Siblings, Mary & Gordon Cosby
In 1946, Army Chaplain Gordon Cosby came home from WWII convinced that the Gospel message was more than platitudes and rules. His call was to form a church to take seriously the teachings of Jesus. Seven men and women responded immediately. In 1950, with 19 members, they bought an old brown-stone building at 2025 Massachusetts Ave. where the church had its headquarters and a worship service until 2008, when Gordon retired from preaching.
In the 1960s, following the March on Selma, learning about the dire situation for children at Junior Village in DC., and a growing awareness of the poverty around the newly established Potter’s House in the Adams Morgan neighborhood, members of the church felt a strong call to be in community with the poor and disenfranchised people of DC. Many of the ministries were formed in the 1970s and 1980s to respond to this call.
In 1976, with 120 core members, the church intentionally divided into 6 (now 8) worshiping communities, each with its own call, leadership, and cluster of mission groups. The various ministries of Church of the Saviour have come out of these mission groups which are formed when two or more people are called to address a specific concern.
Many of these missions have become independent 501(c) (3) nonprofits with separate boards and staff in order to broaden their base of service. We estimate that the collective budgets of these independent ministries now total over $4 million.
In the 1960s, following the March on Selma, learning about the dire situation for children at Junior Village in DC., and a growing awareness of the poverty around the newly established Potter’s House in the Adams Morgan neighborhood, members of the church felt a strong call to be in community with the poor and disenfranchised people of DC. Many of the ministries were formed in the 1970s and 1980s to respond to this call.
In 1976, with 120 core members, the church intentionally divided into 6 (now 8) worshiping communities, each with its own call, leadership, and cluster of mission groups. The various ministries of Church of the Saviour have come out of these mission groups which are formed when two or more people are called to address a specific concern.
Many of these missions have become independent 501(c) (3) nonprofits with separate boards and staff in order to broaden their base of service. We estimate that the collective budgets of these independent ministries now total over $4 million.
Read more about our History
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Listen to Gordon Cosby's Sermons
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Watch a short video on COS
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