Have and have-nots find common ground at coffee house

By CHRIS SNYDER
Observer Staff

For some it is just a bookstore with free Wi-Fi. To others it is a church, art gallery, restaurant, occasional soup kitchen or gathering place where anyone is welcome.

“That’s one of our goals as a mission to bridge that gap between the rich and the poor, the black and the white,” said manager Meade Hanna.

Hanna first came to The Potter’s House in 1993 to supplement her graduate studies in social work and education at Catholic University in Washington. In addition to managing the restaurant, she is also involved in catering, book keeping, baking and fundraising.

Observer photo by CHRIS SNYDER
Meade Hanna says The Potter’s House
is centered around a mission of hospitality.

“We all do a little bit of everything,” she said.

At the same time, she became a member of the Church of the Savior, a Washington-based religious organization focused on social justice.

Part of the church’s philosophy views size as an important factor in its work, Hanna said. “Church needs to remain small to be pertinent; it needs to be small to remain effective.”

The history of the establishment dates back to 1960. Partially constructed from pieces of a torn-down barn, the Potter’s House, which sits on Columbia Road in Adams Morgan, is one of the church’s nine separate non-profit missions in the area, including Jubilee Housing, The Christ House, Samaritan Inns and other housing and recovery centers.

Founder Gordon Cosby and his wife, Mary, wanted to create a different kind of church, Hanna said.

“What about a church within the structure of a tavern, within that casual structure where people are vulnerable and really asking the questions that they’re concerned about?” she said of the Cosbys’ idea.

Betsy Robinson has been coming to The Potter’s House off and on for eight or nine years. The first time she came was to attend a table discussion about racism, which she still participates in regularly. She also attends a spiritual support group and occasionally receives Spanish tutoring from another member of the community.

“The money helps her, and she’s helping me learn Spanish,” Robinson said.

What keeps her coming back is the people, she said.

“They are people who have a purpose,” Robinson said. “They are people who share some or all of the principles of the Church of the Savior. Even though I’m not a member . . . they still have ideals that I care about.”

Civil rights involvement

The Potter’s House has a history of involvement in civil rights issues stemming from the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and the District’s riot-related fires in 1968, Hanna said. Gordon Cosby was in Selma, Ala., during the civil rights movement of the ‘60s.

“Being a church, it’s kind of a magnet for all sorts of issues. . . . We have rumors of civil rights legislation being written on the napkins,” she said.

The church is welcoming to anyone and works with people recovering from drug and alcohol abuse. Every day at 2 p.m. it offers soup to the hungry.

This Thanksgiving, volunteers will serve free meals to an expected 300 people. The church seeks donations from its other missions, as well as the volunteers who come to serve the food and chat with the guests. The number of volunteers is usually overwhelming, Hanna said.

“I think that’s the problem with most of the dinners and drives at Thanksgiving, there are too many volunteers. People want to spend their Thanksgiving helping,” she said.

Those who are needed will serve the food and sometimes sit with the people and just talk.

“A lot of the same folks come every year, and a lot of new folks . . . when I say new I mean within the last 20 years,” Hanna said.

Roberto Robinson Perez is one of the frequent visitors whom Hanna considers new. He is originally from the Caribbean and feels comfortable at the Potter’s House, he said.

“I think it helps a lot of people … to find a place in society where you can feel safe and secure,” he said. “I think it’s spiritual, and because it’s spiritual, it’s a good place to visit and it’s a good place to be.”