Welcome to 

St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

Bailey's Crossroads

Sunday Worship on the

Second Sunday of Advent

is Holy Eucharist

and will be held in person

in our sanctuary on

December 4 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 are in the 'low 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

December 1, 2022

3439 Payne Street

Falls Church, Virginia 22041

Hello Elizabeth,

No matter where I'm going, I tend to be a clock watcher. It might be something as casual as a neighborhood barbecue or it might be the wedding of the century among my circle of friends or it might be tackling something I've never done before. How long it takes depends on what it is. If I'm getting ready to stand before my Maker, I will NEVER be ready...not if I had all the time in the universe. There are just some things you can't be prepared for. The scary part of meeting my Maker is the fact that there's no way to cover anything up. No make-up concealer will gloss over my rough spots. They're just out there as plain as day for God to see. When I think about it, I know that he's had my number all along. The one who's not ready to see me as I truly am is.....me!

John the Baptist

Among the many characters we meet in the Bible, few of them are more important or more pivotal in Jesus' ministry than John the Baptist. He lived in the wilderness and dressed in animal skins and fur. He stayed near the Jordon River as it was a convenient place to baptize people. He was Jesus' cousin and just six months older. He warned people about the wrath of God if they didn't mend their ways. And he lost his head...literally....by speaking truth to power. He was a friend and an ally to Jesus. He was the one who told us to Prepare the Way for the Lord.

The Rev. Deacon Katherine Ferguson

Please extend a very warm St. Paul's welcome to the Rev. Deacon Katherine Ferguson who will be leading our worship service with Rev. Liz for the next few months. Rev. Deacon is currently serving at Iglesia Santa Maria and is nearing the completion of her studies at Virginia Theological Seminary in preparation for her ordination to the Priesthood. Please show her every courtesy...and wear your nametags so she can learn your names!

THIS SUNDAY ~ DON'T MISS IT!

On the first Sunday of each month we offer blessings for birthdays and for anniversaries. If this is you, please join us this Sunday and receive your blessing!

Birthday and Anniversary Blessings

White House Christmas tree ornament 

Now available



Once again, our good next-door 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!!

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.[tomlinson@stpaulsbxr.org. 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.

Vestry Meeting

Was held on Sunday Nov. 27 on ZOOM

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 make you one!

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, January 19, 2023 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