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To mark the historic inaugfuration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States, United Methodist churches in Washington, D.C., rolled out a red carpet of radical hospitality, service, learning and celebration as they shared their faith with the nation.

More than 300 people from places like Chicago, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Hawaii stayed in several United Methodist churches during the inaugural events from Jan. 17-20. In an initiative titled "Be the Change You Want to See," city churches offered concerts and balls; workshops on racism, politics and community organizing; and worship events that featured the preaching of several United Methodist bishops.

Free meals and large screen televisions in the churches drew people in from the freezing temperatures, providing places where they could watch the historic events as they unfolded on Inauguration Day before a crowd of 1.8 million people several blocks away.

A new spirit stirs

Bishop John R. Schol, who envisioned the Be the Change initiative after meeting with a group of United Methodist community organizers at the Baltimore-Washington Conference Center, was immersed in the inaugural festivities and found himself moved by "a new spirit of service and sacrifice moving through the land.

"I had the opportunity to be with thousands of people, common everyday folk and our nation's leaders," the bishop said. "We gathered together on the Capitol lawn and worshipped at the National Cathedral with the new president. I believe we are witnessing a new movement in the hearts of the people and our leaders.

"There is a call to service, unity and responsibility moving across the land, and I am inviting all United Methodists to join with me in renewing their commitment to Jesus Christ and engaging to work together to serve God in our communities. We have challenging days ahead but together through the Holy Spirit disciples will rise up with daring and hope that will renew our communities and world," said the bishop.

Bishops preach on change

On the morning of Jan. 18, within a few city blocks, three United Methodist bishops preached about the impact of Obama's inauguration as the country's first African-American president, using hope and challenge as their driving themes.

Bishop Gregory Palmer, who preached at Foundry UMC, called the present moment a time in history where "the future is so bright it makes our eyes burn." He challenged the church to continue to work for justice for all.

"We are on the threshold of an unbelievable moment. Barriers have fallen, but the dream has not been fulfilled," Palmer said. "What this world needs is the full engagement of all of us."

Bishop Felton Edwin May, a retired bishop who served the Baltimore-Washington Conference from 1996-2004, preached at Asbury UMC and told the congregation that the country is "on tiptoe peering into this new world. Something is going on in the whole constellation of God's universe; it is the spirit of God in us, moving through us."

Bishop May called on the church to transcend black and white and "serve a rainbow God," by moving beyond the spirit of "yes, we can" and into the certainty and commitment of "yes, we will."

At Mt. Vernon Place UMC, Bishop Thomas Bickerton of the Western Pennsylvania Conference extended that challenge.

"Frankly, I'm a little worried," the bishop said. "The theme for this weekend is "Be the Change You Want to See." But I have to ask, realistically: ‘Are we ready for the change that God wants us to be? You better be careful what you pray for; you might actually get it and when you do, it might not be what you thought it would be."

To prepare itself, the church needs to stop limiting God by attempting to control God's Word or putting the church's potential in a tidy and manageable box. When the church is truly ready to be the change God wants us to be, it will need to "replace the hymnal racks with air bags because God's going to shake us up when we do," Bishop Bickerton said.

Or maybe there's another issue, the bishop speculated. Maybe "it's not that we don't know the power of the Word or depth of the possibilities before us; it's that we do know the power of God and we're terrified that God might actually wake up and call our name in the night."

Events offer transformation

For many, being present amid the eloquence and emotion of the events that unfolded on the national stage was life-changing.

Sitting in a front pew at Asbury UMC, 105-year-old Helen McDowell said she had not missed church in 25 years. She had, over the course of her life, experienced segregation first-hand. She also, she said, had a lot to be thankful for. But "Obama becoming president is the best thing that has happened since 1492," McDowell proclaimed.

Lorrie Williams, who came to Foundry from Ohio, was also moved, particularly by the hands-on mission, in which she participated with her son.

"It was great to be a part of the inauguration, but more than that it was great to be able to experience the mission work that you do," she wrote in an e-mail. "We had the opportunity to participate in the group who went to the day laborers and are forever changed by that."

At Douglas Memorial UMC, 60 youth, ages 14-18, came from out-of-town and slept in the church's sanctuary to, as Catherine Rector said, "be a part of history." But they soon discovered, said Mary Pike of Chicago, "that it was not only the historical circumstances that brought us together, it was the truly spirit-driven connection."

The worship service to honor Rev. Martin Luther King Jan. 19 was particularly moving to the youth, said the Rev. Helen Fleming, the church's pastor. In a note, Julia White thanked Fleming for "helping me find the keys to unlock my oppression," and "giving me the hope that I can succeed in all the things God has in store for me."

Expressions of grace

The Rev. Deborah Murray, pastor of Waianae UMC in Hawaii was also touched by her visit to D.C. and her experiences with Mt. Vernon Place UMC.

"I was hungry for love," she said. "I feel so at home with the people of God."

In an expression of gratitude, Murray sang for the congregation. She was accompanied by two members of her congregation, who made the trip with her, and a woman she had met the night before in a restaurant, a few blocks from Mount Vernon Place.

The woman introduced herself simply as Anya, and shared how "the Holy Spirit can open doors and draw you into God when you least expect it. I'm learning here to trust God and not be ashamed," she said. "I know these big national events are important. But I'm having kind- .of my own personal inauguration."

During this same worship, a man from Iowa stood and shared similar sentiments. "I have a family here, and I never knew any of you before I arrived," he said. "It's as if the invisible barriers that divided people in the nation are beginning to fall."

A time for falling barriers

The Rev. Louis Shockley Jr., senior pastor of Asbury UMC, woke up Jan. 19 with a prayer on his lips.

In his memory, Shockley conjured up the words of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech: "I may not get there with you. But I want you to know, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land." And then Shockley offered a prayer of gratitude for "new realities about to be defined."

Shockley didn't pray these words lightly. He had experienced racial segregation and discrimination first-hand as a young man in Dover, Delaware, a "whipping post" state, where this form of corporal punishment was not outlawed until 1970.

He rode a bus from Dover to Washington, D.C., to participate in King's first March in Washington in 1963. Struck by the potential of what he experienced, Shockley gave the next five years of his life to the Civil Rights Movement, helping to open the doors of reluctant churches and civic groups to King's lieutenants.

Shockley catches glimpses of the fulfillment of King's dreams in Obama's election. But he's not looking to the president to bring the dream to life. "It's not up to Obama. It's up to the people who put Obama where he is," Shockley said.

Asbury UMC, Shockley pointed out, has been working for decades to feed the poor and give the homeless resources to help them survive.

The congregation started when its black members were asked to leave Foundry Methodist Episcopal Church 172 years ago. Since that time, Shockley said, "our role is to open the doors, open the spirit and open the mind. We'll continue to do that, but we are also at a new place now."

The struggle, he believes, is now a broader one that includes more and different people who "can provide new answers to history's question of ‘what if.'"

Frontiers of politics, religion

In the first of a series of workshops and learning experiences on Jan. 19, Mike McCurry of St. Paul's UMC in Kensington explored some of the issues in the "risky territory of politics and religion."

President Barack Obama is ushering in a time of "great awakening," and faith will play a big role in his presidency, said McCurry, who served as White House press secretary for President Bill Clinton.

"We are rediscovering a prophetic big-based voice on the left, on the center left, to match what I think has been common on the religious right for some time," he said in an interview. "The Democratic Party and the progressive side of our political movement moved away from religion and politics during the 1970s and 80s."

The United Methodist Church can be a resource for the new administration and serve as a role model for creating an environment in which people from different perspectives can work together, McCurry added. The church, he said, is in a position to help as the country faces difficult problems.

"We are about making disciples for the transformation of the world, and you can't transform the world unless you get in the middle of it and roll up your sleeves," he said. "I think The United Methodist Church is prepared to do that."

Kathy L. Gilbert of the United Methodist News Service contributed to this report.