On All Saints’ Day, November 1, Frederick Anglican Fellowship (FAF) in Frederick, MD met in a church (not a conference room) for the first time! We gathered in the evening at a beautiful downtown Frederick church (Centennial United Methodist) for a lay-led service of hymns, prayers, scripture, and reflections followed by hot cider, snacks, and multigenerational conversation.

We are blessed to have a core team of nine lay-people with a passion for the gospel and a vision for an Anglican church in Frederick. It’s remarkable how God has distributed all the needed gifts and passions among our team to build up the fellowship. Truly this is an answer to prayer. We all look forward to when the Lord will provide a priest/planter to lead us, but for now we continue to meet on the first Sunday of each month, alternating lay-led Morning Prayer with Holy Eucharist celebrated by a visiting priest. After last month’s Sunday morning Holy Eucharist, we all went to the nearby home of a team member for lunch. It was so fun we decided to do it again on November 5.

Some changes are afoot! After our good experience at Centennial United Methodist for the All Saints’ service, in January we are going to try moving our regular first-Sunday services to late afternoon so we can continue meeting there. We’re also planning to add informal “house church” morning worship and fellowship events on the third Sunday of each month, beginning with an Advent/Christmas celebration on Sunday morning, December 17. This will mean at least two Sunday gatherings each month going forward.

Please PRAY with us . . .

• for patience as we await the right priest to lead our church plant, and for those who are considering or exploring the wonderful opportunity to serve in Frederick;

• in thanksgiving for the wonderful core team and community of people who are part of Frederick Anglican Fellowship, and for the Lord to help us connect with new people; and

• for continued faithfulness to shine with the good news of Jesus Christ through our words and deeds in Frederick.

Pictures from Frederick Anglican Fellowship’s All Saints’ evening service.