FESTIVAL CENTER INC
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My Role: Volunteer & I first attended classes in the Servant Leadership School in its initial year and have continued in subsequent years. It has been an amazing experience to sit in a room with reknowned scholars and be able to ask questions and think through important issu.
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February 26, 2011
The Festival Center, Inc. is a highly visible orgnization in the multicultural and economic diverse Adams-Morgan neighborhood of Washington, DC. A faith based organization having grown out of the Church of the Saviour, it is the home of the Servant Leadership School, it's primary focus. At the School courses are taught in basic, core understanding of the Christian faith with a strong emphasis on social justice. For 22 years individuals and groups have come from the DC metropoliton area and from acrosss the continent for classes and special conferences. It has developed a strong local leadership team but also draws on outstanding scholars and activists in the fields of Biblical Studies, theology, civil rights and other aspects of social justice. It's Servant Leadership School has helped to birth a number of similar schools across the country, Memphis, TN.; Greensboro, NC; and Waco, Texas are examples. It is a warm, welcoming place for the neighborhood and those who come from afar. It houses meetings for a number of churches in the neighborhood including an Hispanic congregation and many churches hold meetings there. It is the home office of Tell the Word, an speaker and publishing organization whose goal is to speak the truth to power. It is the home of Spiritual Support groups which bring together racially and economically diverse groups for in-depth sharing. It is a bridge between cultures. It has a job training program , Festival Foods, .which prepares persons to work in the food industry. It sponsors a Discipleship Year program which houses interns and places them in local ministries. It provides Andrews House, a guest house where people can stay who come to olearn from and participate in the innovative ministries birthed by the ecumenical, the Church of the Saviour. It sponsors mentors and programs for persons returning to society from incarceration. It houses the offices of a number of ministries. It offers individual spiritual mentoring through a spiritual direction program referred to as "spiritual companions." It truly has been and is a life changing place for thousands of people in its 22 year history.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
countless ways--in depth learning experiences which have expanded my knowldege in areas beyond my previous knowledge and expertise. I've experienced very gracious hospitality on literally hundreds of occasions and cannot even imagine what my life would be like without the community, warmth and knowledge I've found there.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
find ways to further increase the diversity of its clientele and give a Certicate in Servant Leadership to those who have compled the school's core classes. The purpose of the organization is service.
February 25, 2011
The Festival Center is like a home, which imeans that you experience EVERYTHING there. This is not a corporation, this is a community-held, messy, wonderful little place to go and touch base, quite apart from the official course offerings and groups and so on, those are also good! It is a point of entry for relationship to real people and holds within its walls much pain, laughter, and non curriculum-based learning. I love the Festival Center and go there every day to water the plants and talk with some people I know.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
my personal journey through the neighborhood.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
keep in mind that leadership is a quantity very hard to define and hard to hold. I cherish the present leadership personally and wish to support them.
1 person found this review helpful
February 22, 2011
1 person found this review helpful
I have enjoyed a relationship with the Festival Center and their excellent staff since 1997. My wedding reception was held there and presently I am a member of a group that utilizes their facility on Saturday and Sundays. Additionally, I have attended their Servant Leadership Classes and my place of employment holds a graduation there four times a year. The staff is excellent and open to comments and idea. In my opinion, the Festival Center is an asset to residents of the Columbia Height community and the District of Columbia as a whole.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
my personal and professional life
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
extend the hours of operation
February 22, 2011
I have been affiliated with the Festival Center since December 1999 when I came to a day-long even with Ched Myers, which opened up my world to a new world of Christian spirituality, leadership and service that I had only dreamed was possible. Going to the Festival Center that day transformed my life.
I was introduced to the umbrella of ministries that support the Festival Center and the church that helped bring it into existence. I have participated in classes at the Servant Leadership School, used the space at the Center for 12-step meetings, and worked on the second floor of the facility when it housed Samaritan Inns' 28-day treatment facility.
While I love the family-feel of the Festival Center and am grateful for the availability of its space and affordability, I think that it dreams too small for itself and could be of greater service to the city if it had a higher profile.
I also know that the Festival Center has struggled financially and think that raising its profile might make it attractive to a larger circle of people and organizations, which could increase its funding potential. It is a remarkable place and my life wouldn't be the same without it.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
My life's direction changed. I have committed my life to serving the poor and vulnerable.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
see above
February 22, 2011
I have been affiliated with the Festival Center since December 1999 when I came to a day-long even with Ched Myers, which opened up my world to a new world of Christian spirituality, leadership and service that I had only dreamed was possible. Going to the Festival Center that day transformed my life.
I was introduced to the umbrella of ministries that support the Festival Center and the church that helped bring it into existence. I have participated in classes at the Servant Leadership School, used the space at the Center for 12-step meetings, and worked on the second floor of the facility when it housed Samaritan Inns' 28-day treatment facility.
While I love the family-feel of the Festival Center and am grateful for the availability of its space and affordability, I think that it dreams too small for itself and could be of greater service to the city if it had a higher profile.
I also know that the Festival Center has struggled financially and think that raising its profile might make it attractive to a larger circle of people and organizations, which could increase its funding potential. It is a remarkable place and my life wouldn't be the same without it.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
My life's direction changed. I have committed my life to serving the poor and vulnerable.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
see above
February 14, 2011
I am President/CEO of a social service organization that uses the services of Festival Center. This organization and its staff represents the ideal of true service to the community. They are humble; they are responsive; they retain nothing - always giving back. We use the facilities on a regular basis to conduct our graduation ceremonies - they like us are a poor organization, yet they charge us nothing for the use. They are more than willing to put energy into coordinating schedules of various groups/organizations to accommodate the needs of everyone - they do this cheerfully.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
Variety of facility uses, most regularly our quarterly graduation ceremonies from our Intensive drug/alcohol recovery program.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
Help them invest in furniture/appearance - they are budgeted limited, but do much with little.
February 12, 2011
The Festival Center is a place of learning, activity, and service to the community, especially to the poor. I have been attending classes at the School of Servant Leadership there since it opened its doors in 1990. My small church meets there every Monday night. The Board members and teachers serve without pay. The staff views their jobs as a "calling".
The classes I've taken have enriched my life. They have opened my eyes to the needs of a suffering world. As a result I have served on boards of other charities, such as Joseph's House (a hospice for homeless men with AIDS and cancer) and The Family Place (a drop-in center for [mostly] Latino immigrants with young children.
In classes and in various projects I made friends who are different from myself in race, language, and economic status. This has opened my heart to want to become a "servant leader" myself.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
See above.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
find a way to help the Board create a more unified vision of future mission. I would also work harder at fundraising.
February 12, 2011
This is a place of welcome and learning where everyone who comes is encouraged to discover and share their own voice and vision. This happens through classes, event gatherings, a set-aside time of prayers at noon, and being a bridge daily among folks of diverse cultures and economic groups. If you are open to having your mind and heart expanded, this is the place. Not only for the formally educated, the so-called "power holders" of our society, but people from all walks of life. Check into the next term of classes, or attend the Tuesday evening speaker series. That's a good starting place to discover for yourself what the Festival Center is about.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
classes, events and other gatherings. And I personally benefit from having them located near my neighborhood because of their positive values and social justice work.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
encourage them to have a more welcoming presence at the front desk. Different people are there at different times and sometimes they don't notice who's coming and going. Also, the full-time staff and program directors aren't visibly present and available as much as I would like.
February 12, 2011
I am intern with the Discipleship Year program, which means I have trouble choosing categories from the drop-down menu above. Am I a client served, or am I a volunteer? I think that this dilemma encapsulates the essence of Church of the Savior. All of us are receiving while we give, and all of us are giving while we receive. This year, I've taken classes and taught classes at the Servant Leadership School. I've been brought dinner by the local support team, and have baked bread for my class of students at my volunteer site, the Academy of Hope. I love this way of being Christ's hands and heart in the world. We do try to live the prayer of St Francis in the heart of DC. I'm quite fortunate to be here.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
my own spiritual life. I came here to discern a call to ordained ministry and have been blessed with incredible role models.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
continue to address the organizational challenges that so many of us in the non-profit world face -- managing the pressing needs of clients while trying to hold logistical deadlines at the same time.
February 11, 2011
The Festival Center is a place that is designed to make people feel at home, to make them feel like they can enter with dignity. I was always impressed with the way it was kept up- clean and nice decor- because that says something about the way they respect and take care of anyone who comes through the door.
The classes I participated in while I was there helped me to grow as a person. From yoga to money to spirituality- the Festival Center offers so many ways for individuals to grow and learn.
The staff was always friendly, warm, and wonderful.
Keep it up!
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
seeing people who had been laid off or out of work for years find a job and celebrate it at the Center. Also, I still can reflect back on the things I've learned in the classes that the Center provides.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
not really change anything. I think they are doing a great job.
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