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Maryland
The rich and controversial history of Maryland’s clown ministers
We are fools for Christ’s sake.
So believed the apostle Paul when he penned a letter to the Corinthian church. And so, too, believed Maryland’s pioneering clown ministry.
This niche style of Christian outreach is as outrageous as it is earnest, and traces some of its roots back to Columbia. It’s perhaps a legacy that James Rouse never imagined when he founded the Howard County town, with its distinctive urban plan, efficient use of land and commitment to diversity. Rouse included a series of interfaith centers intended to bring people of different beliefs under one roof. The model inspired one local pastor at Abiding Savior Lutheran Church to pursue his own experiment blending liturgy with laughter.
These days, Rev. Floyd Shaffer is remembered by some as the “clown father” of modern Christian clowning. Though liturgical clowning already had a history in Europe, Shaffer spent his time in Columbia in the 1970s dabbling in clown ministry and eventually became known as a leader of the movement in the United States. He died three years ago, his wife Marlene Shaffer confirmed.
Even though the whimsical ministry’s heyday was in the 1980s and ’90s, some Christians continue to answer the call to clown. And the practice has captivated new audiences on TikTok and YouTube.
Earlier this year, the Columbia Maryland Archives put together an online exhibit about the town’s nondenominational clown ministry, called Faith and Fantasy, which Shaffer founded in 1974. Archivist Erin Berry said staffers were inspired after stumbling across a popular YouTube channel’s episode on Christian clowning.
Shaffer’s idea for a clown ministry came to him in 1964 on a beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The pastor was in town for a Bible study and leafing through some books when he stumbled across the etymology of the word clown. He connected it with Jesus’ command to be a servant.
That same year, Lutheran church leaders were getting creative with clowns — and it wasn’t going over well.
The National Lutheran Council produced the short film “Parable,” which depicted Jesus as a white-faced clown and the world as a circus.
The film’s 1964 debut at the New York World’s Fair roiled event organizers, some of whom resigned in protest. One “disgruntled minister threatened to riddle the screen with shotgun holes if the film was shown,” the Library of Congress noted when it announced that it had selected “Parable” for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2012.
Six years later, Shaffer debuted as a clown minister for the opening day of Abiding Savior’s vacation Bible school, according to a news article preserved in Columbia’s archives.
“I don’t think that something that’s so controversial — I don’t know what other word to use — as clowning ministry could flourish in another place other than Columbia,” Berry said. “You could just try what you wanted to try.”
Other leaders within Columbia’s interfaith centers encouraged Shaffer to keep at it, said 86-year-old Marge Goethe. Her husband, Rev. Jerry Goethe, the pastor for Kittamaqundi Community Church, suggested to Shaffer that he teach a class on clown ministry. Together, the two men designed a seven-week course that covered theology, the history of clowning, skits and games to encourage playfulness.
Many local residents, including Marge Goethe, enrolled in the classes, embraced clown ministry and set out to visit children’s hospitals, retirement homes and domestic violence shelters. She learned how to silently deliver sermons with gestures and humor, but never mockery. Goethe used lipstick to draw a red circle — a symbol of the liturgical clown — on her cheek.
Goethe developed her clown persona and named him Harry, after a man she knew as a child who lived on the streets. He was a reminder that she could either be the kind of person who brushed him off or helped him out.
Howard County’s clown ministry eventually grew to include as many as 300 clowns, The Baltimore Sun reported in 1994. Members of the Faith and Fantasy ministry went on to teach clown ministry around the country and internationally.
Not every audience loved the routine.
During a worship service at a Virginia college’s youth convention, Goethe and other clown ministers offered to draw the mark of the clown on people’s cheeks.
“What is that, the mark of the devil?” one man asked.
Goethe couldn’t reply while she was in character.
“All I had to do was accept what he was feeling at the time and hope it changed at some point,” Goethe said.
Goethe still attends Kittamaqundi services and performs clown ministry. When people ask her about the decades she spent cheering up strangers, she worries she won’t find the right words to explain how rich clown ministry turned out to be.
“I did more good for people being silent,” Goethe said.
Shaffer eventually moved to Ohio and authored several books with titles such as “If I Were A Clown” and “Clown Ministry.” He produced instructional videos on clown ministry that lately have found a rapt audience on the internet.
Jen Bryant realized she had a personal connection with clown ministry while putting together an episode on the subject for her YouTube channel, Fundie Fridays, which features cultural commentary on aspects of fundamentalist Christianity in the United States. The Missouri resident’s grandfather, a Catholic, performed for a time as a clown minister under the name “George-o.”
Every community seems to have its subcultures, Bryant said, and she found that was also true for clowns. There are classical clowns like Joseph Grimaldi, a Regency-era entertainer who introduced the white face makeup. There are dark clowns like Juggalos, a nickname for fans of the hip-hop group Insane Clown Posse. And there are scary clowns like Pennywise, the shapeshifting antagonist in Stephen King’s 1986 horror novel “It.”
At first, Christian clowns sounded like a meme to Bryant. The full story, she said, turned out to be “way more interesting.”
Bryant and her husband James Bryant ordered copies of Shaffer’s books and collected a variety of research on clown ministry for their episode, which posted in April. The hourlong segment earned an “overwhelmingly positive” response from their audience, many of whom are in the midst of deconstructing their faith and understanding of Christianity, Bryant said.
“Everyone just thought this was just the most pleasant little novelty,” James Bryant said.
Maybe Christian clowns are even the original deconstructors.
“They’re people who went, ‘faith wasn’t working exactly how we wanted it to, so we broke it down and changed it,’” he said. “It worked. It has a legacy.”
Appearing in a video on Kittamaqundi’s YouTube page, Shaffer said clown ministry gives people a new way to live out and enjoy theology, “instead of being so glum and gloomy and solemn, as much of the church has become.”
Many Bible stories defy rational thought and that’s sort of the point, Floyd said in the video.
Scripture, Floyd noted, often suggests that God has a sense of humor.
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Maryland
Maryland residents got a pro-data center text linked to an ‘interfaith’ website. Who’s behind it?
(RNS) — Less than a week after Prince George’s County, Maryland, passed a two-year moratorium on hyperscale data center development, many residents received an anonymous mass text message promoting the economic benefits of data centers. Though the text wasn’t signed, it linked to a pro-data center website with the URL interfaithaction.net.
The mysterious text, sent July 10, prompted annoyance, anger and confusion from some residents of the suburban county bordering Washington, D.C., who expressed wariness about data center propaganda.
But when RNS identified the faith leader behind the text, the Rev. Derrick Green, he said, “We’re really trying to get information out to people in real ways, in credible ways, so that people can make their own decisions on how they want to move forward with data centers.”
After she received the text, Elizabeth McNamara, a resident of Prince George’s County, was immediately suspicious. McNamara posted the message to a local Facebook page, warning others, “without any identifiable names or organization, seems more likely to be a cover for data center lobbyists. Be careful!”
Though she sees “pros and cons” to data centers, McNamara told RNS, “it seemed like they were trying to falsely promote the economic benefits to a community without the cost. And seemingly pressuring people of faith to blindly support their position.”
Anti-data center activists in Prince George’s County were also concerned by the text. As the county confronts budget woes largely driven by massive federal job cuts by the Trump administration, potential tax revenue from data centers — and potential negative environmental and community impacts — have been hotly debated throughout the year.
Dan Smith, a member of Cheverly United Methodist Church and volunteer with the Prince George’s County Civic and Environmental Alliance, said he felt “outrage” when he saw the text. He said it looked “like a well-funded effort to come in and misrepresent the community views and try to create an impression that there’s support — to give cover to those elected officials, especially at our county level, who are proponents of data centers.”
Though the website page linked in the text message does not identify the group behind it, pages under the URL identify the group as Interfaith Action Movement, “a coalition of faith leaders serving the spiritual, social, and economic needs of underserved and marginalized communities,” according to the site.
The website’s privacy policy specifies that IAM is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit coalition of faith leaders based in New Jersey, and lists an email associated with an organization led by Green, an ordained elder in the Seventh-day Adventist Church and a political consultant.
Reached by phone by RNS, Green said that though he left to work as a senior adviser to New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, he’s been a longtime Prince George’s County resident. The IRS has record of his organization registered in Vincentown, New Jersey, for tax years that began in 2020 and ended in 2024.
Green said that IAM is a “policy think tank and advocacy organization” and that his policy team is working on a variety of issues, including affordable housing, mental health and child safety online.
He declined to name other faith leaders in his coalition, citing their privacy, though he said he works with Protestants, Muslims and Jews. He also declined to name his current congregation.
The political consultant and Seventh-day Adventist said he has led a daily prayer call since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, with faith leaders throughout the U.S.
“Faith leaders are some of the most impactful leaders in our nation,” Green said. “They absolutely have reached out to me, wanting to be educated on a number of issues that we are doing, including data centers.”
But the website that Prince George’s County residents learned about in the text focuses solely on data centers. Green shared another older website that focuses on child safety online and advocates for age verification and parental approval through the federal App Store Accountability Act.
Green cited high levels of phone use in his support for data centers. “We depend on data centers,” he said. “Our hope is to create a culture around these data centers of transparency, openness, wealth creation, community benefits agreements (and) strong environmental standards.”
He added, “The AI world takes us to a whole different frontier. How are Black and brown communities going to keep up?”
In 2022, Prince George’s County lost its decades-long title as the wealthiest majority Black county in the U.S. to neighboring Charles County.
Though he said he had conversations with data center developers about his efforts, Green said he had not yet spoken with local politicians about his support for the economic benefits of data centers.
Green declined to answer questions about how his organization was funded, including whether it received money from data center developers.
Green has been linked to scandal in the past. Over a decade ago, he was involved in a campaign finance scandal in Bermuda that led to the resignation of the country’s premier in 2014. According to reporting by NorthJersey.com, Green set up a secret bank account holding $350,000 that U.S. businessmen had donated to the premier’s election efforts. Green and a business associate did not initially disclose these funds to party leaders. After the election, the new premier flew on one of the businessmen’s private jets to meet that businessman in Washington.
Two years ago, a judge dismissed Green’s attempt to sue New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Steve Fulop for $92,139 in alleged unpaid wages, as the campaign maintained he was a volunteer.
But Green has remained a force in New Jersey politics and was named to Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s interdisciplinary task force before she took office.
Green is currently a registered lobbyist for the city of Cambridge, Maryland, part of Dorchester County. But earlier this year, he was also a registered lobbyist for Prince George’s County, which is led by County Executive Aisha Braveboy.
In a questionnaire she submitted to the Baltimore Banner before winning her re-election primary, Braveboy wrote, “Data centers can play a role in Prince George’s County economic development, but only if they are planned responsibly and in partnership with our communities and not in residential areas.”
In the last year, Green has donated to various political campaigns inside and outside Prince George’s County, but his biggest donations by far are to Braveboy, totaling over $4,000. For those contributions, his home state is officially recorded as New Jersey.
Several online biographies from Green’s workplaces tout Green’s role in electing Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.
Moore’s and Braveboy’s offices did not respond when asked for comment about Green’s advocacy for data centers.
Despite the recent county moratorium on hyperscale data center development, Robin Lewis, director for climate equity at Interfaith Power & Light’s Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia branch, said it was written with “loopholes” that may allow data center development to move forward.
County council member Wanika Fisher submitted a zoning change that would allow for more data center construction in rural areas and will be reviewed by the planning board later this month — a development that worries Smith and other activists.
Lewis told RNS that a few people reached out to confirm her organization, which seeks to rally religious communities to address climate change, wasn’t behind the text. Interfaith Power & Light has submitted written and verbal testimony to the county council and participated in anti-data center rallies.
“We never do anything anonymously. We never would do anything like that,” the longtime Prince George’s County resident said. The group’s presence at rallies and testimony “demonstrates that we’re about the community, and what the community wants. And if the community is supporting moratoriums, we are supporting the community,” Lewis said.
Next month, her group will hold a webinar to organize against data centers, and it already has over 70 registrants across the larger region, she said. Interfaith Power & Light has also organized a “photo petition” where faith-based congregation members hold signs calling for community decision making around data centers.
“The faith community has always stepped in the gap, when it came to social justice issues, when it came to environmental justice issues, they’ve always stood up for the least of these,” Lewis said. She said she’s heard from faith leaders concerned about rising energy bills associated with data centers and increased pollution in places that already have high environmental burdens, often called “sacrifice zones.”
Jeffrey Johnson of the Chesapeake Earth Holders Community of Engaged Buddhism and the Rev. Dellyne Hinton, pastor of the Northwest Cooperative Parish and vice chair of the Central Maryland Ecumenical Council, were among more than a dozen faith leaders who spoke during a Baltimore County Planning Board data center public input hearing in Towson on May 21. (Courtesy of Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA)/Joelle Novey)
Lewis said her own pastors at Beloved Community Church, a United Church of Christ congregation, have expressed concern about data centers. Beyond that, she said, “I’m very connected in the Black church, and I know everybody is concerned with data centers.”
The text message compared Prince George’s County to neighboring Virginia’s Loudoun County, touting economic benefits from data centers in the latter. Lewis called the comparison “very ridiculous,” citing different demographics between the two counties and a higher density and level of preexisting pollutants in Prince George’s County.
In Prince George’s County, over 60% of residents are Black, compared to less than 9% in Loudoun County, and it has a median household income of slightly over $100,000, compared to slightly over $180,000 in Loudoun County.
“Faith leaders are residents. They live here. And the majority of residents in the county don’t support data centers,” Lewis said of Prince George’s County.
Calling all outdoorsmen and women — Maryland’s Lower Shore is home to some of the best hiking, walking and running trails on the East Coast.
Here’s a closer look at four picturesque parks and preserves with nature trails in the Berlin, Salisbury and Ocean City area.
Assateague Island
Assateague Island offers a wide variety of paved and unpaved trails open for hiking and 37 miles of flat beach terrain for wandering and beachcombing. Assateague Island’s Maryland District features a Life of the Dunes trail, Life of the Forest trail, Life of the Marsh trail.
Furnace Town
Furnace Town is nestled between the Pocomoke State Forest and Nature Conservancy’s Nassawango Creek Preserve. The popular historical site offers three Nature Conservancy Trails, three Maryland Forest service Trails, and a 26-acre outdoor museum and recreation area.
Pemberton Historical Park
Pemberton Historical Park, a 262-acre area featuring a trail system, outdoor amphitheater and more, was created in the 1980s. The park offers 4.5 miles of nature trails for walking and hiking only, allowing visitors to explore wetlands, forests and more of the natural world.
Nassawango Creek Preserve
Nassawango Creek Preserve’s primeval forest has an abundance of bald cypress and black gum trees. Visitors are invited to indulge in its four trails, the Nassawango Joe, Prothonotary Warbler, Ron Wilson Memorial Trail and Leifer Trail, as well as self-guided audio tours.
Olivia Minzola covers communities on the Lower Shore. Contact her with tips and story ideas at ominzola@delmarvanow.com.
The 21-year-old second baseman and 11th overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft has deep ties to the D.C. region.
(Courtesy Washington Nationals)
Courtesy Washington Nationals
(Courtesy Washington Nationals)
Courtesy Washington Nationals
(Courtesy Washington Nationals)
Courtesy Washington Nationals
(Courtesy Washington Nationals)
Courtesy Washington Nationals
(Courtesy Washington Nationals)
Courtesy Washington Nationals
(Courtesy Washington Nationals)
Courtesy Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals’ first-round draft pick Chris Hacopian inked his first professional contract Wednesday, a moment made sweeter by the fact it was just a 30-minute drive from home to get to Nationals Park and put pen to paper.
The 21-year-old second baseman and 11th overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft has deep ties to the D.C. region. He’s from Potomac, Maryland, and played his high school ball at Winston Churchill, where he was named the 2022 Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year and a 2022 Washington Post All-Met selection.
According to MLB.com, Hacopian grew up a Nationals fan, admiring the likes of Ian Desmond, Danny Espinosa and others. He also played his first two collegiate seasons at the University of Maryland, where his father Derek played before him, before transferring to Texas A&M for his junior season.
With the Aggies, Hacopian hit .319 with 11 home runs and 41 RBI across 42 games en route to being named First-Team All-Southeastern Conference and a Third-Team All-American by Baseball America, the Nationals said in a news release.
After inking his contract Wednesday, Hacopian donned his new jersey and ball cap and stepped onto D.C.’s beloved diamond as a part of the Nationals organization for the first time.
“That was so cool, oh my gosh. I’ve been in the stands like, 100 times, but being on the field is so different,” he said.
Hacopian was ranked 14th among MLB Draft prospects by MLB.com. The 6-foot-1-inch, 210-pound second baseman boasted one of the best bats in college baseball, according to MLB.com, with excellent control over the strike zone and feel for the barrel, along with solid pop.
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