Current2016 janfeb highres

Continued on page 2

Message from The Rector

During this winter season of Epiphany we will be focusing

on how we can best obey Christ’s command that we proclaim the Good News of who He is. How can we effectively tell others of Christ in a culture that seems resistant to prepositional truth and religious conviction? Amy Orr-Ewing, a remarkably winsome and effective evangelist from the UK, will be with us January 24-26, to teach and encourage us in this ministry. We need models like Amy to help us, and we are always needing instruction to help us better understand our culture as well. So we will offer several other opportunities to learn how the Christian faith relates to current cultural assumptions. We will be hearing from Os Guinness, Dennis Hollinger, Mike Cromartie, John Inazu, and others.

Last fall, as we studied the Acts 2 portrait of the young church, we saw that Gospel witness simply happened as the early Christians experienced wholehearted community in Christ. Witness and evangelism was an overflow of Spirit-saturated community. In February, as we begin Lent, we will be attempting to deepen our own experience of Christian community, and asking God how he intends us to be representing Him in the new “6565” community that is becoming our home.

In the family,

The Rev. Dr. John W. Yates IIRector, The Falls Church Anglican

THE FALLSCHURCHANGLICAN

That Christ Be King in Our Lives and in the Lives of Others January/February 2016

continued on page 7

A s one parishioner recently joked with me, “Oh, you are now the Pastoral Associate for Evangelism? Good—you can do evangelism for us.” Actually, no.

For many of us, thinking about evangelism brings to mind a Billy Graham crusade, handing out tracts on a street corner, or, worse, someone yelling “repent” at people through a bullhorn. Those 20th century images are often irrelevant and ineffective to the situation in which the church and church leaders find themselves today.

Ironically enough, for Evangelical Christians the word evangelism is often loaded with ambiguities and meanings it does not deserve. Some people feel guilty because they believe they are told to be evangelizing others but are not. Some are turned off or frightened at the idea of sharing their faith because of the possibility of personal rejection. Too many of us, sadly, have encountered pushy or culturally insensitive Christians trying to shove “good news” down our throats without considering personal sensitivities.

There is a better way, in our contemporary culture—one that is more consistent with the Gospel of “Who Jesus is” and with Jesus’ command to love our neighbors. One way to think about evangelism combines the thoughts of two well-known and respected theologians, Alister McGrath and Michael Green, both Anglican Priests. Both express their respective gifts of evangelism very differently. Start by taking a step back from some of the older views of evangelism. Consistent with McGrath and Green, there are actually two separate subjects to consider here, apologetics and evangelism. Apologetics is classically understood as defense of the faith. It encompasses everything from Stephen’s defense of his faith in Jesus (Acts 7) to the work of systematic theologians such as St. Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin

Three Essential Ingredients for Evangelismby The Rev. Mary Amendolia

2 The Current • January/February 2016

Table of ContentsRector’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Evangelism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Storehouse of Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Christians & Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Rewoven Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Amy Orr-Ewing Visit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Welcoming Refugees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Telling Our Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Children & Healing Prayer . . . . . . . . . 15Families & Prayer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Dedication & Open House . . . . . . . . 18Youth & Healing Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . 24Youth & Breakaway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Guys Go Hiking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Women’s Retreat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Extended Worship Evenings . . . . . . . 30The Bach Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Caring for Our Choir . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Poetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Stars in the Crown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Fathers & Daughters . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35English Reformation Study . . . . . . . . 36New Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Milestones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Financials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Vestry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Current Submission Guidelines . . . . . 40FORWARD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Staff pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Worship Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

PUBLISHING TEAMEditor-in-Chief (staff) Susan Fertig-Dykes Volunteer Editing TeamJeanne Nichols, Assistant Editor Laurie Ross, Assistant EditorDan AyreSharon Gewehr Jane Larson

Ray MeinhartRachel Phillips

Photography Team (volunteer)Ed GlancySharon Fast Gustafson Leslie Hackman

Nathan MitchellRon Planting Craig ThoburnJennifer Tricarico

Additional photo credits by photos

CARING FOR EACH OTHER IN THE CHURCH

The Fellowship of the BelieversAnd they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the

fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul…and all who believed were together and had all things in common. (Acts 2:42-44)

We know that in the early church, the Acts 2 church that John Yates hopes TFCA will emulate, the believers took care of each other. If a need arose among them, another who was not in need shared, such that none was ever in need.

Through Storehouse of Service (SOS), the Care Team of TFCA matches needs with abilities for God to produce blessings within our congregation. How does this work? Those with a need (such as a ride to the doctor, help organizing a storage area, or strong arms for a move) contact the Care Team and give us details about the request (date, time, and place for the doctor appointment; the scope of the organizing project; or the date and items to be moved). The Care Team looks at our resources—specifically those of you who have signed up for the SOS—and we make phone calls or send emails to find another parishioner who can help with that specific request. We put the two parties in touch and wait to hear how the interaction worked out.

Be the Difference: Storehouse of Service Calling Out to You on Sunday, January 10, 2016by The Rev. Lisa Henderson, Director, Care Team

continued on page 4

Jean McComish & Karen Jacobson (2 Care Team specially trained volunteers) reviewing

needs for confidential care.

The Rev. Lisa Henderson, Care Team Director, talking with a TFCA parishioner.

If a need arose among them,

another who was not in need shared, such that none was

ever in need.

3The Current • January/February 2016

JANUARY 31, 2016

OS GUINNESSSenior Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics

LECTURE:

“Impossible People – Christian Courage and the Struggle for the Soul of Civilization”

APRIL 10, 2016

MICHAEL CROMARTIEVice President of the Ethics & Public Policy Center

LECTURE:

“Faithful Living in Changing Times: Doing Our Duty While Living in Exile”

MAY 1, 2016

DR. JOHN INAZUAuthor, and Associate Professor of Law and Political Science at Washington University, St. Louis

LECTURE:

“Confident Pluralism: Surviving and Thriving Through Deep Difference”

FEBRUARY 21, 2016

DR. DENNIS HOLLINGERPresident of Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary

LECTURE:

“Sexuality in a Broken and Complex World”

The Falls Church Forum

“ I N T H E W O R L D . . . ”A lecture series on Christian engagement

with contemporary culture.

Sign up at: tfcanglican.org/forum All lectures will be held at the Angelika Film Center at Mosaic (2911 District Ave Fairfax, VA 22031)

Sundays, 7:00-9:00pm


We cannot make those positive connections without you! Do you have a handyman skill you could share? We need handymen who can paint, do plumbing or electrical work, and perform other small home repairs. Do you love to cook? We need home-cooked frozen meals to give to those recovering from illness or other unexpected emergencies. Are you skilled with computers? We often get requests for computer help.

Do you have a flair for conversation? We could use your gifts in visits to the homebound. Do you have a few hours a month to give some support to a caregiver? We have several in the parish with dementia or other long-term illnesses, and their caregivers would love a break to grocery shop, attend a Bible study, or meet a friend for coffee. You could be just the person to provide that respite.

The SOS form has many opportunities for service. Some are on-going while others are as-needed. If you have any questions about a particular area of ministry or your participation, please contact the Care Team at (571) 282-0201 or [email protected].

CARING FOR EACH OTHER IN THE CHURCH

Be the Difference continued from page 2

Glenis Pittman, Assistant to Care Team Director, with The Rev. Lisa Henderson.

Volunteer members of TFCA’s Care Team with staff.

The Storehouse of Service enables

parishioners to meet needs and create blessings for one another

by showing Christ’s love.

The Storehouse of Service enables parishioners to meet needs and create blessings for one another by showing Christ’s love. Be the difference by taking time to complete the form. You can find it at www.tfcanglican.org/storehouse. Our church family needs you! †


CARING FOR EACH OTHER IN MARRIAGE AND FAMILY

Rewoven: The Fabric of Marriage, Sex, and Family from the lay leadership of Marriage Matters Now

M any of us are concerned by the changing cultural per-spectives on marriage, sex and family in our country.

Where is the hope for restoring our fraying culture? TFCA presents Rewoven, a conference designed to provide new perspectives, new ideas, and new language to use in our daily lives. We will hear from experts and also from experienced people we know—professors, doctors, grandparents, school-teachers, and others. Mark your calendar and plan to join us April 15-16, 2016!

Rewoven keynote speaker Dr. Brad Wilcox is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Virginia. He is known for his work in the area of marriage and family, includ-ing studies on the prevalent trend of marrying later in life. A dynamic speaker, Dr. Wilcox has done significant research to back up his viewpoints. He tackles many of the hot-button issues of our day related to marriage, sex, and family. In his book Gender and Parenthood: Biological and Social Scientific Perspectives, Dr. Wilcox evaluates “the transformative ex-perience of parenthood for today’s women and men” and shows “the effect of gendered parenting on child well-being, work and family arrangements, and the quality of couples’ relationships.”

Dr. Wilcox brings research that helps us see the value of God’s design for men and women, whether desiring to be mar-ried one day or to stay single. A common view today is that marriage is simply “a piece of paper.” We know that God creat-ed the institution of marriage, but we often have difficulty un-derstanding what that really means. In his interesting article entitled Don’t Be a Bachelor: Why Married Men Work Harder, Smarter, and Make More Money, Dr. Wilcox reports, “Marriage also transforms men’s social worlds; they spend less time with friends and more time with family; they also go to bars less and to church more.”

We have designed the conference to be sure that there is ample opportunity for direct conversations with Dr. Wilcox.

To complement the keynote, Rewoven will feature mul-tiple breakout sessions led by members of our congregation and others who have expertise in areas relating to marriage, sex, and family in our culture. Participants will have time to interact with the presenters and with one another. Some of the topics in the breakout sessions are:

• Embracing the common pitfalls of marriage How our environment (where we live, what family we grew up in, what crises we experienced…) affects our brain and what can be done about it.

• Ethical confusion—surrogates, stem cell research, fertility… How shall we think and engage in the subject of bio-ethics?

• Biblical perspective on sex and gender How God designed gender for the well-being of a society and how we can understand and advise against its misuse.

• Do you desire sex…God’s way? What makes limiting sex to Biblical marriage worth desiring more than what the world offers.

• Whitney Houston, Permanence, and the Good of Marriage How to talk about marriage in public without using the Bible. Explaining how to talk about marriage and its limits, and argue that it is important for Christians to go on doing so despite the Supreme Court’s decision to make gay marriage the law of the land.

We think all of us at The Falls Church Anglican will both enjoy and benefit from Rewoven. And when we leave the con-ference we will be more informed and better equipped to:

• Delight in our own families as a glorious gift from God;• Recognize the value of sexual purity for singles;• Talk about the value of marriage and family with our

friends, neighbors, co-workers and even those we meet at the store or on vacation; and

• Begin renewing the culture to God’s glory because we are aware of and educated about the issues in our culture.

The conference will begin on Friday night, April 15, 2016, and conclude on Saturday, April 16. It will be held at 6565 Arlington Blvd. For more information contact: [email protected] †

6 The Current • January/February 2016 6The Current • January/February 2016

Sunday Morning, January 24, 2016 Bring your friends to hear Amy Orr-Ewing,

Director of Ravi Zacharias International

Ministries

Sunday Evening, January 24, 2016 Join us for an Apologetics Boot Camp for Adults. Don’t miss this interactive session

and come prepared with questions!

Amy Orr-Ewing is Europe, Middle East, and Africa Director for RZIM, and Director of Programmes for the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics (OCCA).

Amy is a passionate exponent of a rational Christian response to many of the pressing cultural issues of the day, bringing her formidable theological knowledge to bear on a wide variety of subjects. She gained a degree in Theology at Christ Church, Oxford University, before receiving a Master’s in Theology from King’s College London. She is currently working on her Doctoral Thesis at Oxford University looking at the work of Dorothy L Sayers.

Amy has written two books exploring key questions in apologetics: Why Trust the Bible? and But Is It Real? Her most recent publication is Millennials, which she co-authored with her husband Frog. They have also published Holy Warriors: A Fresh Look at the Face of Extreme Islam and Deep. She has contributed to the books Beyond Opinion, God and the Generations, and Worth Knowing: Wisdom for Women.

Amy speaks and lectures on Christian Apologetics worldwide, at events such as Keswick and Alpha International, and on university campuses including Oxford, Cambridge, Vienna, and Hong Kong. Amy has been invited to speak in the White House and on Capitol Hill, as well as in the British Parliament Speakers Rooms. Amy and her husband Frog lead a church in Buckinghamshire called Latimer Minster, which they planted in 2010.

Areas of interest: the nature of truth, identity, rational defence of Christianity, historicity of the Bible, New Testament history, ethical dilemmas, tolerance, evil, suffering, friendship, human trafficking.

Amy Orr-Ewing

Director of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries


CARING THROUGH EVANGELISM

to telling someone why we believe that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead. Apologetics is the work of every Christian, not just the great theologians or those who have gone to seminary. As Christians willing to share our faith, we should all be prepared to explain why we believe what we believe.

We live in a culture that requires a great deal of apologetics work before we can hope that evangelism, as it is classically understood, can be successful. If people do not believe in God, they will be disinclined to hear a story of God’s love and redemption. For many people in our culture, the notion of God is as foreign to them as a language from an ancient culture.

In contrast to verbal, audio, or visual communication, evangelism is being a witness to our personal experience of God and our faith. We are called to be witnesses of what God has done for us. We are charged by Jesus to be sent as servants. We are called to give a “testament” to our faith. It is true that from one perspective, evangelism is a gift of the Holy Spirit; but that does not give us a pass on our responsibility to share our faith. All Christians are called to share our faith, in love, with those with whom we come into contact, as the Spirit leads us and as we are prepared to say what God has done in our lives and the lives of others. Evangelism is being a witness, not only what you say but how you do life.

Apologetics and evangelism go together. Think of it this way: Apologetics is conversational; evangelism is invitational. Once someone has responded to the invitation to faith, there remains the task of spiritual formation—being transformed into the image of God in which we are made and becoming a true disciple of Christ.

Three Essential Ingredients for Evangelism continued from cover

continued on page 8

RESOURCES for FURTHER READING

Books Author ContentBridge-Building: Effective Christian Apologetics

Alister E. McGrath

Basics in understanding and engaging in apologetics.

Christian Theology: An Introduction (4th edition)

Alister E. McGrath

For basic understanding of theology.

Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God

J.I. Packer A classic understanding of why we do evangelism.

Five Views of Apologetics

Steven B. Cowan Examines the “how-to” of apologetics, an academic approach.

Humble Apologetics: Defending the Faith Today

John G. Stackhouse

Basics in understanding and engaging in apologetics.

How to Read the Bible Book by Book

Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart

For basic Bible study and understanding Scripture.

How to Read the Bible for All its Worth

Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart

For basic Bible study and understanding Scripture.

Tangible Chris Sicks Making God known through deeds of mercy and words of truth.

The Art of Neighboring

Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon

Building genuine relationships right outside your door.

The Celtic Way of Evangelism: How Christianity Can Reach the West Again

George C. Hunter III

Emphasis on community transformation, not just individual transformation.

Questioning Evangelism

Randy Newman Engaging people’s hearts the way Jesus did.

Why Trust the Bible? Amy Orr-Ewing Answers 10 tough questions about the reliability of Scripture.

All Christians are called to share our faith, in love, with those with whom we come into contact, as the Spirit leads us and as we are prepared to say what God has done in our lives

and the lives of others.


But apologetics and evangelism are not simply “telling” or “proclaiming” what we believe as Christians and why. Instead, apologetics, evangelism, and spiritual formation shape the way in which we love and approach our neighbors. As St. Francis of Assisi reportedly said, “Preach the Gospel always—if necessary, use words.” Tangibly loving our neighbors in practical ways makes us a visible witness, a servant heart in our community. Even if no one responds to this invitation, we are nevertheless following Jesus’ command to love one another.

Billy Graham and the other famed evangelists of the last century were gifted by God and brought many people to Christ, particularly using radio and television—new media at the time. In our present culture we have a wide variety of electronic means of communicating visually and by voice. One of the chief elements missing in most evangelism activities is the touch of personal and relational communication with people we already know or could get to know. At its base, evangelism is about people, not programs. Relational evangelism, to be effective, must be sincere and authentic, and we cannot do that with some of the evangelistic programs of the past.

When we begin speaking the hearer is looking for authenticity in what we say about what we believe. They are looking for the evidence of our faith in our actions and deeds.

What is our goal as we embark on a renewed focus on evangelism at TFCA?

I’m hoping it will involve several things:• First, know your own story so that you are able to tell the

story of Jesus’ love and tell it well.• Second, begin to serve our community near our future

church home in tangible ways that demonstrate care. (Matthew 25:35-36).

• Third, begin to exercise the ministry of hospitality (Isaiah 58:7, Hebrews 13:2) and invite strangers to know the love of Jesus and in a manner that has relevance to their own life.

Three Essential Ingredients for Evangelism continued from page 7

The foregoing is an ambitious agenda! But it is also the life to which we are invited to participate as Christians. Evangelism is intimidating, sometimes frightening, but it is also a great thrill and adventure because we are actually saying and doing what Jesus told us to do to bring glory to Him and Our Father in Heaven. We do these things because the love of Christ is in us. The Christian life, if lived in faith, is rarely dull. Our congregation has the opportunity to respond to the Great Commission (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 21) afresh this season of our church life.

The seedlings of evangelism begin with prayer. Think of three people you could regularly pray would have an encounter with Jesus. Consider praying for them in the days, weeks, months and perhaps even years ahead. Wait and see what the Holy Spirit will do in our midst. It’s not that I am “doing evangelism” as TFCA’s Pastoral Associate, but rather that evangelism is both an opportunity and a responsibility for all of us at TFCA.

Beginning this January, our church will focus afresh on evangelism. I look forward to working with you in fulfilling the Lord’s command to bring the Gospel to Falls Church, Virginia, our nation, and the ends of the earth. Don’t be afraid—He is with us, and you can join us on the journey and tell your story of God’s love and your experience of Jesus. †

CARING THROUGH EVANGELISM

WEBSITES

CS Lewis Institute http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/

Ravi Zacharias International Ministries http://www.rzim.org/

Ravi Zacharias International Ministries: Europe http://www.rzim.eu/

Alister McGrath http://users.ox.ac.uk/~mcgrath/

The seedlings of evangelism begin with prayer. Think of three people you could

regularly pray would have an encounter with Jesus.


CARING FOR NEIGHBORS AND STRANGERS

Welcoming Refugees at TFCA – What Are We Doing? by Shireen David, Global Outreach at TFCA

T FCA has prayerfully entered into the beginnings of what it means to care for refugees—people who have fled

their homes due to religious or political persecution. We have noticed a significant increase in the number of newcomers to TFCA who are fleeing from life-threatening circumstances in their home countries. We can and must respond in a Christ-like manner so that they might know Jesus by our love!

One of our earliest actions has been to identify local, Christian organizations committed to helping settle refugees in our area and to find ways to partner with them in helping our new neighbors adjust to life in the U.S. We are working already with World Relief in Maryland and Lutheran Social Services in Virginia to provide “Welcome Kits” for arriving refugees. A spokesperson for World Relief explained, “Refugees often flee their homes at a moment’s notice. They arrive at our airports with few belongings, a difficult past, and high hopes for the future. Welcome Kits provide the basic household items they need for their new start in a place of safety.”

Some other ways we are reaching out to this new and growing population are:

1. Pray: As you consider how to help those who have lost everything, pray for them, their families, our country and our church. Some verses to consider as you pray:

When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. (Leviticus 19:33-34)

(…and the righteous will ask,) “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in

prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25: 37-40)

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (Hebrews 13:2)

2. Be a Shepherding Family or Group: Pray about getting further involved by being on TFCA’s list (coming in 2016) as a “Shepherding Family or Group” for a family of refugees. What does this mean? Your family or group will come alongside a refugee family to welcome them and be their shepherd—meet them at the airport, help them settle in to their apartment, take them grocery shopping, teach them life skills for living in the U.S. etc.

3. Watch for future Refugee Care meetings coming up soon.

continued on page 10

“Refugees often flee their homes at a moment’s notice. They arrive at our airports

with few belongings, a difficult past, and high hopes for the future.”


As we pray for wisdom and discernment in this new area of outreach, consider the following excerpt from The Global Refugee Crisis: A Unique Moment for the Church, an article by Stephan Bauman, President of World Relief:

Serving All in Christ’s Name As Christians, we have a particular concern for the

Persecuted Church, but our faith also compels us to respond with compassion to all those fleeing violence and persecution, regardless of their faith.…World Relief and the local churches that we empower provide the same care and support to Muslims, Yazidis, and other non-Christian religious minorities as we do to fellow Christians. As hundreds of thousands seek refuge in Europe, we are equipping local churches to respond with compassion and without discrimination [there and] throughout the United States….

…each person is made in the Image of God and has inherent dignity and worth (Genesis 1:27). The Apostle Peter commands us to “show proper respect to everyone,” not just to fellow Christians…We are driven by Jesus’ Great Commandment, to love God and to love our neighbor; Jesus’ response to a legal

Welcoming Refugees continued from page 9




scholar’s question—what we know of as the Parable of the Good Samaritan—makes explicitly clear that our “neighbor” cannot be narrowly defined to include only those of our own religious or ethnic group (Luke 10:21-37). When anyone is in need—which includes a great number of both Muslims and religious minorities right now in the Middle East—our response must be to love them as our neighbors, with compassion and mercy…We never do so in a coercive way, but as “an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have,” always shared “with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).

The reality is that, particularly in the U.S., where Christianity is the majority religion, the response of the Church to the arrival of Muslim refugees and other religious minorities

will have an enormous impact on how they perceive Jesus. As Christ followers, we want to welcome and befriend refugees so that we can be “the pleasing aroma of Christ” to all (2 Corinthians 2:15). We have witnessed God working in this way through decades of resettling refugees from diverse religious traditions… if the response of the American church to non-Christian refugees is one of fear, misplaced suspicion, and hostility, we will effectively reinforce their negative understanding of Christianity, while being unfaithful to the Biblical commands to love our neighbor, to which we are bound regardless of their faith.

While I do not understand why God allows the horrific human suffering that has forced so many to flee—and I pray that He will restrain evil and bring peace—I also trust that God has a purpose in the movement of people. We read in the book of Job that “He makes nations great, and destroys them; He enlarges nations, and disperses them” (Job 12:23) and Paul teaches in Acts that God does this “so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and findHim” (Acts 17:27 NIV 1984). God has sovereign purposes in the migration of people, and He invites His Church—here in the U.S. and throughout the world—to join Him in that mission.

To read Bauman’s article in its entirety, for FAQs about Refugee Care, and for more information about how you can serve in our growing Refugee Care ministry, please visit the Outreach Group on The City, or www.tfcanglican.org/global or email me at [email protected] †


CARING FOR OTHERS THROUGH STORY

Learning to tell the story of our faith journey takes prac-tice. What we tell, and to whom, depends on the con-

text, who is asking the question, and why they want to know. Evangelism, in short, is not “one size fits all,” as some ineffec-tive models promise. Indeed, there is no “one right way” to share the Gospel. As there are varieties of people, so there are varieties of ways of telling our stories of faith and how we en-countered the loving and forgiving power of Jesus in our lives. The book of Acts is full of examples of different approaches to evangelism.

In 1 Peter 3:15, Peter writes:In your hearts, honor Christ the Lord as holy, always

being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet doing it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience,

so that, when you are slandered, those who will revile your good behaviour in Christ will be put to shame.

Our role as Jesus’ disciples is always to be prepared to share the hope that we have in us—and one of the best ways to do this may be to tell others about our journey of faith. The key is that we must do so in gentleness and respect, not being arrogant, forceful, or obnoxious.

Sharing our story is not merely retelling facts. Storytelling is an art. Part of telling our story of faith is listening to the other person. What sorts of questions are they asking? What is their background, their personal situation, their own history of encounters with religion or with Christianity? How might we listen well to our friends, family, and neighbors—and how might we ask them good questions?

As Peter also writes, we know that sometimes we may be slandered or mistreated for sharing our faith. This is simply part of the cost of following Christ. Christ calls us to be courageous, not cowards.

These verses in 1 Peter presuppose that someone is asking us about how we live our lives. Perhaps if no one is asking us this question, it is a fresh opportunity to ask God why that might be the case. Do we live by the same standards as everyone else? Or do we seek to live as a true disciple of Jesus? A true disciple of Jesus follows His footsteps, doing the things He did and engages with others the way He did. Jesus told stories. He asked questions. He listened. Do we tell stories, ask questions, and listen? These are often—if not invariably—preludes to evangelism.

When we have the opportunity to share our story with others we must be prepared. One practical way is to write out how we first came to faith. Even if your story is not particularly dramatic, that does not lessen its effectiveness. It is worth writing out the full story; and in doing so, you will be able to see how God has changed and shaped your life. When I share my testimony with others, I don’t necessarily share my entire testimony sequentially nor do I tell all parts of my story. It depends on context and the person with whom I am speaking. Discernment is needed. Sometimes I focus on my college years or perhaps share just one significant event in my faith journey.

My Story: The Awe of GodI thought it might help to tell my story and encourage you

to reflect on your own story. It does not have to be long or detailed, but as we embark together on this renewed emphasis on evangelism, I wanted to share how Christ transformed my life.

This past October in our “Wholehearted” series, John preached on the awe of God. (Acts 2:43) What inspires God’s

Doorways of Opportunity: Telling Our Storiesby The Rev. Mary Amendolia

Red Non Door by Gavin Turk, Somerset House, London, February 2015


a Marine Corps officer. Our family embarked on a typi-cal adventure of military life, including numerous moves around the country and abroad. By high school, I had attended roughly 10 differ-ent schools and entered my teenage years in a full rebel-lion that lasted into my early twenties.

My junior year of college I managed to get expelled from my university. It took me several years, a serious bout of depression, a broken engagement, and a family member’s sudden death to change the course of my relationship with Jesus—

back to desiring and having a relationship with Him. Although I grew up in a Christian home and attended church weekly as a youth, it was now the earnest and fervent prayers of my family that influenced my life in a positive way.

At the age of 23, I recommitted my life to Jesus and once again experienced the peace I had known as a young child and again sensed the awe of God. That awe moved me to repentance. It was then that I began to experience both a hunger and thirst to grow in my faith and a concurrent deep joy in the Holy Spirit. My home church at the time provided great friends, community, and mentors to help me grow in my faith. Eventually I returned to college and finished my undergraduate studies. Over the years I embarked on various careers in radio, advertising, non-profit, and government contracting.

In 2004, after participating in the C.S. Lewis Fellows Program, I embarked on 4 years of theological study in the UK, eventually hearing a call to ordination. My graduate school years provided further opportunities to experience the awe of God. The school offered opportunities for me to share my faith through both apologetics and evangelism. Through these opportunities, I gained an even greater appreciation

awe in your life? Is it the beauty of creation, a talented poet, or a melodic tune? For me, the arts, specifically the visual arts, inspire a sense of awe of God. When I look at a painting by one of the great masters like Peter Paul Rubens, when I listen to music like Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, or even occasionally view a beautifully rendered photo on Instagram, I have that sense of awe. I am in awe that God created human beings with the ability to create art and beauty in this world.

When I was 3 weeks old, my parents began the journey of faith for me as I was Baptized at St. Francis of Assisi in Triangle, Virginia, just outside the gates of the Quantico Marine Corps Base. My first memory of the awe of God occurred in first grade religion class at a Catholic school. Sister Julie played a record of I am a Promise; I am a Possibility by the Bill Gaither Trio and then told the class a story about Jesus found in Revelation 3:20, “Behold I stand at the door and knock...” In my 6-year-old mind I imagined Jesus standing at the door of my heart and me inside setting the table for dinner. Sister Julie encouraged us to invite Jesus to come into our heart. As she told us, all you have to do is open the door and invite Him in. It was in this moment that I began a conscious journey of faith.

As an undergraduate studying art history, one particular painting, Masaccio’s Holy Trinity from Santa Maria Novella in Florence, inspired in me an inexplicable sense of awe. The skeleton at the bottom of the painting stood in sharp contrast to the Holy Trinity above. (The dove above God’s head is barely visible.) Something about the idea of a loving God holding up the arms of Jesus stuck in my memory. This painting did for me what it did for many in the late Middle Ages—it caused me to ponder my own mortality, something I sorely needed to do.

By way of back-ground, my parents were both DC na-tives, and my dad was


continued on page 14Light of the World by William Holman Hunt 1851

Masaccio’s Holy Trinity from Santa Maria Novella in

Florence


And God says, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my Word to perform it.” God watches over every part of our life from beginning to end; what a joy it is to know His beauty and care.

Think about your own story of faith, write it out, and then ask God for opportunities to share it with others. It is a helpful exercise to write out a long version, a short

version and even a 2-minute elevator version of your faith journey. I guarantee that if you ask God for opportunities to share it, He will not disappoint you. May you know the Grace of God in new ways and enjoy the adventure of following in His footsteps. †

for the Grace of God in my life.

Grace has come through both happy and challenging times, times of suffering as well as times of joy. Over the years I’ve struggled with singleness, two serious illnesses, career disappointments, and financial trouble. Yet all these things have shaped my faith and drawn me into deeper relationship with God. There have been great struggles and immense joy along the way. Each day was and is a fresh opportunity to speak with God, to know Him and to grow in relationship with others. God has proven faithful to me, and each day is a gift.

This summary is not my entire story, but I hope it has shown something of God’s love for me, all beginning with that first sense of awe of God. My story—all of it—has shaped me and inspired me to continue to walk closely with the God, with a burning desire to share that love with others that they, too, might grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that they may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (adapted from Ephesians 3:18-19)

Vincent Van Gogh’s painting of the Almond Blossom is an image which fills me with awe every time I see it. It reminds me of God’s watchfulness and love. In Jeremiah 1:5, God speaks to Jeremiah and tells him, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” Later in verse 11 God asks Jeremiah, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” Jeremiah replies, “I see the branch of an almond tree.”


Doorways of Opportunity continued from page 13

Van Gogh’s Almond Blossom

Think about your own story of faith, write it out, and then ask God for opportunities to share

it with others.


CARING FOR CHILDREN THROUGH PRAYER

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” (1 John 3:1)

Yes, see what kind of love the Father has given to us!! What began as a tug on some TFCA hearts more than 7 years ago came to fruition in a Children’s Healing Service on Sunday, October 25, at Columbia Baptist Church. About 90 busy little

bodies, with parents who believe in God’s special love for their kids, all listened to The Rev. Kathleen Christopher’s simple message of Jesus’ healing in the lives of children. Prayer ministers had prepared for the service by attending a special in-service training in September, which specifically addressed child-directed prayer and truth spoken in terms children understand. TFCA leadership clearly believes in the power

Celebrating TFCA’s First Children’s Healing Prayer Service by Jennifer Tricarico and Lesley Hackman


Praying God’s Word for Our Children As part of the Children’s Healing Prayer Service, parents were given helpful suggestions about how to pray for their children directly from God’s Word. As heirs to His Kingdom, our prayers as parents carry great authority; and by praying directly from God’s Word, we join our hearts with God’s will for us and our families. Praying from Scripture also affirms our trust in God’s power and faithfulness to us and those we love. Below are just a few examples of how you can pray specifically for your family from God’s Word:

• By inserting the name of your child (or any family member, including yourself) where Scripture is speaking to us as believers, you are praying the truth of God’s Word into the life of that person. The following example is from Psalm 91 (ESV). Use the child’s name in the blanks:

“__________who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. ____will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For He will deliver ____ from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover ____with his pinions, and under his wings ____ will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler. ____ will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day. Because ____ has made the Lord his/her dwelling place, the Most High, who is his/her refuge, no evil shall be allowed to befall ____, no plague come near his/her tent. For He will command His angels concerning ____ to guard ____ in all his/her ways. Because he/she holds fast to Me in love, I will deliver ____; I will protect _____, because ____ knows my name. When ____ calls to me, I will answer him/her, I will be with ____ in trouble; I will rescue ____ and honour ____. With long life I will satisfy ____ and show ____ my salvation.”

• The examples below demonstrate ways to not only pray for your children from Scripture, but also share His truth about your children with them. To teach your child to pray from Scripture, begin with, “The Lord says…” and help them rephrase the Bible passage in their own words.

Jeremiah 31:3 - God loves me (or child’s name) with a love that never, ever, ever ends—forever.

Jeremiah 29:11 - God is so good that the plans He has for my life are all good plans to help me be the best I can be. None of His plans will hurt me because He loves me. His plans are plans that will help me each and every day, and I can be happy about that, every morning when I get up.

Deuteronomy 31:8 - God already knows what my day is going to be like. He knows when I am feeling really happy, when I am sad, and when I feel scared. No matter what is happening, or how I feel, Jesus is with me, even though I can’t see Him. He likes to laugh with me when I am happy, and He is there with me when things are hard. I can know - no matter what...I am never alone; Jesus is with me, loving me.

Colossians 1:14 - No matter what I do wrong, or how many mistakes I make, God is always ready to forgive me, even before I say I’m sorry. Jesus is the proof God loves and forgives me.

A wonderful resource for praying Scripture over children is Stormie Omartian’s book, The Power of a Praying Parent. She also wrote on praying for adult children.

Teaching our children to pray from Scripture gives them a personalized encounter with God’s Word. It creates a heart-felt understanding of who God is, what He thinks of them, and who they are as contributors to this body of Christ. That legacy must never be undervalued—it releases our children to become all God created them to be.



of prayer, especially at events like these, as several leaders brought their own children to be prayed for and blessed.

The faithfulness of God was evident in the September training, in the Children’s Prayer Service itself, and in the many “WOW” parent sessions focusing on prayer with and for children. This collaboration between the Children’s Ministry and the Healing and Prayer Ministry is also a testimony to how our church is committed to “raising up the next generation” and uplifting families across our many ministries. The Lord is doing some new and wonderful things at TFCA, and His heart for children is at their core.

We are all familiar with the passages in Matthew 19 and Mark 10 where Jesus tells His Disciples to let the children come to

Him and “do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” Parents are wise to bring their children to Jesus through our prayer offerings! Do not hinder them! The recent Children’s Prayer Service may be the start of many more, but as this ministry develops, continue to bring your children to the many prayer opportunities offered through the Healing Prayer and Prayer-at-the-Rail Ministries of our church. They are not just for adults, and as Jesus demonstrated, the children will be welcomed, for to such belongs the Kingdom of God.

Celebrating TFCA’s First Children’s Healing Prayer Service continued from page 15



As Christian parents we understand that God has anointed us, as His heirs, to pass on to our children the gift of a re-

lationship with Him through prayer. However, it is important that we understand the larger impact of that commission.

We are charged with creating a foundation on which our children can stand firm in a culture that is constantly changing, not only in what it considers truth, but also in what actions are allowed within various contrived or convenient perceptions of truth.

The Big PictureOur families are our core

concern! However, we are not to be insular in God’s plan for us to mature as members of the body of Christ, no matter how old we are. We are called to care for one another within our families, as well as for our “neighbors,” as a reflection of how God the Father loves us, how Jesus heals and protects us, and how the Holy Spirit guides and comforts us. Your commitment to prayer and prayerful actions will ultimately create a family legacy that blesses future generations beyond your own family tree.

That legacy is important for another reason. When a church consists of prayerful families who are grounded on Biblical truth and reliance on the Holy Spirit, that church consequently holds itself accountable for its faithfulness to God’s Word. That accountability is essential, because the biggest temptation for the church at large is to covet “popularity” through promoting the culture’s definition of and motivation for “good works.” The true church, however, is one that uplifts and disciples those who are willing to seek God and His Word, first, and to make decisions based on God’s truth alone.

There is a God-empowered dynamic released when His Word is preached to, and accepted by, a congregation committed to what God envisions for their lives. That willingness to become God’s servants through prayerful action transforms a church into an authentic display of God sharing His love with the larger community, which exposes society to the true meaning of integrity.

The defining difference is that the Christian church has not been called to blend in with society. It has been called to cut

against the fabric of society that tries to interweave Christianity with man’s ways. Only when a congregation commits to living as “God’s holy people” through prayerful actions can it become the influential conscience of a culture that ultimately weaves the moral fabric of a nation.

It all begins with the simple but profound decision to teach our children that the Lord Himself called them into a loving relationship when He said, “Let the children come to me.” In that statement Jesus proves to us, as parents, that He loves and values our children! He wants to hear their voices and their hearts’ desires, and He knows ahead of time what contributions they will make to His Kingdom.

Our job as parents is to purposefully open the doorway of prayer so that our children will step through it and experience their personal call from a loving Jesus. We are to give them the tools to discover God the Father’s unique plan for them to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit through a prayerful relationship with Him.

It is through the legacy of your family living out a lifestyle of prayer that your children will come to know God’s heart, respect God’s will, and walk in God’s ways while taking their positions as “Culture Changers” for God’s glory. †

God’s Call to Christian Parents:Raising Our Children to Become “Culture Changers” by Lesley Hackman and Lin Story


Dedication & Open House at TFCA


Dedication & Open House at TFCA






YOUTH CARING FOR YOUTH

All my close friends wanted to see. I

showed people eagerly and joyfully. I listened eagerly in class and actually caught every word. I spoke more softly and understood more clearly! And, ahh, I could pray in a group setting again. I rejoiced in this one

gain particularly. Then, I began to notice different treatment from those who saw my new hearing aids. From some it was apologies, from others a change in tone of voice, and from others a look of confusion and curiosity when I changed my batteries in the middle of lecture if they died.

I did not know how to express this new gift from God. Do I post it on Facebook? Do I send out an email? Do I stay silent? I wasn’t sure. I decided to not use social media but rather wait for conversations to come up. I didn’t want my lifetime struggle and God’s precious gift to be scrolled through passively by bored and insecure teenagers looking for something exciting. I also wasn’t sure what the backlash would be: Positive or negative? Inquiry or avoidance? Joy or sorrow? So I waited. I marveled. I enjoyed. I reached a new level of gratitude. I was overwhelmed with joy.

But in my waiting, few actually asked the questions I longed to be asked: “Debbie, how has your hearing affected your faith?” or “Debbie, what do you miss about your world of hearing aids?” or “Debbie, what do we take for granted having normal ears?” But I was too cowardly and conservative to volunteer this information, so I remained silent.

Fast-forward a year. In that whole year, I grew more in my dependence on God. I saw his beautiful world. I felt free. Slowly I became more bold about my past. I decided on a whim to read my poem, Hearing in Color, at a college coffee house open mic night. Then, on the first anniversary of when I received hearing aids, I decided to post the poem on Facebook. With the post, I extended an invitation to anyone who wanted to know the full story. This was perfect. I had had a whole year to process God’s faithfulness. Now I had thoughts to share that were refined and mature. And only those who took the time to read the poem and made the effort to contact me would know the full story behind what had happened.

The week following my post, I had so many conversations about my hearing aids and my past struggles. Telling my story over and over awakened a deeper gratitude and a deeper understanding of what the Lord had done. But in every

Third in a SeriesOh, To Be Healed by Deborah Aderton

conversation, a common theme emerged: healing prayer. People were asking me about my experience with healing prayer and whether or not I thought God could actually heal me. I was not ready for these questions. I had stopped praying for healing the moment I received hearing aids. I had grown in my gratitude and contentment but I had stopped asking for healing completely. These conversations left me filled and heard but slightly frustrated. I fell back into my false theology of “God can heal you, but he can’t heal me.”

During the week, I talked to my friends and my mentor about the concept of healing prayer. It just so happened that my Christian Fellowship was going to have a worship evening with healing prayer that weekend. I started getting nervous, skeptical, and totally fearful. I did not want to disappoint people. I did not want to disappoint myself. I did not want to have false hope. I did not want to revisit all heartache I have felt over the years praying for my ears. But somehow, God convinced me to accept my friends praying over me.

The night of the worship evening, I was reading my Bible and came across these verses:

“Come, let us return to the Lord.He has torn us to pieces

but he will heal us;he has injured us

but he will bind up our wounds.After two days he will revive us;

on the third day he will restore us,that we may live in his presence.

Let us acknowledge the Lord;let us press on to know him.

As surely as the sun rises,He will appear;

He will come to us like the winter rains,like the spring rains that water the earth.”

Hosea 6:1-3

I could not help but feel God was challenging me to approach the Lord not as my wounder, but as my healer. There was something deeper to these verses than healing, too. There was a promise of new life, a promise of restoration. This kind of new life directly parallels that of Jesus. Before Jesus resurrected, He was dead. He was suffering. But He triumphantly experienced life like no other man had experienced before. This kind of experience encourages a response of pressing on to know the Lord more fully. It asks that we come to God expectantly, because no matter what, He will show up.


So, I entered the evening with a lot of baggage and yet, somehow I also had an open heart. The first half of the evening I just worshiped. I prayed. I journaled. Then, one of my friends came up to me, took my hand, and led me upstairs. I sat down with a few of my closest friends and we started praying over my friend Sarah. As we were praying, another friend, Kevin, came over to pray over Sarah and me. As he prayed, I began to cry. This was not unusual for me during healing prayer. I came in knowing that I would shed some tears. I was crying for all the times I had prayed for healing and not received it. I prayed because it was my heart’s desire to know this healing. I cried. Kevin’s prayer was beautiful and passionate. But it quickly moved from healing to God’s overwhelming love for Sarah and me. He kept speaking of the Lord’s love for us.

I quickly turned to my friend Rachel and began to pray over her. As I was praying, Kevin was trying to get my attention. It took a little while, but he finally did. He explained something to me. He said to me that while he was praying for me, his left ear went deaf. When he finished praying, he felt a release and he could hear again. I froze. My heart pounded. “Debbie, take out your left hearing aid,” he said.

I felt weak. If I take out my hearing aid, will I disappoint them? Will I disappoint me? Will I disappoint God? My hand slowly went up to my left ear. I took out my left hearing aid. Sound. Sound all around. I could hear better with it out than with it in. In the split second I processed this, I began to cry.

I wept. On my knees, I wept with my hands over my face. My closest friends, laughing and weeping and praising God, surrounded me. I wanted to check if it was real, but I could not even stop crying. I don’t know how long I was there. But I know that when I stood up, I had my hearing aid clenched in my hand. Rachel took it and put it in her glasses case. I went downstairs where the worshiping was still going on. I could not go five steps without people running up and hugging me asking what had happened.

I excitedly fumbled over my life story and quickly told people what had just happened. So many people kept coming up to me. I started to feel overwhelmed. I went to the back of the room and just started dancing. Then Rachel grabbed my hand and we ran outside. We shouted “Hallelujah!” We laughed. We cried some more. I was shaking. Could this be real? This is something I knew I could not fake. But how could it be real?

We went back inside and I continued to share my story over and over. I shared the story of my ears more within those few hours than I had in my whole lifetime put together. Wow. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t believe. How could this be true? Why now? Why here? Why just my left ear? As I shared, I started to realize that both ears represented God’s faithfulness. My eyes—my sight—sit between God’s faithfulness. Both ears reminded me of God’s generous healing. Both ears brought me into a different world. With my right I fit into the hard-of-hearing world and with my left, I fit into the hearing world. Both ears spoke of God’s provision. I was overwhelmed.

Everyone decided to go out to get milkshakes to celebrate. I nervously drove still shaking from the whole experience. I

parked the car and everyone got out. I told them I would meet them inside. Then, I sat in the car and cried. I pulled out my phone and dialed my mom’s phone number. “Hi Mom!” I stumble over the story between nervous laughs and joyful tears. She laughed and cried. I laughed and cried. We recounted all the things I had been through and all the years of struggle and all the countless prayers. I hung up the phone and texted my dad, who was on a business trip, to call my mom to hear the whole story. My

mom and dad had been praying my whole lifetime for this.I walked into the restaurant and was greeted by so many eager

and curious eyes. In a few hours, I had gone from being just another member of the fellowship to the center of attention. I did not know how to process this. How could I? I had always been prayed over for healing, but no one actually told me what to do when you are healed. I barely drank my milkshake as I told the story over and over again.

And then, I remembered Hosea 6. I pulled out my Bible and started to read that verse to myself and then to my friends. Wow! Can you believe our God? The words came to life. I understood what both sides of the equation meant. He has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us. A new word stood out to me: will. God will heal us—in His own timing and in His chosen place.

Editor’s note: We originally intended to edit Debbie’s story down and complete it in three installments. However, the final section is so compelling that rather than end it here, we have decided to run a fourth piece in the March/April issue of Current. Look for several surprising twists next time! †

YOUTH CARING FOR YOUTH

I felt weak. If I take out my

hearing aid, will I disappoint

them? Will I disappoint me? Will

I disappoint God?


CARING FOR OUR FUTURE

E very year a flier comes out in autumn proclaiming

that coming up this year you will have “The Best Weekend Ever” at Breakaway. How can this possibly be? Is this hyperbole? Is this a joke or just some brilliant marketing scheme? There may not be a precise answer or a way to quantify if it truly is the best weekend ever, but undoubtedly it has been a very important weekend in the lives of many. From its early days in Ocean City after Christmas to our move to Rockbridge and a split into two weekends, Breakaway has been a place where people hear the Gospel and where the Holy Spirit moves in powerful ways.

Countless hours are put into planning the weekend to ensure that it will be incredibly fun, exciting, and entirely for the kids—the exclusive youth focus is something unusual these days. The purpose of Breakaway is to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to middle and high school students in a fresh, engaging manner that allows them to respond to the Holy Spirit working in their lives. This year’s Breakaway will feature two of our best speakers: Pat Goodman for high school and Jim Byrne for middle school. The Gospel will be clearly presented in a way that enables students when they reach to embrace the power of Christ—when they decide to allow Him to transform their lives from death to life. That makes it the best weekend

Was it “The Best Weekend Ever”? by Mike Steenhoek, Youth Ministry

ever: it’s the most life-changing experience many of these kids will ever have. You can ask countless middle schoolers, high schoolers and adults where their lives where changed and “Breakaway” will be the answer.

Breakaway has had such impact on the lives of some that they feel compelled to pay it forward and continue to work toward making it happen for others. Many of the adults working so tirelessly for the students were once students themselves and know the weekend has the potential to impact the rest of life. They experienced the life changing power of Christ themselves and want it for each new generation of students. They now volunteer their time and energy to offer that same experience to others. Current volunteer leaders Peter Breen, Katherine Giere, Caitlin Sickler, Kenan O’Keefe, and JD McAleer have all served on multiple Breakaways having participated in high school themselves. Former students and leaders contribute countless hours to make the program, videos, and sound top notch. Nathan Mitchell, Jon Crocker, and Daniel Harlan, all former small group leaders, help make the magic of the program happen. Daniel currently holds the record for longest streak: He has been at Breakaway for 19 years in a row, dating back to his years as an 8th grader in Cornerstone. One could argue that there is no single Breakaway that


CARING FOR OUR FUTURE

is the best-ever, but the cumulative experience over the years of the weekend’s memories, experiences, and friendships is hard to beat.

Breakaway is the best weekend ever for bringing students into The Falls Church Anglican. It is such a fun, memorable experience that people want to bring their friends. It’s a chance for a seventh grader to invite their neighbor, classmate, or teammate to something incredible where they not only hear the Gospel but are invited to join a community of believers. A student at Yorktown or some other school might notice a Breakaway t-shirt, see an Instagram post, or hear a conversation in the hall about Breakaway, and our student can seize the opportunity to offer an invitation to Cornerstone or even next year’s Breakaway. Over 25 percent of the students that participate in Youth Ministry programs on the weekends are not from TFCA, and many have no church home. Numerous students have started attending worship on Sunday mornings, some inviting their families to join them.

As a parent once said, “I wish there was a Breakaway weekend for adults!” Maybe they were just looking for their own “Best Weekend Ever”! It’s hard to argue with awesome

food, spending time with your friends, free time activities, and the life changing power of Christ. As a youth ministry we will continue to try to make every Breakaway weekend the “Best Weekend Ever” for the elementary kids coming up, the current kids who will become leaders, and for the families who will come to The Falls Church Anglican because of this dynamic program. Who knows, maybe one day there will be a Breakaway for adults? †


The Annual “Guys Go Hiking” on Old RagPhotos by Brian Ray

MEN CARING FOR EACH OTHER


WOMEN CARING FOR EACH OTHER

Greeting God’s Grace; Receiving His Loveby Laura Hill, Women’s Ministry Coordinator

I f you’ve been praying for a time of spiritual renewal, learning, and fellowship with women from TFCA, consider

joining us for our Annual Women’s Retreat, March 11-13 in Annapolis, Maryland. Our keynote speaker, Christine Hoover, will provide teaching insights from her newest book, From Good to Grace: Letting Go of the Goodness Gospel.

Christine said she wrote the book out of her own struggle with perfectionism and performance-oriented living. “Women sometimes confuse being good and trying hard—the goodness gospel—with the true gospel, which is about receiving the grace and love that Jesus offers and then responding with our lives by the Holy Spirit’s help,” she writes on her blog, Grace Covers Me.

Christine, her husband Kyle, and their three children live in Charlottesville, Virginia, where they planted Charlottesville Community Church in 2008. Prior to planting the Charlottesville church, Kyle served as the college pastor at a church in College Station, Texas. Christine has been speaking about the topic of grace for a number of church conferences and will speak at the Gospel Coalition’s Women’s Conference in 2016. Christine has also written a book on the topic of church planting.

TFCA’s Women’s Retreat seeks to draw women of all ages to come away and spend time in God’s Word and in fellowship with

other women. The weekend will also feature 1-hour seminars given by women from The Falls Church Anglican on a variety of topics including healing prayer, marriage and parenting, evangelism and outreach, and spiritual formation. Individual healing prayer appointments will be available throughout the weekend as well as Silent Soaking Prayer. Saturday afternoon is reserved for free time to enjoy anything from touring historic Annapolis or taking a Zumba exercise class to taking a nap! The hotel also offers a heated indoor pool, fitness center, and Aveda Spa services.

“I enjoyed every minute of the retreat. I liked getting to know people in our meal talks, I liked the speaker’s practical talks and applications, I liked the opportunity for prayer…the times of laughter…and the art emphasis,” commented one of the retreat-goers from last year.

The retreat will be held once again at the Westin Hotel, situated within the shops and restaurants near the Annapolis waterfront. Rooms will be $124 per night, double or single occupancy. Early bird registration for the retreat will begin in January with conference fees starting at $154 for early birds and $164 for regular registation for the weekend. Scholarships will be available and assistance with finding a roommate can be handled through the retreat committee.

For more information about the retreat or to volunteer to serve on the retreat committee, please contact Laura Hill at [email protected]. †

“Women sometimes confuse being good and trying hard—the goodness gospel—with

the true gospel, which is about receiving the grace and love that Jesus offers and

then responding with our lives by the Holy Spirit’s help.”


As I am singing, I suddenly hear something. It triggers a painful memory and I begin to panic because I sense that a precarious dam is holding back powerful floodwaters of shame within me. The dam seems ready to burst. Why here? Why now? Why during this sacred and holy time?

I feel the need to sit. In that moment, I decide to present as an offering to the Lord the memory—this buried shame that has percolated from the depths of my consciousness. I sense He has allowed it to come up. Here. Now. In the safety of His holy presence.

I close my eyes and see His Throne, a mound of boulders before it. The stones are massive—like the ones composing the Great Pyramids of Egypt. I see that I am buried beneath those bricks—the weight of my shame—and I didn’t even realize it. Then appears a pair of angels, one on each side of the mound, removing the bricks one by one. I am freed from the weight and slowly able to rise up. I am now standing before God.

We begin singing a new song. From my pew where I have been sitting these last few minutes, resting before God, I feel physically renewed and desire to stand again.

Your love never fails, never gives upNever runs out on me.

I see those words on the overhead screen in front of me. As I take them in, I feel their truth. I sing the lyrics with all of my heart, soul, and strength. I am not in choir rehearsal anymore. I am standing before my King, singing to Him in His court. I don’t feel embarrassed or self-conscious about my lackluster singing ability. Rather, I feel invited and empowered to sing

out praises. I have a sense that, just as the Spirit intercedes on my behalf and perfects my prayers to my Heavenly Father (Romans 8:26-27), so the Spirit does too with my imperfect (and probably flat) notes. I don’t know whether that’s true, but I hope it is.

We are invited during times of quiet to share Scripture and words out loud. Another worshipper says, “I believe that God is greatly pleased with our praises.” Yes, He is pleased.

The evening continues on. As we sing the last verse of

CARING IN COMMUNITY IN MUSIC

F riday, September 25, 2015: I arrive at Rivendell Chapel at approximately 7:20 pm and find a seat in an empty pew.

It’s the second of TFCA’s “extended worship evenings” and I don’t want to miss a minute. I am eager, anticipating I will be met by God tonight in a powerful way.

I am not a musician. When I was a high school student, my worst grades were in choir. I was chronically “flat.” I still remember the choir director walking through my row in the alto section, pausing in front of each of us and listening carefully. He would look at me and say, “Kelly, you’re flat,” and then continue on. Feeling self-conscious and defeated, I sang more softly, not wanting anyone to hear me.

Today I am 34 years old, married, and the mother of two small children. I still don’t sing especially well. A few years ago, however, the Lord showed me that I was created to worship Him. I am a worshipper. When I sing to God, I feel close to Him. As I sing His praises, I can sense my barriers of self-protection begin to come down and hidden rooms of my heart being gently unlocked and explored. These are some of the times when I hear God’s voice most clearly.

As I sit in my empty pew at Rivendell Chapel watching the band conclude its rehearsal and circle to pray, I see a friend walk in. She is not a friend I get to see regularly—just occasionally on Sunday mornings at TFCA—but my heart warms to see her. She is also a worshipper. She also knows she was created to worship God and she delights in it. She asks if she can sit next to me. We exchange a quick hug and I am grateful that she will be by my side as we and the others who are trickling into the chapel will worship together that evening. There is very little conversation as we wait to begin worship, and yet, there is a sense of togetherness and community—a sense of true fellowship in the midst of quiet.

A few minutes later, we pray and begin to sing. Most of us are sitting; after a while some begin to stand. As time ticks on, I become less aware of the other people around me and what they are doing. Likewise, I become increasingly aware of God’s presence. God is here with us, and we all seem to know it. There is a sense of freedom and security in this place.

Tasting Heaven: Reflections of a Worshipper by Kelly McFadde



CARING FOR OUR SPIRIT IN MUSIC

Soli Deo Gloria: The Organ Music of BachInterview with Todd Fickley, Organist at The Falls Church Anglicanby Kris Iverson

Last year, Todd Fickley, our organist since 2007 (and former Director of Worship), embarked on The Bach Project, an endeavor that is rarely undertaken among organists, which is to perform and record the entirety of Bach’s organ works.

KI: To understand the scope of this project, how many organ works did Bach write?

It depends on how you count them and what you call “authentic.” The number is constantly changing as new discoveries are made. But I would say it’s in the neighborhood of 270 works. I estimate that, ultimately, the cycle will take 16 CDs.

KI: Wow! What led you to take this on?

Learning to play Bach is standard for any organ student, as Bach is to the organ what Chopin is to the piano. But from an early age the complexity, beauty, piety, and power of his music has always inspired me to get deeply into it, so The Bach Project seemed a natural goal. Few Americans have ever released a commercial cycle—in fact, only one that I am aware of. I’ve been performing with the Washington Bach Consort [one of the leading Bach groups in the nation] for over 15 years now and felt ready to “say something” with such a project. I also became familiar with a new form of recording technology called Hauptwerk, which actually allows me to do my recordings on historic European instruments without going to Europe. So this cycle will be quite unique.

KI: How long do you anticipate it will take you to produce all of these works?

I just started last year, and I have deliberately avoided giving myself deadlines. I don’t want this to be a stunt; rather, I’d like to get to know each piece well both before I perform it and before I record it. It will take years, I’m sure. I’ve performed three concerts to date, and recorded and released two CDs.

KI: Among well known composers, Bach is known to have been a firm Christian. What does it mean to you to concentrate so intensely on his works instead of music written by other accomplished composers?

Indeed he was. Bach spent his entire life working as a church musician, and did not seek for anything else. Though his music is the gold standard for excellence in all of history and made a huge impact developmentally on future composers, the vast majority of his writing was largely forgotten for 100 years. Since the rediscovery of his music that started under

Felix Mendelssohn, his star has been steadily rising. But to deal with such musical perfection with a staggering amount of theology embedded in each composition is a constant source of inspiration—and perhaps the best musical tool the world has for worship. Almost no one else writes with both the rigor and beauty of Bach.

KI: Could you give us an example of the theology he built into a composition?

One famous example is the “St. Anne’s” fugue which will end my cycle and which I regularly play on Trinity Sunday. It is in fact one of Bach’s musical treatises on the mystery of the Trinity. A highly unusual triple fugue (three themes), the opening is stately in Renaissance style depicting God the Father. The second uses double notes (second person) representing the Son, but the theme of the Father is superimposed (“if you have seen Me you have seen the Father”). The final section is a buoyant spiritual dance in triplets (third person!) depicting the Holy Spirit—all three themes are combined in this finale (Three in One and a true triple fugue) accompanied by “rushing wind” countersubjects. The whole piece is in the key of three flats, is in three sections, uses multiples of three. I could go on and on but you get the idea. An amazing thing about all of Bach’s music is that you don’t need to know any of this in order to enjoy the piece.

KI: Do you have a personal favorite?

Far too many to name! I do have a soft spot for the Canonic Variations, which I will be performing November 20th at the next Bach Project recital. Also the Passacaglia, which finishes the Volume 1 CD. Any one of these or 100 other works alone would have established him as one of the finest artists of all time. Yet he wrote more than 1200 musical works of all kinds—for vocalists, orchestra, solo instruments—so many of which have yet to be equaled by anyone.

KI: Some of us have not listened to a lot of Bach’s organ music. Are there any tips you can give us for listening to this music? What should we listen for?

That could take a whole course! Much of his music was written for liturgical use, and it always helps to get a little background about the particular piece to know how it fit into the church services of his day. But Bach is the king of polyphonic writing, which in a nutshell means that he works in musical “layers” or voices superimposed on top of each



other. The wonders open up upon repeated listening, as there is always more to hear! Each individual line is a wonderfully crafted melody in itself, yet they all fit together into a pleasing harmonic whole. This is also why repeated listening to a Bach piece improves our appreciation of it.

KI: Are you recording the music on our TFCA organ?

No. I have a home organ and recording studio that I built over several years before TFCA was in need of a temporary instrument. My experience with Hauptwerk technology led me to recommend it as an answer to our need for a portable digital organ during our tabernacling years. The recordings are on completely unrelated sets to what we use on Sunday mornings. The first CD of The Bach Project is the recording of a 1721 Schnitger organ in Holland. Volume 2 is the largest mechanical action organ in Europe, a modern historical copy, also in Holland.

KI: The first two volumes of The Bach Project are now available. Volume 2 was just released. Is there anything we would find familiar on your CDs?

If you are familiar with Bach, many things on both. If not, then it will be a wonderful discovery! But several works on the latest release are based on hymns we sing at church: A Mighty Fortress; Now Thank We All Our God; If Thou But Trust in God to Guide Thee; Praise to the Lord; Sleepers, Wake! We inherited all of those great hymns from the Lutherans.

KI: Can you share with us an interesting story or fact about Bach?

There is a famous anecdote that, when complimented on his supreme ability at the organ, Bach replied that it really wasn’t that wondrous: You simply press the right key at the right time and the instrument does the rest! He worked at a time when deep and complex art was falling out of fashion in favor of the simpler and shallower—people categorized him as old-fashioned well before his death. Yet he never compromised; in fact, his compositions became increasingly complex, with more and more hidden theological references. Now his music rules the field. I think his humility, coupled with a resolute determination to serve God to the utmost of human ability, no matter what the cultural trend, is what makes him the greatest of church musicians—actually the greatest musician—to this day. †

Soli Deo Gloria continued from page 31

Tasting Heaven continued from page 30

CARING FOR OUR SPIRIT IN MUSIC

“This is a remarkable audio cathedral being rebuilt before our very ears. Thank you, Todd, for this great work of witness. I love Bach’s exquisite dance in the church’s procession of thought, feeling, and beauty—and the way Todd springs forward with God’s grace and power.” —The Rev. Nicholas Lubelfeld, extolling Fickley’s The Bach Project.

“God of All Power and Grace,” this mini-congregation sings the words out wholeheartedly:

God of all power and graceWhen we look upon Your holy faceWe will lift our voice to bless YouGod who all heaven adoresWe will worship You forevermoreWhen we lift our song before You

We lift our hands almost in unison as our physical posture reflects our surrendered hearts of worship. I realize that it’s now 9 pm and the evening has drawn to a close. I’m disappointed that it’s over but the lyrics feel like a fitting way

to finish our time together. When the song ends, there is an outburst of applause.

But then! Worship leader Ben Doggett begins another song. Yes! It’s not over yet! We all are eager to keep singing. In that moment, I sense that I am tasting Heaven: One day we will worship together, all of the saints, and we will not have to go home. We will be home. I am thankful for the chance to keep worshipping for just five more minutes. One day, it will be forever.

References: “One Thing Remains,” Brian Johnson, Jeremy Riddle, and

Christa Black Gifford. “God of All Power and Grace,” Jamie Brown. †


So, according to the experts* what can we do to keep our choir nourished and thriving?

1. Pray: for choir members you know; for the choir’s spiritual unity and commitment; that they be blessed musically and walk by His word. (Pray a short blessing over them as they ascend the risers.)

2. Listen for the “message:” Allow the choir to minister to you. Praise the Lord in your heart with them. They don’t want to “perform” for you, they want to praise with you.

3. Be purposefully encouraging: When a hymn is meaningful, say an “Amen,” and write a note to Simon or John for the choir. Choir members aren’t looking for accolades, but are encouraged by hearing how God uses their ministry to impact you spiritually, which is exactly why they joined a church choir.

4. Be faithful: Your attendance and participation during the singing affirms the value of every voice that is raised to give glory to God.

5. Attend any special events the choir and worship team offers: It is a great way to offer your friends, neighbors, co-workers, and others, a glorious evening that will bless them in more ways than one.

6. Support the choir financially: There are many under-the-radar costs associated with maintaining a choir!

7. Let grace abound! Don’t expect musical or technical perfection. Also, remember that every hymn or anthem doesn’t need to be of your personal taste. God honors all “sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise” according to one’s heart for Him. Pray to be in that place of “honoring.”

8. Join the choir—and have your children join children’s choir!: If you like to sing, then go for it! TFCA’s choirs are a welcoming bunch. You will be blessed, and be a blessing as others see and hear the choir joining their voices together to honor the Lord!

[A church choir is a terrible thing to waste!] †

*summarized from an article on https://worshipsounds.wordpress.com

CARING FOR OUR CHOIR IN PRAYER

When Scott Thompson and I tagged along as choir spouses at TFCA’s choir retreat, we relished overhear-

ing the choir’s musical offerings, which were often punctu-ated with the laughter of genuine fellowship. Worship and Music Director Simon Dixon also asked Scott and me, as part of TFCA’s prayer ministries, to pray for the choir and lead the Sunday worship.

As Scott and I prepared for Sunday, he ran across an inter-esting statistic: Only 40 percent of churches actually have choirs. That surprised me, so I decided to do some additional computer research on “What causes church choirs to fail?” I was amazed at the plethora of passionate debates via blogs and websites about the need for, and care and feeding of, church choirs. In every discussion, however, it was clear that without a congregation’s commitment to support and encourage their church choir, it will, indeed, become not only endangered, but extinct in one generation.

For me, that was a wake-up call not to take our choir for granted! I began to see it not only as a part of our amazing worship ministry, but also as a precious gift. There is no way to describe the beauty and power of many voices harmonizing for the singular purpose of ushering us into the presence of God, allowing us the privilege of joining with “heavenly witnesses” in response to God’s overwhelming love for us. When I hear or sing along with this choir made up of my brothers and sisters in Christ, I become more than “one voice.” I become part of an eternal testimony of united voices raised in adoration—as well as the power it renders in spiritual warfare.

Keeping Our Choir Off the Endangered Species List by Lesley Hackman


CARING FOR OTHERS IN POETRY

I Am An Immigrant Child in a Foreign Landby Ruth Kendall Kaufman

Hurry, hurry, Muma said

You can’t lay there in your bed

We are leaving this fractured land

Where rubble, bombs and gunfire burst overhead

And shrapnel flies in every direction

I quickly dress and Muma takes my hand

Papa has a worried look of dismay

Our house rattles and shakes as we’re on our way

While bombs burst and buildings crumble

Papa says we must flee this troubled land

It’s hard for me to understand

I wonder to myself why are we leaving

My parents tells me it’s due to all the upheaval

Of a war that we all abhor

We know not what life has in store

We are leaving everything behind

Where we will go troubles my parents’ mind

They had heard that Germany is the place to go

Or Turkey, and Jordan, but now there is an overflow

Oh where, oh where can we go?

We have reached the border, which direction do we take?

There is much that is at stake

Mother and Father say to Europe we should go

But others say oh no! That’s not the way to go

Hungary’s borders are closed to all immigrants

Muma cries and Father heaves a terrible sigh and shakes his head

It has been days now with many hours of waiting

No food and little water as the cool air has replaced the heat

The crowds are restless from all the waiting

And still no buses come as promised

For we are weary and beaten

From all our walking and worn out shoes!

I cling to my Mother for I am scared

She tries to comfort me with rocking

I only have my little toy lamb

A last minute grab as we were leaving

And now it is the only connection to my home

All else has been lost

And a wrenching sadness envelops me

I feel the tears slowly bathing my fae

And a flood gate seems to open

For I feel a deep sense of loss

We don’t have any home and nowhere to go

I am an immigrant child in a foreign land!

Can someone help by lending a hand?


STARS IN THE CROWNPlease send your stories of people in our congregation serving each other and their neighbor to [email protected] in hopes of inspiring others to be a blessing to someone.

C aryl Engler and Liz Mullan certainly are the epitome of “faithful servants”! Both of these precious women have

faithfully hosted the fellowship time following our 8 am Sunday Worship Service over many years, and they graciously con-tinued that blessing through our tenure at Columbia Baptist Church. They not only supplied us with delicious goodies and welcome cups of coffee, but also decorated the table to reflect the seasons. They made sure newcomers were introduced around the room and always served us with smiles on their faces. The gift of hospitality is a God-given one that is very much appreciated (and so needed) in today’s busy culture. I am not the only one who has always looked forward to Sunday

CARING FOR ONE ANOTHER

mornings worshipping and then visiting with this special con-gregation that shares God’s peace and joy so freely with one an-other. Caryl and Liz have given TFCA a great gift through their service of caring, creativity, and energetic enthusiasm—that gift has lifted our spirits and brought us much joy! (Special note: Liz has been serving as a church fellowship hostess since she was a little girl at her grandmother’s knee. What a blessing and a lega-cy for us all!) Be sure to let them know when you see them that we count them among those who have honored us and the Lord through giving generously what the Lord has given to them: a love for His people.

—Lesley Hackman


CARING ABOUT OUR HERITAGE

Good News in the English Reformation

What was at the heart of the English Reformation of the 1500s?

What affirmations summarized the good news of Jesus Christ as held and proclaimed

by reformers of the English Church?

Beginning Monday, January 11, 2016, at 7:30 pm, we will examine five “solas” central to the faith and efforts of Thomas Cranmer, William Tyndale, and many others who gave their lives in witness to the good news and in reshaping Christianity in England and beyond.

Through videos by renowned scholar Ashley Null, produced for the Ridley Institute, along with group discussion, we will explore the significance of Christ, Scripture, faith, grace, and the glory of God for our lives as followers of Jesus.

Join Greg Strong, Ph.D., and others in this exciting study: Mondays, January 11 through February 15, 7:30-9:00 p.m., in the Ministry Center at 6565 Arlington Boulevard.


Phyllis Starz Administrative Support for Marriage Matters Now, Congregational Care Department

A mother of four, a mili-tary spouse and a graphic designer, Phyllis is excited

to join the Marriage Matters Now Ministry as an Administrative Assistant in the Congregational Care Department at TFCA. During the last two decades and five overseas deployments, she has served right alongside her husband, supporting Army families. A former Episcopalian, now-Anglican, through her entire adult life, she and her family joined TFCA in 2009. They purchased a home in Falls Church, so that they can stay physically connected to the church regardless of where the Army sends them. A continuing volunteer with the Children’s Ministry and a past volunteer with our fabulous Altar Guild, Phyllis looks forward to her new position—as Phyllis says, “because with its struggles and triumphs, Marriage Matters Now!”. †

NEW STAFF CARING FOR YOU

Yong Woo Stephano (“Yong”) Kwon I.T. Intern, Administration Department

My name is Yong Woo Stephano Kwon, but peo-ple just call me Yong. I am currently a senior at Marymount University

and hopefully get my B.A. in Philosophy in May 2016. I was born in South Korea. My family and I moved to America when I was 8 years old and have lived in Northern Virginia ever since. I currently attend St.Paul Chung Korean Catholic Church in Fairfax. During my free time, I like to help others by volunteering.

Grace Michele Rutherford Administrative Assistant, Youth Ministry

Grace Rutherford (née Wood) comes from Charlottesville, Virginia, where she was actively involved with her home church, Grace Community

Church. Grace recently graduated from Christopher Newport University with a major in Communication and a minor in Childhood Studies. After graduation, Grace moved to Northern Virginia to start work with The Falls Church Anglican and to follow her fiancé on this next adventure.

Grace serves TFCA’s very active Youth Ministry in the role of Administrative Assistant. In her free time, Grace enjoys spending time at home with kitten and new husband. She is an avid fan of comedy television and country music. Starbucks is her second home, and food (particularly burgers and fries) are the way to her heart.


BIRTHS/ADOPTIONSW Abigail Yeh-Eun Kim, daughter of Jae and Moses Kim

(Aug 9)*

BAPTISMSW Gerardo Daniel Romero, son of Stella and Marcelino

Romero*

W Florence Adams North, daughter of Ellen and Stuart North

WEDDINGSW Vanessa Reese to Gerardo Daniel Romero (Aug 22)*

W Molly Plummer to Taylor Hamill (Nov 7)

DEATHSW John Ayre, brother of Dan Ayre, son of Phyllis & Ted Ayre

(Sep 27)*

W Ruth O. Ikpeme, mother of Victoria I. Nnaji (Oct 12)

W Marie Wright, mother of Rob Wright (Oct 12)

* Corrected from November/December issue of Current

Please notify [email protected] of births, adoptions, weddings, or deaths in your family, or call (571) 282-0100.

If you need to make changes to your membership records, send the relevant information or transfer request to [email protected].

MILESTONES


Notes from Stewardship and Finance CommitteesTotal Operating Revenue for the first two months of the fiscal year beginning September 30, 2015, is $931,547, a decrease of

$57,010 when compared to the comparable period from 2014, or 6% lower. Pledged Offerings for the two-month period are 3% lower than those of last year, while Non-Pledged and Other Offerings are 16% and 30% lower, respectively. Operating Expenses for the year are greater than those of 2014 by 10%, primarily due to one-time costs associated with unbudgeted expenses incurred for furnishing and equipping the new office space.

Gratefully, Finance and Stewardship Committees

As of October 31, 2015 (Second Month of Fiscal Year 2016) Operating Revenue & Expenses

OperatingMinistries

Fiscal Year 2016

Fiscal Year2015

Incr/(Decr)($)

Incr/(Decr)(%)

Revenue $931,547 $988,556 $(57,010) (6)%

Expenses $1,240,374 $1,132,114 $108,260 10%

Surplus/(Deficit)

$(308,827) $(143,558)

FINANCIAL UPDATE

Term Expires January 2016

Bill Buckingham, RegisterKevin Gentry

Christine KatcherGeorge KorteKristen ShortJudy Stokes


Henry BarrattKen Brown

Sharon Fast GustafsonWhit Jordan, Senior Warden

George QuillinBrian Waidmann


Kate HarrisGeorge Hooper

Jay JakubGinger Koloszyc, Junior Warden

Chris RothBassem Youssef

Vestry Appointments

Scott Ward, Chancellor • Tom Yates, Vice Chancellor • George Connors, Treasurer


MINISTERING FROM 6565

Submissions to the bimonthly TFCA magazine, CurrentThis magazine is published six times each year under the following schedule:

January issue submission deadline October 25 of previous year (early because of holidays)

March issue submission deadline January 10

May issue submission deadline March 10

July issue submission deadline May 10

September issue submission deadline July 10

November issue submission deadline September 10

Submission GuidelinesThe intent of Current is to offer encouraging or inspiring stories of ways in which the Holy Spirit is moving among us, how the Living Water, the Word, forms a current of spiritual life within this congregation.

The congregation is invited to submit articles, personal stories, poetry, photography, and art. Please do not submit material

that has already been published elsewhere. In rare cases we may reprint something that has been published electronically and is of particular relevance to TFCA.

Submit to [email protected] as an attachment in Microsoft Word. If converted from a Mac, please so indicate in your cover email as there are known spacing issues with this conversion. Do not submit as a pdf. 500-900 words; longer if necessary but we reserve the right to edit. Use Times Roman 12 pt font, flush left, single spaced, one line between paragraphs. Use the simplest formatting, and especially avoid headers, footers, and page numbering. Send photos and graphics as separate attachments—do not embed in the document. Photos should be high resolution; we may choose not to use your photos.

If you have questions, call Susan Fertig-Dykes at (571) 282-0505 during business hours.


FORWARD

Forward Building Steering Committee

The Vestry has appointed a Steering Committee to guide the development of our property. They are working with the architectural firm selected by the Vestry to finalize the designs and budget in preparation for a presentation to the parish anticipated in late

September after Vestry approval.

David Andrukonis, Chair

Bill DeissHarold DobbsDaniel Harlan

Julia MitchellBetsy Robson

Chris Roth

Kristen ShortKaren Strong

You can continue to share ideas for the property in the Forward Central group on The City.If you wish to communicate by email, you can contact the Steering Committee at

[email protected]


TFCA Staff by Department

MAIN NUMBER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0100 [email protected]

Auto Attendant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0101

Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0102

BOOKSTOREBecky Irvine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0110 [email protected]

Tape Ministry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0109

SENIOR LEADERSHIPThe Rev. Dr. John W. Yates II, Rector . . . . . . . . (571) 282-6700 [email protected]

Karen Heetderks Strong, Ph.D. Senior Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0502 [email protected]

RECTOR’S OFFICE Nancy McAlpin, Executive Assistant . . . . . (571) 282-6700 [email protected]

The Rev. Bill Haley, Associate Rector [email protected]

Rector’s Study Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-6701

SENIOR DIRECTOR’S OFFICE LeAnne Gormong, Office Manager and Executive Assistant to Senior Director . . (571) 282-0500 [email protected]

Communications [email protected] [email protected]

Susan Fertig-Dykes, Communications Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0505 [email protected]

Geary Morris, Communications Specialist . . . . . . . . . .(off-site/part-time) [email protected]

CHILDREN AND FAMILY MINISTRYCaroline Crocker, Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0401 [email protected]

Elizabeth Drake, Administrative Assistant . . . . (571) 282-0400 [email protected]

Nursery Laurie Harmer, Assistant Director . . . . . . (571) 282-0402

[email protected]

Preschool and Elementary Caleb Burr, Preschool and

Elementary Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-6701 [email protected]

CONGREGATIONAL CAREThe Rev. Dr. Frederick (Rick) Wright . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0501 [email protected]

Donna Wills, Administrative Assistant . . . . . . . (571) 282-0207 [email protected]

Pastoral Associate The Rev. Nicholas Lubelfeld . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0205 [email protected]

Pastoral Care Team Lisa Henderson, Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0204

[email protected]

Glenis Pittman, Administrative Assistant . . (571) 282-0203 [email protected]

Seniors’ Ministry Jenny Byrne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0206 [email protected]

Church Receptionist Betty Sue Hines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0100 [email protected]

DISCIPLESHIP AND OUTREACHSteve Cannizzaro, Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0703 [email protected]

The Rev. Robert Watkin, Outreach Associate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0801 [email protected]

Kathryn Parker, Administrative Assistant . . . . (571) 282-0800 [email protected]

Evangelism The Rev. Mary Amendolia, Pastoral Associate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0804 [email protected]

Connections and Community/Newcomers Erin O’Keefe, Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0700

[email protected]

ESOL Christine Jones, Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0808

[email protected]

Global Outreach Shireen David, Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0803 [email protected]

Local/Urban Outreach Nar Taing Coleman, Coordinator . . . . . . . (571) 282-0802

[email protected]

Women’s Ministry Laura Hill, Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0701 [email protected]


TFCA Staff by DepartmentFELLOWS PROGRAMSuby Wildman, Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (202) 997-00904 [email protected]

HEALING AND PRAYER MINISTRIESThe Rev. Kathleen Christopher, Director . . . . (571) 282-0222 [email protected]

Lynn Nelson, Program Coordinator . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0223 [email protected]

PARISH ADMINISTRATIONKaren Chretien, Director of Administration . . (571) 282-0115 [email protected]

Finance Sandy Long, Comptroller . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0116 [email protected]

Carol Bowman, Accounting Specialist . . . . (571) 282-0114 [email protected]

Liz Connors, Accounts Payable Specialist . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0118 [email protected]

Information Technology Patricia Balzer, IT Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0123 [email protected]

Stephanie Subu, Database Administrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0124 [email protected]

Membership Records [email protected]

Audiovisuals Jonathan Crocker, Audiovisual Manager . . . (571) 282-0120 [email protected]

Events and Facilities Daron Keller, Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0117 [email protected]

Sunday Volunteer Coordinator (in transition) Steve Cannizzaro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0107

[email protected]

WORSHIP AND MUSIC MINISTRYSimon Dixon, Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-6223 [email protected]

Andrew Schooley, Associate Director, Worship Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-6224 [email protected]

Lindi Jenkins, Assistant Director . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-6222 [email protected]

Ben Doggett, Contemporary Worship Leader . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-6226 [email protected]

Children’s Choir Michelle McCarten, Director . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-6225 [email protected]

Youth Choir Lindi Jenkins, Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-6222 [email protected]

YOUTH MINISTRYThe Rev. Jim Byrne, Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0303 [email protected]

Grace Michele Rutherford, Administrative Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0301 [email protected]

Cornerstone (High School) Mike Steenhoek, Assistant Director (Boys) (571) 282-0302 [email protected]

Rachel Hansen, Coordinator (Girls) . . . . . (571) 282-0305 [email protected]

Crossroads (Middle School) Bekah Valerio, Coordinator (Girls) . . . . . . . .(571) 282-0306 [email protected]

Preston Hansen, Coordinator (Boys) . . . . (571) 282-0305 [email protected]

If you do not see listed here the person for whom you are looking, please call the main number and ask the Receptionist for assistance.

Would you like to work at The Falls Church Anglican? Job openings and information on how to apply are listed at www.tfcanglican.org/employment

Non-Profit Org

US POSTAGE

PAIDMerrifield, VA

Permit No. 7171

The Falls Church Anglican P.O. Box 690

Falls Church, VA 22040(571) 282-0100

www.TFCanglican.org

Address Service Requested

Regular Worship ScheduleSunday8 am Eucharist Rite I, Chapel (Location to be announced)

9 am Communion 1st/3rd Sunday (Rite II) Morning Prayer other Sundays Blended Music, choir, piano or organ Bishop O’Connell High School (subject to change)

11 am Informal Morning Prayer Communion 1st Sunday Contemporary Music Bishop O’Connell High School (subject to change)

Wednesday12 pm Healing Eucharist, Cranmer Room at TFCA

2nd Sunday7 pm Healing Service, Main Sanctuary (Location to be announced)

For worship location schedule, visit www.tfcanglican.org/LocationThisSunday

Special Worship Services

JanuaryJanuary 22 Extended Praise, 7:30 pm, TFCA Ministry Center 6565

January 31 Evensong Service, 5:30 pm, Location TB

FebruaryFebruary 10 Ash Wednesday 7:00 am, TFCA Ministry Center 6565

Noon, TFCA Ministry Center 6565 7:30 pm, Bishop O’Connell High School, auditorium

February 26 Extended Praise, 7:30pm, TFCA Ministry Center 6565

Documents

Current2016 janfeb highres