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But don’t just take OUR word for it! “I love Breakaway because it is a time to get away from the stresses of high school. It’s a time when I can make long lasting friendships in a welcoming community.” – Abby Hamilton, 12th Grade, T.C. Williams High School “And after six days Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.” Mark 9:2-3 ESV “When have you felt closest to God?” This is a question our staff loves to ask in Cornerstone and Crossroads. Mark Continued on page 2 Message from The Rector In a few weeks John Guernsey, our Bishop here in our Diocese of the Mid- Atlantic, will return for a visit, and we will present to him candidates of all ages for Confirmation—a very special occasion in our church life. What is Confirmation? Why do we do it? Is it something you should consider yourself? We have a two-step process of church membership—Baptism is the first. Commanded by Christ as a public sign of being a follower of Christ, we Baptize children or adults. Those Baptized as children, later in life stand publicly before the church family to be Confirmed. This is a time of personal affirmation of the vows made for them by their parents and godparents years before. This is when we publicly declare our loyalty to Jesus, when we take on the responsibility of being adult members and sharers in the work of Christ in the church and in the world. At Confirmation the Bishop prays for us publicly and personally welcomes each of us as adults into the worldwide Anglican family. To be Confirmed is our way of saying I am committing myself to the local church. It is my home and I want to be a responsible member. Those who come to our church as Baptized believers from other Christian backgrounds are also asked to join the Confirmation class and be welcomed by our Bishop as their own way of publicly joining our church. We strongly encourage you to be Confirmed, which completes your membership process at TFCA. The annual The Best Weekend of Your Life by The Youth Staff continued on page 2 The Falls Church Anglican That Christ Be King in Our Lives and in the Lives of Others March/April 2015 Photo by Chet Humberd Chapter 9 describes to us a wonderful time when Jesus takes a few of his close friends high up onto a mountaintop, removed from the rest of the world around them. He shares himself with them in an intensity that refreshes and encourages like no other experience they’ve ever had. This experience lasted only for a moment in time, but it transformed them for a lifetime. Now, more than ever the pressures of school, friends and the future are constantly looming over middle and high school students. It can be really difficult for teens to take time out of their schedules, to remove themselves from the world, and to focus on Jesus in order to find real relationship and refreshment with Him. We believe that even in the business of a young person’s life Breakaway is that one-in- a-million opportunity to escape. continued on page 3

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TFCA bimonthly magazine, March/April issue, 2015.

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Page 1: MarApr 2015

But don’t just take OUR word for it!

“I love Breakaway because it is a time to get away from the stresses of high school. It’s a time when I can make long lasting friendships in a welcoming community.”

– Abby Hamilton, 12th Grade, T.C. Williams High School

“And after six days Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.” Mark 9:2-3 ESV

“When have you felt closest to God?”

This is a question our staff loves to ask in Cornerstone and Crossroads. Mark

Continued on page 2

Message from The Rector

In a few weeks John Guernsey, our Bishop here in our Diocese of the Mid-

Atlantic, will return for a visit, and we will present to him candidates of all ages for Confirmation—a very special occasion in our church life.

What is Confirmation? Why do we do it? Is it something you should consider yourself?

We have a two-step process of church membership—Baptism is the first. Commanded by Christ as a public sign of being a follower of Christ, we Baptize children or adults. Those Baptized as children, later in life stand publicly before the church family to be Confirmed. This is a time of personal affirmation of the vows made for them by their parents and godparents years before. This is when we publicly declare our loyalty to Jesus, when we take on the responsibility of being adult members and sharers in the work of Christ in the church and in the world. At Confirmation the Bishop prays for us publicly and personally welcomes each of us as adults into the worldwide Anglican family.

To be Confirmed is our way of saying I am committing myself to the local church. It is my home and I want to be a responsible member. Those who come to our church as Baptized believers from other Christian backgrounds are also asked to join the Confirmation class and be welcomed by our Bishop as their own way of publicly joining our church.

We strongly encourage you to be Confirmed, which completes your membership process at TFCA. The annual

The Best Weekend of Your Lifeby The Youth Staff

continued on page 2

CurrentThe Falls Church Anglican

That Christ Be King in Our Lives and in the Lives of Others March/April 2015

Phot

o by

Che

t H

umbe

rd

Chapter 9 describes to us a wonderful time when Jesus takes a few of his close friends high up onto a mountaintop, removed from the rest of the world around them. He shares himself with them in an intensity that refreshes and encourages like no other experience they’ve ever had. This experience lasted only for a moment in time, but it transformed them for a lifetime. Now, more than ever the pressures of school, friends and the future are constantly looming over middle and high school students. It can be really difficult for teens to take time out of their schedules, to remove themselves from the world, and to focus on Jesus in order to find real relationship and refreshment with Him. We believe that even in the business of a young person’s life Breakaway is that one-in-a-million opportunity to escape.

continued on page 3

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2 The Current • March/April 2015

Table of ContentsRector’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover

Youth Ministry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover

From Corhaven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Breakaway Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Ministry in India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

New Healing Institute . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Os Guiness on Rohr . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Marriage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Peacemaking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Walking and Leaping . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Stars in the Crown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Anticipation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Praising in Poetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

SIlicon Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Church Family Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Milestones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Finance and Vestry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Map of Worship Locations . . . . . . . . 24

Submissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Staff Listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Worship Schedule . . . . . . . .Back cover

PUBLISHING TEAMEditor-in-Chief (staff) Susan Fertig-Dykes Volunteer Editing TeamJeanne Nichols, Assistant Editor Laurie Ross, Assistant Editor Dan Ayre Sharon Gewehr Jane LarsonRay MeinhartRachel PhillipsPhotography Team (volunteer)Ed GlancySharon Fast Gustafson Nathan MitchellRon PlantingAdditional photo credits by photos

Message from The Rector continued from cover

Confirmation Prep Course starts on March 1 in the Bishop O’Connell Library, and I hope you will consider registering for it. Even if you have been attending TFCA for a long time, if you haven’t yet been Confirmed, I would be very pleased if you would do this. You will find the class to be an enriching, exciting time of exploring our faith and learning more about the Anglican way of following Christ.

Register at www.tfcanglican.org/confirmation

In the family,

The Rev. Dr. John W. Yates IIRector, The Falls Church Anglican

H ebrews 6:1 invites and beckons and woos and calls and commands us:

“Let us go on to maturity.” The Greek word used here for mature comes from teleios, meaning complete, or perfect. It has the meaning of something that has lived into its design and purpose. The purpose of an acorn is not to remain a nut, but to grow into a mighty oak tree. The purpose of an architectural drawing is not to be used as a piece of art on paper, but rather to lead to a building. Until that building is built and being used, the architectural drawing isn’t complete. The purpose of a grape seed is not to remain a seed, but to grow into a vine, and the purpose of that vine is to make grapes and bear fruit. The grape seed is mature when it’s a vine bearing fruit.

Likewise, the purpose of our conversion and salvation is not primarily to save us from something eternally, as important as that is. No, we are forgiven and saved for a greater purpose. The purpose of our salvation is so that our lives can be conformed and transformed into the very likeness of Jesus Christ,

so that we can live like Him, love like Him, heal like Him, act like Him, know the Father like Him, and be used like Him, because He lives in us. His Holy Spirit has taken up residence inside our bodies, so that we can actually be who we are—the Body of Christ in the world. In the world we become His hands, His feet, and His heart. In the world we become His temple, where God lives. In a word, or more accurately, Paul’s words in Ephesians 4: “We are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Jesus Christ…to mature to manhood, adulthood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” That is the call.

Over the years our church has been fabulous at introducing people to the new life in Christ, and once again it’s time for us to focus special attention on helping all of us become mature in Christ.

What does that look like? A simple image helps us get our mind around spiritual growth. It’s the dominant Biblical image, the one that is used first

“Let Us (as in, all of us!) Go on to Maturity”From Corhaven, The Rev. Bill HaleyBill Haley is an Associate Rector at The Falls Church Anglican and writes a regular column, “From Corhaven,” in each issue of the Current. You can find out more about Corhaven at www.inthecoracle.org

continued on page 3

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3The Current • March/April 2015

GROWING OUR YOUTH

But don’t just take OUR word for it!“Over Breakaway I grew a stronger bond with God. I

also grew closer to so many friends; it was the GREATEST weekend of my life!”

– Louisa Currie, 8th Grade, Swanson Middle School

Breakaway is a time when we laugh until we cry and also call out to God until we cry. It’s a place where we get intensely silly and loud but also get intensely serious and quiet before God. For many students, it’s the time when they feel closest to God. For one weekend of their busy lives, our teens can check

The Best Weekend of Your Life continued from cover

their responsibilities and heartaches at the door, and truly rest with God. Like no other experience, Breakaway makes them feel safe—protected and intensely loved by Christ. It’s a place where, like Peter in Mark Chapter 9, we often hear “I wish we could stay here, even just for a little bit longer.” But when all is said and done, when our teens get off the bus and arrive back at home, they are confident and ready to be lights to the rest of the world, spreading what they’ve personally felt in their lives from our Lord.

But don’t just take OUR word for it! “The first time I went to Breakaway, I didn’t really know

what to expect. Breakaway turned out to be one of the BEST weekends of my life. I had my first real connection with God; I grew closer to new people, and had the time of my life. There are so many fun things to do, great worship, fellowship, and talks that will help me for the rest of my life. Breakaway = best part of my year.”

– Parker Christian, 10th grade, Yorktown High School

High School Breakaway was last month (February 13-16), but Middle School Breakaway is March 6-8, so come and see for yourself! †

From Corhaven continued from page 2

and most often in the writings of the early church, and the simplest to understand because we’ve all experienced it.

Very simply, the way we grow spiritually has profound parallels to how we grow physically as human beings. The human life cycle helps us to understand the spiritual life cycle. Just as in our physical lives we experience stages and seasons—birth, youth, adulthood, and maturity—so also do we experience them in our spiritual lives. The difference is that in our spiritual lives maturity has nothing to do with our chronological age. Just because you are 55 doesn’t mean that you are mature. It’s possible and frankly not uncommon for someone to be in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, and still be a spiritual infant. That is what Hebrews 5:12-14 is about.

12For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

It’s not as common but still possible that a person in their 20s can actually be quite an adult spiritually. And, just as there are awkward, disorienting and painful transitions between the temporal seasons of our lives, like adolescence and our midlife years, so also we experience similar things in our spiritual development. It is in these transitions of adolescence and midlife years that spiritually many people end up in the shoals, making a shipwreck of their faith. If we don’t understand what the transitions in the spiritual life cycle are, we will be absolutely unprepared for what happens when God doesn’t deliver the way we expected Him to in our youthful understanding of Him.

This image of the human life cycle applied to the spiritual is all over the New Testament. We see it in Jesus’ teachings, in John’s and Peter’s letters. It’s in almost every one of Paul’s letters, and in Hebrews. Jesus says, “You must be born again.” The message in the rest of the New Testament is to “Keep growing and to keep going on to maturity!”

Watch for more about this in the coming months at TFCA as our leadership is keen to take advantage of this new season for us as an opportunity not only to move but also to grow. And don’t be surprised if we call and invite you to use your gifts to help others keep growing! †

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BREAKAWAY

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ENGAGING IN THE GLOBAL MISSION

God at Work in Indiaby Linda Sellevaag

I ndia is a land with massive needs for the Gospel. One-third of the world’s remaining unreached people groups

live there. It holds one-fifth of the world’s population and 40 percent of the world’s poorest people. Its population of 1.3 billion people is more than North and South America combined, yet India receives only 6 percent of the world’s full-time Christian missionaries.

What is God doing amid these great needs? How is He at work in India?

Last fall, a team of four TFCA parishioners and Anglicans from two other parishes traveled to one of India’s most unreached areas. Their 2-week visit gave them a glimpse into some of the different ways in which God is at work in that part of India. It also highlighted opportunities for partnership in mission with Christians from around the world.

Partnering with Anglican ChurchesIn India, the team partnered with local churches affiliated

with the Anglican Communion and presented training seminars for lay leaders to encourage them in their spiritual lives and leadership. Four women on the team spoke at a prayer network seminar to encourage women to pray for spiritual breakthrough in their region. Most of the people in these local churches come from Christian-background families, but there is a great need for spiritual renewal and for growth in evangelistic outreach to the majority Hindu culture in which they live.

Going Into the Teak JungleA large number of conversions have happened in a tribal

area in the south, and local pastors have planted more than

200 churches in the past 15 years, but many of the pastors and lay leaders have limited opportunities for training. After a 6-hour journey and a short night’s sleep, three team members headed through Teak jungle to a remote church where they were greeted with enthusiastic singing, warm hospitality, hot food, and passionate prayer from 85 local pastors and evangelists. The harshness of these brothers’ existence (they face persecution and pervasive poverty) has not crushed the beauty of their love for Jesus. The team glimpsed fruit from this mission in the closing Service when standing and praying alongside the local leaders.

The team also met with the local Bishop, who shared his vision for the 366 churches in his Diocese, which have more than 100,000 people in their congregations. His first priority is spiritual renewal, starting with the pastors and lay leaders. He expressed his desire to partner with Christians from other areas to pursue this goal. He also wants to promote social development to address the many economic needs of his

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ENGAGING IN THE GLOBAL MISSION

people through, for example, agricultural and animal husbandry projects.

Reaching Across DenominationsSeveral team members gave presentations at a

family camp run by a vibrant church from another denomination. The pastor of this church had left his large congregation of 2,000 in the south of India and come to the north after an Australian missionary and his two sons were killed by extremists some years ago. His church has people from different ethnic and social groups and languages. He views his church as a training ground to establish small cell groups in the 300 districts in his area to evangelize their neighbors. To date, 60 cell groups have been formed.

Working in Cross-Cultural MissionTeam members also visited an expatriate cross-

cultural missionary couple living as tentmakers and working to share the Gospel with an unreached people group. The wife told us the following:

People say that this is a hard to reach area, but our God is greater than any difficulties we face. We love living here and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. We still haven’t seen the harvest [after 11 years of work], but we rejoice in small victories. Early on, God gave us incredible favor with this group after we befriended a family with eight daughters. The father was a community leader. When his eldest daughter’s newborn baby fell ill, we went and prayed for the child. However, several days later the child died. With fear and trembling, we went to visit the family again. The mother ran out to meet us and welcomed us. Rather than rail against us and our God who had let her grandchild die, she said, “You loved him enough to pray for him.” With the support of this family, doors throughout the community were opened to us. Another young woman who was being oppressed by evil spirits reported a dream in which Jesus came to her in a bright light and told her, “I met with nails for your sadness.”

This couple arranged for three team members to provide lectures on business topics and English pronunciation at a private international school and university in their city. This was the first time outsiders had been invited into the school, and the talks were warmly received. There could be opportunities for others to come and establish an English language institute in this city as a way to provide a platform for ministry.

Ministering to the UntouchablesIn recent years, many thousands from India’s untouchable

(Dalit) caste have become Christians. A missions agency in India is working in evangelistic and educational outreach to the Dalits, establishing more than 100 schools for Dalit children who could not otherwise attend school. The agency director in the region the team visited expressed a desire for help training Dalit leaders in Bible study, church planting, and discipleship, as well as an interest in sponsorship for children’s education.

Although India’s needs are great, our God is greater still. He is working in many different ways to bring the Good News to this vast country. May He encourage and protect all those who are ministering there and may He raise up partners for them to promote the work of His Kingdom for His glory. †

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8 The Current • March/April 2015

The Journey to Healing Retreat last fall hosted 125 persons from over 68 different churches and a wide variety of de-

nominations. Featuring Judith MacNutt with Linda Strickland, the October 16-18 conference offered teaching, group ministry, and individual ministry. Christian Healing Ministries (CHM) developed the construct for this retreat some time ago as a means of conveying Christ’s healing to a significant number of people at one time over the course of 3 days. Until recently, these retreats were held only in Jacksonville, Florida, where CHM is located. Inspired by hearing of a preceding occasion where the CHM team took this retreat on the road to South Carolina with great results, Kathleen Christopher suggested a similar joint effort here in Northern Virginia. .

The purpose was actually twofold: first and foremost, to provide an opportunity for people in this area to experience the teaching and ministry and receive the healing offered through the JTH retreats; and second, to familiarize those of us putting on the retreat with its operation, so that we might conduct similar programs in the future, two requests generously accepted by CHM.

The JTH retreat was also the first official project of the newly formed Christian Healing Institute (CHI),* a ministry initiative recently birthed out of TFCA’s Healing and Prayer Ministries and incorporated as its own 501.c.3, with the status of an integrated auxiliary of TFCA. One of the primary goals of CHI is to enable the impact of Christian healing and intercessory prayer over an ever-expanding geographic area, with a vision of helping plant and/or grow prayer ministries in other churches. Thus, co-sponsoring the Journey to Healing Retreat with CHM moved CHI toward that vision. The attendance of persons from almost 70 different faith communities and the participation of trained prayer ministers from a number of churches was, in itself, the completion of one goal for this event. The team was even more gratified to hear testimonies of the many ways in which people experienced God’s presence and were blessed by His touch during this retreat. Here are just some of the comments and testimonies offered by participants:

The Holy Spirit moved powerfully throughout the event, many were healed, others were delivered, still more experienced their first ‘up close and personal’ encounter with the living God and testified about it, their lives now transformed. The CHM talks were, as expected, highly instructive and motivational, and as a prayer minister

serving at the event, I can say that by the time of personal prayer appointments (in the evenings), much of the spiritual groundwork for healing had already been laid, making it so much easier for us to lead those in need directly into the healing power of Jesus—a most efficient use by the Holy Spirit of the limited time available. PTL! (Jay Jakub, Chairman of the Board, CHI)

I received the release that I have been looking for, for years. I lost my mom when I was 4 years old. Truly my life will never be the same. Thank you for having a listening ear, thanks for an open heart, a loving heart; thanks for having a quiet and gentle spirit.

Because of the conference and because of an article about self-acceptance that I read during the conference, I have a better sense that God likes me.

I am still processing the healing. What I can say is that before the healing I had a heaviness that was unbearable. After, I felt lighter. I realize I have quite a ways to go, but I don’t feel the hopelessness that I felt before.

This was without a doubt the best weekend of my life. The emotional outpouring and forgiveness work were exhausting, but absolutely critical to the healing I experienced.

I believe the Lord delivered me from the spirit of fear once and for all.

Both time spent with prayer ministers and the Father/Mother blessing were instrumental in that healing/deliverance and I am walking in a boldness never experienced until after that impartation.

HEALING AT TFCA

Journey to Healing Retreatby The Rev. E. Kathleen Christopher

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9The Current • March/April 2015

HEALING AT TFCA

maladies, the ongoing concerns of being caregiver to a loved one with cancer, and more). Working through the spiritual wisdom of the speakers, the safe environment, and the sheer presence of the Spirit amplified by the company of fellow believers in worship, God gently reached into me to help me let go of my own fallen responses (anger, impatience, doubt) and receive forgiveness, healing and freedom. I was also able to recognize and cut off certain intergenerational strongholds such as deep patterns of fear, grief, and regret. This was ongoing during the retreat and still is. Already I am seeing the evidence of burdens lifted (feeling lighter and refreshed, thoughts clear and calm, sleeping better), constructs of fear demolished (ability to have constructive conversations that seemed impossible and scary before, and to pray more freely again in the Spirit), and an utter change in atmosphere including in my closest relationships. Praise be to God! All honor to the One who created and loves our souls.

This final comment pretty much sums it up:

My son (who came with me) said as we left, “Wow, if the world only saw the church as a place to find healing, think how that would be more appealing to them.” And as we got out of the car after driving home, he said, “Thanks, Mom. That was so much more than I ever dreamed it would be.”

*Look forward to more news about the formation and activities of the Christian Healing Institute (CHI): The Rev. Kathleen Christopher, Exec Dir; Jay Jakub, Chairman of the Board. †

The mother and father blessings were life changing for me. I was abandoned by my father and abused by my stepfather. I can’t put into words how incredible it was to hear those blessings and be able to hug my “parents.”

I came to the retreat severely depressed. Through confession and forgiveness, I am no longer depressed. I praise the Lord.

I came into this retreat as a soldier wounded from friendly and unfriendly fire. But GOD restored my strength in the LORD and healed me from generational hurts passed down. Now, I can finish the assignment He gave me to do. Thank you again for your messages, testimonies and prayers from the whole team.

The Mother/Father blessing touched me in unexpected ways. Deep emotion came up as I was able to speak to both my mother and father in this time. Also, I had been experiencing severe back pain for a few weeks…and during the final Soaking Prayer night, a prayer minister spent time praying for me and it was 90% gone by the end of the evening. 100% gone all the next day! Thanks be to God and to the Prayer ministry!

Something “lifted” off me after the retreat. I’ve felt a much deeper, more constant and consistent feeling of underlying peacefulness.

It was the first time in ages that I had a set-apart time to bring everything to the Lord that has been difficult and painful in life over the past year (lost pregnancies, grief,

Have you joined The City at TFCA?

Request your invite now! http://www.TFCAnglican.org/connect

We will be gradually moving to The City as a way to consolidate all our parish

communications, so please do sign up as soon as possible.

NOTE: When you get your invitation, activate right away before expiration.

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10 The Current • March/April 2015

Os Guinness, a member of The Falls Church Anglican, is a prolific author whose books include A Free People’s Suicide, The Global Public Square, and A Case for Civility. His latest book is Renaissance—The Power of the Gospel However Dark the Times. He helped draft the Williamsburg Charter to celebrate the bicentennial of the First Amendment to our nation’s Constitution. He was a Guest

Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Studies and a Guest Scholar and Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution.

F aithfulness is the central issue for the church in our time because unfaithfulness is so rife in

our culture. For all who follow Jesus, faithfulness to Him, to His lordship, and to His decisive stamp of authority on the Holy Scriptures should be final. Yet postmodernism has undermined all authorities and certainties by making all claims “undecidable,” so we are experiencing a plague of Christians whom Søren Kierkegaard bluntly called “kissing Judases”—those who be-tray Jesus with an interpretation. They treat the authority of Scripture like a rubber nose, and bend it to favor whatever cause or lifestyle they happen to like. “Anything-goes theology” is the order of the day, and “anything-goes ethics” follows close behind.

In the fifth century Saint Augustine protested against similar Manichean distortions of the Scriptures: “For you people who believe in the gospel what you choose to believe, and do not believe what you do not choose to believe, believe yourselves rather than the gospel.” Flannery O’Connor stated the point bluntly: “The truth does change according to our ability to stomach it.”

Richard Rohr’s Falling Upward must be read in the light of this atmosphere. The real surprise is not the book, but that it has been welcomed so undiscerningly by so many Evangelicals in Washington and around the country. The aim of the book is laudable: to provide a spiritual perspective on the journey into and through the second half of life. With the graying of America as the baby-boomers enter their “second half,” that aim gives the book its popularity, and its essentially New Age

THE RAGE FOR ROHR?Richard Rohr: Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of LifeA brief review by Os Guinness

DISCUSSING OUR FAITH

direction is no barrier to many American readers. The book is therefore perfect for all in the mood for “spirituality, not religion.” But why the Evangelical enthusiasm when Rohr’s vision differs so starkly from the Biblical vision?

First, Rohr’s notion of “spirituality for the two halves of life” is quite anti-Biblical. He actually calls it a “second call.” You could never find such two halves of life in any of the great lives, such as Abraham, Moses, David, Daniel, Saint John and Saint Paul. Nor could you justify it from the Scriptures or the orthodox Christian faith as a whole. The idea may be

perfect for selling books and seminars to anxiously ageing boomers, but it has nothing whatever to do with a decisively Christian understanding of the journey of life.

Second, the notion of the two halves of life comes from Carl Gustav Jung and the “perennial tradition,” as Rohr openly admits. It also fits in perfectly with today’s mix-and-match syncretism and the idea

of the common unity underlying all the world’s religions. So the real authorities and the main ideas for Rohr’s book come from fundamentally pagan and non-Christian sources—with an occasional doffing of the cap to Scripture.

Third, there is a striking and fatal omission in the book of any of the central truths of a Christ-centered spirituality—such as sin, repentance, the Holy Spirit, growth in the fruit of the Spirit, and above all Christ’s substitutionary death for us on the cross. Rohr’s negative comments on Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ show that he subscribes to the views of the 13th century philosopher-theologian Duns Scotus. Rohr does not hold the orthodox view of such central doctrines as the cross and why Jesus died in our place, on our behalf, and because of our sin (as set out, for example, in John Stott’s Evangelical classic The Cross of Christ). Rohr’s cross is the very different cross of modern liberalism that Reinhold Niebuhr described so perfectly as “a God without wrath bringing men without sin into a Kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a Cross.”

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11The Current • March/April 2015

Fourth, Rohr and his devotees appear oblivious to the glaring contradictions in his own argument. The second half of life, he says, is for reaching a higher and appealing “non-dualistic” type of thinking, whereby we achieve a holistic harmony that transcends the unfortunate dualism of our earlier lives. But to anyone who thinks as they read, it is obvious that his entire classification of the two halves of life is dualistic, and he never escapes it himself. The truth is that, for all his attacks on dualism, Rohr is as dualistic as anyone because some distinctions are inescapable (“There are two types of people in the world: Those who think there are two types of people, and those who don’t”). But what matters is that his recommended non-dualism depends on a dualism between the two halves of life that has nothing to do with Jesus and the Bible.

Fifth, there is a serious ethical danger in Rohr’s teaching. His unbiblical division between the two halves of life allows him to caricature what he sees as the first half of life as focused on legalistic “purity codes” and “Thou shalt nots.” With this distortion in place, Rohr provides a permission slip for those who wish to break out of such constrictions and “leave their family” as an act of following the “second call” to become more free in the second half of life. In other words, through his combination of caricature and false dualism, Rohr beckons people to a brand of freedom that Bonhoeffer called “cheap grace.” In the name of Jesus he offers an alibi for actions such as divorce that are directly opposed to the plain teaching of Jesus.

In sum, Rohr’s Falling Upward is anti-Biblical, non-Christian, and rooted in New Age thinking (often accompanied with Native American pagan practices), rather than being true to the teaching of Jesus and the Scriptures. The real question is why so many Evangelicals are attracted to it. In my experience, the answer is not that many of them needed to be freed from legalistic versions of the faith that Rohr describes. The truth is that they were already committed to a free form of the faith, but one that was experiential and lacking in serious theological convictions, let alone a well-thought-out Christian worldview. So they have easily been bewitched by such a latter day “kissing Judas.” Faithfulness, as I said, is the crucial issue for the church in our times because of today’s mounting unfaithfulness and Biblical illiteracy. Let Falls Church members read everything with eyes wide open, and with discerning minds and faithful hearts—this review included. †

Editor’s notes: Fr. Richard Rohr is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province and author of numerous books.

DISCUSSING OUR FAITH

Welcome to TFCA!It’s a great time to join the TFCA

community and many are! Getting connected and getting involved—it’s catching on in lots of new ways in the life of our parish:

• The Membership/Confirmation Prep Course, Anglican Essentials, is held in March/April this year with our Bishop’s Confirmation Service on May 3.

• Want to find a Small Group? Go to www.tfcanglican.org/smallgroups to register.

• Serve by giving your time? Email Steve to help on Sundays! [email protected]

More information: Erin O’Keefe, Connections & Community Coordinator, [email protected], (703) 869-6127.

2 Corinthians 13:12 Greet each other warmly in the LORD.

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MARRIAGE MATTERS NOW

Is Our Marriage Missing Something? Let Marriage Mentors Help!by Mitch and Jasmine Vakerics

D uring our marriage, we have been blessed with great friends, supportive parents, and a close knit small group.

Yet we felt we were missing something—something to keep us looking at the big picture instead of worrying about the little things that creep into any marriage.

We kept hearing about the Marriage Mentor program and knew it would be helpful to us, but we had no idea what a positive impact it would have on uniting us in our marriage and our commitment to each other.

For months we intended to contact Marriage Mentors at The Falls Church Anglican, but life kept getting in the way. There was an array of excuses: work, kids, weekend travel—everyone is juggling priorities these days. Finally we took a leap of faith that we could survive adding one more meeting to our

over-booked, over-loaded schedule and called the Marriage Mentor contact, Paula Inglis. How blessed we have been!

Paula paired us with Don and Mary Crabill who brought 40+ years of marriage experience to the table. We began feeling better after just 2 meetings! Having an older and wiser couple listen and teach us how to deal with conflict has been incredibly valuable. They helped us talk through difficult conversations and realize some things don’t matter after all. It was therapeutic! Week after week they continued to give us the Godly wisdom we needed to hear. Much of the advice came from situations they had walked through themselves years ago. As a bonus to their wise counsel, Don and Mary came to our home after our kids went to bed, another blessing from God.

There is great value in having an older couple listen and walk through life with you, in the good and the not so good days. We have been blessed and impressed how much love and respect the Crabills still have for each other after many years of marriage. It was so freeing to be real and honest and not be judged. They’ve given us practical tools and accountability.

Many thanks to Paula and Mark Inglis for the time and effort in training Marriage Mentors in our church family. Through the gifts the Inglises bring to this ministry and the generous time given by Don and Mary Crabill, we are better friends, spouses and parents! †

Annual Regeneration NoVACelebration Event March 28

Matthew 5:16 “Let Your Light Shine”Keynote Speaker: Stuart McAlpine, pastor of Christ Our Shepherd Church in

DC and teaching fellow for the C.S. Lewis Institute

We request the honor of your presence for an evening of fellowship beginning with a Sweet and Savory reception followed by a time of worship, inspirational message, and three life-changing testimonies. The event will be held March 28 at McLean Presbyterian Church, 6:30 pm – 9 pm.

Register online at RegenerationMinistries.org or call our office at (703) 591-4673. We look forward to seeing you at this powerful evening, expressing the power of the

Cross of Jesus to change lives.

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Biblical Peacemakingby Barbara Nielsen

CARING FOR EACH OTHER

Editor’s note: Have you often wondered why conflict is usually so painful and so difficult? Have you avoided resolving a conflict because you felt the problem couldn’t be fixed? Have you gone through years estranged from a loved one because neither of you knew how to re-connect after a hurtful dispute? Or have you felt it was the other person’s responsibility to come to you? Have you prayed for reconciliation but not been able to reach out to the other person? A new ministry at TFCA may be able to help.

A group of TFCA parishio-ners recently completed

an 8-week course on respond-ing to conflict Biblically, that is, responding in a manner pleas-ing to God as evidenced in the Bible. Using a curriculum de-vised by Peacemaker Ministries, instructors Gregory Strong and Rob Nielsen introduced a set of essential principles, begin-ning with the counterintuitive

idea that God views conflict as an opportunity for us to glo-rify Him. During the training, participants began to be able to recognize and remove “the log in their own eye,” to make an effective apology, to work together with the other party to find practical solutions, and ultimately to forgive and set out on the path to reconciliation.

While it will take more than an 8-week course to instill new habits taught in the course, participants feel much better equipped to take the all-important initial first steps toward responding Biblically to conflict. Rather than fanning the flames of conflict, they can more consistently adopt a stance that would be pleasing to God. Rather than attacking, blame shifting, or fleeing from conflict, participants feel they can now better accept responsibility for their part in a conflict and be willing to actively search with the other party to find creative and lasting solutions that honor God.

Comments from the Peacemakers Course at TFCA:

“Now I can respond in a more Godly manner at work. Recently I was able to consider the other person’s interests in a way that previously would have escaped me and to

reach an accommodation that satisfied three levels of management rather than pitting me against one (or both) of them.”

“The course made me more aware of my own conduct, and of some of my ‘heart idols’ that I can now work on banishing.”

continued on page 12

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14 The Current • March/April 2015

“Asking for forgiveness is a difficult process, especially in our culture. While we often hear pro forma apologies, truly asking for forgiveness means to make oneself really vulnerable.”

“I appreciated the focus on the importance of repairing and preserving relationships.”

“The principle of accepting 100 percent of the responsibility for my part in a conflict—even if my part was only 2 percent of the totality—is key to peacemaking.”

“I noted the amazing healing effect of an apology on the giver, not just on the recipient.”

“The first two sessions were like painfully looking into a mirror, but I forced myself to come back.”

“By knowing how God wants me to react, I found courage not to react in my habitual ways of retreating from conflict or shifting blame to someone else.”

“I learned that I have to accept responsibility for having hurt another person.”

Biblical Peacemaking will be offered periodically. At press time a new course had just begun. In addition to these courses, TFCA’s trained peacemakers offer conflict coaching and mediation services to those who would like one-on-one help resolving a conflict in their life.

This ministry is under the direction of The Rev. Rick Wright; questions can be directed to Rick at [email protected]. †

CARING FOR EACH OTHER

Peacemaking continued from page 11

CROSSROADS FUSION 2015Dates have been set!

July 6-10, 2015 Get this on your calendar NOW!

CONTACTS

Jim: (301) 704-2732 [email protected]

Preston: (703) 303-5699 [email protected]

Bekah: (571) 277-3781 [email protected]

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15The Current • March/April 2015

to medical appointments, and even light cleaning at our home. The moms from our school, Armstrong Elementary, blessed us, taking our children for afternoon play dates, bringing us meals, and helping in numerous ways.

Our TFCA church family blessed us immensely, visiting me in the hospital, calling and sending flowers and cards, providing food through MANNA Meals and gift cards, lending us a reclin-ing chair for my recovery, helping with equipment needs, and sending up thousands of prayers for my healing.

Some of the neighbors who wait with us in our yard for our children’s school bus each day, along with other neighbors we’ve known over the years, blessed us by bringing us meals when I couldn’t stand up long enough to cook.

My children blessed me through-

out my recovery. Every day, our daughter, Mariella, brought me cards she hand-made during kin-dergarten “choice” time. She would say, “Mommy, I love you so much. I hope you feel better. This card is for you, heart to heart.” And she’d put her little hand on her heart and then on my heart, and give me a hug. Our son, Carter, drew a pic-ture of me with my walker, writing he was sorry I got hurt and hoped I felt better. And they helped me with my walker and did things for me that I could no longer do as eas-ily as before.

Watching my parents, our family, our church family, and our friends work together to solve the problems we faced was in-spiring. We first needed a ramp to get me into our home after my discharge from the hospital. The surgeon had placed me into a “virtual body cast,” not allowing me to place any weight on my right leg for the first 6 weeks. My dad and my cousin Cliff built a handicapped-accessible ramp in our garage that allowed me to get in and out of our home with my walker, and for Rob to use. They helped him with his needs. Rob kept saying to me, “Your fall has blessed me,” and it had. God was using my acci-dent to provide for Rob’s needs, too.

During my recovery, our family experienced many other tragedies. One month after my accident, my father found Cliff, who was like a son to him, dead; my cousin had fallen backward down stairs at his home. Four days later, we lost another cous-in, one of my dad’s closest friends, whom he had known from

CARING FOR EACH OTHER

Life is unpredictable. After a Friday evening

Little League game in late September, I was rushing to get our kids to bed and I slipped on some water in our kitchen that had leaked from the cooler we’d used for team snacks. As I lay on the floor, unable to move, I

knew something terrible had happened, that either my hip was dislocated, or more likely, broken.

In the emergency room 4 hours later, the doctors verified my hip was, in fact, fractured. The impact and angle of my fall snapped the head of the femur in half in my right hip, and I would need emer-gency orthopedic surgery as quickly as possible, with a several-month-long recovery period ahead. As the mother of two young children, and caregiver for my husband’s twin brother, Robert, who lives with us and has Parkinson’s disease, I could not imagine how our family would be able to handle this circumstance. Yet God was about to show us His provision and teach us to depend on and receive from Him and others in a fresh, new way.

Throughout my recovery, we were amazed by the kindness of friends and neighbors. They demonstrated so clearly to us God’s Grace and love. After mak-ing phone calls that Saturday morning from the hospital, help seemed to come from everywhere and in surprising ways. My husband, Gil, made a phone call to my parents at 3 a.m., and they came immediately, from 100 miles away. They stayed most of the next 6 weeks during the most intense part of my recovery. My aunt came to stay and help at different points, too. This time with my family was so special, allowing my children to develop a much closer relationship with their grandparents. Rob “ad-opted” them, saying, “They’re my parents now, too.” He thrived during his time with them and my aunt. My long-time friend, Jana, also drove up from Richmond to be with us for 2 days to help in any way she could.

My neighborhood moms’ prayer group blessed us. My dear friend and host of the group, Jen Callahan, coordinated help from those who wanted to assist us, including meals, transportation

Walking and Leaping and Praising God by Suzanne Martinez

Through it all, we experienced God’s peace and joy, despite each challenge and tragedy. As people visited our home daily to bring

meals or take me to medical appointments or physical therapy, they seemed surprised to find us joyful and thankful amidst our

circumstances.

continued on page 14

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16 The Current • March/April 2015

CARING FOR EACH OTHER

birth. Just before Christmas, we lost Gil and Rob’s father. There seemed to be one funeral after another. When we arrived home after my cousin’s funeral, we were surprised and comforted to find beautiful flowers from the Lord’s Table at TFCA, left for us by kind members of our church family.

Through it all, we experienced God’s peace and joy, despite each challenge and tragedy. As people visited our home daily to bring meals or take me to medical appointments or physical therapy, they seemed surprised to find us joyful and thankful amidst our circumstances.

God gave us opportunities to bless others, too. We made new friends as God allowed us into the lives of those who came to help or say hello. We were able to provide encouragement to many of these friends, inviting them to stay, getting to know them on a deeper level, and gaining insight into how we could pray for them. One new friend’s sister lost her husband during my recovery, and we were able to encourage, support, and pray for her family. Others who offered to help didn’t know Jesus but heard about Him through our time together. We grew to know all of these families on a much deeper level and to share Christ’s love with them as they assisted us. It seemed God used our dif-ficulty and our joy to open a door for us to share with them and be a testimony for Jesus.

On December 5, my surgeon gave me the wonderful news that my bone had completely healed. After 3 months of physical

therapy, I am walking almost normally again. I feel like the lame beggar healed by Peter in Acts 3, who went out walking and leaping and praising God. Scripture records that the people were “filled with wonder and amazement” over the man’s heal-ing. People have had the same response to my healing, and I am so grateful to God for knitting me together.

My healing was truly a community effort of many hands, hearts, and prayers used by God. Special thanks go to Gil, my hus-band; my parents and my aunt; Whit and Kaye Jordan; Nicholas Lubelfeld; Dean Miller and the Spiritual Formation Team; Rick Wright, Lisa Henderson and the TFCA Care Team; Bob Varney and the Marriage Matters Now team; David and Ivana Rix, Paula Inglis, and our TFCA Small Group leaders; Virginia Watson; Jennifer Callahan; John and Patty McLaughlin; Jana Bridgman; the Reston moms’ prayer group; Armstrong Elementary School; and Newland Church of Christ and Welcome Grove Baptist Church in Warsaw, Virginia.

Romans 8:28 has been a special life verse, particularly in dif-ficult circumstances in my life, and was again. I considered my-self greatly blessed as I went through the situation, so much so that my dad joked early on, saying, “When people ask me how you’re doing, I’m going to tell them you’ve received so much love from this, that you’re considering breaking the other hip!” Well, I wouldn’t choose that, but I am grateful to God for this special trial and experience in our lives. †

Walking and Leaping continued from page 13

STARS IN THE CROWNPlease send your stories of people in our congregation serving each other and their neighbor to [email protected] in hopes of inspiring others to be a blessing to someone.

I was blessed by three women during the Women’s Ministry Advent Quiet Day in December. I was there with my 2-month-old son, Timothy, who had been having a normal day until the quiet time started. That is when he made a mess in the Sanctuary of our host church. Madelin Barratt, my mother, happened to look over and jump up to help me deal with the messy baby and carpet.

Upon our return, I was hoping for a clean start, but Timothy decided to vocalize, so, out we went again. As I paced the lobby, feeling a bit frustrated and embarrassed, Kelly McFadden joined me with her little one and shared

how God had used Timothy’s squawk to speak to her.

After Timothy and I had been sequestered for a time in the lobby, Kitty Hayes came out of the Sanctuary and offered to hold him.

I had felt like I was not experiencing Advent Quiet Day as intended, but as I finally sat alone and meditated I realized that God had been at work the whole morning. I left feeling immensely blessed.

With gratitude to my church family,Ellen Schooley †

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WAITING ON THE LORD

Anticipation by Karla Petty

The season of winter can be an emotional, mental, physical,

professional or relational metaphor. I remember particularly a pastor’s words on the winter season during a prayer, using the image of a tree. He said that even in winter the life of a tree continues, that a tree doesn’t hate winter, but in fact needs winter. During that time, the tree on the outside may look forlorn or dead. But inside, it is shoring up strength and nutrients. It is growing, changing, maturing. It is getting ready for the season in which it has been appointed to bear fruit.

Saint John of the Cross says in his 16th century book Dark Night of the Soul: “Even though this happy night darkens the spirit, it does so only to impart light concerning all things.” Still, how can he call it a happy night? Simply because night, if we let it, is redeemed into day through Christ Jesus.

I used to dismiss winter as a cruel period, bereft of any intrinsic value, through which I must annually suffer. In many ways it felt like everything was on hold during those first months of the year. Mamillius in Shakespeare’s A Winter’s Tale speaks my heart best in one of the earlier lines of the play when he says, “A sad tale’s best for winter.” But permafrost thaws, and crocuses push through the toughened soil, stretching for new warmth and light. It is right, and a good and joyful thing, in these days of darkness and hard weather, to draw close to one another and consider it a happy night because it will, in God’s Providence and Sovereignty, lead to the rejuvenation of spring. †

SPRINGTIME AT SHRINE MONTMay 12-14, 2015

Speaker: The Rev. Dr. Thomas Tarrants IIWorship Leader: Simon Dixon

Contact: Jenny Byrne, Seniors’ Ministry [email protected] (571) 282-0206

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PRAISING IN POETRY

Acrostic From KaJe McClinch

Turning to temptation

Rebellion

Outright defiance

Upsetting others

Blaming

Lacking humility

Excuses

Repent

Examine conscience

Supplicate

Tell the truth

Own responsibility

Resist backsliding

Exercise righteousness

Daily depend on God

Praising in Poetry David Peyton

A dry run over wet stone,

by a manger from a throne,

the sinless one to Jordan came.

Why bathe in that rolling tide,

why wash the spotless hide

of Him who knew no stain?

Under the water to take His place,

with all of Adam’s drowning race,

to be for them their fame.

And rising from the flowing flood,

a voice from heaven and a dove,

“My beloved son,” proclaim.

One baptism o’er, one more tomorrow;

the first with water, the second with sorrow:

both for me and for my gain.

Editor’s note: The Rev. David Glade is Rector of Christ the King, our daughter church in Alexandria, Virginia. He was the first

from our Timothy Program to plant a church.

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KEEPING UP WITH OUR DIASPORA

In early January, I moved to the Silicon Valley in

California. Making the decision to come out here was a months-

long process that started in July when I connected with The Very Rev. Ed McNeil. As Dean, he oversees and shepherds a small cluster of Anglican churches in Northern California.

He recruited me to plant a church in the San Francisco Peninsula, somewhere in the proximity of Stanford University. At first, as you can imag-ine, I was hesitant about this opportunity because of past challenges with church planting, the risk these all entail, and the process of moving back to the West Coast again. However, after months of prayer, this seemed like the move that God was calling me to make.

It is a very good situation in many ways. • Financially, the Deanery (and hopefully the overall Diocese

later on), as well as some very generous donors are back-ing the project so I am probably at 80% of my budget for the year, which is just amazing.

• The Deanery will be handling all my administrative needs for the current season, which is a great burden taken from me. I also have a young guy on my church planting team who is in marketing and will be doing my website and all my social media.

• I have an office—my first in 4-1/2 years! I am so excited about this. It is unfortunately in San Jose at St. James Church, our mother church. That means that it is a bit of a trek to get down there (30 miles), but I am still excited. It is very helpful to me and I will probably be going down there once a week.

• There are no Anglican churches in the immediate area—you have to drive about 25 miles north or south to find one.

From Seattle to Salem to Silicon ValleyA letter to friends at TFCA from The Rev. Kristen Yates

This is helpful because that means that there is actually a greater possibility of a new Anglican church taking root in this area.

• Dean Ed, a Canadian who has many years of ministry experience, will be meeting with me monthly to mentor and guide me. Also, I’ll be participating with other church planters in the diocese, as well as the Bishop, in a monthly church planting conference call.

• When it comes to vision and values for ministry, I seem to be on a very similar page as the initial folks on my church planting team, as well as other folks in the deanery. This is very exciting to me.

• Finally, this is an opportunity to really express all my gifts in leading, envisioning, teaching, pastoral care, and spiri-tual direction so I am thrilled.

On top of all that, the weather is nice, and I have three friends in the area whom I have known for a long time, which is really nice for me. There is no doubt at this time that I am still grieving the loss of relationships and ministry opportuni-ties in MA, but I trust that God knows best and has a reason for leading me from Seattle to Salem to Silicon Valley over these last 3 years.

To find out more details about my church plant, Community of the Way, visit our Facebook page. †

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20 The Current • March/April 2015

CHURCH FAMILY LIFE AT TFCA

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21The Current • March/April 2015

CHURCH FAMILY LIFE AT TFCA

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22 The Current • March/April 2015

Healing Prayer Hour Sundays, 11am-12:30 pm,

Bishop O’Connell High School, room 116

Tuesday Afternoon Prayer, TAP*Tuesdays, 1:30-4 pm,

Columbia Baptist Church, room 203Call church receptionist for a 1/2 hour appointment:

(571) 282-0100

Monthly Healing ServiceFirst Sundays, 7-9 pm (Jan 4, Feb 1, *Mar 1, Apr 5, May 3)

Columbia Baptist, Main Sanctuary, *Generational Eucharist service

Monthly Thursday Evening of Silent Soaking Prayer (ESSP)

Second Thurs, 7-9 pm (Jan 8*, Feb 12, Mar 12, Apr 9*, May 14)

Columbia Baptist, room 146/149, (*Father/Mother Blessing, 8-9 pm)

Evening of Healing Prayer Third Tuesdays, 7-9 pm, Columbia Baptist,

reservations requiredContact Scott Thompson for more information:

[email protected]

Prayer for the Healing of Our NationFirst Tues, 7:30-8:45 pm

(Jan 6, Feb 3, Mar 3, Apr 7, May 5) Columbia Baptist, room 202

Contact Lesley Hackman for more information: [email protected]

Wednesday Healing ClassWednesdays, 6:50-9:15 pm, Fall Semester begins in

SeptemberCornerstone Evangelical Free Church, Annandale,

registration requiredContact Chuck Cook:[email protected],

www.tfcanglican.org/HealingClassWed

Wednesday Healing Eucharist Noon service of Holy Communion & healing prayer

Columbia Baptist Chapel

Intercessory Prayer Phone LineConfidential Prayer line (571) 282-0220

Requests are prayed for by a team of intercessors daily for 2 weeks for individual needs, 4 weeks for marriages

and are kept strictly confidential.Requests for those in the military and their families,

please call (571) 282-0221.

Prayer for Our Nation10:30-11 am every Sunday outside the chapel at

Bishop O’Connell HS

2015 TFCA Healing and Prayer Ministry Events Consult www.tfcanglican.org/healing for current information.

Contact: Lynn Nelson, 571-282-0223, [email protected].

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BIRTHS/ADOPTIONSW Luke MacMillan Robinson, son of Meridyth & Daniel Robinson

(Aug 28)

W Quinn Leigh Stoltfus, daughter of Monica & Adam Stoltfus (Sep 12)

W Timothy Edward Schooley, son of Ellen & Andrew Schooley (Sep 27)

W Gideon Swift Bowers, son of Jen & Dave Bowers (Sep 30)

W Alder Elizabeth Swynford, daughter of Anna & James Swynford (Oct 7)

W Caroline and Elizabeth McKay, twin daughters of Lauren & Ian McKay, granddaughters of Mike & Colleen Giere (Nov 12)

W Caroline Welles Den Herder, daughter of Susan & Nate Den Herder (Nov 19)

W Eliana Yang Watkin, daughter of Phoebe & Robert Watkin (Nov 19)

W Rex Daniel Tomb, son of Brittany and Jacob Tomb, grandson of Mary Lib & Rex Tomb (Nov 25)

W Violet Alair Hibbard, daughter of Christina & Mark Hibbard, granddaughter of Ann Schultz (Dec 14)

W Joel Preston and Shelley Grace Becker, twin son & daughter of Ellen & Geoff Becker (Dec 31)

W Penelope Faith Rasnic, granddaughter of Cindy and Larry Green (Jan 3)

W Paul Henry Beukema Doggett, son of Barbara & Ben Doggett (Jan 27)

W Andrew Stevens Walker, son of Jennifer & Daniel Walker (Jan 25)

BAPTISMSW Naomi Joy Ayers & Rebekah Grace Ayres, daughters of Amy

& Dan Ayers

W Liang Liang Feng

W Micah Lewis Price, son of Laura & Tim Price

W Theodore James Yau, son of Rachel & Chris Yau

W Campbell Sagely Klotz, son of Rachel & Brian Klotz

W Sawyer Benaiah Klotz, son of Rachel & Brian Klotz

W Lillian Jane & Thomas Nihl Smith, children of Janey & Bruce Smith

W Natalie Ann Trollinger, daughter of Courtney & Ryan Tollinger

W Jonathan Benedict Brockwell Dixon, son of Caryn & Simon Dixon

W Katherine Elizabeth Ping Hurst, daughter of Joan & Kevin Hurst

W Matthew Drake Sungmin Hurst, son of Joan & Kevin Hurst

W Grace Anne Kienel Jackson, daughter of Cheryl & Lonni Jackson

W Timothy Edward Schooley, son of Ellen & Andrew Schooley

W Malini Olivia Brooks, daughter of Michelle Brooks

W Ian Nathaniel Christensen, son of Pamela & Guillermo Christensen

WEDDINGSW Diane McAvoy to Stuart Nelson (Sep 21)

W Evelyn Heinemeier to Kurt Henderson (Sep 27)

W Caroline Paige Mills to Alexander Young Barker (Nov 1)

W Meredith Park to Andrew Shields (Nov 8)

W Diane Kutka to Mohammad Ghorbanzadeh (Dec 13)

W Anastasia Rosa Petillo to Matthew Robert McLaughlin (Dec 19)

DEATHSW William Gravalic, uncle of Debbie Clapp (Sep 30)

W Frank Maturo, husband of Nancy Maturo, former members (Oct 6)

W Donald Shore, brother-in-law of Lori Mulligan Shore (Oct 9)

W Joseph Hill White, brother-in-law of Nancy Thompson (Oct 20)

W John Nelson Sr., father of John Nelson Jr. (Oct 28)

W Sarah Wood, daughter of Becky & Roy Wood

W Hazel Lemmon, wife of John P. Lemmon, mother of Gayle Fuller & Cheryl Lemmon (Nov 2)

W Lawrence M. King, stepfather of Mary Allen, grandfather of Timothy, Michael, and Matthew Allen (Nov 3)

W Harry Reed, step-father of Toni Hill (Nov 8)

W Ollie Bell Clinard, sister of Henry Smith

W Sophia Jane Anderson, daughter of Jessica & Colin Anderson granddaughter of Carolyn & Jack Anderson (Nov 19)

W Ken Fisher Sr, father of Ken Fisher Jr. (Nov 28)

W Robert Oakley, father of Mary Kress (Dec 4)

W Elizabeth C. Houlihan, mother of M.E. Shehata (Dec 8)

W Bishop Julias Gachuche, former Bishop of Mount Kenya Central Diocese (Dec 8)

W Vivian Dean, mother of Rich Dean (Dec 14)

W Betty Mulhollen, mother of Annalisa Mulhollen Parks (Dec 15)

W Lazaro Martinez, father of Gilbert & Robert Martinez (Dec 18)

W Carol Wright, sister-in-law of Carolyn Wright (Dec 31)

W Tom Packard, husband of Kris Packard (Jan 1)

W Della Rand, mother of Cathy Pharis (Jan 6)

W Shirley Crowe, mother of Bambi Coval (Jan 22)

W Daniel Manners, father of Lauren Manners (Jan 23)

Please notify [email protected] of births, adoptions, weddings, or deaths in your family, or call (571) 282-0100.

If you need to make changes to your membership records, send the relevant information or transfer request to [email protected].

MILESTONES

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24 The Current • March/April 2015

Submissions to the CurrentThis magazine is published six times each year with the following schedule and submission deadlines:

January 1 Issue submission deadline November 10 (previous year)

March 1 Issue submission deadline January 10

May 1 Issue submission deadline March 10

July 1 Issue submission deadline May 10

September 1 Issue submission deadline July 10

November 1 Issue submission deadline September 10

The intent of the Current is to offer encouraging or inspiring stories of ways in which the Holy Spirit is moving among us. We are focused on ways in which the Living Water, the Word, forms a current of spiritual life within this congregation. Both staff and members are invited to submit articles, personal stories, poetry, art, or short announcements about upcoming TFCA ministry events. Text for articles should be in the 500–900 word range but can run longer if necessary to tell the

story. Please submit in Times New Roman 12pt font, flush left, single spaced with an extra line between paragraphs. Use the simplest formatting—most formatting will be stripped out for consistency and for aesthetic decisions our graphic designer makes during layout. Particularly avoid headers and footers and page numbers. Writers are encouraged to send photos with their submissions. Send to [email protected]. If you have questions, call Susan Fertig-Dykes at (571) 282-0505.

Each issue of the Current is placed on the website on the release date (accessible from a footer at the bottom of the home page at www.TFCAnglican.org). Back issues are accessible in the Current archive (go to “publications” in the drop down menu from the RESOURCES tab at the top of the home page). Hard copies are mailed in advance of the release date to all TFCA individuals and families in our database. If you are attending The Falls Church Anglican and wish to be added to our database, please fill out online a Parishioner Information Form accessible from a footer on the home page of the website. www.tfcanglican.org/PIF

TABERNACLING

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FINANCIAL UPDATE

Notes from Stewardship and Finance Committees

Total Operating Revenue for the month ending December 31, 2014 (the fourth month of the fiscal year), is $2,498,880, a decrease of $171,458, or 6% lower than that of last year. Pledged Offerings for the year were slightly above last year’s, by 1%, but Non-Pledged Offerings were lower than last year’s by nearly 20%. (Generous stock donations in December were designated for the Forward Campaign, and thus are not included in the above figures, which reflect operating revenue and expenses only.) The month’s regular Operating Expenses were lower than last year’s by $85,958, or 4% lower. The fourth month of the new fiscal year ended with a surplus of $344,156, less than the surplus last year at this point.

Gratefully, Finance and Stewardship Committees

Outgoing Vestry Members

David AndrukonisDennis Bakke

Rick CampanelliRich Dean

Ron HugginsMick Kicklighter

Term Expires January 2016

Erin Bradbury, RegisterBill Buckingham

Hans HessChristine Katcher

Kristen Short, Junior Warden

Judy Stokes

Term Expires January 2017

Henry BarrattKen Brown

Sharon Fast GustafsonWhit Jordan, Warden

Elizabeth LawBrian Waidmann

Nominees for ElectionEighteen members serve on the Vestry. Six new Vestry members are elected each year, to serve for 3-year terms. Additional nominees may be elected to serve out the remaining terms of members who have resigned before their terms expired. Elections are normally held in January but were delayed this year until March 15 to allow for continuity during the Forward initiative. Incoming full-term members elected in 2015 will serve until January 2018.

Dan FagerLauren GaulinKevin Gentry Kate HarrisGeorge HooperJay Jakub Ginger KoloszycGeorge Korte

Mike LakerJim LoveKarla PettyGeorge QuillinAllen RobertsChris RothStephen Uphill Bassem Youssef

Scott Ward, Chancellor • Hugo Blankingship, Chancellor Emeritus George Connors, Treasurer

As of December 31, 2014 (4th Month Fiscal 2015) 2015 Operating Revenue & Expenses

OperatingMinistries

Fiscal Year 2015

Fiscal Year2014

Incr/(Decr)($)

Incr/(Decr)(%)

Revenue $2,498,880 $2,670,338 ($171,458) (6%)

Expenses $2,154,724 $2,240,683 ($85,958) (4%)

Surplus/(Deficit)

$344,156 ($429,655

VESTRY

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26 The Current • March/April 2015

TFCA Staff by Department

MAIN NUMBER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0100 [email protected]

Auto Attendant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0101

Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0102

BOOKSTOREBecky Irvine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0110 [email protected]

Tape Ministry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0109

SENIOR LEADERSHIPThe Rev. Dr. John W. Yates II, Rector . . . . . . . . (571) 282-6700 [email protected]

Karen Heetderks Strong, Ph.D. Senior Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0502 [email protected]

RECTOR’S OFFICE Nancy McAlpin, Executive Assistant . . . . . (571) 282-6700 [email protected]

The Rev. Bill Haley, Associate Rector [email protected]

Rector’s Study Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-6701

Communications [email protected] [email protected]

Susan Fertig-Dykes, Communications Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0505 [email protected]

Geary Morris, Communications Specialist . . . . . . . . . .(off-site/part-time) [email protected]

CHILDREN AND FAMILY MINISTRYCaroline Crocker, Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0401 [email protected]

Caleb Burr, Pre-School and Elementary Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-6701 [email protected]

Rachel Hinkle, Administrative Assistant . . . . . . (571) 282-0400 [email protected]

Nursery Carolyn Wright, Assistant Director . . . . . (571) 282-0402

[email protected]

CONGREGATIONAL CAREThe Rev. Dr. Frederick (Rick) Wright . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0501 [email protected]

Donna Wills, Administrative Assistant . . . . . . . (571) 282-0207 [email protected]

Pastoral Associate The Rev. Nicholas Lubelfeld . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0205 [email protected]

Pastoral Care Team Lisa Henderson, Team Manager . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0204

[email protected]

Glenis Pittman, Administrative Assistant . . (571) 282-0203 [email protected]

Seniors’ Ministry Jenny Byrne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0206 [email protected]

Church Receptionist Betty Sue Hines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0100 [email protected]

FELLOWS PROGRAMMorna Comeau, Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . (703) 463-6244 [email protected]

HEALING AND PRAYER MINISTRIESThe Rev. Kathleen Christopher, Director . . . . (571) 282-0222 [email protected]

Lynn Nelson, Adminstrative Assistant . . . . . . . (571) 282-0223 [email protected]

OUTREACHThe Rev. Robert Watkin, Director . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0801 [email protected]

Kathryn Parker, Administrative Assistant . . . . (571) 282-0800 [email protected]

The Rev. Mary Amendolia, Curate . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0804 [email protected]

ESOL Christine Jones, Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0808

[email protected]

Local/Urban Outreach Nar Taing Coleman, Coordinator . . . . . . . (571) 282-0802

[email protected]

Global Outreach Shireen David, Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0803 [email protected]

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27The Current • March/April 2015

TFCA Staff by DepartmentPARISH ADMINISTRATIONKaren Chretien, Director of Administration . . (571) 282-0115 [email protected]

Finance Sandy Long, Comptroller . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0116 [email protected]

Carol Bowman, Accounting Specialist . . . . (571) 282-0114 [email protected]

Lis Connors, Accounts Payable Specialist . (571) 282-0118 [email protected]

Information Technology Patricia Balzer, IT Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0123 [email protected]

Membership Records [email protected]

Audiovisuals Jonathan Crocker, Audiovisual Manager . . . (571) 282-0120 [email protected]

Events and Facilities Daron Keller, Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0117 [email protected]

Sunday Volunteer Coordinator Steve Cannizzaro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0107

[email protected]

SPIRITUAL FORMATION AND DISCIPLESHIPThe Rev. Bill Haley, Interim Director . . . . . . . . (202) 320-3206 [email protected] or [email protected]

Brian Klotz, Administrative Assistant . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0702 [email protected]

Connections and Community/Newcomers Erin O’Keefe, Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0700

[email protected]

Young Adults and Men’s Ministry The Rev. Sam Ferguson, Coordinator . . . . (571) 282-0770 [email protected]

Women’s Ministry Libby Cannizzaro, Coordinator . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0701 [email protected]

WORSHIP AND MUSIC MINISTRYSimon Dixon, Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-6223 [email protected]

Ben Doggett, Contemporary Worship Leader . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-6226 [email protected]

Lindi Jenkins, Assistant Director . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-6222 [email protected]

Andrew Schooley, Associate Director, Worship Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-6224 [email protected]

Children’s Choir Michelle McCarten, Director . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-6225 [email protected]

YOUTH MINISTRYThe Rev. Jim Byrne, Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0303 [email protected]

Administrative Assistan, Vacant . . . . . . . . . . . . . (571) 282-0301

Cornerstone (High School) Mike Steenhoek, Assistant Director (Boys) (571) 282-0302 [email protected]

Rachel Downey, Coordinator (Girls) . . . . (571) 282-0305 [email protected]

Crossroads (Middle School) Bekah Valerio, Coordinator (Girls) . . . . . . . .(571) 282-0306 [email protected]

Preston Hansen, Coordinator (Boys) . . . . (571) 282-0305 [email protected]

If you do not see listed here the person for whom you are looking, please call the main number and ask the Receptionist for assistance.

Would you like to work at The Falls Church Anglican? Job openings and information on how to apply are listed at www.tfcanglican.org/employment

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Non-Profit Org

US POSTAGE

PAIDMerrifield, VA

Permit No. 7171

The Falls Church Anglican P.O. Box 690

Falls Church, VA 22040(571) 282-0100

www.TFCanglican.org

Address Service Requested

Sunday8 am Columbia Baptist Church

Eucharist Rite I, Chapel9 am Bishop O’Connell High School or Falls Church High School

Communion 1st/3rd Sunday (Rite II) Morning Prayer other Sundays Blended Music, choir, piano or organ

11 am Bishop O’Connell High School or Falls Church High School Informal Morning Prayer Communion 1st Sunday Contemporary Music

Wednesday12 pm Columbia Baptist Church

Healing Eucharist, Chapel

1st Sunday*7 pm Columbia Baptist Church

Healing Service, Main Sanctuary

*moves to 2nd Sunday on holiday weekends

For worship location schedule, visit www.tfcanglican.org/LocationThisSunday

Regular Worship ScheduleLocation Change for 9 & 11 am

Worship Services March 8

We will be at theFairview Park Marriott

3111 Fairview Park Drive, Falls Church, VA 22042