Synod is more than just “business.” It’s a joy-filled opportunity to gather as a diocese for worship, fellowship and spiritual growth. Come and be re-energized and refreshed by the worship, Bible teaching, testimonies and breakout sessions on topics central to our churches’ ministries and mission. In addition, many ministries are on hand in the exhibit area, offering us a wide range of resources.

Catch up on all the news in the Mid-Atlantic Messenger, published by the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic bi-monthly. Each issue contains a letter from Bishop Chris, a list of upcoming events, and articles from our churches and ministries.

What a joy it was to hear that space full of God’s people singing his praises, to baptize two dear boys, to break off piece after piece of homemade, gluten free Communion bread and place it in waiting palms: “the body of Jesus, given for you.”

On Saturday, October 7, Shepherd’s Heart Anglican Church participated in the Bikes, Bands, and Barbecue Bash event hosted by Church of the Apostles in Fairfax, VA. In addition to receiving donated bikes to repair, but neighbors popped by with bikes for repairs and tune-ups.

The staff from Redeemer in Richmond, VA and Restoration in Arlington, VA met together at Restoration for a day of intentional, inter-squad staff development. It was wonderful.

Anglicans For Life (AFL) invites you to attend our annual Life SUMMIT conference which coincides with the National March for Life in Washington, D.C.. The events kick-off Thursday evening, January 18, 2024, and run through Saturday, January 20, 2024. Over the course of three days, students and adults will celebrate life, encounter the culture of death that is prevalent in our society, worship God, our Creator, and be equipped to mobilize their local church for Life-Affirming ministry!

What if Jesus meant that we should love our actual neighbors? This is a question posed in the book “The Art of Neighboring” and it’s a question that every Christian needs to wrestle with.

'The New Testament assumes that people outside of Christ and apart from God are lost and need a Savior. Jesus told vivid stories in Luke 15 about a coin, a sheep, and two sons. All were lost and all were sought. In those stories, to be lost is more about “awayness” than “badness.” The coin was away from the purse, the sheep from the sheepfold, and the sons from the father’s house.

This year, Church of the Epiphany in Chantilly VA tried something new. They held a pet blessing in recognition of St. Francis’ day in early October. But instead of holding it at church and expecting people to come to them, they set up in the front yard of the house of an adventurous Epiphany family and got to bless pets and meet neighbors as people took their animals out for their morning walks.  

Produced by Anglican Frontier Missions (AFM), Fulfilling the Great Commission Anglicanly is a free, four-week video-driven curriculum that contains short readings, ample time for large and/or small group discussions, and even some (modest) homework!

ARDF is partnering with CMJ-Israel to bring aid and support to survivors of the conflict. CMJ-Israel is providing relief, spiritual care, trauma counseling, and coordinating housing for displaced families. Donate to support much needed relief efforts, and please keep them and all who are suffering from this violence in your prayers.

All Souls wanted their logo to be beautiful, ancient, and explicitly Christian. They wanted it to convey, first, that they are a church (important!), a connection to the past, that they value beauty as an essential characteristic of God. Further, it was important that the logo express that their community, while sincere, does not take itself overly-seriously, and is a place to come unvarnished and unafraid.

On Wednesday, December 6, 2023, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Greenbrier Baptist Church in Arlington, VA, DOMA global mission and outreach leaders are invited to hear from Bishop Chris Warner and to share an update on global partnerships.

Dimensions of Belonging
October 26 @ 8:30 p.m.
Via Zoom

Those who live with autism experience the world in unique ways. Their voices and gifts are needed in the church to help us experience the full beauty and scope of the Imago Dei – the Image of God.

I believe the Lord has told me it’s time to retire. This has been such a wonderful job. I consider it an honor and a privilege to have worked with such a godly group of people. When I look back over the years, I’m so thankful to God for all He has done in developing our diocese.

Church of the Good Shepherd is an Anglican church plant in Charlottesville, Virginia. We are a community seeking to grow into Christ’s likeness for the glory of God, for the abundance of our own lives, and for the good of our neighbors.

You are likely familiar with Archbishop William Temple’s famous words, “The Church is the only institution that exists primarily for the benefit of those who are not its members.” We plastered that quote on our church website in Philadelphia. It inspires, it calls, and it convicts us to chew on what it means – practically. Honestly, 17 years later I wonder if we ever really plumbed the depths of that powerful assertion. It still feels far more aspirational than anything we ever realized.

Do you enjoy good music, food and fun for the entire family? Do you have an old bike that’s needing a tune up, or perhaps looking for a new-used bike?

A better, fuller understanding of the Christian life would mean recognizing that every man, woman, and child in the Church has a missionary calling and is to live with a missional “lens” through which they see every aspect of their lives. 

This has been the heart and vision of our church, Christ Church Vienna, as we have taken prayerful, consistent and intentional steps toward knowing and inviting our Spanish-speaking neighbors here in Vienna into our lives and into the life of our church.  Ultimately our prayer is that Jesus would take the different groups that exist in our community that are all too easily divided, isolated and unknown one to another, and reconcile us to himself to create something new as we are all welcomed into one extended family, with Christ as our head.