Dear Friends in Christ,
One of my favorite things to do during the workday is to walk down to Four Mile Run. There is
a peaceful trail along the river, but in many ways the attraction is getting to the trail. I walk
through our neighborhood, which is like a small pocket of El Salvador in Northern Virginia.
Like any church, we are committed to our community—which means not only our internal
community of members, but also the geographic community in which we live. We show that
commitment in many ways—our Food Pantry, for example, or the backpack drive we held last
August for Community Lodgings.
One of our most natural partners is Casa Chirilagua, a faith-based non-profit at the other end of
the neighborhood from us. Casa works with families—providing adult education, after school
programs, and more–with the goal of seeing the neighborhood transformed by Christ.
I think we have the same goal, both for ourselves and for the people around us. We long for
the transformation Jesus can offer.
We are blessed this weekend to have Jon Paramore, on staff at Casa Chirilagua, as our guest
preacher. Parishioner Ed Arthur was eager to strengthen Grace’s connection to Casa this year,
and as a result of his enthusiasm I have come to know Jon and other Casa staff. I have learned
so much from them. They are thoughtful, dedicated, and deeply grounded in Christ. Jon has a
unique offering for us: the spiritual depth he brings as a preacher combined with the
perspective he has as someone living and working in our Chirilagua community.
I always hope you’ll attend church on Sunday—but this week, especially, I hope you will either
tune in to the livestream or join us at noon.
Yours in Christ,
Anne+