The Second Sunday of Lent

“Love is the greatest force in the universe. It is the heartbeat of the moral cosmos. He who loves is a participant in the being of God.”  - Rev'd. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Candlelight bounced off the faces of the brave few who still believed in the power of speaking the forbidden name of Jesus. Christianity had been forced underground, and sanctuaries were found in the living rooms of homes, and in the catacombs. Believers relied on covert symbols and knocks to find community and welcome. In the face of trials, under the threat of jail and death, love remained, and was fighting back against the darkness. Love was and continues to win in the face of hate, and persecution.

This Summer, Hogwarts Vacation Bible School will wonder about the power of love. Dumbledore reminds us of the strength of love when he says, “you are protected, in short, by your ability to love. The only protection that can possibly work against the lure of power like Voldemort’s!'” 

Over the week of Monday, July 17 to Friday, July 21, 2023, Hogwarts Vacation Bible School will walk with the early Christians and our Hogwarts friends as they conquer the darkness with the light of love.  Each day we will "participate in the being of God", as we learn about God’s enduring love for us and our vocation to love others.

In Bible, we will ask ourselves what a courageous loving community looks like and what part we have to play in it. In science class, we will explore how to love and be good stewards of our world, and our communities. Art class will inspire us to be compassionate thinkers who love outside the lines. We will build a loving community during snack time. Finally, in games, we will learn how to face challenges together, and defeat Voldemort once and for all! 

It will be a special year, the year we finish the story and inspire a new one filled with love. I can’t wait to be with our children, youth, and teachers this summer for Hogwarts 2023. I invite you to pray for us, to register, and to volunteer to be a part of the adventure. We hope you join us as we learn about love and wonder about being a loving community! 

Children aged 4 years old to rising 5^th graders can now register to be on the adventure with us by using this link.

Youth who are rising 6^th graders and above can also be a part of our Hogwarts journey by being volunteer helpers or as we call them Prefects. Youth can register to be a Prefect via Realm here.

To volunteer to be a Hogwarts Professor, or if you have any questions about VBS, please email me.

Lauren Breeden

Director of Children's and Family Ministries

Welcome Lia Sanchez!

On March 1^st we welcomed Lia Sanchez as the new parish administrator for The Falls Church. Lia comes to us having been controller and manager for several real estate firms in Northern Virginia, most recently for the Keller Williams office in Kingstowne. A native of Connecticut but having lived in this area for most of her life, Lia’s experience in managing offices will serve her (and us!) well as she coordinates the administrative life of this parish. She will be the first point of contact for phone calls, emails of inquiry, and arrivals at the door while she is at her desk, and I am grateful for her ease in working with the public. The parish administrator position is half-time, and Lia will establish her work schedule soon as she gets to know the rhythm of parish life. Please make it a point to stop by and introduce yourself to Lia during the week or send her a welcome email at [email protected]. We are glad Lia has joined the staff at The Falls Church! 

Burl+

Above are our next few Lenten activities, you can download the full Lent, Holy Week and Easter schedule here.

Interested in running or walking with fellow TFC members? There's a church-sponsored running/walking group for you! Adults of all ages and abilities are welcome. Current 5Ks planned for this spring are on March 25, April 29 and May 6. Email Danielle Rampton: [email protected] for more details and to get added to the group.

More details on the leader of the retreat and other information can be found on Realm here, where you can also sign up to join us.

You are invited to join the Racial Justice Ministry for a congregational visit to the National Museum of African American History and Culture slated for Saturday, March 18 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are limited and available on a first-come first-served basis with priority to TFC members, to get your tickets, sign up via the SignUp Genius.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. It was established by an Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans. To date, the Museum has collected more than 40,000 artifacts and nearly 100,000 individuals have become members. The Museum opened to the public on September 24, 2016, as the 19th museum of the Smithsonian Institution, you can learn more about the museum here.

Please email event organizer Jan Cornelius: [email protected] if you have any questions.

Sunday, March 5, Children's Chapel and Nursery at both services.

Check out what we'll be learning this Sunday below.

Hogwarts VBS Prefect registration via Realm

Ways to serve

The Falls Church prepares dinner on the second Sunday of each month for the people staying at the Bailey's Crossroads Community Shelter.

For this months meal on March 12, the youth will be preparing the meal, so we won't have the usual signups to prepare the meal. We will be back in April, when we will be preparing and serving the meal on Easter Sunday, April 9.

However, we are returning to serving the meal at the shelter, as we used to do before the pandemic. This entails showing up at the shelter at 5941 Seminary Rd, Falls Church, at 4:15 p.m., helping organize everything to serve the meal, serving it, and cleaning up afterwards. We should be done about 6:15 p.m.

All servers must be 18 years of age or older.

To sign up to serve the meal on Sunday March 12, please use the Sign-Up Genius.

If you have any questions, please contact Dave Raglin via email.

From our friends and neighbors

From St. George's Episcopal Church, Arlington:

Please Join Us For 7 Week Educational Series on Affordable Housing

Affordable Housing is a hot topic in many communities today, but how many of us know the details behind the topic? To equip everyone with the background they need to understand and evaluate the many plans being discussed across Virginia and other states, Saint George’s Episcopal Church (Arlington) and the Virginia Diocesan Homes will be presenting a 7 week online educational series. Each session will feature a range of experts and time for participants to discuss what they hear in that session. The sessions run for one hour from 4 to 5 PM on Sundays starting March 5 and ending April 23 (skipping Easter). The sessions will include:

• March 5^th – Introduction - Why are we doing this series? Setting a baseline understanding of affordable housing.
• March 12^{th -} Racial Disparities and Housing— How are housing opportunity disparities related to differing outcomes by race?
• March 19^{th -} Refugee/Immigrant Issues: How have recent refugees found housing in NOVA, and what challenges have they faced?
• March 26^{th -} Seniors and Persons with Disabilities: What specific challenges do seniors and persons with disabilities have in finding affordable and suitable housing?
• April 2^{nd -} Government: What are local and state governments County doing about affordable housing, how are faith community support government initiatives?
• April 16^{th -} Advocacy Overview—What advocacy organizations doing about housing issues, why is this important, what can advocacy accomplish? 
• April 23^rd - Faith Leadership: What is the Episcopal Church (and other denominations) and the Diocese of Virginia doing about housing?

For registration and further information for the series please register via Eventbrite. Additional information is available from Nina Janopaul, series coordinator: [email protected]

Please use the Prayer List in your prayers for each other and the world. 



Praying for each other and the needs of the world is a powerful way to love our neighbors as ourselves! This week's Prayer list.

Click here to email Father Matthew and add someone to the prayer list.

If you have questions about Realm or eGiving, please contact Claire Hardie