by Danny Hindman

This week, All Souls Anglican Church in Richmond, VA will gather together for its tenth week as a worshiping community on the Southside of Richmond. These past ten weeks have been fast, and full, and good.

After two months of cookouts and prayer meetings through the summer, eight weeks of pre-launch vision/prayer gatherings, and one "practice" service (soft launch? preview service?), a 24 hour trip to Rochester, NY for pews, 9 hours moving office furniture from a supporter's law firm, sound installation and a building renovation, we launched our church on the first week of Advent. That week, around 130 folks, adults and kids, showed up to celebrate the work God is doing in and through this little parish. Since then, we've averaged around 70 in attendance each week, with over 100 on Christmas Eve and at the Feast of Our Lord's Baptism.

On that First Sunday of Epiphany, we were honored to baptize six children into Christ’s One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, and celebrated with donuts, bagels, mimosas, and general merriment. Each week more visitors are arriving, especially from the blocks around our historic building (which is a genuine answer to prayer). Each week the folks in the church stay longer and longer, lingering in conversation and fellowship as the kids play on the playground our co-tenants (a YWCA preschool) generously allow us to use. Each week five small groups gather in homes of parishioners for meals, fellowship and evening prayer. Partnerships with local schools and nonprofits are opening up, and we are working our way to becoming a trusted partner in and for the southside of Richmond.

There's always more to say, but for the sake of brevity I'll just say this: We are so full of gratitude for what God is doing in this community. We are tired, but the good kind of tired--for two months (more like three or four, actually) a community pushed itself to the max, but not to burnout. Epiphany, then, is coming at just the right time for our people to settle into a predictable rhythm of work, play, worship, and prayer. Pray for us as we learn to walk together in love for the sake of others!

The Rev. Danny Hindman is Vicar of All Souls Anglican Church in Richmond, VA