Highlights of this issue include:
- In-person, outdoor service with Holy Communion, Sunday @ 11:15
- A Word from Andy+
- Children's Formation & Youth Ministry Updates
- Farewell Activities for Reverend Kelly
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The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost |
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Please join us for our in-person, outdoor worship service on Sunday at 11:15 a.m. or continue to watch our pre-recorded service from the convenience of your own home and on your schedule.
We are holding an outdoor, in-person worship service this Sunday (weather permitting) on the South Lawn of the Historic Church at 11:15 a.m. In order to meet diocesan guidelines, we need you to pre-register at [email protected] if you plan to attend. Please include the date of the service in the subject line, your full name, email address, phone number and number of persons attending in the body of the message. Please bring your own chair or blanket. Should it rain, we will have to cancel the service.
You may access our pre-recorded worship service on our YouTube Page Sunday at 9:00 a.m. or our Facebook Page as well at 9:00 a.m. We are making the move to livestreaming at 9:00 a.m.! Of course, the service will be available anytime after that, too, again for your scheduling convenience!
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We are continuing to gather for an informal digital coffee hour. We'll have gathering time as a large group, and then split up into smaller groups for conversations on where we saw God this past week, and how we are cultivating practices of sabbath rest and renewal during these strange times. Join us on Zoom at 10:00 a.m. NOTE THE TIME CHANGE!
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In-Person Outdoor Evening Prayer on Tuesdays |
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Tuesday Outdoor Evening Prayer at 6:00 pm. In lieu of Centering Prayer, join Father Andy+ on the South Lawn of the Historic Church for in-person Evening Prayer. Following Evening Prayer, the Historic Church Nave is open until 7:00 pm for quiet prayer and reflection. Please read here for important information regarding the service.
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Sunday, October 11 - Saturday, October 17
Sunday, October 11:
Monday, October 12: Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day Holiday
Tuesday, October 13:
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6 pm – Evening Prayer LIVE on the South Lawn (also live streamed at www.facebook.com/thefallschurch) If it rains, worship will happen on Facebook but not in person. After the service, the Historic Church Nave is open for silent prayer and reflection until 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, October 14:
Thursday, October 15:
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7:30 am – Morning Prayer (www.facebook.com/thefallschurch)
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8:30 am – Thursday Morning Fellowship (email Cleve for more information)
- *Quiet Prayer in the Main Sanctuary is suspended due to low attendance. We are exploring alternate times.
Friday, October 16:
Saturday, October 17:
- 9:00-11:00 – Historic Church open for quiet prayer
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Spiritual Communion offered this Sunday at 9:00 a.m. On-Line Service;
Holy Communion offered this Sunday at 11:15 a.m. Outdoor, In-Person Service
Dear Falls Church Family,
As your pastor and priest, I have been praying about our common life in Christ and how to help all navigate these strange days of Covid-19 pandemic so that you maintain your hope in God’s never-failing presence with you and all of us. In the past month, our Bishop has released guidelines that will allow us safely to celebrate the Holy Eucharist and offer Holy Communion at outdoor in-person services. We are incarnational people in which we recognize that God infuses the ordinary material world with God’s own holiness and divine life. One of the most significant ways we remember and participate in this faith reality is by sharing in the sacraments, especially the sacrament of Holy Communion.
God is certainly present in the Word and we have joyfully recognized that in our worship after March 8. And we know that God can be present in mysterious yet real ways in Spiritual Communion. The liturgy of Communion in so many ways shows the world and ourselves who we are in Christ. We are the Body of Christ. When we gather together and offer our bread and wine and monetary gifts which are representative of our life and labor, God blesses them and gives us back God’s very life itself. We become what we eat!
And so I have prayerfully discerned that it is time that we offer Holy Communion (in one kind only, the bread or host) for those who are ready and feel safe to participate. Weather permitting, we will do this on this coming Sunday, October 11, at our scheduled outdoor in-person service at 11:15 a.m. Please note the service time change from our previous two outdoor services. The service of Spiritual Communion will also be offered through our on-line service which will be released this Sunday at 9:00 a.m. Let me say, however, that if you are present at the outdoor service and do not feel you are ready to receive Communion because of the pandemic, you may make your Spiritual Communion instead. More
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This week's Youth Forum activity is available here
Youth Group is now meeting in small groups, masked and outdoors. We are communicating individual meeting times to students because we are limited in the number that can participate at any given time. If you have not received a time for your youth to attend a group, it is because their release form has not been turned in. If you would like to make sure your youth get registered for next week’s groups, please send your completed release form to [email protected]
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We are excited to kick off Children's Ministry Programing this Sunday, Oct 11th, at 10:20 am, with a Virtual Program Year Begins Party!
We will send out a Constant Contact to all those who are registered for Children's Formation, on Sunday Oct. 11th, at 10 am, with the Zoom link! Children can expect singing, dancing, games, and a great time together! We will also discuss a special project we will make together to give to Rev'd Kelly as a farewell gift! We hope you can join us!
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Annual Giving Campaign 2021 |
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Resilience and Gratitude: The Path to Generosity is the theme of the 2021 Annual Giving Campaign.
This week Geoff Kannan tells us why he gives to TFCE. Read Geoff's statement here.
Check the weekly eNews, TFCE social media and your mailbox for the latest information!
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Farewell to Reverend Kelly on Sunday, October 18
Please join the celebration for the ministry of Rev. Kelly as she leaves to become Priest-in-Charge at The Church of the Holy Cross in Dunn Loring, VA.
If you would like to make a gift to Kelly's purse, give here
For information on the Farewell Worship Service, Farewell Drive-Through, Scrapbook and additional ways to contribute, click here
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Southgate II Update from Paul Allvin
With a mix of gratitude and excitement, I am very pleased to share that the Southgate II development proposal is officially under construction. Ground has broken on the construction of the building in the current parking lot across Fairfax Street from our church for the indoor children’s play facility called “Go Scramble.” For The Falls Church Episcopal, of course, it represents more than the addition of this fantastic play facility. Through a sequence of agreements with the developer, our master tenant, and neighboring property owners, it will result in:
- More parking spaces when construction is finished, from 79 to 103
- 12 reserved spaces for our Falls Church Day School from 8:30 to 9:30 for student drop-offs
- Access to the “Go Scramble” facilities from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sundays (the facility will not open until 12:30 on Sundays)
- Additional rent revenue to support church operations for decades to come
- Improvements in storm water management to better remove pollutants from parking lot drain-off before they enter the Potomac watershed
- Solar power generating capacity that will have the initial capability to supply a guaranteed minimum of 25 percent of the building’s power needs, with a possible capacity of 33 percent. Read more
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The Falls Church Episcopal’s Commitment to Racial Justice
Striving toward racial justice is one of the foundational pillars of the Episcopal Church. Indeed, the normative statement of what it means to follow Christ is imbued within the words of our baptismal covenant “Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?” (Book of Common Prayer, p 304-305). The vestry of TFCE is committed to ensuring the congregation of the Falls Church Episcopal honors our baptismal covenant by creating a Racial Justice Roadmap. This roadmap will ensure that the quest for racial justice is continuously upheld by our congregation and honors our commitment to living as Christians and serving the world as Christ’s body, with God’s help.
The vestry of the Falls Church Episcopal (TFCE) believes that racial justice is not a political or academic issue; there aren’t two sides. It is a fundamental disconnect in our society for which our faith compels us to act. We wish to be long suffering with this issue; this should be a long term, steady stream effort that becomes a part of our DNA at TFCE. The majority of our current efforts don’t address racial injustice specifically. Instead our current efforts deal with the intersectional issues of poverty, homelessness, and incarceration that disproportionally affect People of Color. We reach out locally because there is so much need but we should look to broaden our relationships beyond our own locality. Advocacy at the state and national levels will ultimately be the force that re-aligns our society toward equality for all.
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TFCE Nave Open for Private Prayer Saturdays;
Thursday prayer time suspended
The Historic Church is open for silent prayer each Saturday from 9:00 - 11:00 am. (Due to low attendance, Thursday prayer in the Main Sanctuary is suspended; we are exploring an alternate time.) We ask everyone to maintain six feet distance, wear a mask, and use hand sanitizer when entering and leaving the sanctuary. Please click here for rules and expectations. Questions? E-mail Parish Administrator D'O Dillard.
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Adult Christian Formation 2020-2021
This year we will focus on three simple and purposeful Adult Christian Formation opportunities that will hopefully provide a place of grounding and connection to The Falls Church Episcopal during these socially distant times. Our options are:
- Foyer Groups: a small group gathering for fellowship, book study or Bible study;
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Sacred Ground: a film based dialogue series on race;
- Adult Forum and Coffee Hour: large group instruction and discussion on Sunday mornings.
We look forward to joining you on your spiritual journey, no matter where you are. We're leaving the light on for you at The Falls Church Episcopal and we hope you'll join us in whatever way you can.
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Thursday Morning Fellowship Via Zoom! The Men’s Monthly Bible Study has morphed into a weekly fellowship group gathering via Zoom on Thursday mornings at 8:30 a.m. This group is open to all, men and women, we are gender inclusive! Go to Realm for more information or contact Cleve Johnson. Hope you’ll join the group!
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Parish Prayer List: Prayers & Transitions |
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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.
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Silent Witness Against Racial Injustice
Friday, October 9th,
5:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Members and friends of The Falls Church Episcopal are invited to join Falls Church Presbyterian
Church for the next Silent Witness protest. Participants are asked to wear masks and maintain social distancing. Protests are held every other Friday, rain or shine.
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No-Contact Food Drive Saturday, October 31
After very successful food drives for the Falls Church Community Service Council in June and August, we are doing a spooky Halloween no-contact food drive on October 31 from 9:00 a.m.to 12:00 p.m. Put the food in disposable bags in your trunk, pull into the upper parking lot, pop the trunk, and a volunteer will unload them for you. You can even come in Halloween costume! Please share this with your non-TFCE neighbors and friends.
FCS is in urgent need of the following items:
· Apple sauce
· Canned & dried legumes: garbanzos, lentils & pintos are in shortest supply
· Canned chicken & tuna
· Canned tomatoes & sauce (no spaghetti sauces at this time)
· Diapers, sizes 5 & 6 (no adult diapers, please)
· Feminine hygiene items
· Fruit jam
· Household cleaning supplies: disinfecting cleaners, cleansers, dish liquid & laundry detergent
· Instant coffee 10 oz. cans
· Meals in a can: stews and hearty soups
· Pancake syrup
· Paper towels (small packages & single rolls preferred)
· Sugar 4# bags or smaller
· Toilet tissue (small packages & single rolls preferred)
· Tea (small packages)
· Toiletries (no travel or hotel sizes, please): bar & liquid hand soaps, hand sanitizer, shampoo, toothpaste & toothbrushes
· Tomato soups
· UHT (shelf-stable) milk: low fat and whole
· Please note: Low-sodium and no-sugar added canned items of any kind are also appreciated but no green beans or pears at this time, please.
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Make sandwiches for those in need
Make sandwiches or bag lunches for drop-off at the Bailey's Crossroads Shelter or New Hope Housing's Eleanor Kennedy Shelter near Ft. Belvoir.. Please see the attached flyer and contact Sami Smyth at 703-799-2293 x11 or [email protected] for more information. |
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The Little Free Food Pantry
On Fairfax Street near the church’s Thrift Shop is a small “take some food, leave some food” pantry (like the “little libraries” where people can take or leave a book). We are definitely seeing people use that pantry to supplement their groceries, and you can drop off non-perishable food items there at any time.
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We ask that during this time you please continue to make an effort to contribute to the Church as you normally would. Although we are not having in-person services, the work of our parish, staff, and clergy continues. Fulfilling our mission and our vision to be an enduring beacon of faith, hope, and love is crucial during these days.
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There are 3 easy ways to give to the church: |
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We are still checking the mail and depositing checks!
Please mail your check to:
115 E. Fairfax Street
Falls Church, VA 22046
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Donate safely and securely through our website.
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Text “TFCE” and the amount to 73256.
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Are you shopping more on line these days? If you’re buying more items from Amazon, please consider adding The Falls Church Episcopal to your AmazonSmile account. With every purchase you make, the church earns a small percentage. Simply
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Here are some ways to enhance your spiritual journey at home as suggested by the Washington National Cathedral.
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