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BFaltimore-Washington Conference Bishop Marcus Matthews has appointed the Rev. Ginger Gaines-Cirelli as the lead pastor of Foundry UMC in Washington, D.C., effective July 1. Gaines-Cirelli, who is currently pastor of St. Matthews UMC in Bowie, takes over for the Rev. Dean Snyder, who will retire on June 30.

In making the appointment, Bishop Matthews said the Cabinet believes that Gaines-Cirelli has the gifts and graces to lead Foundry, one of the most vital and missional churches in the denomination. Bishop Matthews thanked the outgoing pastor, Snyder, for his leadership at Foundry.

In other appointments, the bishop and Cabinet named the Rev. James Miller, now at Trinity UMC in Germantown, to Grace UMC in Gaithersburg. The Rev. Deborah Scott, pastor of North Bethesda UMC in Bethesda, has been appointed to Mill Creek Parish in Derwood.

The appointment to Foundry is one that is being
followed on the national stage. Foundry UMC, which celebrates its 200th anniversary next year, has 1,300 members and more than 650 people in weekly worship. Located at 16th and P streets in northwest Washington, the church has been a church home to presidents, including Abraham Lincoln, Rutherford Hayes and Bill Clinton. A reconciling
congregation, Foundry is known for the prophetic stances it takes, including its commitment to end homelessness in D.C.

In addition to pastoring St. Matthews UMC, Gaines-Cirelli, who entered the ordained ministry in 2000, has served at Francis Asbury UMC in Rockville, Capitol Hill UMC in Washington, and at three churches in the New York Conference.

In reflecting on her call to ministry, she confessed that “the God questions have always been my questions.” Her curiosity about theology and the language of God led her to Southwestern University in Texas and to Yale Divinity School.

A self-described “classic extrovert” and visionary, Gaines-Cirelli is noted for her collaborative leadership style. “I have visions and dream dreams,” she said. “I enjoy coming among people who like to dream big and bring skills so that, together, we can make those dreams come true.”

As a pastor, Gaines-Cirelli sees herself as an encourager who lifts up lay servant leadership. She’s gives 110 percent of herself to others, and her enthusiasm and spirit, she said, are rooted in God.

“I am somebody who is very clear about my own personal sense of calling -- to know, love and serve God and God’s people to help others do the same,” she said. “I am somebody who seeks more and more of life. I understand that life is found in and through relationship with others and with Christ.”

Gaines-Cirelli is also a liturgical artist. Poetry, music, dance and the visual arts “really light my fire,” she said. Among her other interests, it says on the St. Matthews website, are: gardening, yoga, theological conversation and  ice cream. She is married to Anthony, who received his Ph.D in systematic theology from the Catholic University of America and now works at the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops.  They live in Washington, D.C. with their cat, Annie Rose, and their dog, Harvey.

As she makes the pastoral transition, Gaines-Cirelli says she is deeply honored and humbled by the bishop’s appointment to serve in the city at a church that has been a gift to so many people.

From Foundry’s prestigious pulpit, she hopes to share the message of “God’s steadfast love, that there is place in the reign of God for all people, and that God will use each person’s unique gifts in order to make manifest that reign on earth as it is in heaven. ... This feels like a huge invitation and possibility,” she said.