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C e l e b r a t i n g 4 7 Ye a r s o f S e r v i c e
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Serving More Than 50,000 African American Readers Throughout The Metropolitan Area / Vol. 47, No. 44 Aug. 16 - Aug. 22, 2012
The Rev. Maxwell Washington. /Photo by Mark Mahoney
St. Matthews Baptist Church Moves to Prince George’s County The 104-year-old Church Leaves District for More Hospitable Surroundings By Sam Collins WI Contributing Writer The Rev. Maxwell Washington’s sermons always come with a funny story – and he tells them in his own spirited way. For example, during one of his recent Bible study classes, his lesson
focused on thrift and the importance of spending wisely. He told his class about the time he challenged one of the church deacons to a bowling match – he admitted that every now and then, he splurges a little, too. Everyone in the room laughed that evening as Washington expressed his initial surprise at
Deacon Charles Brown’s bowling skills. “The first week, I didn’t even bowl the whole 10 frames,” said Washington. “He kept hitting strikes so I just stopped playing in the sixth frame. I said, ‘Next time I would go with my sister.’” It turned out to be a light moment between Washington and
members of his flock. But what was happening outside of the sanctuary at St. Matthews Baptist Church in Southeast was far from a laughing matter. No longer able to contend with the District’s stringent parking restrictions and what comes across as unabashed greed in the name of revenue
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collection, Washington finally threw in the towel and decided to take what’s left of his congregation and move to Prince George’s County. “It’s hard to tell when we will move. But in my mind, we should be out in two to three years,”
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