| |
Walking the Path of Gratitude
Join other parishioners for food, fun, and discussion
hear progress reports from parish leadership on our Vision and Mission
reflect on the many paths of gratitude we take at The Falls Church Episcopal
Check out the variety of events: both
family-friendly potlucks
and informal "all's taken care-of" adult-only dinners
get details and sign up
or by calling
703-241-0003
---------------------------------------------------
|
Dear Friend of The Falls Church,
"Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and give back to God what is God's."
Ever since the earliest days of the church, I'll bet preachers have been using this Sunday's passage to preach sermons on church - state relationships, or (surprise, surprise), stewardship/annual giving.
Certainly, the issue of church-state relationships is important.
For a book of historical fiction I intend to write, I've long researched martyrs -- people in every age who had to wrestle with the issue of what to do when the values of their government conflicted with the dictates of God and their own conscience. And I can assure you that throughout human history, "church and state" relationships have been impossible to separate.
And obviously stewardship - giving back to God, in thanksgiving, the things that are God's - is important.
Indeed, what we do with our money says as much about our relationship to God, and our trust in God as any other single factor. There's no better way to answer the question, "what do you really put your trust in?" than to challenge yourself to give away ten percent of your income. (See our "FAQ on pledging" here).
But there is a more fundamental issue at stake here...and that has to do with what is on the left side of the apostrophe: Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the thing that are God's.
Could it be that Jesus is challenging us to ask, "who is your Caesar?" And "what, or who is your God?"
If you are to give the coin to the emperor because it was made in the image of the emperor,
what do you give to God because it was made in the image of God?
The answer of course, is you.
All of you.
Your past, your present, your future.
Your hopes, and your worries.
Your failures, and your dreams.
In other words, God doesn't want anything from you.
God wants
you
.
That kinda puts an annual giving campaign in a whole new light, doesn't it?!
|
---------------------------------------------------
In Case You Missed It:
Here is a link to
"Ten Guideposts for Wholehearted Living"
with scriptural backgrounds that the Rev. Callie Swanlund shared with us at Shrine Mont. Let us know through your Realm account how you're doing on cultivating those insights in your life.
|
---------------------------------------------------
Sunday, October 22
Holy Eucharist, 9:00 a.m. Main Church
Holy Eucharist, 11:15 a.m. Historic Church
Newcomer Class (10:20-11:00, Parlor)
:
Are you relatively new to The Falls Church Episcopal? Please join us for part two of a three-part class meeting on Sundays October 22 and 29. We will meet in the parlor (upstairs in the long gray hallway, by the restrooms) from 10:20-11:00 am. Sign up at
[email protected]
. Childcare provided in the Nursery. Sunday School and Youth Forum run concurrently for 3-year-olds to grade 12.
Adult Forum
(10:20-11:00, Fellowship Hall):
Sunday:
"Babbling like Pagans -- How (not) to Pray,"
part two:
Does God really answer prayers?
Next Sunday (October 29): "When is prayer
supernatural and tapping into God's
power for God's purposes, and when is it superstition and done out of our
own power for selfish purposes?"
Godly Play Story Lessons
- The Exodus (preschool through first grade)
-
Ten Best Ways (second & third grades)
-
The Story of Jacob, Part 2 (fourth & fifth grades)
Youth Topics
- Middle School - Why are there so many versions of the Bible?
- High School - Centurion: The Roman Convert
|
-------------------------------------------------
You can participate in a Parish-Wide Outreach Opportunity to Feed The Hungry
Join us at 12:30 on Sunday, October 29 for a family-friendly service opportunity. That weekend, the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) will be delivering 8,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to be bagged for redistribution to hungry families in our area the following week. We are hoping for 100 volunteers to get this nutritious food together for our neighbors in need. Questions? Contact
[email protected]
The Archive Ministry: A
seminar will be led by Aliceann Muller and will be on the history of the Church architecture and grounds. This will be held on November 4 at 1:00 pm in the historic church. This will be the only seminar held in 2017. After the holidays we will resume with our meetings. Over a period of months, we will cover the history of The Falls Church to the present, landscape and graveyard, a discussion of artifacts and plaques in the church, and more.
 The Refugee Support Ministry
is having a general meeting on Monday, November 6 from 7:00-8:00 pm (in the Parlor). We will brainstorm ways to continue to support our current Kurdish refugee family and ways to support refugees more broadly in these challenging times for them. All are welcome! For information, email
[email protected]
or visit our group on Realm.
A docent-led tour of the Historic Church and grounds will be offered following the 11:15 service on Sunday, October 22. Weather permitting, the tour will begin as soon as possible at the end of the 11:15 service. Meet at the Henry Fairfax memorial in the churchyard at the southwest corner of the church. In the event of inclement weather, please gather near the altar, inside the church.
|
The Falls Church Episcopal
115 East Fairfax Street
Falls Church, Va. 22046
Phone: 703. 241.0003
www.TheFallsChurch.org
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
