It’s almost that time of year again! As we have learned from older, more established ministries, we have found that the Summer months provide two unique opportunities for our parish. One is to allow our hard-working Redeemer Kids volunteers a much-needed chance to slow down. The other is the chance to embrace more child participation during the worship service for the Summer season for the sake of both our children and the adults around them!
Renewing Our Membership Commitments
May is pledge month at Redeemer. During this time we encourage all members to make Membership Commitments which involve giving Time, Talent, and Treasure to the Lord Jesus through his body, the Church. Whether you are becoming a new member this month or are a returning member, this is an important action item for all of us. Pledging provides important information to our Vestry and Ministry Leaders to make wise and strategic plans for our parish.
An Important Diocese Update
I am writing to you today to share with you a very important letter from our Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Christopher Warner and to inform you of an investigation that has recently been released regarding sexual abuse that took place between 1990-2002 at The Falls Church Anglican (TFCA) in Northern Virginia.
Becoming a Member at Redeemer
On Sunday, May 12th, we have the joyful opportunity for you to be Confirmed by our Bishop and welcomed as new Members into the Parish. This is a wonderful event that takes place only twice a year, and is available to all who have been baptized and attended our Foundations class! I thought I’d take a moment to share a few details about what it means to take this important step in your faith.
Come to the 7AM Sunrise Service on Easter (If possible!)
Good afternoon! A blessed Holy Week to you. I want to take a moment to ask you to consider attending the 7AM Sunrise Worship Service on Easter Morning. Now, of course not everyone is able to do this and we understand! However, if you are able to flex your schedule, here are three good reasons to attend the 7AM:
Holy Week and the Triduum
Call to a Corporate Fast on Good Friday, March 29
Two weeks ago, we contemplated the Practice of Fasting and together we explored how this spiritual discipline has cultivated virtue in the lives of God’s people from Old Testament times through to the present. If you missed the sermon, you can listen to it here. While most of us are likely familiar with the concept of a private, personal fast, we may be less familiar with the concept of a corporate fast. Here are just a few (of the many) examples of corporate fasting in scripture:
Preparing For Lent
Preparing For Lent: Shrove Tuesday & Ash Wednesday
The Definition and Purpose of a Vestry
Every March Redeemer members elect two members to join the vestry—our parish's governing body—for a three-year term. Any member in good standing can be nominated to serve on the vestry. If you are a member of Redeemer, we encourage you to prayerfully consider whom you might nominate for these important roles.
Small Groups Resume February 4—You're Invited.
A small group gives you the chance to practice belonging. Humans are made to belong to each other! Think of what a gift it is to walk into a room and have someone’s face light up because they’re so glad you’ve come. To return from a trip and have someone say they’ve missed your presence because life is not the same when you’re gone. It is a profoundly human thing to want to know who your people are and to spend time with them.
A Message for Families with School-Age Kids: Choose Holy Week Over Spring Break
The middle of January might seem like an odd time to start talking about Holy Week (this year it’s March 24-31), but both public and private school systems have scheduled Spring Break to start immediately after Easter Sunday. This poses a temptation. If you are a family with kids that hopes to travel for Spring Break, it will be convenient to leave town on Friday (Good Friday) March 29th to get in some extra days of vacation.
2024 Spring Retreats and Conferences
From time to time, it is healthy to step away from our daily responsibilities in order to gain perspective, learn, rest, and grow. We do this so that we might return to our work refreshed by the Holy Spirit and re-engage our work with a renewed sense of purpose and energy. To that end, I would like to invite every single one of you (6th grade and up) to participate in one retreat (or conference) this Spring. College students, you are invited to the CCO Jubilee Conference in Pittsburgh and you are invited to the Women’s and Men’s Retreats. Middle and High school students, you are invited to the Youth Fellowship Retreat. Adults, you are invited to attend either the Women’s or Men’s Retreats at Roslyn (on 20 minutes from Redeemer).
Identity: Practicing the New Self
Maternity Leave for Redeemer Kids' Staff Leaders
I wanted to keep everyone in the loop as our children’s ministry shifts a little while I am away on maternity leave. I, Sam, and our two boys, Clark and Miles, are welcoming a third boy into our family very soon! The Lord has provided richly for our family during this season of change and we are so grateful to be part of this particular church community as our little family shifts, grows, and encounters the challenges that come along with it all.