During this season of reflection and thanksgiving, we invite you to read about the numerous ways Andrew Chapel has been the church over the past two years. You may be familiar with many of these initiatives of this faith-filled community, however read this today with fresh eyes and an end of year perspective. As we transition into the Advent season and the beginning of a new church calendar year, consider your role as a member of the body of Christ and this local church community. How do you want to be a part of Being the Church?

As so many people did during the pandemic, we used the time when our doors were closed to freshen up the building and property for our members, visitors and preschool families through improvements like new landscaping, freshly painted walls and updated lights. Because of this we celebrate our hospitality.

We also learned new technology, and together navigated the world of Zoom and livestream. We installed necessary systems to come through your front door when you were unable to come through ours. Because of this we celebrate our connectedness.

Our mission efforts pivoted to meet real, immediate local needs through the Food for Kids program for families in need in Vienna. We stepped up to welcome a refugee family, fully furnishing a home when they arrived in this country virtually empty handed having lost a bag in their travels. We created blankets, socially distanced in our homes, for people in need of comfort. We have asked the question: how are we being the church in this time and place? Because of this we celebrate our outreach.

We regularly ask, how can we serve? So, we have spent the past year prayerfully considering our needs for the future of Andrew Chapel, what it means to be the church in this decade and how we can support each other from staff to lay leadership to service in and outside of our walls. Because of this we celebrate our future of doing God’s work with our hands.