Welcome to 

St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

Bailey's Crossroads

Sunday Worship is Holy Eucharist

and will be held in person

in our sanctuary on

October 2nd at 10:30am

If you are more comfortable wearing a mask, please do so, but masks are not required.

We continue to monitor community transmission rates on a weekly basis. Fairfax County and all the surrounding counties remain in the 'medium risk of transmission' category for this week. If our county moves into the high risk category, we will once again be asking worshippers to wear masks.

The service is also livestreamed on our Facebook page at facebook/stpaulsbxr.org

September 29, 2022

Hello Elizabeth,

It took a long time for me to come to grips with this whole notion of forgiveness. How could my forgiveness of someone change anything at all...particularly when the one who is being forgiven may not even know that this has happened. It occurred to me, also, that failing to forgive someone who had wronged me in some way did absolutely nothing to him or her, but was of considerable damage to me! Continuing to hang on to those hurt feelings and that righteous indignation meant only that I was keeping myself in a chronic state of unrest. All the while wondering why nothing unfortunate had happened to the one who hurt me. Eventually it dawned on me. Harboring a grudge and refusing to forgive the one who had wronged me and expecting that I would feel better is about as sensible as taking poison and expecting the other person to die. Forgiveness doesn't necessarily do anything to heal the one who harmed me, but it does a great deal to heal the hurt that came to me. Refusing to forgive is like loading up a gunny sack on my back, toting it around with me everywhere and then suddenly wondering why the sack is so heavy and why not only my back, but my soul, hurts. When Jesus tells us to forgive others, he's telling us how to take care of ourselves...not how to take care of the one who caused the harm. Our own ability to forgive is for our benefit and our peace of mind, not for the benefit of the one who did the damage. 

                    The Rev. Liz Tomlinson                     

Give us more faith

What's happening?

On the way to the cross Jesus is taking that opportunity to teach the disciples all they need to know to continue Jesus' mission once he is gone. They are getting alot of 'hands on' instruction and some of it they don't understand. The lesson that prompted them to ask for more faith is Jesus' directive to confront the sinner with his sin. If the sinner repents, Jesus' tells his disciples that they must forgive and they must forgive an unlimited amount of times as long as repentance is asked for. As soon as Jesus' gives them that directive, they ask Jesus to give them more faith. That can't imagine being able to do what Jesus has just told them they must do. They must forgive an unlimited amount of times if the offending person asks for forgiveness. When they protest Jesus reminds them that they have all they need in the mustard seed size faith they already have. This exchange between Jesus and his disciples is a motivational comment intended to infuse confidence in the disciples and assure and reassure them that they have all the faith they need to do as God has asked.

Prayer for those impacted by Hurricane Ian

Gracious God, we ask that you wrap each person affected by this monstrous storm in your loving and healing care. Provide for their immediate physical needs. Calm their fears. Comfort them in their losses, some of which are monstrous. Keep us alert to their needs and help us to provide for those needs. We thank You for all the human hands that are working tirelessly to restore life and health to those affected by this storm. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray.

Garden Spring Spruce-up

The next time you see Frank and Priscilla, please give them a hearty congratulations and a deeply-felt "thank you" for the garden make-over on the grounds of St. Paul's. The new flowers and mulch certainly do spruce the place up and improve the 'curb appeal' of the church. How we look on the outside says a lot about what and who we are on the inside. We are people who care and we are people who are welcoming and we are people who are proud of our heritage and our chosen place to worship. And we are people who are good stewards of the material things the Lord has provided. Pray for rain so that our flowers can get permanently settled in our garden.  And 'Thank You' to Priscilla and Frank for your thoughtfulness, your care and your generosity. Remember to congratulate them on having become Mr. & Mrs. on September 10!!! Wish them a happy life together!

White House Christmas tree ornament 

Now available



Once again, our good neighbor, Pam Martinov, is offering for sale [for $22.00 each] this year's White House tree ornament on behalf of the Bailey's Crossroads Lions Club.  

A perfect addition to any holiday tree, this American-made holiday ornament illustrates this decades-long tradition, complete with delicate icing, red and white striped candies, gumdrops, and candy canes. If you look closely, you can even see little gingerbread children frolicking in front of the North Portico. Included with this beautifully gift-boxed keepsake is a gingerbread scented booklet and a recipe card featuring a gingerbread recipe from First Lady Pat Nixon's time at the White House. The White House Historical Association's Official 2022 White House Christmas Ornament represents the cherished White House tradition of displaying a gingerbread house each holiday in the State Dining Room.

Every ornament supports the work of historians, researchers and archivists to discover hidden figures, educate the public about lesser-known stories, and preserve White House History.

If you would like to purchase one of these ornaments, please contact Pam Martinov, 703-887-4411 or pammartinov@gmail.com for ornaments and let her know that you heard about this from St. Paul's!!

Blessings

Anniversaries and Birthdays

On the first Sunday of the month, It is our custom at St. Paul's to ask for God's special blessing for those who are celebrating a birthday or a wedding anniversary. If this is you, please join us this coming Sunday morning so that we can bless the occasion that was and the one that will be. It's a special moment in your life and we want to honor you!

Priest Schedule

New working hours for our Priest

Beginning August 1, 2022 the working hours for our priest will be adjusted. The new schedule will have Rev. Liz on duty at the church on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and 'on call' on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. As always, she is available for immediate assistance for any and all pastoral matters. If you need her in those situations, please do not hesitate to contact her by phone or by e-mail. The working schedules for our Parish Secretary, our Preschool Director and our Priest have been coordinated so that someone will be available at the church at all times during the day during the week. Rev. Liz will continue to be active in Regional Meetings, Diocesan Meetings and Community Meetings to represent St. Paul's.

Next Vestry Meeting

Rescheduled

For the immediate future [which will probably be the next several months] our Vestry will be conducting business by group e-mail and 'Reply All' responses. Personal responsibilities for several Vestry members have made it necessary to make Vestry business as easy to accomplish as possible. And the e-mail trail will make it easy for us to keep track of Vestry actions. Members of the congregation are still encouraged to inquire about Vestry business and to make suggestions for the welfare of St. Paul's as a whole. 

Nametags

Everybody needs one!

As the summer unfolds and autumn looms large before us, we are looking forward to seeing some new faces. We've had a delightful summer, but as we get geared up for the fall we need to remember that the folks joining us don't know any of our names and we don't know theirs. Now is a good time to get back into the habit of wearing a nametag. Let's make our visitors feel right at home from the very beginning. If you've lost your nametag or would like a new one for any reason, send an e-mail to Linda Green or come by the office and let her know. She'll be glad to get you caught up!

Looking for something fun and safe to do with your little ones on Halloween? 

Join us on Sunday evening, October 30 from 6:00pm-8:00pm

in the parking lot at St. Paul's

Decorate the trunk of your car for Halloween and put candy inside.

Dress up your little ones in costume! Everybody gets at prize!!

For more information, please contact Rev. Liz by e-mail at

tomlinson@stpaulsbxr.org

The new Diocesan Bishop

Consecration to be on December 3

His office is in New York City as the bishop [to whom he is the Canon] is none other than The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry. The Diocesan Standing Committee and the Rt. Rev. Susan E. Goff, Bishop Suffragan and Ecclesiastical Authority, announce with joyful thanksgiving that Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has notified the Diocese of Virginia that the Rev. Canon E. Mark Stevenson has received the required majority of consents from the House of Bishops and the Standing Committees of the dioceses of The Episcopal Church. This means that the June 4 election is now confirmed by the wider church and that Canon Stevenson is now officially Bishop-Elect Stevenson. God willing, Bishop-Elect Stevenson will be ordained and consecrated a bishop in the Episcopal Church on Saturday, December 3, 2022, 11:00 a.m. at The Saint Paul’s Baptist Church, located at 4247 Creighton Road, Henrico, VA 23223. He will be the fourteenth bishop of the Diocese of Virginia following the Rt. Rev. Shannon Johnson who retired in 2018. The Rt. Rev. Susan Goff has been the acting Ecclesiastical Authority in the Diocese of Virginia since Bishop Johnston's retirement. She will retire at the end of this year.

Seeing 20:20

Glasses as a gift

Thanks to your generosity and the generosity of so many other people just like you, the Lions Club in conjunction with Helping Hands has been able to distribute 65,000 pairs of glasses to people who would otherwise have had a pretty blurry picture of the world. St. Paul's has contributed 166 pairs!! The basket for eyeglass donations is back on the shelf underneath the bulletin board across from the Parish Office. Please keep your eyes peeled at home for that one (or two or three) pairs of glasses that you no longer use. Someone will be thrilled to have them and a new look at a world in focus!

Prayer for the People of Ukraine

"God of peace and justice. We hold before you the people of Ukraine. We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons. We pray for all those who fear tomorrow, that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them. We pray for those with power over war or peace, for wisdom, discernment and compassion to guide their decisions. Above all, we pray for all your precious children, at risk and in fear, that you would hold and protect them. We pray in the name of Jesus, Prince of Peace. Amen."

       By Archbishop Justin Welby and Archbishop Stephen Cottrell

Bailey's Shelter & Supportive Housing

Volunteer Opportunities

The next meeting of the Advisory Committee will be Wednesday, November 16, 2022 at 7:00pm on ZOOM. Please let Rev. Liz know if you are interested in shelter operations or volunteer opportunities and she will give you information about how to access this meeting. Although face-to-face volunteer work has been temporarily suspended, the shelter is in the process of re-instating that support for the shelter clients. Please contact them if you want to know more!

Contact Community & Volunteer Coordinator

 Bailey's Shelter and Supportive Housing 

New Hope Housing 

5914 Seminary Rd

Fairfax, VA 22041

Tel: 703-578-8852

bclark@newhopehousing.org

www.newhopehousing.org  

In the meantime, if you would like to make donations to the shelter, New Hope Housing has provided a Wish List (on Amazon) for the homeless who are moving into housing of their own which is SUCCESS! To access that list, please CLICK HERE. Please designate Bailey's Shelter and Supportive Housing, 5914 Seminary Rd., Falls Church, VA. 22041 when you place your order if you want your donation to go to this shelter. New Hope Housing manages a number of shelters around the county, so be sure to specify to New Hope that you want your donation to go to the Bailey's Crossroads Shelter.

      The hot item requested at the moment is shower shoes!!

You can reach New Hope Housing at the Bailey's Shelter by calling 703-820-7621. You are helping to ease the way for our neighbors to get back on their feet! What an act of love!!

The Food Pantry

Replenishment Needed

Urgent calls continue to come from ACCA for donations to the food pantry. We have hungry people around us all year long, but especially now in this season of COVID-19 when so many sources of income have disappeared. St. Paul's continues to be both faithful and generous in supporting the ACCA Food Pantry and they need our help now more than ever. At the last Vestry Meeting, the Vestry voted to double the monetary support that we give to ACCA each month. Your generosity is inspiring. If you have food to donate, please continue to bring nonperishable foodstuffs for ACCA and place them in the wicker basket at the rear of the Sanctuary. They are particularly in need of any kind of rice, canned fruit, fresh vegetables, and canned stew. If you are available to deliver our food donation to the ACCA Pantry, please call Rev. Liz to let her know.

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me." Matthew 25:35