What a glorious day it was on Mother’s Day to see so many youth participating in the 11:00 service. They all did a wonderful job, from greeting to sermonizing. We are so blessed as a congregation to have such a great group of youth and young adults. We normally see our youth as Acolytes and Choristers, but plan to see them more as lectors in the weeks ahead, joining our excellent cadre of adult lectors.
Our women and men both had great retreats at Shrine Mont:
- Twenty women of Holy Comforter gathered on a picture-perfect weekend at Shrine Mont on April 20 through 22 to explore their faith practices within nature. Led by the Reverend Sarah Anders from the Center for Spirituality in Nature and Church of the Wild, they explored the Wisdom Way of Knowing as taught by Cynthia Bourgeault—periodically spending 20 minutes in the beautiful outdoor grounds of Shrine Mont and "noticing" nature with our whole being. The Wisdom Way of Knowing is not about knowing more, it's about knowing with more of you. The women who attended left Shrine Mont with a newer, fresher understanding of God, His love for them, and a better appreciation for this planet He created for us. Thank you to the Reverend Sarah Anders and to the ECW for sponsoring this enriching retreat!
- The Men’s Retreat was held the following weekend and the weather cooperated for the men as well. The retreat was a resounding success thanks to the efforts of Randy McGuire and the leadership of our own Dan Harris who led us in exploring “The Fatherhood of God.” After several years of discussion, we are planning to build a “men’s ministry” around the core group of 30 men that attended. Look for further details in this space and in the Comfortable Word and expect a mix of discussion, fellowship, and action. If you could not join us this year, look for opportunities to join us this summer!
Thanks to all who have contributed during the Capital Campaign (and many who continue to contribute—it is never too late). Check out the pictures of the progress on our website
HERE or sneak a peek from the narthex on Sunday. The best time to check out the website is while you're accessing your Amazon Smile account through the link at the bottom of the homepage
HERE (and the church receives a half a percent of every purchase).
The Vestry is preparing for a mid-year budget review in June. Unfortunately, as our interim period came to an end, our 2018 pledges fell far short of our goal. If you are a regular giver but haven’t yet pledged, please do consider pledging to provide better visibility for the Vestry Finance Committee and Vestry. If you have already pledged, we sincerely thank you and ask you to consider increasing your pledge. Without increased pledging, the Vestry will be looking at difficult cuts in programs and staffing.
Lastly, as a result of a comprehensive church security review with the Vienna Police Department and Fairfax County Police, we are looking for a volunteer security coordinator (and considering other upgrades to our security). If you have interest and expertise in this area, please let us know.
Yours in Christ,
June and Kip
