Augustana

The first church in this ambitious endeavor was chosen carefully by my roommates, especially since our decision was based solely on our extreme lack of sleep. Following our delayed flight and unfortunate forced layover in a Milwaukee motel, we decided to trek over to the closest Lutheran community to our house which just happened to be Augustana Lutheran Church. Located near 15^th and V street, Augustana is a beautiful, semi-gothic looking church with a small sanctuary that contains a sacred and soothing atmosphere. With stone pillars running along both sides of you during worship, the center aisle extends the length of the sanctuary culminating in a stained glass containing a very Nordic, and therefore Lutheran, depiction of Jesus. Although the sanctuary is on the smaller side and the service had only about sixty worshippers present, the diversity in both age and ethnicity within the congregation suggested to me that this church was certainly not just another example of the demise of the mainline denominations. There was a true urban presence in the church as many congregants appeared in their thirties and fewer families were visible from my view point. The service followed a high church liturgy, most of which was sung or chanted- something I am always drawn to perhaps due to my exhaustion from childhood low church experiences. Although the choir did not assemble on this summer day, the music was high point of the service as the organist demonstrated how music can truly bring a tone of beauty and joy to such a peaceful and sacred space. Pastor John’s divinity degree from Harvard was shown in his sermon as he demonstrated his ability to stay on a consistent message while crossing ecumenical and denominational lines. If anything competed with the music for the most impressive aspect of the service, it was definitely the communion bread. A home baked honey-wheat loaf of pure carbs certainly could have pushed me over to the side of consubstantiation during the time of Luther. Following the benediction, us newly arrived and slightly jetlagged LVCers were met with absolute hospitality and friendliness and members of the congregation made us feel at home. And to top it off, the post-service coffee time contained a feast of sloppy joes, pasta salads, and possibly the best brownies I’ve ever had.

The post-service crab cake was found close by on V street at a popular place called Busboys and Poets. Although the Sunday brunch menu does not serve the crab cake sandwich until three o’clock, the crab eggs benedict is delicious. If you do have a chance to try their tasty twelve dollar crab cake you won’t be disappointed. The chunks of crab are of a good size and you’ll definitely be full with a side of your choice of fries, salad, or fresh fruit. After our tiring first night in DC, I think we did Sunday right with Augustana and brunch.