Welcome to 

St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Bailey's Crossroads

Sunday Worship is Holy Eucharist

and will be held in person

in our sanctuary on

September 25th at 10:30am

If you are more comfortable wearing a mask, please do so, but masks are not required.

We continue to monitor community transmission rates on a weekly basis. Fairfax County and all the surrounding counties remain in the 'medium risk of transmission' category for this week. If our county moves into the high risk category, we will once again be asking worshippers to wear masks.

The service is also livestreamed on our Facebook page at facebook/stpaulsbxr.org

September 22, 2022

Hello Elizabeth,

How much is mine, Lord? Most of us have been provided with enough resources to meet our needs and perhaps splurge from time to time or put some away for a rainy day. So much of scripture talks to us about money getting in the way of following Jesus or doing what God is asking us to do. We've all had our moments of wondering where all the wealth came from (and, no, none of us did it by ourselves!) and how God wants us to use it. More importantly, perhaps, God may be interested in our emotional attachment to money...our assumptions about what money means...the credit we take for having what money we have...and how we judge those who are poor. Our attitudes may, in fact, be more important to God than the size of our bank account or the depth of our pockets. And our willingness to not only see, but respond to, those who do not have enough is what is important to God. And God seems to be quite offended when we ignore those who need our help.  

                                           The Rev. Liz Tomlinson

Lazarus and the Rich Man

Such a poignant story about poor Lazarus hanging around the rich man's house. When Jesus tells this parable, he quickly indicts the rich man. Are we to assume then that Jesus frowns on wealth? Not necessarily. Jesus cares about how people use the wealth God has given them. Don't forget, Abraham, the father of the nation of Israel, was incredibly wealthy and God created an entire nation from him. Jesus also had friends who were wealthy. How else would he have been able to keep body and soul together and still go on the road to preach his message? And remember Joseph of Arimathea? He was extraordinarily wealthy and he was instrumental in providing a burial place for Jesus after the crucifixion. All through the Bible we can see God guiding and blessing very rich people. It may be that what Jesus was objecting to in this parable is not the fact that the wealthy man has lots of money. Jesus doesn't seem to care about wealth and poverty. Perhaps what Jesus is objecting to is how that wealth is used and what the attitude is toward Lazarus sitting at the gate and begging for help. Perhaps it is the rich man's hard heart, not his plentiful pocketbook that offends Jesus. Perhaps what angered Jesus was the rich man's refusal to acknowledge Lazarus or help him, that offends Jesus. Not caring about one of God's own is an offense to God....and each one of us is one of God's own. 

Garden Spring Spruce-up

The next time you see Frank and Priscilla, please give them a hearty congratulations and a deeply-felt "thank you" for the garden make-over on the grounds of St. Paul's. The new flowers and mulch certainly do spruce the place up and improve the 'curb appeal' of the church. How we look on the outside says a lot about what and who we are on the inside. We are people who care and we are people who are welcoming and we are people who are proud of our heritage and our chosen place to worship. And we are people who are good stewards of the material things the Lord has provided. Pray for rain so that our flowers can get permanently settled in our garden.  And 'Thank You' to Priscilla and Frank for your thoughtfulness, your care and your generosity. Remember to congratulate them on having become Mr. & Mrs. on September 10!!! Wish them a happy life together!

White House Christmas tree ornament 

Now available



Once again, our good neighbor, Pam Martinov, is offering for sale [for $22.00 each] this year's White House tree ornament on behalf of the Bailey's Crossroads Lions Club.  

A perfect addition to any holiday tree, this American-made holiday ornament illustrates this decades-long tradition, complete with delicate icing, red and white striped candies, gumdrops, and candy canes. If you look closely, you can even see little gingerbread children frolicking in front of the North Portico. Included with this beautifully gift-boxed keepsake is a gingerbread scented booklet and a recipe card featuring a gingerbread recipe from First Lady Pat Nixon's time at the White House. The White House Historical Association's Official 2022 White House Christmas Ornament represents the cherished White House tradition of displaying a gingerbread house each holiday in the State Dining Room.

Every ornament supports the work of historians, researchers and archivists to discover hidden figures, educate the public about lesser-known stories, and preserve White House History.

If you would like to purchase one of these ornaments, please contact Pam Martinov, 703-887-4411 or [email protected] for ornaments and let her know that you heard about this from St. Paul's!!

Celebrating the Ordination

Eight years

Last Sunday the congregation surprised Rev. Liz with a celebration of the 8th anniversary of her Ordination at St. Paul's on September 13, 2014. As always, the food was fabulous and the company was even better. Because of COVID, it's been a long time since we've been able to have a celebratory face-to-face gathering like this. It felt like 'old times!' 

If you couldn't be with us for this celebration, please know that we missed you and we hope to have more celebratory gatherings together in the near future when you can be present.

Priest Schedule

New working hours for our Priest

Beginning August 1, 2022 the working hours for our priest will be adjusted. The new schedule will have Rev. Liz on duty at the church on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and 'on call' on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. As always, she is available for immediate assistance for any and all pastoral matters. If you need her in those situations, please do not hesitate to contact her by phone or by e-mail. The working schedules for our Parish Secretary, our Preschool Director and our Priest have been coordinated so that someone will be available at the church at all times during the day during the week. Rev. Liz will continue to be active in Regional Meetings, Diocesan Meetings and Community Meetings to represent St. Paul's.

Next Vestry Meeting

Rescheduled

For the immediate future [which will probably be the next several months] our Vestry will be conducting business by group e-mail and 'Reply All' responses. Personal responsibilities for several Vestry members have made it necessary to make Vestry business as easy to accomplish as possible. And the e-mail trail will make it easy for us to keep track of Vestry actions.  Members of the congregation are still encouraged to inquire about Vestry business and to make suggestions for the welfare of St. Paul's as a whole. 

Sacred Ground

Offered by VTS and the Diocese of Virginia

Sacred Ground is a film- and readings-based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith and accuracy. Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race and racism, while weaving in threads of their own family story, economic class, and political and regional identity. To learn more about how to become a member of one of these groups, check the VTS website or the website of the Diocese of Virginia. 

The 11-part series is built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories.

Sacred Ground is part of Becoming Beloved Community, The Episcopal Church’s long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in our personal lives, our ministries, and our society. This series is open to all, and is especially designed to help white people talk to other white people about race. Participants are invited to peel away the layers that have contributed to the challenges and divides of the present day – all while grounded in our call to faith, hope and love. For more detailed information about Sacred Ground Circles CLICK HERE

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Sacred Ground Circles will begin the week of Sept. 19 

The new Diocesan Bishop

Consecretion to be on December 3

His office is in New York City as the bishop [to whom he is the Canon] is none other than The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry. The Diocesan Standing Committee and the Rt. Rev. Susan E. Goff, Bishop Suffragan and Ecclesiastical Authority, announce with joyful thanksgiving that Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has notified the Diocese of Virginia that the Rev. Canon E. Mark Stevenson has received the required majority of consents from the House of Bishops and the Standing Committees of the dioceses of The Episcopal Church. This means that the June 4 election is now confirmed by the wider church and that Canon Stevenson is now officially Bishop-Elect Stevenson. God willing, Bishop-Elect Stevenson will be ordained and consecrated a bishop in the Episcopal Church on Saturday, December 3, 2022, 11:00 a.m. at The Saint Paul’s Baptist Church, located at 4247 Creighton Road, Henrico, VA 23223. He will be the fourteenth bishop of the Diocese of Virginia following the Rt. Rev. Shannon Johnson who retired in 2018. The Rt. Rev. Susan Goff has been the acting Ecclesiastical Authority in the Diocese of Virginia since Bishop Johnston's retirement. She will retire at the end of this year.

Seeing 20:20

Glasses as a gift

Thanks to your generosity and the generosity of so many other people just like you, the Lions Club in conjunction with Helping Hands has been able to distribute 65,000 pairs of glasses to people who would otherwise have had a pretty blurry picture of the world. St. Paul's has contributed 166 pairs!! The basket for eyeglass donations is back on the shelf underneath the bulletin board across from the Parish Office. Please keep your eyes peeled at home for that one (or two or three) pairs of glasses that you no longer use. Someone will be thrilled to have them and a new look at a world in focus!

Prayer for the People of Ukraine

"God of peace and justice. We hold before you the people of Ukraine. We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons. We pray for all those who fear tomorrow, that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them. We pray for those with power over war or peace, for wisdom, discernment and compassion to guide their decisions. Above all, we pray for all your precious children, at risk and in fear, that you would hold and protect them. We pray in the name of Jesus, Prince of Peace. Amen."

By Archbishop Justin Welby and Archbishop Stephen Cottrell

Updating the Directory

Staying in Touch~the new ones are ready

Now more than ever, it's important for us to be able to stay in touch with one another in any way that we can...telephone, snail-mail, e-mail, smoke signal, morse code, etc. If you aren't sure whether or not you are in the directory or if your information is correct, please contact our Parish Administrator, Linda Green at [email protected] and give her your contact information so that we can update the directory. We would also like to include birthdates for each member of the congregation. They are ready for distribution now. Come by the Office and pick one up or call Linda Green at 703-820-2625 or contact her by e-mail and ask her to mail one to you. We want to be sure that everyone who should be in there is in there...and that everyone who should have a directory gets one!

Bailey's Shelter & Supportive Housing

Volunteer Opportunities

The next meeting of the Advisory Committee will be Wednesday, November 16, 2022 at 7:00pm on ZOOM. Please let Rev. Liz know if you are interested in shelter operations or volunteer opportunities and she will give you information about how to access this meeting. Although face-to-face volunteer work has been temporarily suspended, the shelter is in the process of re-instating that support for the shelter clients. Please contact them if you want to know more!

Contact Community & Volunteer Coordinator

 Bailey's Shelter and Supportive Housing 

New Hope Housing 

5914 Seminary Rd

Fairfax, VA 22041

Tel: 703-578-8852

[email protected]

www.newhopehousing.org  

In the meantime, if you would like to make donations to the shelter, New Hope Housing has provided a Wish List (on Amazon) for the homeless who are moving into housing of their own which is SUCCESS! To access that list, please CLICK HERE. Please designate Bailey's Shelter and Supportive Housing, 5914 Seminary Rd., Falls Church, VA. 22041 when you place your order if you want your donation to go to this shelter. New Hope Housing manages a number of shelters around the county, so be sure to specify to New Hope that you want your donation to go to the Bailey's Crossroads Shelter.

           The hot item requested at the moment is shower shoes!!

You can reach New Hope Housing at the Bailey's Shelter by calling 703-820-7621. You are helping to ease the way for our neighbors to get back on their feet! What an act of love!!

The Food Pantry

Replenishment Needed

Urgent calls continue to come from ACCA for donations to the food pantry. We have hungry people around us all year long, but especially now in this season of COVID-19 when so many sources of income have disappeared. St. Paul's continues to be both faithful and generous in supporting the ACCA Food Pantry and they need our help now more than ever. At the last Vestry Meeting, the Vestry voted to double the monetary support that we give to ACCA each month. Your generosity is inspiring. If you have food to donate, please continue to bring nonperishable foodstuffs for ACCA and place them in the wicker basket at the rear of the Sanctuary. They are particularly in need of any kind of rice, canned fruit, fresh vegetables, and canned stew. If you are available to deliver our food donation to the ACCA Pantry, please call Rev. Liz to let her know.

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me." Matthew 25:35