Kelly Crouch’s Ministry on Capitol Hill

Ecumenical Commons is a new Quaker nonprofit organization founded by Kelly Crouch (member of Wilmington Friends Meeting) to care for people working on Capitol Hill. Since launching in July 2025 with the support of Friends Meeting of Washington and Church of the Holy City, the organization has grown two programs: Staff Clarity, which offers spiritual accompaniment and reflective community for congressional staff navigating burnout and moral injury, and Ecumenical Economics, which convenes Hill staff and policymakers around economic frameworks centered on human dignity rather than market outcomes alone. Friends can go to Ecumenical Commons’ website to learn more and to support financially.

 

Kelly shared about this new venture at Wilmington Yearly Meeting. It is heartening and heartwarming to hear about our younger Friends seeing the needs and struggles of others, which many don’t even think about, and responding with love and compassion to minister to them. We all know about physical needs and financial needs, but Kelly saw (and experienced) the “hidden needs” of the spirit which comes to so many on Capitol Hill who want to serve the common good of the nation, only to find their spirits, integrity and self-identity under assault by the system they dreamed of serving to do good for all.

 

Feel free to contact Kelly at kelly@ecumenicalcommons.org

And be sure to check out the Ecumenical Commons website: ecumenicalcommons.org (From which I stole their logo — my apologies, Kelly. Let me know if I need to take it down.)

You can also sign up for their Substack newsletter here: allheartsclear.substack.com