UnReserved
Saturday, September 19, 2026
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
St. Matthew Lutheran Church
222 M Street, SW, Washington D.C. 20024
Dear Metro D.C. Synod,
We are living in a time when division, isolation, fear, and uncertainty too often define our public life. Yet as followers of Jesus, we are called to embody something different: to witness the dawning of God's new world by gathering across our differences, praying together, lamenting together, learning together, and supporting one another.
As Hezekaih Walker's song reminds us: "You are important to me, I need you to survive."
That spirit is at the heart of UnReserved.
UnReserved is the practice of making room for all people without exception. As the ancient wisdom affirms, "Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you," (Romans 15:7).
For two years, more than 1,000 Lutherans participated in research conducted by the Barna Group and Fuller Institute as part of the ELCA's God's Love Made Real initiative. The findings revealed a difficult but necessary truth: the ELCA is declining, aging, and too often falls short of the welcome it proclaims; especially among young adults, people of color, and LGBTQIA+ communities.
Among the study's strongest recommendations is a call for congregations to move beyond being accidentally welcoming and become intentionally invitational, deeply curious, and committed to cultivating authentic belonging before people ever walk through our doors.
We invite you to join us for the inaugural UnReserved Gathering, as we explore what it means to become congregations that reflect the diversity of God's people and the communities we are called to serve.
Event Details
Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026
Location: St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 222 M Street SW, Washington, DC
9:30 a.m. – Registration and Refreshments
10:00 a.m. – Program Begins
3:00 p.m. – Conludes
Lunch Included
Registration: $20 per person
Who Should Attend?
We encourage each congregation to send up to four participants, including:
1 Rostered Minister (Pastor or Deacon)
Up to 3 Lay Leaders
Everyone is welcome, especially participation from these specific groups:
Persons of Color
LGBTQIA+ individuals
Young Adults (Millennials and Gen Z)
Seminarians
First-Call Pastors
Whether your congregation has been doing this work for years or is beginning from ground zero, this gathering is for communities that aspire to better reflect and engage their neighborhoods in this time and the diverse people God is calling into relationship with the church.
What to bring? A symbol or sign that represents your congregation: its mission, values, and heart.
What to Expect
- Inspiring plenary speakers and workshop leaders from practitioners from the ELCA Multiethnic and Intersectional Network
- Diverse worship experiences rooted in many cultures and traditions
- Music led by gifted and diverse ELCA musicians from across the church
- Practical workshops focused on invitation, belonging, hospitality, shared power and leadership, and congregational transformation
- A communal lunch featuring diverse ethnic foods and opportunities for storytelling and connection
- Time for prayer, reflection, and relationship-building
- Opportunities to form ongoing cohorts that will continue learning, supporting, and accompanying one another beyond the gathering
This is more than a one-day event. It is an invitation into a growing movement of congregations committed to becoming more welcoming, more connected, more representative of their communities, and more reflective of God's expansive love.
Space is limited, and we anticipate strong interest.
Register today and join us for what promises to be a meaningful, transformative, and Holy Spirit-filled experience.
For questions, please contact:
Rev. Dr. Moses D. Barrios (el/he)
Assistant to the Bishop for Congregational Renewal, Multiethnic and Intersectional Belonging
Pastor, St. Matthew Lutheran, Southwest Washington D.C.
Program Manager, ELCA Multiethnic and Intersectional Network
Metro D.C. Synod, ELCA
(202) 417-3682
mbarrios@metrodcsynod.org
