Light the City Georgetown Set for Sunday, Sept. 11

This Sunday, Sept.11, the Light the City Georgetown event will kick off the evening with a concert starting at 5 p.m. Three-time Grammy winner Ashley Cleveland will perform along with a Ecumenical Vigil service. Following the concert, at 6:30 p.m., each person participating will receive a candle, a map and a list of the 14 historic open houses of worship at Georgetown Visitation Nolan Center, where they will begin their tours and decide on what route to take their tour.

Light the City Georgetown will begin at two separate locations. One location where you can begin the night will be at the National Community Church and the other is Georgetown Visitation Monastery Chapel, which harkens back to 1799. Founders Hall, where guests will enter for prayer, dates back to the 1870s.

Guests partaking have the option to take two different routes, named A or B. Route A will have six stops, and Route B will have seven (including one extra optional stop).

Route A’s first stop will be at Georgetown Lutheran Church (1556 Wisconsin Ave. NW), established in 1769, and it will offer piano music. Founded by German Lutherans, the sanctuary is the fourth church on the site. The second stop is at Georgetown Presbyterian (3115 P St. NW), which was established in 1780. For 235 years, the church has provided worship in Washington, now being led by three young pastors who hope to bring in a new audience. The third stop of the night is at Jerusalem Baptist (2600 P St. NW). Established in 1918, the first worship services happened in the Old Quaker Building as early as 1870. The fourth stop is at the First Baptist church (2624 Dumbarton St. NW), established in 1862. The fifth stop is at Kesher Israel Congregation (2801 N St. NW). The Jewish modern orthodox synagogue was established in 1911; its main sanctuary can be found on the second floor, with an evening service taking place at 6:55 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the first floor. The sixth and final stop is at Epiphany Catholic Church (2712 Dumbarton St. NW). Established in 1925, 357 African-American Catholics founded their own parish with guidance from Rev. Lawrence Schaefer. This final stop will also be the final stop for Route B. The reception at Epiphany will begin 8 p.m.

Route B begins the night at Holy Trinity Catholic Church (1315 36th St. NW). The original church was formed in 1794, with the current one being completed in 1851. Its original location is at 3513 N Street. The second stop is at St. John’s Episcopal (3240 O St. NW). Established in 1769, and build by 1804, the church folded in 1831 due to financial difficulties. The next stop is optional, but if you chose to go, then you will end up at Grace Episcopal (1041 Wisconsin Ave. NW). Established in 1866 to “serve the working people of lower Georgetown,” it now helps the homeless. The next stop will be at Dumbarton United Methodist Church (3133 Dumbarton St. NW). Established in 1772, this location was inaugurated before the official creation of the Methodist Church and is one of the oldest Methodist congregations in the world. The fifth stop is at Christ Church (3116 O Street NW), which was established in 1817. It boasts 1,300-person community. The sixth stop is at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church (1334 29th St. NW). Established in 1816, Mt. Zion United is the oldest African American church in Washington. They will be celebrating 200 years of ministry to Georgetown in October. The final stop will be at Epiphany Catholic Church, the same destination as Route A.

**For more information, contact Melissa Overmyer at somethinggreaterministry@gmail.com.**