Missional Incubator Today

Missional: Loving people. Engaging community on their terms and their turf.
Incubator: Space to dream. Growing dreams into reality.
Believing: Unless it is the LORD who builds the house, the builders’ work is pointless. (Psalm 127:1)

“The Missional Incubator has been a transformative journey for both Clarendon Presbyterian Church and me as a pastor in the midst of redevelopment.”

Alice Tewell, Pastor Clarendon Presbyterian Church

“The Missional Incubator was a tremendous resource — providing support, encouragement, and a space to process ideas in the company of a shared community. The time commitment was absolutely worth it.”

Sarah Johnson, Pastor New York Avenue Presbyterian Church

Today there are 16 churches participating in the Missional Incubator. Eleven Churches are entering year two, taking the concepts they developed in year one and working to make them a reality. Five new churches have begun the journey with the Missional Incubator and are in year one of the venture.

Here are the concepts of the eleven churches in year two:

Alice Tewell – Clarendon Presbyterian Church: Affordable Senior housing connected to redeveloped space owned by the church to include a church space, community space, and preschool.

Bob Melone – Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church: Creating a children’s play space that will connect the pre-school, the children’s music program in the barn, and the congregation.

Casey Thompson – Idylwood Presbyterian Church: Artists have moved into newly renovated rooms above our fellowship hall.  Create a coffee café in the fellowship hall combing arts and coffee to create community.

Casey Thompson – Knox Presbyterian Church: Open a five day a week pre-school serving the neighborhood children with programs to engage the parents.

Sarah Johnson – New York Avenue Presbyterian Church: Close to the White House with a building rich in history in an area with many needs and possibilities, we are exploring how God can use where we are located and the facility that we own, most likely connected to something to do with food.

Diane Walton Hendricks – Clifton Presbyterian Church: Create a purposeful day offering for those who have aged out of school programs that support those with special needs.

Amanda Brady Vella – Faith Chapel: Create a third space that serves coffee or ice cream or pizza connecting those who participate in the concerts, classes and workshops, meetings, tabletop games, birthday parties, special events, and food pantry and Messy Church.

Gloria Yi – Hope Presbyterian Church: Pop Up market that creates “touch” that cannot be achieved through online shopping.

Campbell Hackett – Kirkwood Presbyterian Church: There are many churches and even many Presbyterian churches in our community, so, we want to create senior housing and the programs and ministry to support those living in the new housing and the neighborhood.

Matt Nabinger – Oaklands Presbyterian Church: What does a 3^rd space, a space where everyone feels welcome, look like in Laurel, Maryland and is it time to sell our property so that we can create a 3^rd space around the arts?

Casey Wait – John Calvin Presbyterian: We have a park-like setting, a beautiful fellowship hall and sanctuary. We want to create a place for respite care for seniors and a space for artists to display their work.

Here is the five churches in year one of the incubator: