VIENNA PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH | FEBRUARY 2023
THE MONTHLY MESSENGER
FROM HOPE'S HEART... Brothers & Sisters of VPC, My son is my Valentines’ baby. He was born just a few days before the 14th. The year he was born I thought that was a pretty special time to come bouncing into the world. But, as he’s grown up, I confess that sometimes his birthday comes as an afterthought. We’ve just fully recovered from Christmas and New Years’ and during those grade school years we’re immediately hit with Valentines’ parties and card exchanges. And somewhere in the middle, my guy turns another year older. We don’t mean for things, and certainly not people, to be an afterthought. Life just sometimes gets away from us. The same is true in the church. This is a joyfully busy time in the life of our congregation. We have our annual congregational meeting coming up on February 5, at 10:15 am. We’ll be spending two weeks this month hosting the Hypothermia Prevention Program for brothers and sisters in Fairfax County that need a warm place to rest their heads. We’re launching a brand new mental health ministry. We have two Associate Pastor Nominating Committees working diligently to seek out some new leaders for our church. We’re getting a new roof on the building. And we are hosting an all-church Shrove Tuesday pancake supper from 5-7:00 pm on February 21st.
All of that is in addition to our life groups, learning communities, youth and children’s ministries, support groups, and pastoral care. And right there in the middle of it, quiet and unassuming, comes Ash Wednesday – the start of the season of Lent, a season of confession, repentance, and preparation for Holy Week that leads us through Jesus’ death and Resurrection. In the busy-ness of it all, we might be tempted to simply overlook Ash Wednesday, but I would invite you to intentionally make it a stand-out priority in your month. We will have two opportunities on February 22 to worship and recalibrate our hearts and lives on Ash Wednesday. At noon, we invite you to a simple service in the historic Chapel. There will be a full service in the Sanctuary at 7:00 pm. Ashes will be available at both services. Yes, this is a very busy season, but at the very heart of who we are there are some precious moments that deserve more than just an afterthought. Ash Wednesday gives us a chance to pause and return Jesus to the center of our attention. In the Grip of Grace, Pastor Hope hope.lee@viennapres.org