On January 1, 2026, Rev. Julie Pennington-Russell – "Pastor Julie" to most of us – marked a remarkable milestone – ten years of ministry as Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of the City of Washington, DC. This makes her the longest-tenured Senior Pastor our congregation has had in almost 35 years – a testament to the depth and vitality of her leadership.
This anniversary is made even more significant as it coincides with another milestone: in April of this year, Pastor Julie will celebrate her 40th anniversary of ordained ministry. These anniversaries together invite us to pause and reflect on a decade that has not only transformed our congregation but has deepened our witness as a community of radical inclusivity and contemplative faith.
Pastor Julie arrived at FBCDC as a nationally recognized trailblazer among Baptist women in ministry, having shattered stained glass ceilings as the first woman senior pastor in multiple congregations, including becoming the first woman to serve as senior pastor of a Baptist church in Texas. Yet what has defined her tenure here is not merely her prophetic "firsts," but her profound ability to companion us – as individuals and as a congregation – into deeper authenticity and spiritual courage.
Under Pastor Julie's leadership, our church has experienced genuine transformation. We voted to become an explicitly welcoming and affirming community, living into our baptismal conviction that all people are beloved children of God. We strengthened our partnership with Nineteenth Street Baptist Church, and leaned into racial reconciliation rooted in honesty about our past, friendship, and mutual understanding. We completed a comprehensive sanctuary renovation in 2022, and in 2025, we opened and dedicated our new community building – a space now buzzing with our spiritual formation gatherings on Sundays and community groups from across our city and nation during the week. Through an 18-month strategic planning process with Ministry Architects, we reimagined our mission, vision, and governance structures, positioning ourselves for faithful witness in a changing world.
in the world as it is.
Supported by grace,
open to God's love,
present to my life in Christ."
Yet perhaps Pastor Julie's greatest gift has been that of presence. Whether through texts, phone calls, emails, meals, or visits, she has consistently shown up for important moments in our lives, assuring us that God is there, too. Her model inspires and teaches us to do the same: to show up for our lives and the lives of others with honesty and openness, trusting in the presence, love, and goodness of God.
With her joyful, humorous, and delightfully whimsical spirit, she invites us to breathe together mantras that we repeat three or four (or five!) times until they settle into our bones. "Here I am as I am, in the world as it is..." is one we have come to love and carry with us. Her own mission, drawn from the mystical writings of St. Hildegard of Bingen, is to be "a feather on the breath of God." Using this as her north star, she has taught us a spirituality that embraces both vulnerability and trust, inviting us into practices that attune us to the Spirit's movement in our own souls.
As co-director of the Shalem Institute's Clergy Spiritual Life and Leadership Program and a spiritual director herself, Pastor Julie has woven contemplative formation into the very fabric of our congregational life. Her warm, maternal presence has created space for us to encounter both the comfort and the challenge of the Gospel: to practice radical love while pursuing justice, and to sit in silence while raising our voices for the marginalized.
Pastor Julie, thank you for these ten years of faithful companioning, prophetic preaching, and transformative leadership. You have helped us become more fully who God has called and is molding us to be – a community where all are welcome, where contemplation and action dance together, and where we show up, again and again, as we are, trusting the breath of God to carry us forward.
Happy Anniversary, Pastor Julie.
We love you, and we are grateful for you beyond measure.
Join Us in Celebration
Our Personnel Ministry Action Team and Ministry Leadership Team invite the entire congregation to join us on Sunday, February 1, as we celebrate Pastor Julie's 10th anniversary at our monthly potluck with cake and opportunities for reflection and gratitude. More information will be available in the weeks ahead.
