The Council of Churches of Greater Washington (CCGW) belongs to all Christians in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. We encourage all to contribute: Talent, Money, Time.

Often referred to as CCGW or the Council, it primarily has three main purposes:

1. Promote cooperation and collaboration among Christian people, churches and related organizations;

2. Represent Christian interests and positions on issues in the greater Washington, DC community; and,

3. Collectively provide services, as Jesus would have us do, in those matters and situations too difficult or awkward for a single church or person or better done communally by all of us working together.

Council jurisdiction extends over the District of Columbia, Fairfax County, Virginia, Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties, Maryland and all jurisdictions within.

Over the years, the Council has done some mighty good work: a summer children's camping program, feeding program, representation before governmental bodies on issues important to the religious community, youth training programs, and ecumenical programs for the benefit of all churches, denominations, judicatories and their members.

In addition, recently, a Council task force consulted a variety of people and organizations including the Mayor's(DC) Interfaith Council, the Downtown Cluster, Washington Interfaith Network, Church Women United, Community Ministry of Montgomery County, Archdiocese of Washington, Council Board Members, and the National Council of Churches. They offered and more or less agreed that CCGW should:

- Focus on Christian unity, i.e., cooperation and collaboration among religious entities, be a source for national, regional and local ecumenical networking;

- Engage in strategic planning, recruiting and development of a sound financial footing;

- Lobby for a seat on the National Council of Churches USA board, thus representing the greater Washington religious community to the national religious community;

- Strive to improve race relations;

- Become a voice for the poor in the area;

- Focus on women's and children's issues, employment and youth education;

- Become an umbrella organization for dialogue on religious, social and pastoral issues;

- Prepare and distribute a metropolitan area church directory;

- Conduct spiritual retreats for local clergy, and promote ecumenical education;

- Become more regional in emphasis;

- Promote dialogue on controversial, including political, issues;

- Rebuild and heighten relations with judicatories/denominations; 

- Maintain and enhance the camping and feeding programs and engage in other volunteer services in aid to betterment of the people of the greater Washington area; and,

- More

This is a big order. The officers of the Council see these as goals, but for a more realistic approach, for the present, the Council will concentrate on:

- Expanding membership, sponsorship, financial development, staff support and support from Churches, judicatories/denominations, related organizations, and all their members.

- Act as a clearing house on issues of interest to area Christians;

- Hold public discussions and seek solutions on community problems; and,

- Direct efforts and programs toward improving understanding and coordination across ethnic, racial and class divergences.

Of course, this would greatly benefit the community and its people. There is a role for everyone. Please join us in this worthy endeavor.

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