During the first part of 2026, Washington City Church of the Brethren’s community arts ministry focused on listening, visioning, and network building. Building off earlier conversations about the intersection of the arts, community building, and justice work, the community arts gallery brought Shukria Dellawar on as consultant for strategic planning and vision clarification. Through a series of conversations, landscape mapping, and strengths assessment Shukria and Pastor Nathan (program lead) developed a draft conceptualization of the community art gallery and hub/connecting point for aligned current and future partners.
Additionally, initial conversations have started with possible collaborating organizations and individuals. These have included meeting with a curator connected through a congregation member to discuss conversations with a possible art advisory council member, and a provisional agreement with a communications coordinator. Shukria and Nathan are also close to setting dates and partners for several shows in the coming months with a focus on artists operating at the intersection of justice, art, and spirituality. Additionally, the ministry is ramping up to launch a “Thursday Night Unwinding” weekly gathering in the gallery space to build and retain our initial interested partners and community.
The ministries’ leaders are learning that extra and focused capacity is particularly important for building and expanding this relatively new ministry. Having sustained and focused listening when drafting the vision document has sharpened and clarified our value-add to the broader community. Secondly, this focused effort with specific roles and tasks has helped to build and strengthen our network of people contributing to the work. This community building aspect was intended but still a delightful surprise to see.