AN UPDATE ON ROMAN AND HER FAMILY

Eight years ago, a very special relationship began.

Roman, her 6 children, and her now late husband, stayed at Christ Church as part of the CARITAS shelter program. After their stay, Roman's oldest son Shimendi reached out and asked for help and Christ Church said yes. We've been blessed to be in relationship with this family ever since.

We have great news to share -- Roman just passed her U.S. Citizenship exam! Now the whole family can enjoy the rights of U.S. citizenship.

Roman and her family are from Eritrea (country bordering Ethiopia). They were captured and held prisoner, waiting to be executed. Catholic Charities rescued them and brought them to the US where they have lived as Permanent Residents for the last 10 years. In Eritrea, women are not educated and Roman therefore does not read or write in her native language. Roman has worked very hard to study and pass the U.S. citizenship exam.

Roman and her oldest son, Shimendi work full-time to support their family. Efrem, the 2nd oldest, is entering his senior year of high school and would like to attend VCU after graduation.

"Roman is so excited!" said Jenni Pandak, who has been close to the family since the beginning. "This is an incredible family with an amazing story and I am so grateful that Christ Church had the faith to 'yes' when God called us to be His Hands and Feet."

“When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them.  The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” - Leviticus 19:33-34 New International Version (NIV)

Roman and family after Shimendi passed his U.S. citizenship exam a few years ago.

Love Changes Everything

A witness by Jane Emrick

Our church family had the pleasure of a visit from Bishop Susan Goff for a visit on May 6. She began with a dynamic sermon, and stayed for lunch, fielding questions for over an hour in the Garage.

Her message was titled, “Love Changes Everything.” In it, she noted that “Love takes us on amazing journeys--terrifying and painful journeys.” There was not to be fear in the journey; but rather, the joy of following in our Lord’s footsteps. “Jesus’ love took him through the world. To death. Through death to Life beyond,” she said. And as we come to know him more, we see the complications and growth those changes bring.

Bishop Goff honored us with lots of extra time in the afternoon, and fielded questions while we enjoyed a snack lunch in the Garage. She addressed the issues of how our church can maintain relevancy in a world where the idea of “church” is so different from the way we grew up.

Bishop Goff spoke about reaching out to our fast-growing community, and that (especially for Episcopalians) this can require some re-thinking. “We may be uncomfortable with Evangelism,” she noted. “We may need training in reaching out to others.

“This community is growing, so we have a great opportunity for growth,” she added.

But, she cautioned, we must remember that “church community” is not about going into a building with a cross on the front, for an hour on Sunday morning. It’s more about people building a support system for those who need it. “If the Church budget is spent on buildings, then to some extent, we’ve lost the mission of Christ,” she said.

One sad note, in response to a question, is that a few Virginia Episcopal parishes are closing. Bishop Goff was quick to add that churches that are closing are “mostly in towns and communities that are dying.” And although some congregations are moving on, she said, of course, “the Church isn’t going to die.”

Our Bishop took some time answering a question about the increasing diversity in our church, and how we might address needs of a population that may have been marginalized by other churches. Bishop Goff was adamant in her insistence that we learn to embrace a changing population of believers, with diverse backgrounds and varying spiritual needs. “It’s a different world we live in now,” she said. We must make the effort to learn where people are coming from, and to help them find faith from that place. “Jesus calls us to love people as they are...pulling us to be more than what we are.

“Part of what the church is striving to do, is to give everyone a voice. That’s hard. It can get messy. But the only voice Jesus wanted to silence, was satan’s.”

Bishop Goff encouraged us to be open to a future that looks and works differently than what we may be used to. She referred back to her sermon point that “love changes everything.” She said that if we love, we must change. If we want to spread God’s love, we must understand the needs of those who seek it.

“I’m excited to see what the church will look like in 50 years. I’m kind of sorry that I won’t be around to see that,” she said. She noted that the church community of the future, probably “won’t look like churches of today.

“People choose church now because they seek community,” she noted. She added that that may make our church look more like the early Church in the book of Acts. That early church didn’t rely on a specific “look” or building, or worship on a certain day in a certain way; but rather, was much more fluid as it grew to meet believers’ needs, while following Jesus’ teachings at its core.

But, she said, whether we’re in a building, sharing a space, or re-designing a community, God will be in the midst if we allow his leading. “When it’s not about issues, but about people--we seem to have more room to change.” Bishop Goff left us with prayer and encouragement to embrace our future with open minds and open hearts. Thanks for your loving words!

“Love can require sacrifice”: sleep, money, time, pride, old practices. Bishop Goff encouraged us to follow Jesus’ example--to be like potter’s clay, and to seek growth as we learn to love more and more as he did.