Maryland Service FAQs

Photos of the sanctuary and narthex of Hyattsville Mennonite, and of Katie signing our rental agreement with their pastor. We will begin worshiping in this space every 4th Sunday at 5pm starting January 26.

Dear Incarnation,

After many months of prayerful discernment and a lengthy search for worship space (Katie contacted over 25 locations!), we will begin our monthly Maryland service on January 26 at 5pm. As the date approaches, we've received many questions, and we've done our best to answer those below. Still have questions? Please reach out to us (Amy: amy@incarnationanglican.org and Katie: katie@incarnationanglican.org) or linger after church this Sunday, January 19, for a Q&A. Thank you!

- Amy and Katie

Why are we starting a Maryland service? 

Katie shares:

In January of last year, we offered a small group in Maryland for the first time, co-hosted by the Hamlin and the Benning families (the only Incarnation people in Maryland). On our first meeting, Elena Benning prayed that this little group would be like a tiny spark that God would fan into a flame. 

Within a few weeks the group began to grow as people invited their friends and neighbors. We now have six families who have been meeting together pretty steadily since the spring. They have sometimes invited friends and neighbors, so that the group’s size has fluctuated from about 25 to 30 on a given week. Most of these families are now members of Incarnation, and they serve in every area of our church — music, kids, liturgy, setup/teardown, sound, prayer, and more.

But as early as last Holy Week, we began observing how the distance between Arlington and Maryland challenged our desire for spiritual formation to happen where people live, in their ordinary lives. We saw how many of our Maryland small group members couldn't attend Holy Week services. And although these folks are involved on Sundays, they also can’t easily participate in other opportunities for worship or community that happen outside of Sundays.

They also can’t really invite their neighbors to church, even though this is otherwise an invitational group of people who are engaged in their neighborhoods. It’s one thing to drive 30-40 minutes yourself when you are already committed to a church, but it’s another to invite a church-weary neighbor to do that. And finally, it is increasingly tough for our staff to provide pastoral care and opportunities for formation across such a large geographic area.

Amy adds: 

We've been praying for months about how to respond to this unexpected growth. Last year’s discernment during Lent had made it clear to us that God wasn't calling us to fundamentally change who we are as a church. Instead, God seemed to be inviting us to consider how we could continue to be a church that emphasizes pastoral care, ordinary faithfulness, worship, welcome, and wonder – but across a wider geographic spread than we'd ever imagined when Incarnation was first planted in South Arlington. 

Last year, our vestry read an article that explained how people who are already Christians will travel a long way for church, but those who are exploring or returning to faith really need to have a church nearby. This is the dynamic we are seeing in Maryland, exacerbated by the reality that this part of Maryland is something of a church desert. There is an Anglican church nearby in Takoma Park, but they will be moving into DC in 2025; and there are a few other healthy churches scattered throughout the area, but research shows that new worshiping communities are more accessible to non-churchgoers than established congregations. Based on the interest that non-churchgoing friends and neighbors in Maryland have already expressed in an Incarnation service there, we believe God may be inviting us into another harvest field of the “church-weary.” Therefore, after much prayer, we decided that the next step of discernment in all this was to begin offering a monthly Eucharist service in Maryland.

Will we still have church in Virginia every week? 

Yes! Incarnation’s weekly service in South Arlington, VA, will continue at 10am each week. On the 4th Sunday of each month, the same service will then be offered at 5pm in Hyattsville, MD. Katie will preach the same sermon at both services.  

When and where will the Maryland service meet?

Incarnation’s Maryland service will meet on the 4th Sunday of each month at 5pm at Hyattsville Mennonite Church, 4217 East-West Hwy, Hyattsville, MD 20782. The service will be followed by a potluck.

Why is the service only monthly?

We are beginning with a monthly service for several reasons. First, because the Incarnation members in Maryland are already an integral part of our church community. We’ve made baptismal promises to their kids, welcomed them as members, prayed for their confirmations, and been blessed by their service and participation each week. We want to keep worshiping together most of the time!

Second, because this service is simply our next step of discernment. In other words, it’s an experiment! We believe a monthly rhythm will offer enough frequency to try something new and see what develops, without spreading ourselves too thin. 

Who will lead the Maryland project?

Katie – who herself lives in Takoma Park, MD – is leading this effort and taking the primary shepherding role with the Maryland service.

What will the Maryland service be like?

A lot like the Virginia service! We’ll follow the same liturgy, sing the same songs, and Katie will preach the same sermon at both services. Russell and I will provide musical, liturgical, and practical support. Maryland members will read, pray, lead music, and do all the things that volunteers do in a typical Incarnation service. 

However, worship is inherently local, shaped by its context. We don’t want the Maryland service to be a carbon copy of the Virginia service. Over time, we expect that the Maryland service will reflect the unique characteristics of its local context and of the people who help lead it each week. We are so excited to see what develops!

What will happen with kids in the Maryland service?

This service is growing out of a small group that values the inclusion and participation of children. Therefore, initially, children will worship in the service with their parents. We will set up a small nook for young children and provide worship bags for older children, just like we do in Virginia. The Maryland church we are renting has a wonderful nursery space adjacent the sanctuary, which parents can use on a self-serve basis. Over time, if we grow in number or frequency, we may be able to offer more children’s programs.

Will Maryland people still volunteer on Sundays in Virginia? What about Katie?

We will not schedule Marylanders to volunteer on the 4th Sunday of the month in Virginia, but they will otherwise serve as usual on the other Sundays. Katie will continue to worship and serve each week in Virginia.

Will other Incarnation volunteers be scheduled to serve in Maryland?

No. We will not schedule people to serve in Maryland unless they specifically request to be placed on the Maryland rota.

Will this mean that Amy, Katie, Josie, Emily, and Russell are less available?

This new service will stretch our staff in new ways, and we won’t know what that is like until we get there. However, we believe that the staggered service times and the monthly rhythm will make this doable without compromising our staff’s ability to provide pastoral care.

If I live in Maryland or NE DC, am I required to attend this service?

No! Living near the Maryland service does not obligate you to be part of it in any way. But you may want to give it a try at least once, for your own “step of discernment.”

If I don’t live in Maryland, am I allowed to attend this service?

Yes, of course! Everyone is welcome to come and participate in what God is doing, and this is a great way to shape your prayers for this new initiative.

Amy adds:

If you’re excited, curious, or even a little skeptical about what’s happening, I’d really encourage you to come at least once to check it out and pray for the service. Crossing two state lines and navigating unpredictable DC traffic will give you a new appreciation for the commitment our Marylanders have made to worship with Incarnation each week. And it will allow you to witness what I have seen: the creativity, gentleness, and hospitality of this group of Incarnation folks who are doing such wonderful work caring for each other and their neighbors.

I live more than 30 minutes from the church [in DC, Springfield, Vienna, etc] . . . have you considered offering a service near me, too?

We believe in the value of worshiping where you live, and having local expressions of the church to which you can invite neighbors. That said, the primary way we practice this value is through our small groups. If you live far from Arlington and want to worship with others where you live, we encourage you to start or join a small group in your area (we will help equip you for this!). The service in Maryland grew out of one of our small groups, with just two families meeting weekly for dinner and evening prayer in an area with few healthy local church options. 

If we were to experience similar growth in a further-out small group, and there were few healthy churches nearby, and we discerned together that God was calling us to explore something new in that area, and we had local staff who could shepherd and lead a new work, then perhaps we might consider offering other localized services in the future. But right now, we see the Maryland service as a response to something unique that God is doing, not as a model we intend to replicate in the future.

Aren’t you worried the Maryland service will shrink our church, drain our resources, or spread our team too thin?

We are a small church with many resource constraints (time, people, money, buildings, etc.), and we’re about to undertake something completely new and unknown. It’s only natural to wonder – even worry – how a new project like this will further strain our resources. If you’re feeling anxious, take heart: that’s normal. Taking steps of faith even when we’re scared is how our trust in God’s goodness grows.

That said, our vestry met for its annual orientation last Saturday, and each member expressed a reassuring peace about what’s next. The reasons for that peace were many and varied. First, we are a church that has already navigated many significant transitions throughout our life together, while still protecting what we love most about this community. Our change muscles are strong (even if we wish we didn’t have to exercise them quite so often!).

Second, the Maryland service is the fruit of many, many months of discernment. We have prayed and discussed this from every possible angle, with special attention to our staff and finances, and we are clear-eyed about the many ways this service will stretch us. We know that our systems and processes and resource allocations will likely need to adapt with time, and we are prepared to make changes as we learn more. 

Third, God calls us only to faithfulness, not outcomes. We believe he is calling us to take this next step, and we want to be faithful to do so. But beyond that, this work is God’s! We are not called to reach a certain size in our attendance or our budget, only to be faithful in stewarding what he has entrusted to us. And we want to practice this stewardship with open-handed generosity and courageous steps of faith.

Finally, this service is simply the next step of discernment. There are many more steps ahead of us. We will all keep talking, praying, asking questions, and seeking feedback over the coming months. If you have a question, just ask!

I thought we were running a deficit. How are we paying for this, and what will it cost?

The initial costs of this service are $350/month for rent, plus liturgical supplies and a portion of Katie’s salary. If this service grows, these costs will rise over time. As discussed at our parish meeting, we will cover the initial costs of the Maryland service with funds set aside in our 2025 budget for outreach. In addition, our diocese gives generous grants for this kind of work, and we expect to receive several of these grants over the coming years. These grants will help us fund the work in Maryland while continuing to decrease our deficit and work toward a balanced budget. And finally, we will pray! God always provides for the work he calls us to do, but sometimes that provision includes being faith-filled and generous with our own resources.

What is vestry’s role in all of this?

As the vestry is charged with overseeing the facilities and finances of our congregation, they have been very involved in the discernment process that has led to us offering a monthly service in Maryland. They have approved our rental agreement with Hyattsville Mennonite, will review financial reports related to our Maryland expenses, and continue to support Amy and Katie in providing leadership to our mission in Maryland.

Will the Maryland service become a church plant?

We don’t know. We only know that this seems like the right next step to be faithful to God’s call and to the people he’s entrusted to our care. Over the coming months, we’ll continue to be attentive and pray about what God is calling us to do next, and we will make further decisions down the road.

I hear Amy is taking a sabbatical this summer. How will that play into all this?

Amy will be on sabbatical from mid-June until the end of August. During that time, Katie will serve as Acting Rector and will be responsible for shepherding our congregation across Virginia, DC, and Maryland. Our staff and vestry will take on additional responsibilities during the sabbatical, as well as leaning on outside help. We will not make any major decisions or changes to the ministry of our church while Amy is away. Our greatest priority during this time will be to provide non-anxious leadership and care for the congregation.

This means that even if the Maryland service grows, we are limited in how quickly we can respond to this growth, because our staff will have limited capacity from June-August. Though we aren’t quite sure how all of this will fit together, we are confident that God knows our constraints better than we do, and will abundantly provide for the work he has called us to do within our limitations.

I’m so excited about this project; how can I support it?

The most important thing you can do is pray. Pray for the Maryland small group, pray for Incarnation’s staff and vestry, pray for each service, pray for those who join the service each month, pray for our relationship with Hyattsville Mennonite Church. Pray when you feel anxious about the unforeseen ways that this change might impact our church. To aid your prayers, we’ll be passing out a prayer card on Sunday, January 26, with some specific prayers for Maryland. 

You can also support the service in Maryland by letting friends and family know that this service is happening and putting them in touch with Katie if they want to learn more. And in the coming months, we may have practical needs emerge related to the service in Maryland. Please keep an eye out for those and contribute as you feel led. 

If you are interested in financially contributing to the work in Maryland, the best way to do this is simply through giving to Incarnation. We are funding the Maryland project from our own budget because we see it as an extension of the ministry of our church; in other words, it belongs to all of us, and we will share our resources to make it happen.

And finally, you can continue to participate in our community in all the ways you already do, so that our worship and common life remain healthy, stable, and marked by our trademark joyful gentleness even amidst transition. This project belongs to all of us, and we’ll need each other over the coming months as we step out in faith together.