Barbara Moore speaks beside the Christ statue, “The Parable,” outside of the Festival Center, sculpted by artist Jimilu Mason. Mason also created the Servant Christ statue that kneels outside of Christ House.
As Christ House celebrates our 40th year of service in Adams Morgan, it feels important to look around at the many other organizations that exist in our neighborhood, to honor our histories, and to think about how we work together to fill in the gaps of unmet need. Gaps within education, food, healthcare, a sense of community, having a “third place” to make friends and be creative—addressing each of these calls us to collaboration.
Many of our neighborhood organizations share roots similar to ours, each working to meet the needs of our community. Christ House’s mission is to be a healing place for men who have acute medical needs and are experiencing homelessness. We are able to focus on this particular area of need, partly because of other neighborhood organizations that address other needs. We are grateful to exist within a neighborhood, and a network, that looks out for the underserved in our midst.
Barbara Moore, co-founder and board member of Jubilee Housing, and longtime member of the Church of the Saviour, knows more about this neighborhood than most. For decades she has been involved in one capacity or another with many local organizations that have come and gone, and others that have continued for many decades. Periodically, Barbara leads new staff and yearlong volunteers at Christ House along on guided tours, where her deep knowledge and wisdom-and many longtime friendships and connections-to the Adams Morgan neighborhood are readily apparent. It is always touching to witness how many friends around town recognize Barbara, leaning out from cars as they pass her by, calling to her from across the street, and she greets each by name.
Our tour began just across the street at The Potter’s House Cafe & Bookstore. Potter’s House has been open since 1960, first as a restaurant and small-church gathering place with a focus on community, conversation and food. Today, they remain open as a nonprofit cafe and bookstore, and continue to serve the community through the Pay-it-Forward program, which provides free meals every morning to those in need, no questions asked, as well as books through the Page-it-Forward book donation program. A delicious menu, walls lined with books, and a mission to cultivate community: Potter’s House continues to be a great place where different worlds converge.
Just a few doors up from Potter’s is The Festival Center. Bill Mefford, Executive Director, shared with us the vision and idea of the Festival Center. It is a unique community center and co-working space for activists and artists, an anchor and convening space for multiple local organizations. We stepped into the Elizabeth O’Connor Chapel and enjoyed a moment under the light streaming in from the blue-stained glass. Chef Lisbeth explained to us that the electronic catering kitchen is run by 107 solar panels—in 2024, they were one of eight recipients of the District’s Sustainability Awards.
Of course, we also paused outside the doors of Columbia Road Health Services, which was a project co-founded in 1979 by Dr. Janelle Goetcheus.
We left the air-conditioning and walked down to Jubilee Jobs, an employment agency that supports individuals facing difficult circumstances locate and secure stable work. Founded by Terry Flood in 1981, Jubilee Jobs has trained and placed over 28,000 people in jobs since then. George Burdine, building manager at Jubilee Jobs, shared his experience with us as a beneficiary of their work—and Christ House’s—over 30 years ago.
A photo hangs in the Jubilee Jobs lobby of lifelong friends Terry Flood (left) and Barbara Moore (right).
Right down the street is Joseph’s House, a center that provides and coordinates hospice care for unhoused adults living with HIV/AIDS and terminal cancer. They were founded in 1990 by Dr. David Hilfiker, author of Not All of Us Are Saints. Their mission to “welcome everything, push away nothing” informs their work and makes them an invaluable resource in the community.
Mary’s Center is a community health center that provides medical, dental, behavioral health, education, and social services to families throughout DC and Maryland. It was founded in 1988 by Maria S. Gomez, with a group of health advocates and the DC Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs, specifically to help immigrant women fleeing war and poverty in Central America. They now serve over 60,000 people across DC and Maryland.
Our next stop was Sitar Arts Center, an arts education facility founded by Rhonda Buckley. Rhonda named the Sitar Arts Center after her mentor and friend Pat Sitar, who was a co-founder of Good Shepherd Ministries with Barbara Moore, which served children and their families living in low-income communities. Rhonda had originally moved to DC to work at Good Shepherd and to teach children within that program to play musical instruments. We heard an anecdote of the humble beginnings: Rhonda’s “classroom” was closer to a being a closet in the early Good Shepherd Ministries days. Today, Sitar Arts Center hosts year-round afterschool and summer programs in visual, digital, and performing arts.
As we walked about, Barbara pointed out apartment buildings that are but one part of Jubilee Housing, many since its early days.
Jubilee Housing apartment buildings, from left to right: The Ritz, The Mozart and The Marietta.
The histories and personal stories of so many of these organizations intertwine and connect in ways seen and unseen. DC really is a small town, in many ways. Christ House is grateful to be part of the ever-changing Adams Morgan neighborhood, and to continue to provide quality respite care for men experiencing homelessness.
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