by Morgan Reed

What a year! This year more than any other felt like the Corpus Christi Anglican (Springfield, VA) is really growing into a common people in common prayer for uncommon transformation. It was a year of growth and change. We began the year changing worship locations as we moved from worshiping at the Springfield United Methodist Church to the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. Then we ended the year moving rooms (from the preschool to the upstairs fellowship hall) in the new location because we outgrew the preschool space we had been worshiping in. That is a major theme of this year. It has been a year of growth and change: we have had three worship locations in one year, we have a new bishop, we had staff transition, we said goodbye to people moving away, and we welcomed in new members.

Here are some of the discipleship highlights: We baptized and confirmed several people this year and we had a confirmation class this fall with several more people waiting to be confirmed. We had several Formation Groups over the course of the year where people had the opportunity to eat and pray together in one another's homes. Our men's ministry has also been a great space for intergenerational discipleship. One of those men's breakfasts included a house blessing. We had several people that asked for house blessings this year. We began a new monthly outreach service where we lead a Eucharist at Garden Ridge, a part of Greenspring Senior Living, in Springfield, VA. We have prayed for opportunities to minister to our neighbors there and God has given us a great opportunity to do that.

On the corporate/administrative side, last year at this time we began receiving donations ourselves rather than through the Diocese. This year we elected our first vestry and took over payroll processing. These were the final two pieces that we needed to do in order to be completely independent of diocesan administrative support. That is an exciting step towards becoming a congregation.

We are getting closer to financial independence, but we are not there yet. We still rely on a mixture of outside supporters and grants to pay for our operating costs (which is very typical for a church plant). God has continually provided what we need to continue to work of this ministry and I know He will do the same next year. Thank you for partnering with this ministry. Your gifts allow us to continue to grow, both into a new space, and to staff the church according to the growth we are experiencing. Keep reading for more details (and for some great pictures. If you would like to make a special gift for the end of the year or start an ongoing gift, click the "give now" button below.

The Rev. Morgan Reed is the Rector at Corpus Christi Anglican, Springfield, VA.