A Stone Church on Albemarle Street, the Child of St. Alban's
St. Columba's Episcopal Church stands at 4201 Albemarle Street NW, one block west of Wisconsin Avenue and just north of Tenley Circle, in the upper northwest corner of Washington, DC. The present stone church was dedicated in 1927, replacing an earlier wooden-frame church on the corner of Albemarle and 42nd Streets in Tenleytown. The parish itself was founded in 1874 as a mission of St. Alban's, an older parish on Wisconsin Avenue, and today it carries both the weight of 150 years of Tenleytown history and the energy of a community that has spent recent decades reckoning honestly with that history. A Racial History of St. Columba's Episcopal Church, prepared in 2024, was commissioned to begin telling that fuller story, and stained-glass windows, the Flentrop organ, and a generous slate of ministries are part of the inheritance the parish now tends.
Coming Through the Doors for the First Time
St. Columba's describes itself as an inclusive Christian community of all ages that welcomes one and all, encourages spiritual curiosity, celebrates children and youth, and embraces the world in the spirit of God's justice and love. Ushers greet visitors as they come into the building. All baptized Christians are welcome to take communion; those who prefer not to can remain seated, or come forward with arms crossed to receive a blessing. Communion is bread (wafers) and real wine, served at stations around the church or brought to a pew when needed. People dress across the full range, from T-shirts to suits, and every service is family friendly. A bulletin handed out at the door includes the information needed to follow along. Coffee and donuts in the Common bookend the morning, and forum opportunities for all ages follow from 10:15 to 11:00 a.m.
Accessibility is taken seriously. On Sundays an accessible drop-off and pick-up area sits in front of the 42nd Street entrance, and accessible parking is available in the lot, where reserved handicapped spaces lead to the Nursery School entrance and an elevator at the end of the hall. Street parking is easy to find on most days, and a small church lot on Butterworth Place is open on Sunday mornings and weekday evenings. From the Red Line's Tenleytown/AU station, the west exit leads south on Wisconsin Avenue, with a right turn onto Albemarle Street bringing visitors one block to the church.
Three Sunday Services, Plus a Service Designed for the Smallest Worshipers
The program-year schedule offers three Sunday eucharists in the church nave and a separate service for young children in the Great Hall. At 8:00 a.m., the traditional eucharist is celebrated without music, drawing a smaller, quieter congregation. At 9:00 a.m., the service features the Children's, Gallery, and Celtic Choirs, along with youth handbell ringers; congregational hymns and choral offerings are spread throughout the liturgy, and children ages three to eight may leave for story time during the sermon. At 11:15 a.m., the principal service is held, with the St. Columba Singers leading the music and the service livestreamed on YouTube for those who cannot be present; children are invited to stay with their families in the nave throughout the worship.
At 9:15 a.m., Wee Worship gathers preschool-age children and their families in the Great Hall. The service is well suited for the youngest members: songs are easy to jump into, movement is welcome, and the altar is even at child height. A Wee Worship bulletin helps families follow along at home.
Healing Prayer is offered twice each month on the second and fourth Sundays at the 9:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. services, during communion, in St. Aidan's Chapel and at the back of the nave near the 42nd Street entrance. Trained lay Healing Ministers offer confidential prayer for anything placed in their care, with a willingness to lay on hands only if the person receiving prayer is comfortable.
Wednesdays at St. C's
The rhythm of the week extends into Wednesday evenings. From 5:00 to 6:30 p.m., a Wednesday Night Supper is open to all; bring a friend, sit down, and stay for the programming that follows. Equipping the Saints, a five-week course led by the Rev. Dr. Hillary Raining, gathers leaders and curious would-be leaders at 6:30 p.m. for prayer, Bible study, and practical ministry skill-building, with topics like the use of Realm, the church database, woven into the discussion.
Throughout the program year, Wednesdays also host a rotation of adult formation offerings. Recent classes have included The Feast of Betrayal and Forgiveness, a Lenten study led by the Rev. Dr. Joshua Daniel, and Unity in the Eucharist, a Wednesday-morning study group on Zoom.
A Flentrop Organ, Four Singing Choirs, and a Chamber Orchestra
Music is woven into the identity of the parish. The Flentrop pipe organ, built in 1981 by Flentrop Orgelbouw of Zaandam, the Netherlands, has mechanical tracker action, two manuals, and a pedal board, and was expanded and revoiced in 2003. The present stone church was dedicated in 1927, replacing a wooden frame church on the corner of Albemarle and 42nd Streets. A Lewis and Hitchcock electro-pneumatic organ served the new building for fifty years before the decision was made to replace it; a Dutch-built Flentrop was chosen for its traditional mechanical action. The instrument was the first Flentrop in the Washington, DC area, and the dedication year included a celebration in the presence of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and the retired Senator J. William Fulbright. As the parish grew, the worship space was expanded in 1989, and the organ was enlarged in 2003 to carry its sound into the larger nave.
The music program continues that tradition of excellence. The St. Columba Singers rehearse Thursday evenings from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. and sing each Sunday at the 11:15 a.m. service, drawing repertoire from a variety of sacred styles and welcoming singers of all levels. The Celtic Choir supports the 9:00 a.m. service and rehearses in the Music Room on Sundays from 10:10 to 10:30 a.m. St. Columba Ringers, the adult handbell group, rehearses Monday evenings from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. The Chamber Orchestra, for adults and experienced young instrumentalists, rehearses Wednesday evenings from 8:15 to 10:00 p.m. and plays during several Sunday services throughout the year. Daytime Singers meets Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. to noon for warm-ups, breathing exercises, and group singing, and is open to the parish and community. During the summer, a pick-up Summer Singers ensemble gathers in the music room at 9:45 a.m. each Sunday to prepare an offertory for the 10:30 a.m. service. Children and youth choirs include Primary Choir (K-2), Children's Choir (grades 3-6), Gallery Choir (grades 7-12), and Genesis Ringers for young handbell players, all rehearsing on Wednesdays. A New Year's Eve concert of classics to modern is offered each year, with a suggested donation of $20 and students admitted free.
Children, Youth, and the Nursery School Next Door
Children are seen and embraced as an active and essential part of the parish. Wee Worship at 9:15 a.m. in the Great Hall is the entry point for many preschool-age families, with songs, prayers, story, and Holy Communion all designed with little ones in mind. Across all services, children may serve as acolytes, readers, or ushers, sing in a choir, or ring handbells.
During the formation hour at 10:15 a.m., Columba Crew gathers children in preK3 through third grade for Bible stories, activities, and relationships with their leaders. Fourth graders receive their own Bibles in September and dig into Manna and Mercy: A Brief History of God's Unfolding Promise to Mend the Entire Universe. Quest serves fifth and sixth graders, who explore the Book of Common Prayer, the sacraments, and how to plan and lead worship; in odd years they turn their attention to the Bible in depth. Middle schoolers (sixth through eighth grade) meet during the program year for BaseCamp, and high schoolers (ninth through twelfth) gather for Summit, with Rite 13 ceremonies, youth pilgrimages, and an annual service trip to West Virginia rounding out the year.
Parents have their own spaces, too. The Mothers' Group meets weekly for fellowship, conversation, and guest speakers on spirituality, parenting, and work/life balance. The Fathers' Group offers men with children at home and recent empty-nesters a community for learning how to use God's tools to build lives as fathers and leaders.
St. Columba's Nursery School has its own head, Kate Murphy, and a dedicated entrance; it has been a way into the parish for many families. The nursery school is a learning community of its own, with rain barrels, a butterfly garden, and science explorations led by a former science teacher, and shares the church's environmental ethos.
Adults: Forums, Bible Studies, and the Inquirers Class
Forums bring the parish together around the big issues and the celebrations. Recent past conversations have featured the Rev. Dr. Gayle Fisher-Stewart on preaching Black lives, EJ Dionne and Ray Suarez on politics and faith, Sylvia Burwell and David Ignatius on a post-election landscape, Swami Chidbrahmananda on miracles and mind, and Bishop Marianne Budde on four steps to becoming a racially reconciled church. Sundays at 10:15 a.m. include Adult Forum, Bible, Coffee and Conversation (a long-running group led by the Rev. David Griswold), and Bible, Spirituality, and Theology discussions.
Throughout the year, additional Bible study groups gather: Galatians: Fruits of Freedom, a series led by the Rev. Dr. Hillary Raining on Tuesday afternoons via Zoom; a Lenten book study of Rachel Held Evans's Inspired; and Bible, Coffee and Conversation most Sundays. The Inquirers Class is offered for those exploring membership, Christian initiation, or the Episcopal tradition.
Pastoral Care, Healing, and Stephen Ministry
Pastoral care is, in the parish's words, the very soul of this Christian community. The Rev. Dr. Hillary Raining, Rector, and the Rev. Dr. Joshua Daniel, Senior Associate Rector, rotate being on call for pastoral emergencies; the 24-hour pastoral care line is 202-669-4856. Courtney Hundley coordinates pastoral care. Clergy offer house blessings, prayers and blessings at the birth or adoption of a child, hospital visits before and after surgery, and home communion for those who are homebound or in rehabilitation.
Stephen Ministry extends that care through trained lay caregivers, who meet care receivers one to one, usually once a week for about an hour, with strict confidentiality. Stephen Ministers support parishioners and others in the community through grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, caregiver burnout, infertility, hospitalization, spiritual crisis, and many other circumstances. A Healing Prayer Ministry complements this work; twice a month, Healing Ministers are available to pray with anyone who comes forward.
Welcoming the Stranger: The Water Ministry and Refugee Sponsorship
St. Columba's hospitality extends well beyond its own walls. The Water Ministry offers showers, laundry service, conversation, and a hot midday meal to neighbors experiencing homelessness. Since reopening in June 2021 after the pandemic closure, the ministry has welcomed between 25 and 35 guests a day, and is open four days a week. Volunteers cook, manage the showers, serve coffee, tea, and meals, and sign up for as many mornings as their schedules allow. A special Christmas lunch with all the trimmings each year draws 90 to 100 guests. The Friendship Place Snack Program provides another way for families and others to serve.
The Refugee Response Ministry has sponsored three Afghan families since 2022, the Khanis, the Baserys, and the Aminis, through the State Department's Sponsor Circle Program. With more than sixty parishioners organized into a leadership team and subcommittees for housing, transportation, clothing, food, employment, education, communication, finance, and health, the ministry has walked with these families from arrival through housing, English classes, medical and dental care, employment, and the arrival of new babies. Parishioners also respond to migrants arriving in Washington by bus from the southern border, partnering with local churches and aid organizations to offer rest, food, and clothing. Grate Patrol, a partnership with The Salvation Army National Capital Area Command, sends St. C's volunteers out the second Tuesday of every month to prepare and serve an evening meal from the Salvation Army canteen van to neighbors in need in downtown Washington. Loaves and Fishes, a partnership in which St. Columbans prepare and serve meals for about 200 men, women, and children at St. Stephen and the Incarnation, is another way the parish shows up.
An Environment Committee with Two Decades of Accomplishments
The Environment Committee was formed in 2001 around three convictions: that faith calls the parish to be stewards of God's creation, that the church and its members can lighten their footprint on the Earth, and that direct action is required to address environmental challenges. Since 2003, St. Columba's has purchased 100 percent of its electricity from renewable energy. In 2015, 56 solar panels were installed on the Great Hall roof, producing roughly 13,500 kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually at 40 percent below utility rates; in 2025 the array was replaced and expanded to 145 panels covering the Music Wing. Energy efficiency improvements, from programmable thermostats to LED lighting, save the parish an estimated $100,000 a year.
Across the building, a zero-waste system sorts compost, recycling, and landfill; ceramic coffee cups and dishes are washed by volunteers; the nave renovation completed in 2021 used LEED-certified roofing materials and energy-efficient LED lights. Outdoor improvements include rain barrels, native plantings, a butterfly garden, a green roof on one of the sheds, and a stormwater retention project that captures runoff into a tank and an artificial stream before releasing it to the city system. The committee hosts educational forums, quarterly Faith Hikes, green tips in the parish newsletter, and an annual Mother's Day plant sale that benefits Sustainable Villages Honduras.
Advocacy and Justice Through the Washington Interfaith Network
St. Columba's is one of more than 45 congregations and associations from all eight DC wards that make up the Washington Interfaith Network (WIN), a non-partisan, citizen-powered social justice organization. Columbans serve on WIN's Ward 3 Affordable Housing Work Group, advocating for housing opportunities for households earning a wider range of incomes, and have signed joint statements and op-eds with other Ward 3 WIN clergy on civic core planning and the legacy of redlining in Friendship Heights. The parish's five core principles of affordable housing advocacy guide the work. WIN also addresses climate equity, and the Environment Committee's partnerships extend into this work.
Fellowship Across the Stages of Life
Fellowship groups knit the parish together across generations. The 42nd Street Fellowship, founded more than thirty years ago as an affinity group for older singles, divorced, widowed, or never married, meets monthly for Sunday lunch at rotating restaurants and adds potlucks, game nights, and other gatherings. The Prison Ministry Working Group educates the parish on incarceration and prison reform and supports returning citizens through mentoring, resume writing, and other volunteer opportunities. Other gatherings include a Columba Night at the Theater, parish dinners, and seasonal celebrations.
Life Events: Baptism, Confirmation, Weddings, and Funerals
St. Columba's welcomes all who desire baptism. Baptisms are offered on significant Sundays in the church's calendar, and families and candidates attend a preparation class and rehearsal. Emergency baptisms are available through the pastoral care line. Confirmation is offered for adults sixteen and older who were baptized as infants, and reception into the Episcopal Church is marked liturgically before the bishop. Weddings of same-sex and opposite-sex partners are welcomed and celebrated, and preparation begins with a member of the clergy. Funerals and memorial services draw on the Burial of the Dead in The Book of Common Prayer, and a Columbarium on the church grounds offers interment for cremated remains. Funeral services are livestreamed on St. Columba's YouTube page.
Leadership
The Rev. Dr. Hillary Raining, Rector, brings more than 18 years of ordained leadership and a doctorate in ministry from Drew University. She is the founder of The Hive, an award-winning online community focused on spirituality and wellness, and serves as the Founding Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program and Director of the Center for Christian Spirituality at The General Theological Seminary. She is a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Native Americans. The Rev. Dr. Joshua Daniel, Senior Associate Rector, joined the parish in March 2020 and oversees much of the parish's pastoral and formation work. The Rev. Adelyn Tyler-Williams serves as Associate Rector for Worship and Discipleship, with particular interest in the intersection of art and spirituality, queer theology, and embodied faith. The Rev. David Griswold, Deacon, leads the Bible, Coffee and Conversation group, supports the Refugee Response Ministry, and leads a monthly weekday service with residents of Friendship Terrace. The Rev. Susan Flanders, the Rev. Joy Carroll Wallis, the Rev. Cindy Dopp, and the Rev. Brooks Hundley round out the clergy team. Anne Timpane, Director of Music Ministries, and Dr. HyeSung Hwang, Associate Director of Music, lead the music program. John Wunderlich directs the youth program, Katie McGervey directs the children's ministries, and Kate Murphy heads the nursery school. The Senior Warden is Gina Lagomarsino; the Junior Warden is Andrew Marshall; Mike Davis serves as Treasurer. The parish office is open Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Giving and Membership
Annual pledging is the foundation of the parish budget, and one-time gifts are welcome at any time. Giving is available through the Realm portal, by check, or in the Sunday collection plate. Donor-advised funds, stock gifts, IRA qualified charitable distributions, planned giving through the Iona Society, and a range of other ways to give are supported. The church funds its ministry, worship, and staff through the generosity of parishioners and other supporters who share the call to Live God's Love. Pledges, gifts, and member accounts are managed through Realm, the church database, and an annual budget reflects the work of worship, formation, pastoral care, music, outreach, the nursery school, building stewardship, and the staff that supports the community.