About us – Providence-Fort Washington United Methodist

We trust that you will find something of value here that will be helpful to you as you continue on your spiritual journey through life.

Our church's motto is: " …growing in faith, hope, and love." No matter who you are, no matter where you've been, no matter what you've done; you are always welcome here.

Just as the Bible states in the twelfth chapter of Romans, members of Providence-Fort Washington United Methodist Church are blessed with a variety of talents and special gifts.

Individuals from our congregation serve in many different capacities that build upon their strengths, and in the process, make our church and the surrounding community a place we can all call home. As servants within and for the body of Christ, we remain hopeful about the world today, hopeful about the human condition, and hopeful about our impact on the world.

Our Pastor

Rev. Darryl K. Mason, Sr.

Rev. Mason is a commissioned Elder in the
Baltimore Washington Conference of the United
Methodist church (UMC).

Previously, he served as an associate minister at Westphalia United
Methodist Church, Upper Marlboro, MD under the leadership of
Senior Pastor, Rev. Dr. Timothy West and as the
Pastor of Metropolitan UMC, Indian Head, MD

Rev. Mason earned a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Ministries from
Trinity Theological Seminary, a Master of Business Administration
from The University of Phoenix and a Master of Divinity Degree
from Wesley Theological Seminary. VA. He began working in
the church, as a Minister of Music at the age of 14. Since then, God
has blessed him to serve in various positions in Portsmouth, Norfolk
and Chesapeake, VA; Miami, FL; Philadelphia, PA; and Bowie and
Upper Marlboro, MD. He answered the call to the preaching ministry
in July 2003.

Pastor Mason is a veteran of the United States Coast Guard. He
retired as a Chief after 21 years of dedicated service. Currently he is
employed with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Inspector
General’s Office in Washington, DC.
He and his wife, Michelle Mitchell (U.S. Army
Colonel, Retired), live in Waldorf, MD. He has
five children: Vera, Shirell, Gloria, Darryl Jr.
and Joshua and nine grandchildren.

Our Vision

To be a vital Christian congregation growing in faith, hope, and love, ministering to the diverse needs of our neighbors, we take our vision and inspiration from Act 2 Chapter 2 (shown here).

Acts Chapter 2: New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

THE COMING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

PETER ADDRESSES THE CROWD

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

“You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know— this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. For David says concerning him,

‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will live in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One experience corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

“Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying, ‘He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption.’

This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”’
Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

THE FIRST CONVERTS

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

LIFE AMONG THE BELIEVERS

Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Our Mission

To strengthen our existing ministries of Prayer, Fellowship, and Worship; engage with other faith communities in our area; and serve our neighbors especially seniors and multicultural groups that comprise an increasing percentage of our congregation.

Providence-Fort Washington United Methodist Church's mission statement is reflective of the Social Creed of the United Methodist Church. The Social Creed states that:

We believe in God, Creator of the world; and in Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of creation. We believe in the Holy Spirit, through whom we acknowledge God’s gifts, and we repent of our sin in misusing these gifts to idolatrous ends.

We affirm the natural world as God’s handiwork and dedicate ourselves to its preservation, enhancement, and faithful use by humankind.

We joyfully receive for ourselves and others the blessings of community, sexuality, marriage, and the family.

We commit ourselves to the rights of men, women, children, youth, young adults, the aging, and people with disabilities; to improvement of the quality of life; and to the rights and dignity of all persons.

We believe in the right and duty of persons to work for the glory of God and the good of themselves and others and in the protection of their welfare in so doing; in the rights to property as a trust from God, collective bargaining, and responsible consumption; and in the elimination of economic and social distress.

We dedicate ourselves to peace throughout the world, to the rule of justice and law among nations, and to individual freedom for all people of the world.

We believe in the present and final triumph of God’s Word in human affairs and gladly accept our commission to manifest the life of the gospel in the world. Amen.

The Meaning of Our Logo

We here at Providence-Fort Washington United Methodist Church are delighted with our logo which was designed by our very own member, Diane C. Day. The Share Committee of the church worked together to come up with a motto for our church and settled on “…growing in faith, hope and love.” Diane then took that motto and designed the tree logo that you see on this website. Both the motto and the logo were accepted by our Administrative Council on 15 March, 2007. This logo is copyright © 2007 - 2012 Diane C. Day.

The image of the tree calls to mind both the enduring quality of faith and the vitality of new growth. We see our church as a place where all persons are welcome to increase growth.We see our church as a place where all persons are welcome to increase in faith, hope and love through opportunities for worship, education, fellowship, and service.

The multi-colors of the leaves on the tree indicate the welcome we extend to all persons, just as Jesus welcomed all who came to him. We decided on the red, green, purple, and gold colors for the leaves because they correspond to the symbolic colors of the church seasons. The seasons of Advent and Lent are represented by deep purple which indicates both sorrow and royalty. Bright red is the color for Pentecost which reminds us of the gift of the Holy Spirit which “appeared as tongues of fire” (Acts 2). Ordinary Time is represented by green as the color of growth and new life. Gold (or white) is the color of Easter standing for extravagant celebration as the church rejoices in the resurrection of Christ.