Metropolitan Weekly Newsletter - Week of May 4, 2025
- Evan Taylor
- 21 hours ago
- 8 min read
Updated: 12 minutes ago

Worship for Third Sunday of Easter, starts tomorrow at 10 am in the sanctuary and via live stream on Facebook and YouTube.
We encourage your presence this week in Church school on Sundays at 8:30am; Morning Meditations with Metropolitan at 7 am Monday through Friday; and the Men's Prayer Call at 7:30 am on Monday, Comfort, Care, Lament and Share at 7pm on Thursday. Noon Day and Pastor's Study is on break.
Engage in ministry with us this Spring - Volunteer to Support Youth and Families Ministry; Register to join the Food for Life class immediately after worship (May 4); Sign up for Girls Who Code Session (March 29-May 17); Register for Blues, Roots, & Rhythm: Using the Spoken Word (May 10); Veteran's Council Meeting (May 14); Sign up to volunteer with the SAMs Food Bank (May 17); Children Are God's Masterpieces Cradle Roll Day program (May 18); Register to join the Food for Life class immediately after worship (May 18); RSVP for Seminar 3: Long Term Activities (May 20); Purchase your tickets for the Sons and Daughters of Allen's Bingo Night on May 31st (May 20); Register to join the Food for Life class immediately after worship (June 1); Purchase tickets to support The Beauty of Our Wellness (June 8); Purchase Tickets for the 32nd annual Scholarship Awards Luncheon (June 14); Register to join the Food for Life class immediately after worship (June 15); Save the Date for the CDC's Financial Wellness event (June 22).
Need to join via phone? You can dial in for an audio-only livestream at 1-929-205-6099, 975804722.
Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel and you'll be notified every time we are live. You can subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/metropolitaname.

In 2025, we will introduce a weekly Sankofa moment. Sankofa comes from the Adinkra cultural system and means, "It is not taboo to return and fetch it when you forget." Each Sunday, as part of our Sankofa practice, we will "fetch" the wisdom, words, faith, and lessons learned from our ancestors. At Metropolitan AME Church, we are dedicated to honoring the legacies of our past while actively working toward our future. This weekly Sankofa moment is not just a one-time event, but a commitment to our cultural heritage that we will uphold continuously. Ashe and Amen.

Join the Lorraine Gillian Health Commission for our Nutrition & Cooking Classes starting Sunday, May 4th in Frederick Douglass Hall after service! Learn to make delicious, plant-based meals that support weight management, heart health, and more. Enjoy catered meals, cooking demos, and expert nutrition tips. Classes meet May 4th, May 18th, June 1st, and June 15th—don’t miss out! Register now at http://www.rooteddish.com/mamec. Let’s embrace Food for Life together!

We are pleased to announce that transportation services resumed on January 5, 2025, after a long hiatus. Starting in January, transportation will be available on the first and third Sundays of each month. Services may be expanded to other Sundays based on the demand. If you are interested in transportation to and from the church, please contact Ellen and Tyrone Fizer at 301-579-2482. We look forward to serving you and helping you get to church with ease!

Are you experiencing grief, anxiety, depression, or anger over any type of loss? Given the current environment in which we are living, we are all experiencing some sense of loss of a loved one, a familiar way of life, a friend, a home, relationship, job, pet, and so many other losses that supported and sustained us. We invite you to join our grief support group under its new name, “Comfort, Care, Lament, and Share” every Thursday evening at 7PM via Zoom. Please email Bro. Brandon Cox at brandon.carlton.cox@gmail.com to receive the weekly link.
The Immigration Ministry is moving into its final phase of discernment and invites you to the third webinar on Tuesday, May 20 at 7:30pm. We will discuss long-term interventions for the harmful impacts on children and family economic stability due to agency shutdowns and family separations. We will tap into our rich AME legacy of the Free African Society to explore building new systems to provide sustainable direct services on the district and Connectional levels. Join us in envisioning how we can reinforce or establish foundations for Black futures where all can be empowered to flourish and thrive. RSVP here


Please join us this week, Monday-Friday, from 7 am-7:15 am for “Meditations with Metropolitan.” To sign up to offer a meditation or share your prayer requests, email the Morning Meditations team at prayer.metro1518@gmail.com.

The Men's Prayer Call is a sacred space where brothers can share and explore their relationship with God in Christ Jesus. All brothers are encouraged to join. The call will be every Monday Morning from 7:30 am – 7:45 am on Zoom.
Meeting ID: 767 5679 7276
Passcode: y28Ma2

The Music and Creative Arts Ministry and the Youth and Family Ministry are partnering to host Blues, Roots, and Rhythm: Using the Spoken Word, a free intergenerational workshop focused on African American music, exploring the history and influence of the Blues on R & B, Hip Hop and Gospel. The workshop will be held on Saturday, May 10 from 12 noon to 3 pm in Douglass Hall. Lunch will be served. You can register by scanning the QR code in the flyer or using this link - bit.ly/4ir62FZ

Train up your child in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it. Church School meets each Sunday morning at 8:30 am, and concludes at 10am in Douglass Hall. There are classes available for EVERYONE! We will be excited to see you in attendance!

Please join the Church School for its 28th annual Ernestine B. Goldsby Cradle Roll Day program, "Children are God's Masterpieces" on May 18, 2025 at 8:30 am in Douglass Hall. Refreshments will be served after the program, Free parking is available in the NEA garage directly across the street from the church's front door.

The Metropolitan AME Veterans Council is a ministry that supports military service members, veterans, and their families by providing information and prayerful support. All service members, veterans, and family members are invited to attend. Join us on the second Wednesday of each month at 6pm. For more information, please contact Dr. Bryon L. Garner at bryongarner@gmail.com.
The Youth and Family Ministry is in need of amazing people like you to serve for upcoming events and other additional projects. Please scan the QR Code and or fill out the Microsoft form to share your interest and availability.

Registration is now open for GWC Club 58425's Spring 2025 Session! Join us for an 8-week virtual program designed to empower and inspire. Sessions are held Saturdays, March 29 – May 17, 2025, from 11 AM – 12 PM via Zoom. Best of all, it's FREE, sponsored by the Daniel Alexander Payne CDC! For more information or to register, email cprimas@msn.com. Don’t miss out!

The Sarah Allen Missionary Society Food Bank of the Metropolitan AME Church announces that in-person food bank operations will be held on Saturday, May 17th, from 9 am to 3 pm. The SAMS Food Bank is also accepting new food bank recipients.
Please see the flyer with a link to sign up for volunteer opportunities with the SAMS Food Bank. For more information, please contact Sister Virginia Boateng at vab-59@hotmail.com.

Join the Sons and Daughters of Allen for a fun-filled afternoon of Family Bingo on Saturday, May 31, 2025, 12 pm – 3 pm at Metropolitan AME Church in Douglass Hall. You can purchase tickets from any member of the Sons and Daughters of Allen, no later than May 20; Donation: $20 adults; $10 Youth (ages 8-17). Don’t miss out on the fellowship, prizes and refreshments. For additional information, contact Valerie Brooks at (301) 789-7450 or vatb31@verizon.net.
Sis. Khaleelah Harris serves as the Executive Director and Co-Founder of The Beauty of Our Wellness
(www.thebeautyofourwellness.com), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded to organize arts and wellness related events which benefit The Beauty of Our Wellness Medical Fund for women in underserved communities seeking financial assistance to remove their uterine fibroids! The Second Annual Beauty of OurWellness Benefit Luncheon will be held on June 8th, from 2pm to 4pm at The Josephine Butler House in Northwest DC! You can purchase your ticket at this link
or by contacting Sis. Khaleelah at 202-286-3777.
The Metropolitan A.M.E. Church Scholarship Endowment Payne-Tanner Memorial will host its 32nd Annual ScholarshipAwards Luncheon at Metropolitan on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. The program will feature Keynote Speaker, Dr. Satira Streeter Corbitt, founder and Executive Director of Ascensions Psychological Services, Inc. and author of Black Genius: A Guided Journal Through History and Affirmation, music by the N Tyme Ensemble, and a contemporary dance performance by The Met Fresh Fire, under the leadership of Ms. Britney Jones. The Scholarship Endowment appreciates your support of our deserving youth who demonstrate scholastic achievement and financial need. Ticket donations of $50, and other contributions are greatly appreciated. Purchase tickets via Eventbrite.

Stay Informed and Inspired: Sign Up for the Truth and Action Round Up!
In the wake of the 2024 election, it's important to stay connected to truth and action, without being bombarded by the 24-hr news cycle. Sojourners’ Truth and Action Round Up is a source of news, actionable steps, and uplifting inspiration—shared three times of week. Together, we can navigate the challenges ahead and work toward justice and hope. Sign up today.

Have something to share with the congregation? Please send ALL announcement information to announcements@metropolitanamec.org. Blurbs should be no longer than 75 words. Announcements can be submitted by Tuesday for the following week OR by the 4th Sunday for the next month.

Do you have Instagram or Tik Tok? Be sure to follow our Youth and Family Ministry at @yafmamec to stay in the know!


We hope you can stand with us by investing in the Community Justice Fund and purchasing a limited edition commemorative t-shirt. In these unprecedented times, we are called to continue doing the work of Jesus in the church, the community, and the world. Every contribution will make a difference as we counter the radical ideology and rhetoric that is flowing from the leaders of our Nation while eroding and eliminating civil rights and societal strides that have been made by the sacrifices of our elders and ancestors.

Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in 1838. From its founding, Metropolitan AME Church, has and continues to do what other churches will not. We are known locally, nationally, and internationally, to be deeply spiritual and deeply engaged in the world. From anti-slavery leadership in the mid-19th century, in the harboring of runaway slaves, to organizing power, people and money toward the flourishing of all people in the District of Columbia today. Metropolitan has been not just a significant center of worship, but also an institution in the forefront of the civic, cultural, and intellectual life among African Americans and others. Today, Metropolitan is focused on theologically sound teaching and preaching in worship; combatting food insecurity through our Food Bank; addressing ecological devastation by addressing heat islands in metropolitan cities with Smart Surfaces Coalition; equipping parents and families with culturally responsive and biblically grounded teaching through the Sankofa project; and building Black Equity and Wealth through Homeownership, prioritizing community safety and holding political leaders accountable with Washington Interfaith Network.
-Pastor William H. Lamar IV

We're grateful for your generosity.
There are several ways to give:
via check mailed to Metropolitan AME Church, 1518 M Street NW, Washington, DC. 20005;
via Credit card: on our website and via Realm;
via Text: To text to give, text “metro1518” to 73256;
via Venmo: using the handle @Metro1518

It’s time to celebrate! Happy Birthday to all of those born during the month of May. We are grateful for another year of your life and we honor you in the month of your birth!
Happy Anniversary! We salute all couples married in the month of May. May you continue to grow in love again and again each year!

“Truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Let us continue to lift each other in prayer - please pray for those experiencing grief or in need of health, strength, and healing. Lord, hear the prayers of your people.
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