Sunday

Karen and I drove down to Falls Church in Virginia this morning to worship at the Falls Church. Can you see what a clever thing they did with the names there?

The Falls Church is where George Washington worshipped. And here am I standing in front of the old part of the site, where they have the traditional services, and where they have plaques on the pews celebrating famous American revolutionaries and civil war folk who were part of this congregation. I don't think you have to be a general to get a seat here, but...

This photo is the new part of the church, where we worshipped, and it was a super service. Great music, a great sermon, and an hour and a half passed in no time flat. I thoroughly enjoyed being with this part of the Anglican family. Actually, the music reminded me very much of home. Most of the songs were songs we sing, and the sound of the band was very much the sound we make, though the format of the service was more what we do in the evenings than the mornings.

Michael Greto, whose wife Megan is cousin to Scarlette, best friend of Gill my sister (are you still with me) was in the narthex and we caught up before the service began. The sermon was on the problem of suffering, and finished with a point that regular readers here would recognise. One of the things that happens when we suffer is that we enter into part of Christ's suffering in order that we who are the redeemed become the redeeming in the world today. We who are the forgiven become the forgiving. We who are the healed become the healing.

OK, he may not have used those words, but the concept was HUGE in the sermon.

And finally, Harry, the smallest Welbourn has been entertaining us with dancing and percussion over lunch to make up for his lack of a mention with the flute and violin yesterday. Truly a star performance. Stellar. And here is the whole family in the sun outside the house.