Theologian Brian Brock writes that in lament we “remain open to God by expressing our suffering and pain. In keeping the lines of communication open with God, we are prepared to also expose our hurts to the community of God’s people.” Access Leadership Network invites you to come with us before God. 

 Jubilee was a great opportunity to bond as a community and learn more about how faith in Jesus changes every aspect of our lives.

Each morning throughout Lent we will start our day with a new focus in prayer. In addition to drawing from the 2019 BCP, these prayers are offered by many voices, including US Trustees, ARDF Staff, and various supporters and friends of ARDF.

That’s the invitation for this Lenten season: to turn from sin, and prepare with joy for the resurrection season. It’s an invitation to forty days of intentional reorientation together in response to the grace of God found in Christ Jesus our Lord and empowered by his Holy Spirit.

Our fasting should be in service to God. A fast that is self-serving and self-gratifying is not a fast at all.  God desires a fast that is beneficial to his kingdom work in the world. 

This week, we enter the season of Lent, a time in the church calendar in which we intentionally lament all that is wrong in the world, all the hard soil that has yet to bear fruit. I am grateful for this tithe of our year in which our worship gives voice to all our grief and frustration.

We are in still in Epiphany, but Lent is coming soon (March 5th), and it is such an important season that it warrants some forethought and preparation. For those of you unfamiliar with Lent or in need of a refresher, keep reading!

In celebration World Mission Sunday on Feb. 25, Church of the Holy Spirit, Leesburg, VA, honors the generous giving of their congregation by sharing the names of their international partnerships along with guided prayer. Let their template inspire you to create your own.

With heartfelt worship and an inspiring testimony from Kerry Bremmer, the morning became a powerful reminder of God’s unwavering faithfulness.

And now, our mission is to bring the gospel to the nations of the world so that people from every tribe and group and language have the opportunity to respond in faith to the saving work that Christ accomplished on their behalf.

Would you like to grow in your ability to pray more effectively for your family, friends, and the world around you?

Many of you who live in and around the Washington DC area are in the midst of a real storm right now. I have spoken with several area clergy and also several lay people employed in the government sector. It’s a time of challenge, fear, and incredible disequilibrium. I remind you that God’s call to His people in such times is to hold up and not fold up. We are not called to be passive nor are we to be cowed by fear. Instead, we are called to a living hope.

Simeon's prophecy about Christ's light going to the Gentiles is tethered to a prophecy about the pain that the Blessed Virgin Mary will experience in her son's life and ministry.

M25I Lenten Offerings

Come hear Anglican Frontier Missions’ cross-cultural workers (CCWs) share stories of the Father’s faithfulness and the Spirit’s miraculous movements in countries considered “closed” to Christian missions.

Frankly, I think this is actually great discipleship strategy. As Christians we trust Jesus, the author, pioneer and finisher of our faith, who goes ahead of us and calls us to follow him into a future that is totally secure and yet which can sometimes (often?) feel disorienting. With joy and a twinkle in his eyes, I can envision our Lord saying, “Come follow me - turn and face the strange…"

As part of my daily spiritual practices for 2025 I’m using both a bible reading plan (sequentially through the Bible) and the Daily Office (and particularly the Psalms). In my Scripture engagement, I just finished reading about Joseph (Genesis) and I’m now in the life of Moses (Exodus). Reflecting on their stories has caused me to realize the importance of the choices we make.

You can participate in the Anglican Prayer Service virtually.

On the second-to-last Sunday of Epiphany, February 23, 2025, we will have the opportunity to celebrate World Mission Sunday together.