Foundry UMC DC: Sunday Sermons

A sermon preached by Rev. Ginger Gaines-Cirelli with Foundry UMC September 20, 2026, the seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost. “Be Astonished” series. Texts:  Psalm 19:1-4, Matthew 6:25-33                                  “The heavens are telling the glory of God.” I love that phrase. It’s so poetic and so deeply true. The heavens are telling. Day pours forth speech to day. Night declares knowledge...

A sermon preached by Rev. Ginger Gaines-Cirelli with Foundry UMC September 13, 2026, the sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost. “Be Astonished” series. Texts:  Psalm 100, Colossians 3:11-17                               There is something about this Sunday that feels different. Some of it is simply the rhythm of the year. Summer vacations are winding down. School is back in session. Our groups and clas...

Indeed. Thank you, choir. That was wonderful, what a wonderful way to be prepared to prepare the people for me to come and share a word with you all. And thank you all for being here. My name is Reverend Scott Bostic. I'm a United Methodist pastor, and I'm currently serving beyond the local church as the deputy director of the Washington Interfaith Network, which Foundry is a part of. For those of...

When I was in college, I spent a semester living in London, and I did a lot of solo traveling all over the UK. And one of the things that I loved was when in one of my little wanders, I would stumble across a little ruin. I found some that had clearly been part at one time of a big complex. There was the remains of a tower or stairs, going somewhere that used to be grand. And other times I would j...

I wonder what comes to mind for most people when they think about the Ten Commandments. Studies have shown that most folks are unable to name more than one or two of them. I bet many others would probably have to admit that when they think of the Ten Commandments, and this may just be, you know, thinking about the older generations, but for many of us, I imagine some when they hear about the Ten C...

Part III — We Know What We’re About · Calling as Public Witness Date: August 16, 2026.   Text: Ephesians 4:11–1, Isaiah 6:5–8 Yongchi Rhie   Let me begin with a confession from someone I knew, and I suspect it's one that some of you share. “For most of my life, I was a pew warmer. You know the type; maybe you are the type. I had my seat. Not just any seat; my seat, and heaven help the visitor who...

A sermon preached by Rev. Ginger E. Gaines-Cirelli with Foundry UMC, August 2, 2026, tenth Sunday after Pentecost. “We Know Who We Are”series. ​​​   Texts: Romans 15:5-7; Luke 19:1-10​​​​   For days now, I’ve been ruminating on what it means to say of Foundry: “No outsiders here…” The clear intent of the phrase is to suggest that no one will be turned away, ignored, left out, or treated as less th...

A sermon preached by Guy Cecil with Foundry UMC, July 26, 2026. “We Know Who We Are” series.

A sermon preached by Rev. Ginger E. Gaines-Cirelli with Foundry UMC, July 19, 2026. “We Know Who We Are” series.

A sermon preached by Rev. Dr. Yongchi Rhie with Foundry United Methodist Church, July 12, 2026. "Sermon Series Part II: The United Methodist Way". Scripture: Exodus 2:15–22; Hebrews 13:1–2   On a hot July day in 2014, I stood in a long line outside the United States Embassy in Seoul. All around me, people were checking their documents, whispering the latest rumors about American immigration policy...

A sermon preached by Rev. Ginger E. Gaines-Cirelli with Foundry UMC, July 5, 2026, sixth Sunday after Pentecost. “We Know Who We Are”series. Texts: Jeremiah 22:13–16; Luke 14:12–24   This weekend our nation marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence. This is an occasion for celebration. It’s also an invitation to reflection. Moments like this invite us to look backward with gratitude, t...

A sermon preached by Rev. Ginger E. Gaines-Cirelli with Foundry UMC, June 28, 2026, fifth Sunday after Pentecost. “We Know Who We Are” series. ​​​ Texts: Romans 6:3-11; Luke 24:28-35​​​​   Humans are storytelling creatures. Our stories help us understand who we are and how life works. They teach us how people have lived and thought and loved and struggled through the ages. They give us a framework...

A sermon preached by Rev. Jonathan Brown with Foundry UMC, June 21, 2026. “We Know Who We Are” series.

A sermon preached by Abby Steele with Foundry UMC, June 14, 2026, 3rd Sunday after Pentecost. "We Know Who We Are" series. Texts: 1 Corinthians 13:8-12; Acts 17:10-15   Good morning! Thank you for coming to Youth Sunday. I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to be here with you all. My name is Abby Steele, and I have been attending Foundry since I was a little kid, and became a member of the chu...

A sermon preached by Rev. Ginger E. Gaines-Cirelli with Foundry UMC, June 7, 2026, Second Sunday after Pentecost. “We Know Who We Are”series. Texts: Romans 12:1-2, 9-13; Acts 2:41-47   Last week we reflected on grace. We remembered that God’s grace comes before we ever think about God, before we ever do anything right, before we ever earn anything. Grace comes first. Grace comes last. Grace is alw...

A sermon preached by Rev. Ginger E. Gaines-Cirelli with Foundry UMC, May 31, 2026, First Sunday after Pentecost, Confirmation Sunday. "We Know Who We Are"series. Texts: Genesis 1:26-2:3; Ephesians 2:4–10 There are some words in scripture that change everything. Not because they're long or unusual. But because they turn the whole story in a different direction. Today’s passage contains two of those...

A sermon preached by Rev. Ginger E. Gaines-Cirelli with Foundry UMC, May 24, 2026, Pentecost Sunday. “We Know Who We Are” series. ​​​​Texts: Acts 2:1-21; John 20:19-22​​​​   Last Tuesday evening, I found myself seated at a table listening to live jazz in the nave of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in NYC. The occasion was the celebration for my mentor, Rev. Dr. Serene Jones upon her retiremen...

Text: 1 Corinthians 12:4-14, 27 May 17, 2026 Foundry United Methodist Church – Washington, DC Rev. T.C. Morrow Good morning! My name is Rev. T.C. Morrow. For the last twenty-four years I have been blessed to be a part of the Foundry community - first while finishing seminary, then like many of you serving in a variety of ways through the years, and when I formally became a clergyperson in the Unit...

Rev. Jonathan Brown 05/11/2026 Sometimes the things that become central to who we are begin as a surprise. They do not always arrive with a clear plan, a perfect explanation, or a sense that we understand exactly what we are saying yes to. Sometimes a door opens, an invitation comes, a possibility appears, and only later do we realize that something important in us began to take shape there. When...

A sermon preached by Rev. Ginger E. Gaines-Cirelli with Foundry UMC, May 3, 2026, the fifth Sunday of Easter. “We Know Who We Are”series. Texts: Isaiah 43:1-4; Romans 8:14–17; 31-39 A while back a friend reached out with a question. He had seen a pastor online passionately teaching about the transformative power of God’s love. My friend asked simply, “How does God’s love really change anything? Is...

A sermon preached by Rev. Jonathan Brown with Foundry UMC, April 26, 2026. If there is one truth I want us to carry today, it is this: God’s presence in suffering is our courage, but it is never an excuse to accept suffering as normal. That is the tension these texts hold. Psalm 23 gives us one of the most beloved images in all of scripture: the Lord as shepherd. First Peter gives us Christ as the...

A sermon preached by Ed Crump with Foundry UMC, April 19, 2026, the second Sunday of Easter.   Texts: Isaiah 51:1–6; Luke 24:13–35 April 19, 2026 Good morning. Will you pray with me, May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be pleasing to you God, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.   There are moments in life when everything you thought was solid… suddenly isn’t. Plans collaps...

A sermon preached by Rev. Ginger Gaines-Cirelli with Foundry UMC, April 12, 2026, the second Sunday of Easter. Text:  John 20:19-31   This Sunday, the second Sunday of Easter, the church traditionally calls, “Low Sunday.”  And that is quite often how it feels.  Easter Sunday was great.  But now, just a few days have gone by and we find ourselves at some distance from the Easter joy.  And we may wo...

A sermon preached by Rev. Ginger Gaines-Cirelli with Foundry UMC April 5,2026. “Ignite the Light” series. Easter Sunday. ​​​      ​       Text: Matthew 28:1-10​​​​​   I remember lying on the floor of our living room when I was a child. Not doing anything in particular—just stretched out on the blue shag carpet, near my dad’s chair. And I remember noticing something I had never seen before. There w...