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Churches often focus on giving. But in learning to receive, Brightwood Park UMC in Washington, D.C., took another step in their Discipleship Adventure and gained new understanding of what it means to be connectional.

This summer, a 65-member Volunteers in Mission team of youth and adults from Illinois came to Washington to do mission work, helping repaint and restore older churches.
The team worked at Casa del Pueblo UMC, Douglas Memorial UMC, and contributed what the Rev. Thomas Hagin estimates to be $70,000 worth of renovation work at Brightwood Park.

The congregation at Brightwood Park was so moved by the painting of their sanctuary and other efforts, that when they found out the VIM team would be unable to complete promised tasks at McKendree-Simms-Brookland UMC, they volunteered to help.

On a Saturday in August, 14 members of Brightwood made their way to their sister church in Washington to paint and do renovations.  'We felt we had to reciprocate,' Hagin said. 'We count it a blessing to be able to be there.'

The experience of both giving and receiving also opened Hagin's eyes to what it means to be United Methodist. 'This was the first time I really felt the connectional system,' he said. 'Too often some churches are dying and some are prospering and they don't interact. Our congregation was enlightened by this sharing.'

The brightening of the sanctuary is also, in some ways, a metaphor for changes the congregation is going through.

Four years ago, fewer than 25 people gathered for worship. Today, that number has grown to more than 65. There is a new vitality amid the pews as the church reaches into the community.

A block party this summer with the church's partner, the Barbara Jordan Public Charter School, brought out 462 people in front of the church.
 
Part of this change, members acknowledge, stems from Hagin's move 10 months ago into the community, and his living in the parsonage next to the church.

While he was never late for a meeting, commuting back and forth from Baltimore sometimes made him seem more like 'an interloper.c

Now, an invested member of the community, he visits house-to-house and 'becomes personal with folks.'

It's in these relationships that discipleship happens, Hagin said.

He remembers a time not long ago when dealers sold drugs on the church's corner. I told them they couldn't do that on church property, Hagin said. But he also offered to help get drug abusers into 30-day programs to address addiction.

'It's about outreach,' Hagin said. 'It's about respect. It's working at what I call the grass-roots level, embracing the community.'

Living in the Northwest community, Hagin is aware of the new influx of many Hispanic residents and his church is making plans to begin a worship service in Spanish.
He and other members have also noticed a need among young women in the community and this fall they will begin the G.A.T.E. (Girls Aiming Toward Excellence) Program, which is designed to teach etiquette and life skills to girls between the ages of 10 and 14 years.  G.A.T.E. was created by Tammy Hagin, Rev. Hagin's wife, and is staffed by members of the church and Barbara Jordan Public Charter School's principal.    

Membership in many urban churches is falling off, Hagin said. 'We struggle; we fight to keep the doors open every day. But we want to bring people back to United Methodism.'
Donnell Lewis is one person who has responded to this new emphasis on community outreach.

Lewis went to church regularly in the past, he said, but it often felt like something was missing. 'I always wanted to use my gifts,' he said. 'I prayed a lot. I went on the Internet to find a place.'

Living just a few blocks away, Lewis met Hagin one day outside the church. The two began to talk and Lewis decided to visit the next Sunday.

He liked what he found, has become a member of the church and now serves on the Staff-Parish Relations Committee.

'Some churches are so locked down. They don't let people in,' Lewis said. 'But here, I feel complete.'

The Rev. Kwame Abayomi, who retired from Unity UMC in Baltimore, has also found a home at Brightwood Park, and he and Hagin intend to start a doctoral program on urban ministry at United Theological Seminary.

Hagin will use some of what he learned at Brightwood in teaching the students.

'Something that was dead,' he said, 'is now alive. It really is a miracle.'