Well it's kind of late on a Sunday night, particularly because I have to work tomorrow but I figure I should write now while the weekend is still fresh in my mind. And it was a good weekend so I want to share ;) Saturday night my housemate Valentine and I went and saw the memorials which were incredibly beautiful. I had never seen them in the daylight either but by night they were gorgeous - all lit up. Both the Vietnam and Korean War memorials were especially moving. The Vietnam memorial is very simple. Just two long walls that meet to form a corner filled with the names of every soldier who died during the war. The names are grouped chronologically by date of death. I think perhaps the fact that the Vietnam war is more recent and because there are many parallels to made with the current Iraq war (or so I think) make the memorial particularly powerful. Lincoln & Jefferson were also very nice by moonlight...classic DC attractions.
The highlight of my weekend though was definitely the church service I attended this morning. Valentine and I (again) were planning on attending a service at Luther Place (a Lutheran Church in downtown DC) but when we arrived there for 11 there was a sign on the door saying that the service was at 10 am this Sunday. So we headed back to one of the churches we had passed on the way from the metro stop and ended up at Foundry United Methodist Church. First off, the building was just incredible. The sanctuary had a high domed ceiling and lots of stained glass windows. And there must have been 300-400 people at the service. It was an interesting service for a few reasons. Just this past week the United Methodist Judicial committee (or something of the like) had given one of their ministers the right to bar a gay man from membership in his congregation. This was a big deal because apparently the United Methodist bishops (worldwide) have denounced this ruling. At the beginning of the service the minister spent a fair bit of time explaining the situation and asserting his disagreement and disappointment with the ruling. I've been totally impressed and blown away by the strong political stances taken by all of the DC churches I've been to when it comes to the issue of being accepting of all people regardless of sexual orientation. It makes me excited and hopeful for the Church and Christianity. Apart from this the service was also incredible. They had special music for All Saint's Sunday. A full choir, soloists and string players did Schubert's Mass in G and the music was so moving. The service was very traditional but at the same time very open, touching and personal. All in all, for a first experience at a United Methodist church it was most definitely amazing.
And now, it's Sunday night, work tomorrow and time for bed. Grey's Anatomy has just finished and as per usual, was really really good. So until next week...or sooner.
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