Youth Pastor at Wash. Community Fellowship

Richard Sundberg (1200 block of Duncan Pl. NE) spoke Monday with Faith Fowler Evans, who has been youth pastor since 1999 at Washington Community Fellowship, 907 Maryland Ave. NE, the church he attends. Pastor Faith took part in the editing of this interview. The parts she edited are in brackets [].

Pastor Faith was born and raised in New Jersey, went to college at Pfeiffer University, in North Carolina, and came to D.C. to go to school at Wesley Theological Seminary, at 4500 Massachusetts Ave. NW, in the fall of 1995. She lives on campus with her husband, who is attending Wesley now.

While attending seminary, she also served as part-time youth pastor at Bethesda United Methodist Church. After noticing the drastic socioeconomic differences between her place of work, in Bethesda, and where she lived then, at 119 New York Ave. NW, only 10 miles away, she began once a month to bring together 10 kids from her neighborhood, and 10 kids from her youth group in Bethesda, to hang out with one another, and to have a conversation about the places they came from. After nine months, two of her friends joined her in the effort, and they formed a nonprofit called Building Bridges Youth Ministry...

[Our mission was to bring youth from different backgrounds together, in the name of Jesus Christ, to work toward racial reconciliation and transformational relationships. Each of the 20 or so youth would commit to meeting twice a month for a total of nine months. At this point, I stepped down from my position at Bethesda United Methodist Church and began working on Building Bridges full time.]

So how long were you involved with Building Bridges?

I was involved with Building Bridges Youth Ministry, as a nonprofit, for about two and a half years. I found out about Washington Community Fellowship because the pastor at the time, Dennis Edwards, heard about [us] and sent his son, Jon, [to join the ministry]. Pastor Edwards was so enthused about what we were doing that when a position came open at his church for a youth pastor, he [asked me to consider taking the position. He was interested in seeing me do the Building Bridges program] in his church. After much deliberation, I chose to do that, and for a while tried to juggle the nonprofit as well as do my work here, and then eventually just folded the mission of [Building Bridges into my ministry] here at WCF.

And as youth pastor here, what exactly is your function? What are your goals?

It is my job to be a pastor to kids in grades 7 through 12. So for example, most churches have a pastor that is in charge of the spiritual health and well-being of adults. Well, my job here is to focus on a particular group, which happens to be 7th through 12th graders. [This includes youth who go to our church on a regular basis as well as youth that I have built] relationships with in the community. The vision of Building Bridges still exists here because [this vision exists in me. We currently have a very multicultural group. Even with all this, I must say that my ultimate goal as youth pastor at WCF is to introduce youth] who don't already know Jesus to the person of Jesus Christ, and to help them to understand how he can transform their lives.

And what do you find as your biggest challenge?

Probably the discipline. We have about 20 regulars who will show up at just about everything we do, and then there's about 20 more that I have relationships with, who don't always come to our programs but will come to just hang out or talk. But for the ones that come to the programs we offer, the biggest issue is discipline because the kids come from such different backgrounds. Every kid grows up with different standards [and expectations put on them] by their parents, or grandparents, or aunts or uncles, whoever's raising them. [So then we take all these kids and introduce them to our discipline policy. We expect the youth to abide by the] discipline policy even if it's a little stricter than they're used to. Usually, what we call them to is a little bit stricter than what they have at home. So [one of the biggest challenges for all the adults who minister to our youth is being consistent. We want to be consistent in our disciplinary actions as well as being inviting and welcoming to youth, and that can get tricky. It pains us to have to ask a youth to leave an event, or take a break from an activity because of an attitude or behavior problem, because we know what they need the most, and what we do our best to offer, is a safe and] loving community. But for the sake of the whole group, we do need to enforce our discipline policy, and for some [youth that means asking them to leave].

Turning that around a little bit, what do you think the kids you come in contact with — what's their biggest challenge, in coming here?

We have kids who come from two-parent homes, who have been raised in the church, and come from pretty healthy backgrounds, and then we have kids who aren't being raised by either biological parent at all, who didn't grow up in the church, didn't really experience love of any kind — really unhealthy — and then we have everything in the middle. So when we meet here, on Tuesday nights and on Sunday mornings, we have a very diverse group of kids, not only ethnically but also in life experience.

The one thing I see in common in the kids, no matter what color their skin might be, or where they live is: They all want to be loved and accepted, but because we live in such a cruel world, and because being a junior and senior high kid is so difficult, they've learned that to be themselves, to be vulnerable, isn't okay. But the kids that stick around here, that have chosen to be part of the community — we see walls come down. And across the board, these kids just want to be loved and accepted, no matter where they come from or what they look like. That's really, I believe, the root issue, and depending on what each kid has access to, what each kid has experienced, that root of wanting to be loved will act itself out in different ways. Whether they're trying to mask that loneliness and fear of rejection with alcohol or drugs or sex or food or watching TV 24 hours a day or listening to the radio so they're never alone with their [thoughts, it's all the same root. Everybody is trying to mask their loneliness and numb the desire to be loved for fear that it will never happen.]

Is there anything that you'd like to say to the kids that will be seeing this newsletter, in the neighborhood?

I would just say that this is a place where we do our very best to create an atmosphere that is a loving and safe place where you can begin to take your masks off and get to know yourself, others, and God. I know that some of you have so many masks that it will not be easy. But we are here, and we want to walk alongside you as you begin this process. [We will love you for who you really are, as well as love you enough to tell you the truth about things that might need to change in your life. Please remember that you are not alone. The pain and loneliness that you feel inside is felt by everyone at different levels. Some people will never admit it, but I want you to know that when you admit it and face your pain, God will meet you in that place and will transform all of your pain into something good. I know it's hard to believe, but it is true. Come and meet us. We meet on Tuesday nights at 6:30 for dinner, followed by other activities. God loves you so much, and we would like the chance to be his hands, feet, and arms that would allow you to experience the reality of that love. You are really loved — all the time! Please believe that and let us help you to experience that truth.]

I thank you very much, Faith, for speaking to us. §