Metropolitan Weekly Newsletter - Week of October 11, 2026
Metropolitan,
Due to significant flooding in our church basement, our Wi-Fi and portions of our technology infrastructure have been temporarily disrupted. We are deeply grateful for your generosity and continued support of Metropolitan AME Church.
To give electronically in the sanctuary, please use your cellular data (mobile network) and scan the QR code in the sanctuary (located in the back and/or on the screens during giving).
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and are working diligently to restore full service as quickly as possible.
Thank you for your prayers, patience, generosity, and faithful support as we recover from this unexpected flooding and make the necessary repairs.
Due to ongoing restoration work in our basement, a portion of the main foyer has been temporarily sectioned off as the restoration staging area. We kindly ask all members and guests to adhere to the restricted area and follow posted signage. Douglass Hall's restroom will serve as the Men's restroom until further notice. Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we work to restore the affected space.
We encourage your presence this week in Morning Meditations with Metropolitan starting at 6:50 am for music and meditation Monday through Friday; and the Men's Prayer Call at 7:30 am on Monday; Comfort, Care, Lament and Share is Thursday at 7pm on Zoom; Noon Day and Pastor's Study is on break.
Engage in ministry with us - Order Your Copy of the Women of African Methodism Anthology; New Members Class (Sundays Sept. 13 - Oct. 4); Girls Who Code Fall Sessions (Sept. 19 - Nov. 7); Save the Date: Step Up for Veterans and their Families Annual Sock Drive (Oct. 4 - Nov. 1); Sunday ( Oct. 11) wear Pink in soildarity with all those impacted by Breast Cancer; Well & Whole Sunday: Celebrate Safety (Oct. 11); The Sarah Allen Missionary Society will be collecting winter weather gear for domestic violence awareness month Sunday, October 11th. They will be taking donations of hats, gloves, scarves, and coats for children and adults. You can bring your items to Douglass Hall after service next Sunday; Morning Meditations with Metropolitan (Oct. 13 - Oct.16); Lady of Many Hats: Celebrating Joan Oxendine (Oct 17); Church School Homecoming (Oct. 18); Children's Sabbath Sunday with Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson (Oct. 18); Bible Study: Read with Metroplitan (Oct.21) Join us beginning Wednesday, October 21 at 7:00 PM via Zoom as we explore Biblical Outlaws: What the Bible’s Most Despised Characters Can Teach Us by Anthony B. Pinn. Zoom link here.; Sign up to volunteer for the SAMS Food Bank (Oct. 24); Homecoming Sunday (Oct. 25); Mighty Men Breakfast and Discussion (Nov. 14); Donor Sabbath (Nov 15); Ethel P. Hall Club Annual Day (Nov. 22); 50th Anniversary: The Messiah Comes (Dec. 6); YPD Annual Day (Dec. 13); Remembering Our Loved Ones: Memorial Service (Dec. 20).
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.
Metropolitan Action Alert:
Currently, we have 7 members who have successfully signed up to work the polls in November. Each MET member has also completed a 4-hour training at the DC Board of Elections.
We continue to work with Black Workers Together. The campaign has wrapped up listening sessions, we are now strategizing the most survey-selected federal demand:
Federal Legislation
Dignity During Transition Act
Losing your job should not mean losing everything.
Guaranteed healthcare, tuition-free skilling, and emergency housing for displaced workers. Losing your job shouldn't mean losing everything.
What this includes:
Guarantee healthcare coverage during the transition
Provide tuition-free skilling and retraining
Fund emergency housing support, so job loss does not trigger total collapses
Once the campaign is launched and we are engaging congressional reps, but there's some ground to build before that which we will do in the online space.
Stay in touch with FAC by signing up to volunteer and organize with us on Linktree.
In solidarity,
Faith Action Committee
Contact: Sis. Joy Masha
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!
We are at a pivotal place globally, politically, and spiritually. Our world is beautiful yet broken; holy, yet not fully healed. We have weathered similar storms with grace and strength, and we shall do so again. This is our moment to proclaim the unlimited power and majesty of our God.
All encumbrances must be eliminated so we can be an even stronger voice and catalyst for justice, livable wages, affordable housing, and food security.
We must liquidate the mortgage we assumed several years ago to restore the beauty and physical health of our beloved Metropolitan. Once free, we will have additional energy and resources to further our work to make manifest God’s reign here on earth.
In this moment, Metropolitan has a mind to work.
Housing Notice: Please note that there are individuals in our community currently seeking rooms to rent or housing. If you have leads or are able to assist, please contact the church office.
Please join us this week, Monday-Friday for “Meditations with Metropolitan.” Join us at 6:50am for music with the meditation starting at 7 am. This week's morning meditation leaders are as follows:
Monday, October 5th - Pastor Lamar;
Tuesday, October 6th - Dr. Dana;
Wednesday, October 7th - Reverend Cozette;
Thursday, October 8th - Sister Dee Elliott;
Friday, October 9th - Dr. Bryon Garner
As always, 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
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!
You are cordially invited to the Metropolian AME Church School Homecoming. Sunday, October 18, 2026, 8:30 am in Frederick Douglass Hall. The theme is "Family Reunion." Bring your friends, family, and neighbors for a morning of fellowship and reconnection. Breakfast will be served.
The Sarah Allen Missionary Society will be collecting winter weather gear for domestic violence awareness month Sunday, October 11th. They will be taking donations of hats, gloves, scarves, and coats for children and adults. You can bring your items to Douglass Hall after service this Sunday.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
This month, we honor those touched by breast cancer—those fighting, healing, surviving, and those we remember. We surround them with love, encouragement, and prayer while promoting the importance of regular screenings and early detection.
This Sunday, October 11, wear pink as we stand in solidarity with all those impacted by breast cancer.
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 Metropolitan AME Veterans Council will collect socks for the Step Up for Veterans and their Families Annual Sock Drive beginning Sunday, October 4th, 2026, through Sunday, November 1st, 2026. For more details, please contact Bryon L. Garner, PhD, at bryongarner@gmail.com."
Join us beginning Wednesday, October 21 at 7:00 PM via Zoom as we explore Biblical Outlaws: What the Bible’s Most Despised Characters Can Teach Us by Anthony B. Pinn. Zoom link here.
Join Rev. William H. Lamar IV and Dr. Shively T. J. Smith as they lead this engaging study and discover what some of the Bible’s most unexpected characters can teach us about faith, life, and ourselves.
Grab your book, bring your Bible, and join the conversation!
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 to share your interest and availability.
The Lamp Oil of Black Women and African Methodism anthology is now on sale!
The collection features section introductions from Bishop Francine A. Brookins, Bishop Erika D. Crawford and Rev. Debyii L. Sababu-Thomas, Ph.D., contributions from women and girls of Metropolitan ranging in age from 7 to 97 and three women clergy on Metropolitan's ministerial staff, a litany written by Rev. Evan Taylor, a foreword by Rev. William H. Lamar IV, and a special first note extracted from an interview with Rev. Dr. Marie Phillips Braxton conducted by Dr. Dora Muhammad, the editor of the publication.
Girls Who Code FALL 2026 Fall sessions start Saturday, September 19th through November 7th from 11:00am - 12noon via ZOOM.
Middle and High school girls are eligible to join.
The Lorraine Gillian Health Commission is amplifying the Celebrate Safety public education campaign to raise awareness about domestic violence throughout the month of October. Join us at an upcoming event! Access and share links, essential resources, and awareness posters available in our public digital library here or by scanning the QR code in the flyer.
Join us for a men’s breakfast dialogue on how we will engage in prison ministry and raise awareness of domestic violence. Nov. 14th at 10 am in Douglass Hall.
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.
Stay connected to what’s unfolding in Metropolitan’s young adult community.
If you’re interested in leadership opportunities, faith formation, service projects, fellowship gatherings, and upcoming events, sign up to receive the RAYACNewsletter for monthly updates.
Be the first to know what’s happening—and how you can be part of it. Sign up here.
Do you have Instagram or Tik Tok? Be sure to follow our Youth and Family Ministry at @yafmamec to stay in the know!
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;
“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.
Have a prayer you would like to share in community, you can leave your prayers on our prayer wall here.
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