“When schools are shut down, many children, who experience abuse and neglect at home, lose their only safe place, a place where caring adults can see, hear about, and report signs of maltreatment to authorities who can help these children achieve the safety, permanency, and well-being they need and deserve.”

In honor of Pentecost, the Lord's Prayer was presented in multiple languages at Truro Anglican, Fairfax, VA. Be inspired by this beautiful video!

“One of our goals has been to help provide intercessory prayer cover for our church planters who are already “out in the field,” as well as praying in new planters for the Diocese. So, as churches are planted, we develop an ongoing prayer relationship with the planters and the churches, praying for each one on a regular basis.”

“The Trinity is not about theological hairsplitting and academic irrelevancies. The Trinity is the reality of God. It is the holiness and goodness and beauty of the God who made us and who knows us and loves us. “

I’ve come under the conviction that the way we are serving the poor now is actually how we needed to be serving the poor all along. My prayer is that as the crisis winds down for most of us, we will not forget that the poor will remain in crisis if we stop serving them.

Seeing people rise to the challenge quickly and efficiently to volunteer their time and specific skills to love their neighbor has been deeply encouraging to our family and we are excited to serve!

A program called “The Church At Work” in Arlington banded ten churches together and helped raise $250,000 all to pay for rent for local families in need.

A couple of weeks ago, Epiphany delivered a trunk-full of break-room snacks and beverages for the 70+ employees at Arbor Terrace, along with a thank-you for their work.

Through generous donations, Immanuel is able to continue to feed families in need weekend meals.

As Jesus' followers, we are called to remember the needs of our neighbors around the world, to love and serve them, to use our resources generously, and to pray. Incarnation's upcoming first-ever Global Week is an opportunity to do just that.

This outreach is a three-way win: it’s a win for people needing cloth masks; a win for people at home with time, skills and a heart to serve – it’s a great time to teach your kids (and adults) how to sew!; and for the church, as the world sees that we love them because God does.

As individual Christians, churches and as a Diocese, let’s continue to think of creative ways of being a visible presence in our communities.  

Eunoia is the name of the ministry. It is a greek word that means “beautiful thinking”. I love seeing and hearing our Eunoia friends perform from their home context! A wonderful change from the stage!

So much care and thought went into those letters to get things just right! My dad and I would have some of the most meaningful communication by letter. I’ve kept and treasured those interchanges. I felt I was getting an entirely different side of him in those expressions. And so, for texting between friends, pushing past the superficial banter, this kind of care can (and does) happen with texting. It’s a profound opportunity.

Recently we added a fun twist - sock puppets! This creative endeavor just requires items we have at home (socks, buttons, decorative bags, etc.), and we hope it will bring some joy to the teen moms and their families. May they realize they are not forgotten by us or by their God during this time.

Churches throughout the Diocese are reaching out actively to their communities during COVID-19. A variety of churches report that partnerships with the community, which seemed nearly impossible just a few months ago, are now forming easily as all embrace the common theme of “together, we can beat this.”

The number of viewers is far exceeding the typical Sunday morning attendance. This is attributed most likely to parishioners inviting friends, families, and neighbors to participated online.

We are encouraged that we will come through this stronger and closer than we were before COVID-19 hit us. We had the advantage of having worked hard at relationship-building before all of this, but now is always the best time to start these kinds of community relationships.

Fishing with the gospel is a good thing. But, how do you fish during a global pandemic?