academy of Hope
For more than 35 years, Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School has provided high-quality education, career and student support services that change lives and improve communities.
Bethany Inc.
Founded in 1993, Bethany, Inc.'s mission has been to combat homelessness for families in Washington, D.C.
Faith & Money Network
Faith and Money Network began its work more than 40 years ago as the Ministry of Money. Founder Don McClanen recognized the relationship between money and fear and anger, and he realized that few people addressed these problems from the perspective of their faith. As a first step, Don recruited his mission group within the Church of the Saviour in Washington, D.C., to spend a year working with money. The mission group members reported becoming freer from anxiety about their financial situations and freer to use their money creatively. Based on this experience, the first Ministry of Money workshop was held in 1976.
The Family Place
The Family Place (TFP) is a charity founded in 1979 with a vision to create a safe family center to help single mothers to access a range of supports and be the best possible parents.
Hope & A Home
Hope and a Home’s mission is to empower low-income families with children in Washington, D.C. to attain their aspirations. Our mandate is to break the cycle of poverty for qualified families through the programs and services we offer, to help them create stable homes of their own and to make lasting changes in their lives. We envision a Washington, D.C. in which all families are housed, growing stronger and contributing to the life of their neighborhoods. Our unique, multi-generation strategy combines affordable housing, education services, and family support services to ensure success for the whole family.
Jubilee Jobs
Since 1981, Jubilee Jobs has been connecting employers across the Washington, DC metropolitan area with qualified and well-prepared candidates. We began by responding to the needs of individuals residing in local, low-income housing program and have grown to be one of the city’s largest and longest-serving employment organizations. Through our process of compassionate, professional job preparation and placement, over 28,000 people have gone to work, meeting the needs of individuals and business community citywide.
Jubilee Jumpstart
Jubilee JumpStart, located in Washington, D.C.’s busy Adams-Morgan neighborhood, provides high-quality early childhood care and education to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers from diverse social and economic backgrounds, with a focus on children and families with the least access.
Kairos Program + House
In 1992, Christ House initiated the Kairos Program for patients with chronic illness who decided to make a commitment to their recovery. For the first four years of its existence, the Kairos Program was available to former Christ House patients who found living arrangements in the neighborhood. They met together, provided volunteer service, and participated in other kinds of structured community-building programming. After seeing the progress of the Kairos Program members, Christ House leaders decided to purchase an apartment property and open a permanent supportive housing facility. Our vision and philosophy is that Kairos is a spiritual recovery program, and Kairos House is a facility-based environment in which that recovery can take place.
ArtSpace
In 1999, ArtSpace was created as an artistic extension of New Community Church, serving the Shaw and surrounding neighborhoods with exciting art programs, workshops, seminars, and membership opportunities.
Samaritan Inns
Samaritan Inns began in 1985 with one transitional home in the heart of Washington, DC, with a capacity to shelter nine men desiring to overcome homelessness and addictions. Samaritan Inns’ founders, David Erickson and Killian Noe, felt called to respond to the increase in homelessness they observed in our Nation’s capital. Very soon, they discovered that serving those in need meant more than providing shelter and food but addressing a prevalent need for addiction services.
Sitar Art Center
In 2020, Sitar Arts Center celebrated 20 years of serving families in Ward 1 and throughout Washington, DC who have unequal access to quality arts education and enriching out-of-school-time opportunities. We never turn anyone away for inability to pay and ensure that 80% of our student body is from families with low income. Sitar currently serves more than 900 students each year. At Sitar Arts Center, DC’s children and teens have opportunities to reach for the stars, develop their talents, and become who they are meant to be.
Sarah's Circle
Sarah’s Circle is an award-winning affordable housing residence and community center providing comprehensive services for low-income seniors. We were founded in 1983 by a group of luminaries, local and national political and business leaders, and community activists who had a collective vision for a supportive home where older adults on fixed incomes could thrive independently and support one another in a safe and holistic environment.
FLOC (For Love of Children)
In operation for more than 50 years, For Love of Children (FLOC) has served more than 10,000 children and youth and has been one of the most respected nonprofits in the community. FLOC was founded in 1965 by a consortium of churches and concerned citizens to assist 900 abandoned and abused children, who were then being warehoused in the District of Columbia’s overcrowded and understaffed “Junior Village.” FLOC and its partners arranged viable schooling and living alternatives for these kids, and secured the closing of Junior Village in 1973. FLOC’s early leaders also founded DC’s first Child Advocacy Center and co-founded the Consortium for Child Welfare, a city-wide collaborative of 16 foster care and adoption agencies.
Church of the Saviour Headquarters
The Potter's House
The Potter’s House is a nonprofit café, bookstore, and event space in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, DC. Since opening our doors in 1960 we have been a key place for deeper conversation, creative expression, and community transformation.
Wellspring Conference Center
Wellspring Conference Center is located on the property of Dayspring - a 200+ acre expanse of woodlands, meadows, ponds and wildlife in Germantown, MD, a suburb of Washington, D.C. Dayspring is also home to Dayspring Church, and the world-renown Dayspring Silent Retreat Center. Originally ministries of the Church of the Saviour of Washington, D.C., Wellspring and Dayspring are part of a faith community of eight independent area churches that grew from the missions of the Church of the Saviour. With a history comprised of ordinary people making extraordinary commitments, the churches are structured to nurture intentional relationships and practice to support the inward/outward journey in community of faith in Christ.
Jubilee Housing
Jubilee Housing was founded in 1973 when members of Church of the Saviour saw a need to address substandard housing in the heart of Washington, D.C. We banded together to purchase The Ritz and Mozart apartment buildings in Adams Morgan. Since then, we have grown to encompass 13 buildings in Ward 1, serving more than 1,000 people with housing and supportive services each year. Today, as low and moderate income families are being squeezed out of the District due to lack of affordable housing, our work makes sure they can benefit from the progress of the city.
Recovery Cafe DC
In Southeast, Washington, DC (Ward 8), SAMHSA estimates that in 2014, 11.46% of Ward 8 population needed, but did not receive treatment for alcohol and illicit drug use, and 19.25% suffered from mental health challenges. Ward 8 is home to the largest population of ex-felons and defendants under supervision in DC.
In the 2017 DC Women’s Needs Assessment Report of the Women’s Task Force of DC Interagency Council on Homelessness: 76% of homeless women in DC have experienced violence; 31% report current or past substance abuse (43% are not getting any treatment) and 83% of those reporting substance abuse are survivors of physical/sexual/emotional abuse by a parent, guardian or intimate partner. 76% of homeless women self-report experiencing at least 1 mental health indicator, and 86% of homeless women with mental health diagnosis report abuse by a parent, guardian and/or intimate partners.
Recovery Café DC is providing crucial support to men and women determined to rebuild their lives. We’ll be with you every step of the way!
Dayspring Silent Retreat Center
In 1953 The Church of the Saviour, an ecumenical church in Washington, DC, purchased the property that is now Dayspring as a place for retreat. Members of the small but committed congregation spent many weekends building the Lodge of the Carpenter, which was dedicated in 1956. A few years later the Inn was completed and overnight retreats began. So Dayspring has been a place of silent retreat for over 50 years; its walls and grounds are soaked in prayer.
The retreat center is now a mission of Dayspring Church, an ecumenical Church in the tradition of the Church of the Saviour located on the Dayspring property. We remain closely connected with all of the other scattered Church of the Saviour churches and are one of several vibrant ministries of Dayspring Church.
Columbia Road Health Services
Christ House
Joseph's House
MANNA DC
Over the last four decades, Manna’s commitment to helping low- and moderate-income persons acquire quality housing has resulted in over 1,900 units of affordable housing. Based on a study completed in 2015, we have helped our buyers collectively accumulate over $160 million in home equity. Manna began in 1982 to renovate and sell homes to formerly homeless families graduating from transitional housing, as well as to serve low-to-moderate income households searching for affordable homes. The vision was to help families end intergenerational poverty.
Festival Center
Academy of Hope
For more than 35 years, Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School has provided high-quality education, career and student support services that change lives and improve communities.
Located in Washington, DC and serving residents ages 18 and older, we support more than 800 adult learners each year, whether they come to us looking to complete their high school education, gain a diploma, take college courses, develop job skills or advance in their careers.
Bethany Inc.
Founded in 1993, Bethany, Inc.'s mission has been to combat homelessness for families in Washington, D.C.
In 2004, Bethany opened the doors of an eight-unit apartment building in Anacostia and named it Good Hope House. Good Hope House provided affordable transitional housing and support services for seven women and their children each year.
In 2016 in an effort to support the Opening Doors strategy, Bethany began offering its apartment units to families in the Rapid Rehousing program. Much progress has been made, yet there is still much more work to be done.
Faith & Money Network
Faith and Money Network began its work more than 40 years ago as the Ministry of Money. Founder Don McClanen recognized the relationship between money and fear and anger, and he realized that few people addressed these problems from the perspective of their faith. As a first step, Don recruited his mission group within the Church of the Saviour in Washington, D.C., to spend a year working with money. The mission group members reported becoming freer from anxiety about their financial situations and freer to use their money creatively. Based on this experience, the first Ministry of Money workshop was held in 1976.
Hundreds of faith and money workshops have been held since then, providing time, community and resources for thousands of people of faith to explore their relationship with money from the roots of their spiritual beliefs and values.
The Family Place
The Family Place (TFP) is a charity founded in 1979 with a vision to create a safe family center to help single mothers to access a range of supports and be the best possible parents.
Today, in partnership with The Family Place Public Charter School (TFPPCS), TFP offers high-quality adult English and workforce development classes for parents and early childhood education for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. All of our educational efforts are supported by wrap-around case management services.
Helping children and their parents is our drive, which is why TFP offers all its services in Spanish and free of charge to all immigrant families and low-income families that request our services.
Hope & A Home
Hope and a Home’s mission is to empower low-income families with children in Washington, D.C. to attain their aspirations. Our mandate is to break the cycle of poverty for qualified families through the programs and services we offer, to help them create stable homes of their own and to make lasting changes in their lives. We envision a Washington, D.C. in which all families are housed, growing stronger and contributing to the life of their neighborhoods. Our unique, multi-generation strategy combines affordable housing, education services, and family support services to ensure success for the whole family.
Hope and a Home began as an offshoot of FLOC in 1976.
Jubilee Jobs
Since 1981, Jubilee Jobs has been connecting employers across the Washington, DC metropolitan area with qualified and well-prepared candidates. We began by responding to the needs of individuals residing in local, low-income housing program and have grown to be one of the city’s largest and longest-serving employment organizations. Through our process of compassionate, professional job preparation and placement, over 28,000 people have gone to work, meeting the needs of individuals and business community citywide.
Jubilee Jumpstart
Jubilee JumpStart, located in Washington, D.C.’s busy Adams-Morgan neighborhood, provides high-quality early childhood care and education to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers from diverse social and economic backgrounds, with a focus on children and families with the least access.
Our evidence‐based programs address children’s social and emotional well‐being, and we build partnerships between parents, teachers, and the community to ensure children grow, thrive, and succeed in school and life.
Jubilee JumpStart helps build strong language and literacy skills, thinking skills, self-control, and self-confidence and provides an excellent, robust foundation, so children are school-ready and set up for lifelong success.
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Kairos Program + House
In 1992, Christ House initiated the Kairos Program for patients with chronic illness who decided to make a commitment to their recovery. For the first four years of its existence, the Kairos Program was available to former Christ House patients who found living arrangements in the neighborhood. They met together, provided volunteer service, and participated in other kinds of structured community-building programming. After seeing the progress of the Kairos Program members, Christ House leaders decided to purchase an apartment property and open a permanent supportive housing facility. Our vision and philosophy is that Kairos is a spiritual recovery program, and Kairos House is a facility-based environment in which that recovery can take place.
Kairos Program participants are capable of living independently, but due to chronic illness, are unable to hold full-time employment. Volunteer service is a key element of the program and each member serves based on his gifts and abilities. They escort Christ House patients to medical appointments, staff the clothing room, work in the kitchen, and assist with mailings and other administrative activities. Some participants also work part-time jobs at Christ House or in the neighborhood.
Kairos House opened as a permanent home for program members in 1996. It then contained apartment units for 37 residents and 3 staff members. Because of the demonstrated success of the Kairos Program, the Christ House Board of Directors made it a priority to add 15 apartment units that enabled us to serve that many more formerly homeless men. Renovations began in October 2009, and occupants took residence in December 2010.
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ArtSpace
In 1999, ArtSpace was created as an artistic extension of New Community Church , serving the Shaw and surrounding neighborhoods with exciting art programs, workshops, seminars, and membership opportunities.
ArtSpace provides an affordable avenue for artists of all ages and walks of life to express themselves, share and gather skills, create economic opportunities and find common ground through art while adding significant value to the renewal of the Shaw neighborhood.
Our rich variety of programs are offered all year round and are taught by amazing working artists and experienced volunteer teachers. These individuals are deeply passionate about their craft and eager to share their talents with others.
Throughout the year, The ArtSpace Exhibition Program showcases the talent of the Shaw neighborhood and greater Washington DC area. The artwork addresses relevant issues, showcasing new talent and increasing exposure of both emerging and established artists.
Samaritan Inns
Samaritan Inns began in 1985 with one transitional home in the heart of Washington, DC, with a capacity to shelter nine men desiring to overcome homelessness and addictions. Samaritan Inns’ founders, David Erickson and Killian Noe, felt called to respond to the increase in homelessness they observed in our Nation’s capital. Very soon, they discovered that serving those in need meant more than providing shelter and food but addressing a prevalent need for addiction services.
For nearly 40 years, our proven continuum of residential programs for each recovery phase has treated and saved more than 16,000 citizens in the District of Columbia.
Sitar Art Center
In 2020, Sitar Arts Center celebrated 20 years of serving families in Ward 1 and throughout Washington, DC who have unequal access to quality arts education and enriching out-of-school-time opportunities. We never turn anyone away for inability to pay and ensure that 80% of our student body is from families with low income. Sitar currently serves more than 900 students each year. At Sitar Arts Center, DC’s children and teens have opportunities to reach for the stars, develop their talents, and become who they are meant to be.
Whenever someone tells the story of how and why the Sitar Arts Center began, they start by remembering Patricia Sitar. A lively and creative spirit, Pat spent much of her life exploring the arts and looking for ways to better society. In the late 1970s, she joined the Church of the Saviour in Washington, D.C., and soon became the secretary for Jubilee Housing, a nonprofit organization that grew out of Church of the Savior and provides affordable housing to disadvantaged families in Adams Morgan.
Sarah's Circle
Sarah’s Circle is an award-winning affordable housing residence and community center providing comprehensive services for low-income seniors. We were founded in 1983 by a group of luminaries, local and national political and business leaders, and community activists who had a collective vision for a supportive home where older adults on fixed incomes could thrive independently and support one another in a safe and holistic environment.
Images from The Potter's House, photographed by Shae Corey.
Images from Seekers Church, photographed by Shae Corey.
Images from Dayspring, photographed by Shae Corey.
