Highlights of this issue include:
- A Word from Andy+
- New! Adult Formation Opportunities this Fall
- Final Newcomers' Class this Sunday (Ways to Connect)
- Registration for Children's Formation and Youth Ministry
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The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost |
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Please join us for our in-person, outdoor worship service on Sunday morning at 9:00
We are holding an outdoor, in-person worship service this Sunday morning on the South Lawn of the Historic Church. 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 blanket or chair.
If you are not able to join us for in-person worship, you may access our pre-recorded worship service on our YouTube Page Saturday at 5:00 p.m., or our Facebook Page Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. (though folks begin gathering and chatting around 9:50 a.m.).
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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 11:00 a.m.
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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. Please read here for important information regarding the service.
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Sunday, September 27 - Saturday, October 3
Sunday, September 27:
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9:00 am – In person service on the South Lawn (please pre-register with name and phone number at [email protected])
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10:00 am – Pre-recorded service available through our website
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11:00 am – Coffee Hour
- 11:00 am – 5:30 pm – Vestry Retreat
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5:00 pm – Newcomer Class #3 – Please join us if you are new, interested in membership or baptism. Email Casie Disantis with any questions or to register.
Monday, September 28:
Tuesday, September 29:
Wednesday, September 30:
Thursday, October 1:
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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 2
Saturday, October 3:
- 9:00-11:00 – Historic Church open for quiet prayer
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A Season of Ripe Harvest
Season of mists and mellow fruitfullness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;
To bend with apples the mossed cottage trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core…
Where are the songs of Spring? Aye where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too--
Keats, “To Autumn”
Dear Falls Church Family: Autumn has arrived this week bringing glorious fall weather of cool mornings, temperate afternoons and evenings. I have to say that this is my favorite season of the year. It broadcasts an awareness of the bounty of the harvest and creation’s mature fullness. It won’t be long before we’ll be building fires and savoring the red, orange, and yellow hues of the trees in Falls Church arching over us like the sun’s golden rays sending their final burst of warmth before winter and the dying that is always necessary for new life. I love this bountiful harvest time and the opportunity to share in the fruits of the earth. It is ripe and rich with opportunity.
Now is the time to relish the maturity and the mellow fruitfulness Keating tells about in his poem. The season of autumn encompasses us with its marked and glorious changes. Keats poem reminds us to pay attention. We savor the blessedness of life’s maturity and fullness. This is not a time to look back so much as it is to look forward to the rich harvest upon us. So it goes in nature. So it goes in our lives as we move into the golden years. So it is in the church.
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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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This week's Youth Forum activity is available here
As we prepare to start our program year for youth ministry, we need to make sure that your youth are registered! Please fill out the attached form and send it to [email protected]
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Have you registered your child(ren) for Sunday Formation?
YOU CAN REGISTER CHILDREN FROM 3 YEARS OLD TO 5TH GRADERS! This year we are taking a virtual adventure into scripture, using a hands-on approach to virtual learning. All of our grades will receive a take-home bag and a flexible curriculum that can be done at a family's own pace. Similar to our Hogwarts Virtual VBS, the program will have Zoom lessons, weekly lesson videos, and fun projects the whole family can enjoy.
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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's testimonial is by Ben Kong. Read it here.
Check the weekly eNews, TFCE social media and your mailbox for the latest information!
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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, 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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Are you new to The Falls Church Episcopal and interested in learning more? Our Fall Newcomers' Class concludes this Sunday! We hope you can join us on September 27th at 5:00 p.m. In the last of three meetings, you will meet with clergy, vestry members, and staff to learn more about the history of the church, the history of TFCE, and how to get connected to a group or ministry. Please email Casie Disantis for more information or to sign up The next Newcomers' Class will be offered in Winter 2021.
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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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Drivers and Paper Bags Needed for Meal Deliveries
Our ministry partners at FCS have seen a significant increase in their requests for grocery drop-offs at people’s homes. They are looking for drivers to pick-up groceries from their food bank and no-contact drop them off at people’s doors. There is also a need for brown paper bags for food deliveries; bags may be dropped off at TFCE. If you are interested, please email [email protected]
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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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