The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Here we go!

This Sunday marks the beginning of the program year for The Falls Church, and things are buzzing. Children’s, youth, and adult formation returns, EFM (Education for Ministry) begins meeting again, we go back to two services (both with Children’s Chapel) choirs start rehearsing again, the Day School is back in session, and so much more; in short, the pace of life quickens. 

The health of a parish is not measured by how much it does, however; rather, it is the depth of engagement that reveals so much about a worshipping community. As the season begins to ramp back up and our routines return, it is my prayer that each of us finds where the Spirit leads us into The Falls Church community, whether it’s shared interests in the Young Family Fellowship, serving on the altar guild, joining a Faithful Dinner Club, participating in the Queer Faithful group, becoming a lay Eucharistic minister, teaching a formation class, volunteering with Invite-Welcome-Connect, joining the usher corps, or any of the myriad ways to become involved in this incredible parish. My prayer, too, is that you choose ways to deepen your faith, to grow your soul, to nurture who you are as a uniquely gifted child of God. 

Join us at the Rector’s Forum this Sunday and keep your eyes peeled as we rededicate ourselves to what we do well, roll out new ministries and ways to become involved, and launch the strategic plan this fall at The Falls Church. And in all, know that this community is vibrating with the excitement of what lay ahead and the limitless potential for building the Kingdom of God.

Fr. Burl+

Transitions

Transitions within communities are difficult and transitions at The Falls Church are no different. We are a community, however, that honors and values transparency, and the rector, wardens and vestry of The Falls Church invite you to participate in either (or both) of two listening sessions designed to further that commitment to transparency. The first is Monday evening, 12 September, 7:00 p.m. via Zoom, you can join by clicking this link, and the second is during the adult forum on Sunday, 18 September, in the Parish Hall. We look forward to seeing you at one (or both) of the sessions and building on our commitment to truth and to love.

Introducing Seminarian Cory Irwin

Cory Irwin is a second-year student at Virginia Theological Seminary and postulant for Holy Orders from the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis. Prior to seminary, he spent 15 years in education, most recently as a high school administrator and university instructor. Cory’s upbringing included time in both Baptist and Roman Catholic congregations, and he was received into The Episcopal Church in 2017 through his sending parish of Trinity Church in Bloomington, Indiana. He was active in Trinity’s parish life, serving in roles related to formation, outreach, administration, and stewardship. He has been attending The Falls Church regularly since moving to Virginia and is looking forward to engaging in deeper service, learning, and relationship-building with the community this year.

Register for our annual parish retreat at Shrine Mont, October 7-9, 2022.

Registration closes Monday September 12!

Enjoy the beautiful Shenandoah mountains, comfort cooking, a thoughtful guest speaker, small group activities, and a bonfire for the whole family! And the best part of all -- enjoying all this with your parish community and family.

Children of all ages are welcome at Shrine Mont and can expect interactive lessons, crafts and games during their sessions. Nursery, children, and youth programing will also reflect the overall theme for the weekend, to create the opportunities for intergenerational discussions about God. It will be a time for all ages to grow closer to God and to our Parish Community. 

If you have questions or would like to volunteer to help plan weekend activities, please email shrinemont@thefallschurch.org.

To register, sign up via Realm, or by downloading and returning this completed form, along with a deposit check for $100, the remaining balance payment can occur up to the retreat.

More details are available here and if you have any questions please reach out to Robin Gardner at shrinemont@thefallschurch.org

Limited financial assistance is available this year, so don't hesitate to contact Father Matthew: mmachowski@thefallschurch.org for details.

Invitation to join a Sacred Ground Group

On behalf of the Racial Justice Committee of The Falls Church, I'd like to extend an invitation to all within the congregation to join a Sacred Ground group at TFC this fall. Sacred Ground is a film- and readings-based dialogue series on race, and grounded in the Episcopal faith.

Small groups lead by facilitators are invited to walk through chapters of America's history of race and racism, while weaving in threads of family short story, economic class, and political and regional identity. The 11-part series is built around an online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with the European American histories. Participants are invited to peel away the layers that have contributed to the challenges and divides of the present day, all while grounded in our call to faith, hope, and love. More information can be found here.

If you are interested in taking part this year, please contact Erin Muhlbradt.

Choir Practice for the Historic Church Choir will begin on Thursday 8th September at 7:00 p.m. 

For more info please contact Geoff Kannan by email.

Children's Formation and Children's Chapel are returning on Sept 11th!  That's this Sunday! I am so excited! We are planning, getting classrooms ready and so much more. Help us plan for the best year ever by registering your child(ren) for Formation Classes. 

We want every child to feel known and loved at TFC and registration helps us to know how to prepare our classes, ensures our children are greeted by name, assists with the creation of Children's Chapel, and gives us the opportunity to pray for your child(ren) uniquely.

As we gear up for the start of our year, we ask that you fill out THIS DOCUMENT for each of your youth. This will give us some of the important information about your youth and will make sure that they are ready to go for the next year of programming. This is a general release, please know that we will also ask for specific permissions for photo use and events that take us away from our church campus.

Starting September 11th we will be returning to our weekly programming. You can find our completed fall schedule and tentative spring schedule here. We look forward to welcoming back all of our youth and bringing in our new 6th graders!

Use the SignUpGenius to learn more and sign up!

Please use the Prayer List in your prayers for each other and the world. 



Praying for each other and the needs of the world is a powerful way to love our neighbors as ourselves! THIS WEEK’S PRAYER LIST