January 18, 2019
Are you affected by the government shutdown, or concerned for those who are? Rev. Kelly and I want you to know that on behalf of the entire Falls Church Episcopal, we would like to help. Scroll down to "a note from Rev. Kelly and Rev. John" below, for more on that. And click here if you would like to continue reading my thoughts on the crisis of leadership which I believe is an underlying cause of the government shutdown. (I started this series last week; you can read part one here. On this or any other matter, I'm open to your thoughts and comments: email me at johmer@thefallschurch.org. See you Sunday,
A note from Rev. Kelly and Rev. John: Have You Been Affected by the Government Shutdown?
You may not be aware that we (Rev. Kelly and Rev. John) have been reaching out to all of the furloughed workers (whom we are aware of!) to check in on them, offering to meet one-on-one for lunch or coffee. We've also been encouraging people to let us know if they are furloughed from contractors or if their businesses have been impacted as well.
And while in the e-news, Rev. John is writing about the underlying causes of this problem, addressing the issue from a spiritual point of view, we also want to do something more tangible and visible.
We already planned to be less behind-the-scenes and more public in our reaching out, through some Sunday morning announcements and through the Outreach ministry presentation this coming Sunday. We think one of the roles we can serve is as a kind of "clearing house" for information about other organizations and agencies that are offering services, likely more efficiently than we could.
One idea we've heard is in response to a kind of social isolation that some people feel in this situation, and a wearing down of the self-esteem that can come from feeling their years of faithful service is being devalued. And so one parishioner is offering a luncheon at their home, hosting neighbors who they know feel cut off or isolated. Because each of us is an individual member of the Body of Christ the Church, those kinds of initiatives ARE, by definition, "the church doing something."
But we want your ideas. No one is in this alone. That's part of the beauty of being a part of a faith community. If you're affected by the shutdown, or concerned about those who are, please make a point to attend Sunday's Outreach Adult Forum, and please make a point to reach out to Rev. Kelly or Rev. John. And please know that The Falls Church is here for you.