Upcoming Events
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Thursday, Nov. 27:
Thanksgiving service, 10:30 AM followed by pot luck
Sunday, Nov. 30:
Stewardship Sunday
Sunday, Dec. 7:
Annual Meeting after service
Sunday, Dec. 14: Worship Ministries Training 12-2 PM
Saturday, Dec. 27:
Feed the Homless
10:30 AM
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Birthdays
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November
1 Bennett Miller
4 Brian Dubas
7 William Herbert
9 Colby Leonard
10 Tom Auld
12 Nhung Dang
18 Nam-Tran Mai
24 Thomas H. Wetrich
25 Kiet Samuel Tran
December
4 Irene Graham
5 Jennifer Moya
6 Jean Pierre Chanu
10 Winnie Lebo
11 Graham Parvinkarimi
14 Lois Cascella
15 Laurie Los
15 Moi Phan
24 Jane Chapman
25 Amelia Nicholson
28 Paul Los
30 Patricia Phan
31 Trang Diep
31 Chon Kim Huynh
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Our Prayer List
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We remember in our prayer:
Cathy Anderson, Dee Bailey, Brandon, Rachel Burgess, Jane Chapman, Marie Cosimano, Tim Clary, Dorothy Connelly, John Davis, Michael Dickinson, Loretta Dougherty, Steve Escobar, Luis Garay Pat Gardner, Carolyn Gawarecki, Louise Gibney, Jean Graham, Katherine Hafele, Margaret Ellis Harris, Alek Hensley, Leslie Hogan, Cindy Hogman, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Michael Horn, Lindsay Johns, Gray Johnson, Jamie Kaplon, Laura Kennedy, Iona Kiger, Quinn Kimball, Alice King, Jeff King, Michael Knowles, Ashley Kolitz, Peter Kosutic, Susan Lawrence, Thai Lee, Bruce Lineker, Sharon Lineker, Evelyn Morgan, Danielle Morgan, Que Nguyen, Chick Nixon, Mary Esther Obremskey, Tom Olander, Olive Oliver, Jim Owens, Gary Owens, Valerie Parkhouse, William Ross, Fern Shuck, Irene Skowron, Josh Smithers, Inez Stanton, Candi Stewart, Patrick Stefl, Kara Stryker, Walter Sushko, George Thomas, Elizabeth Trigg, Tammy Vanphung, Michael Weekes, Warren Weinstein, The Crowley Family, The Westfall Family, Meredith Wiech, Bernard Williams, Rev. Letha Wilson-Barnard, Rudy Zimpel.
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Note: If you have a loved one or friend who needs prayer please call the church and leave a message at 703-532-5656, or write to Winnie Lebo at
[email protected] or call her at 703-536-2075. Also, should a name need be removed from the list, please let Winnie know promptly, and give the reason.
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Saint Patrick's Ministers
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The Ministers of Saint Patrick's Church are the People of this Parish
supported by
The Rev. Marian Humphrey, Interim Rector
We serve our Lord as part of the Diocese of Virginia
led by
our chief pastors
The Rt. Rev. Shannon Sherwood Johnston, Bishop
The Rt. Rev. Susan Goff
Bishop Suffragan
and
The Rt. Rev. Ted Gulick,
Assistant Bishop
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The Vision of St. Patrick's
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Saint Patrick's Episcopal Church is a community of care, called to be Christ-centered and multicultural in worship, Christian education and action to proclaim Christ's love to the world.
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Previous Issues of the Epistle | Please click here if you wish to see the previous issues of The Epistle
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St. Patrick's Organized for Missions and Ministry
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SAINT PATRICK'S ORGANIZED
FOR MISSIONS AND MINISTRY
Vestry Committee:
Senior Warden: Kathy Oliver; Junior Warden: Bill Houston;
Other members of the Vestry: Elisabeth Nguyen, Milton Thomas, Victoria Kennedy, Ann Nelson.
GROUPS AND ACTIVITIES
Altar Guild: Lois Cascella;
Bell Choir: Mariko Hiller;
Sunday Service Bulletin: Diem Nguyen, Steve Lebo;
Offering Counters: Bob Cascella; Diocesan Council Delegate: Bill Houston (Kathy Oliver, alternate delegate);
St. Margaret's Circle: Ann Nelson; Telephone Chain:
Alice King; Feed the Homeless: Elisabeth Nguyen;
Odeon Chamber Music Series: Mariko Hiller;
Westlawn Elementary School: Winnie Lebo;
Falls Church Community Services: Catherine Dubas;
Hypothermia Shelter Program: Hao Nguyen;
The Epistle Newsletter Editors: Winnie Lebo; Flea Market:
Prison Ministry: Nancy Burch;
Meals-on-Wheels: Sunrise/Bluemont:
Michael Knowles
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Join Our List | |
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Photos
| | Altar flowers arranged by Hong Pham
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Parish Notes
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- The flowers for Sunday November 23th are given by the Boswell/Ardai family.
- Coffee hour volunteers needed
Please consider signing up to provide refreshments.
- "Benefit Concert to Combat Ebola in West Africa"
St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Bailey's Crossroads, under the direction of their Music Director, Anna Ko, is planning a Benefit Concert to Combat Ebola in West Africa which will be held on Sunday, November 23 at 4:00pm in the sanctuary at St. Paul's located at 3439 Payne Street, Falls Church, VA. Some of the most talented and popular musicians in the northern Virginia area, including Emma Resimi on flute, Neil Brown of the Trumpet Trio and former member of Navy Brass, Rich Kleinfeldt from the Washington Saxophone quartet, Janet Bailey violin trio from Army Strings and Classical FX Quartet from the Washington National Opera, have volunteered to donate their time and talent to this concert. The suggested donation is $20, but additional donations for this cause are welcomed. The proceeds will go to Episcopal Relief and Development and to St. Paul's missionaries on the ground in Monrovia and Mbaloma to meet the immediate needs of those affected by Ebola. There will be a reception in St. Paul's Fleming Hall immediately following the concert.
- Telling Our Story
Do you enjoy hearing a good story? Can you picture the events in your mind as the storyteller relates every detail? Does your family have a favorite story about one of your relatives?
Most of us do enjoy hearing a good story and many of the stories we tell have been told more than once. And the funny thing is that no matter how often we hear that story told; we never grow tired of listening to it. Stories have the power to touch something within us. Stories help us identify a part of ourselves and connect it to the story being told. Story builds empathy between individuals because through stories we are able to discover that we are more alike than we are different. We share a common humanity no matter where we come from or who we are.
Over the next month, I invite us all to take a step back and remember. We will begin the month with the celebration of All Saints. We remember those individuals whose lives have mirrored that of Jesus. St. Patrick and his ministry among the Irish people and St. Francis of Assisi who taught us the importance of living simply are just two examples of human beings who gave themselves completely to Christ. We also remember the 117 Martyrs of Vietnam who endured years of persecution and eventual death for practicing their Christian faith.
Telling our stories about our cultural heritage and how we came to call St. Patrick's our faith home will be another activity planned for us.
Watch the bulletin for a complete schedule of events! Hope to see you there!
Faithfully in Christ,
Rev. Marian+
- FCS Thanksgiving Baskets
Save the Date: Saturday, November 22nd is the Falls Church Community Service Council (FCS) Thanksgiving "Basket" delivery date. FCS has committed to providing Thanksgiving dinner for 140 families in our immediate area. Drivers will be needed that Saturday to pick up food at Knox Presbyterian Church (on Rt. 50 across from the Thomas Jefferson Library) and deliver to these most needy families.
Click here to find out how to sponsor a basket, volunteer or find out needed food donations...
- Pastoral Search Prayer
Our Heavenly Father,
Your love for us is unfailing. You surround us with a hedge of spiritual protection against the storms of life keeping us from harm's way. You have blessed this church- a sacred place we love, a diverse and caring community where all are welcome and each is valued. Look graciously upon us during this time of transition.
We ask your guidance as we seek a faithful priest who will: lead us in worship, care for us, celebrate our diversity, help us to know Christ and make him known, and equip us for ministry using the gifts and talents of our congregation to share Christ's love within our community and in the world beyond.
Encourage us in this endeavor. Renew our faith, and inspire us to conceive that which is beyond our experience. Let us be of one mind and heart in Christ.
We pray especially for those who have been called to serve on the search committee: give them clarity of purpose and help them listen carefully to your still, small voice. In all of these things, let us be mindful that it is you who is calling the right person to shepherd your flock at St. Patrick's.
We ask this in the name of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
Amen
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The Propers
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Sunday, November 23, 2014
Last Sunday after Penticost
Texts:
First Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
Psalm 95:1-7
Second Reading: Ephesians 1:15-23
Matthew 25:31-46
Collect:
Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well�beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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Last Sunday's Sermon
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Given by The Rev. Marian Humphrey
November 16, 2014
This morning's Gospel is a challenging pericope from the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus continues to prepare His disciples for His impending death in Jerusalem. The passage we consider today is a continuation of Jesus' parables about discipleship and the end times. The culmination of the parables considering the end of the world will come next Sunday when we hear the Sermon on the Final Judgment or the parable of the sheep and the goats.
This morning's Gospel, as most parables do; challenges us to consider the deeper message placed within the layers of images and words. Jesus told this parable to His disciples as a way of encouraging them to love courageously and with abandon. He also told them this story to urge them to grow in trust. Jesus wants all of His disciples both then and now to trust God and to accept the trust that God places in the hearts of each disciple. Jesus wants you and me to realize that Jesus has placed His trust in us to spread the Good News of the Gospel and to bear witness to the love of Christ for all people.
The parables about Jesus' Second Coming at the end of the world are lessons for disciples to learn as they wait Jesus' coming again. We are not to act like the third servant in today's Gospel to sit and wait for Jesus. The purpose of these parables is to teach all disciples how to prepare and how live according to Jesus' expectations that the poor will be cared for and the hungry fed and the naked clothed and those imprisoned will be visited.
Turning to our Gospel, a master leaves on a trip and places his three servants in charge of his estate and his finances. To his first servant, he entrusts a very large sum of money. The servant promptly invests the money and realizes a profit of nearly 100%. A second servant is also entrusted with a sizable amount of money and also invests the funds wisely. The third servant is given the smallest amount of money to manage in comparison with the other two. This servant does not invest the money he was given because he was afraid of losing the money. Instead this servant buries the funds entrusted to him for safe keeping.
We know what happens next. When the master returns, each servant informs him about what they had done with the money they had been given. The first two servants were rewarded by the master with the invitation to "enter into my joy" while the last servant incurred the master's wrath and was expelled from the master's presence. The master was angry with the third servant because he expected the servant to imitate his behavior but instead the servant proved that he was more concerned about self-preservation than taking a risk for a greater gain.
When I was in Seminary, my professor assigned my class a book to read that has had a great impact on me. The title of the book is "Why haven't you left yet?" It is the moving story about an Anglican priest, Marc Nikkel, who was a missionary to the people of the Sudan. Nikkel tells the story of a country torn apart by an unending civil war in which over two million people died. The author became a seminary professor and through his abiding respect for the people he encountered came to love them.
As the civil war intensified, many missionaries left the Sudan but Marc Nikkel remained. At one point, the seminary was attacked by the rebel army and Nikkel was captured. Many of his Sudanese students and friends, fearing for his safety asked him, "Why haven't you left yet?" Marc Nikkel demonstrated his love for the people of Sudan and shared their suffering. He remarked later that he did not leave the country when he had the chance because he had found Christ among the Sudanese people. He had come to know and trust that God had entrusted the Gospel of peace and reconciliation to him. Marc Nikkel trusted himself enough to know that through his Christian witness even through his suffering as a captive; Christ's love would become manifest to the people with whom he worked and loved.
Marc Nikkel risked everything for the sake of Christ and for the Gospel. Two of the servants in our Gospel took risks and followed the example of the master. They risked losing the master's money. But the last servant chose to play it safe by not taking any risks at all. He chose not to follow the Master's example and buried the money that had been given to him to invest.
Jesus is asking you and me as His contemporary disciples to take risks on behalf of the Gospel. Jesus is asking us to follow His example and to give everything- our love, our generosity, our talents and our lives in service to the least and the lost in our world in His Name. A disciple of Christ does not live or act out of fear. A disciple of Christ acts out of love and out of faith and gives one's self in love to those in need.
In closing, I'd like to tell as story about one of the Early Desert Fathers who felt called by faith into the wilderness to live with very little material comfort but with tremendous spiritual riches. One day a young monk came to Abba Joseph and asked him what more he could do, since he was already doing some fasting, and some praying, and some work, mostly weaving baskets. The holy man responded the story goes, by raising his hands, and fire shot out from his fingers as he
responded to the young man with this great challenge: "Why not become totally fire?"1
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1 Huey, Matthews, Kathryn. "Expectant Choices" Sermon Seeds. UCC, 2014
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let's catch fire! Let the fire of Christ's love burn within our lives as we emulate Christ in all we do and say. Let us burn with the zeal of the Holy Spirit as we bear Christ"s love to everyone in this neighborhood, our families, our workplaces and our world. Let you and I catch fire so as to emulate Christ and change the world for His sake.
For this and for all Christ has entrusted to us, we say AMEN!
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