April is National Social Worker's Appreciation Month! We cannot let this month go by without acknowledging the amazing social service professionals God has led us to partner with and serve. The Resource Center of Fairfax Church cares for vulnerable children and families in our community by caring for the professionals who are in the battle with them. We are honored to come alongside and call them friends.

We support them. Right where they are.

A social services professional’s day is never his or her own. They may start their day with a plan but must be ready to pivot in a moment’s notice and we make every effort to pivot with them. Aside from providing our usual supports, we are available to them for special pick-up requests, special resource requests, and even special event requests. We provide for families who experience fires, escape from abuse, eviction, and emergency foster care.  These crisis situations do not schedule themselves, so it is important to us that the Resource Center serve with grace and flexibility. With our dedicated volunteers, it is amazing that we have been able to say yes to so many things that are outside of our usual framework.

We pray with them; we pray for them.

Occasionally, we might have a social service professional walk through our doors, and we can just tell by the look in their eyes they are having a particularly hard day.  Our social service professionals are meeting all kinds of distressing situations throughout their day.  We have prayed for girls lost to human trafficking to be found, we have hugged social workers who lost babies to a terminal disease, and we have offered encouragement. And, of course, coffee, always coffee. We hold space, however brief, to connect with them. It is important to us that their experience with us is not just transactional. At the end of the day, whether with them or for them, we pray. 

We gather them in community with one another.

At the very least, every effort is made to greet each person picking up a donation request from the Resource Center with the hospitality that permeates our church as a home. We hear the stories that social service professionals carry with every child and family that God has placed in their midst. Every month our Care team and the Resource Center work together to provide a meal for human service professionals to enjoy together. It is an environment where they share the hard things, laugh together, and connect.  It is a way for these caregivers to not feel alone with the stories they carry

We see them.

We love our social service professional friends!  We see you in a job where you are rarely seen but always present. We see your weariness. We see you going above and beyond and sometimes outside the scope of your requirements to create security for the children and families under your care.  Thank you from the deepest parts of our soul, we are so grateful to call you friends and know that you are keeping watch on our community.

“My school is here!” a small girl joyfully exclaims as she arrives at the parking lot of Fairmont Gardens where Resource Center volunteers have created a preschool within two parking spaces, affectionately called “Kids Corner.” This pop-up preschool reminds Lian (Large Group Director for Fairfax Kids) that, “Ministry can happen in any environment or any moment.” Lian and her daughter Izzy, along with Resource Center volunteers Nancy and Sonia, and Fairfax facilities’ team members Isabel and Naomi are the faithful team of servants called to love and teach the children who join their parents at the Thursday Food Distribution.

“It is all God,” Brooke says, expressing gratitude for the convergence of our facilities team and children's ministry that comes together to make Kids Corner happen. Noticing preschoolers standing in line with their parents for up to two hours at weekly food distributions, she began to ask, “What else can we do? What is possible in this space?”

Izze, currently an intern with our Creative Arts Team, recalls her first trip to the Food Distribution. “Brooke wanted me to see and experience. God had put on her heart that we needed to do something for the children that waited in line with their parents and offer something just for them.” As Izze had transitioned from serving as an intern in our children’s ministry to interning in our resource center, she brought the experience, skills and her heart for children to meet a need at Distribution. Izze spoke with some of the mothers to ask for their input and find out what would be helpful, and they shared that it is hard for them to gather and carry groceries while caring for their children.

So Izze arrived the next week with a bottle of bubbles and a ball and spent the morning playing with the one little boy. The next week, a few more parents, somewhat reluctantly, brought their children to her. Izze had added chalk to her supplies, and the children filled the pavement with cheerful drawings of flowers, hearts, suns, and stars. Izze wondered if the children would be more comfortable and the parents might feel safer to leave their children in a space that looked more established.

Small tables and chairs, that fit snugly in the two parking spaces designated for Kids Corner, have become a Thursday morning preschool for the children who come to Food Distribution, and our volunteers plan a weekly craft, song, snack, and storytime for as many as 50 children who come for school. Our volunteers are constantly thinking of ways to provide a meaningful experience and something for the children to look forward to. A water table was added in the warm summer months and cups of hot cocoa were served in the winter.

One of the many things that Izze loves about her time in the Kids Corner is taking time to listen to the children. “A lot of the kids have very big imaginations, and I love to hear their stories… whether true or not.” One week, an enthusiastic group of boys entertained Izze with their detailed story about aliens and Spiderman, the boys taking turns adding one exciting elaboration after another to their fantastical adventure.

Her mother, Lian, reflects on how she loves working with the kids and finding ways to support their parents. “There are so many moments where you think, THIS is why we do this. There is beauty in the relationships that are built and the interactions that occur in this small space.” Lian finds joy in the contentment of the children and is grateful for the unexpected hug from a child or the opportunity to help a child to feel safe. She appreciates the trust that is built with their parents and the privilege of responding in the moment to whatever needs are presented each week, speaking with parents who may need help accessing school enrollment, caring for medical needs, or acquiring coats and gloves for their children.

Naomi and Isabel’s involvement with Kids Corner began with their delivering the tables and chairs for the food distribution. They now deliver little tables and chairs, too, that are the right size for our preschoolers. Naomi and Isabel generously share their Spanish language skills which are a tremendous gift to the ministry.

Naomi expressed that, “I love to work with kids” and before coming on staff at Fairfax, she worked in a daycare. Naomi offers her gift of music, teaching the children the words and hand motions to Vaca Lola (Lola the cow.) Isabel’s talent for drawing captivates the little ones as she sketches accurate portraits of Little Mermaid or Spiderman. Naomi and Isabel say that Kids Corner is “always fun and happy.” On a favorite fun morning, the children cracked up laughing as one boy looked at Isabel’s impressive drawing of Spiderman and announced, “La Cucaracha” (the cockroach.)

Nancy, now a retired Fairfax County ESOL teacher, was setting up a community center and food pantry for the families of her school. Brooke donated a couch to the community center then invited Nancy to see the Kids Corner. Although she is no longer in the classroom five days a week, Kids Corner gives her a place to continue using her gifts to teach. “It’s a little part of the week, but it’s important to me. My heart is for this population of people in our community that don’t have all the resources easily accessible to them. I love the fact that we’re helping the whole community and making it easier for their parents to get the help they need.”

Some of Nancy’s favorite moments during Food Distribution are seeing three year olds playing together, communicating together, and planning together as they build. She is constantly impressed by their attention span, especially for independent and creative play and appreciates the thrill they express in the simple pleasure of opening a new can of play-doh and having something special to use during their time in the Kids Corner.

Thinking about the future of Kids Corner, our volunteers share these hopes and prayers:

· Getting more chairs that fold (or chairs that fold more easily)

· Having more Spanish speakers on our team

· Offering access to dental care for the kids

· Caring for the older kids who come in the summer when school is out

· Discovering ways to help them connect with one another and the Resource Center volunteers

· Bringing in additional consistent volunteers to join the mighty team that we already have

· Finding a librarian or story teller to read aloud during Kids Corner

Izze has noticed the way that the older kids love to help. They are already invested in one another’s lives, they care for each other as neighbors and friends, and she has a vision for seeing them grow as leaders and teachers.

Nancy encourages small groups to get involved by considering what they could do for the children of Kids Corner and coming together to Possibility of other things they can do.

From collecting seasonal necessities like socks or mittens, to assembling activity bags of art supplies, coloring books and materials for creative play.

Brooke’s dream for the children of Kids Corner is for them to have their own community center, on their side of the highway in their neighborhood that provides a safe place to play and introduces them to the structure of school and starts to prepare them for Kindergarten.

The Resource Center often experiences God knowing our needs and providing for them before we even know what they are. Oftentimes, we will receive a very specific special request and a short time later a call from someone who wants to donate that same item to us. There are times when this works in the opposite direction too, we receive a random donation and a short while later a social worker requests the same item. We love when this happens as it serves to remind us that God is all knowing, ever present, and our greatest provider.  

But, we are not called to lean only into waiting for these moments. We must do our due diligence to manage the resources in and out of the Resource Center.  

Our most common donation needs are listed on our Resource Center Website and our most timely needs can be found by following us on Instagram @fairfaxrc_.  We post our most immediate need every Monday called the Need of the Week.

Following our Instagram page and sharing our Need of the Week posts may not seem very impactful, but when people respond and we are able to fulfill a special request for a vulnerable family in immediate need, it is impactful for them. By fulfilling these requests, we are showing these beautiful children and their families that they matter, to us and to God.

This week we had an emergency request for a baby that was only drinking water, because the family couldn't afford formula. So many of the stories we hear are heartbreaking, but none so much as when a child is going without formula for weeks. One might think, "Oh, mom can breastfeed" but that is not the case if mom is not getting food either. The nutritional needs of children are requests we will never say no to. This happened on a day the Resource Center doesn’t typically open for request pickups. But because our focus is on building relationships with caseworkers and not just on providing resources, the caseworker felt comfortable enough asking and we were in a position to provide for this family before they went another weekend without food. 

 We are so grateful for the funding and support to get to say yes to these types of requests each week as they come up. God is at work and we are getting a front row seat!

This is one of our favorite nights of the year! Each year we have the honor of hosting the Young Life Capernaum's Night to Shine Pre-Party event! Night to Shine, sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, is an unforgettable prom night experience, centered on God's love for people with special needs ages 14 and up. It is a magical experience held downtown at Nat's Park.

And we got to throw a pre-party extravaganza at the church last week to welcome, love on and feed 150+ of our special friends, then send them off on 3 buses to Nat's Park to enjoy their special night! Our team did an amazing job decorating the church for the pre-party to include a rockstar balloon photo station which was quite a hit. God's love was on full display for these special ones and we were honored to be a part of it!

Gabriel Tirado wrapped up his fellowship with us at the end of January. We are grateful for the many ways he served in his time with us and we will miss him. Here are some parting words Gabriel had to share with us:

I stand in amazement knowing that a year has gone by, serving as the Fairfax Church Outreach Fellow, and words cannot adequately describe how much my time at the Fairfax Resource Center has meant to me. Prior to joining this outreach ministry, I was looking to work for a place that embodied the pursuit of human flourishing with a Christ centered approach, and after a long time of looking and praying, the Lord led me to the Fairfax Resource Center.

I couldn’t be more satisfied with both the work I was able to contribute and the experience that was laid before me, and as a result, I have been made a better leader, a better communicator, and a better servant. Whether it was spending time at food distributions, meeting with local partners, or marketing the great work of the Fairfax Resource Center, I know that all of these areas have taught me so much of what it means to be the hands and feet of Christ.

Lastly, I can’t finish this reflection without mentioning the incredible volunteers I had the privilege of working with. The hard work they put in week in and week out has served as an extraordinary example for a young man like me, that wishes to make a Gospel centered impact in this world. This volunteer group is special, because they have shown what it looks like to live a life of selflessness, a life that many choose not to follow. There are so many more things I can mention that highlights all of the incredible attributes of the Fairfax Resource Center, its staff, and volunteers, but this reflection

piece would be much longer! Thank you to Fairfax Outreach for pouring into me and making a transformative impact on my life I’ll never forget.

We are currently recruiting for our next Fairfax Outreach Fellow! If you or someone you know is interested in learning more or applying, visit our Fairfax Fellows website here.

Imagine dozens of corporate executives riding around a Ritz Carlton ballroom on small kids bicycles, laughing, hollering and racing. Well, that was how the day ended at least. How it started was the IT Department of Booz Allen Hamilton came together for a day of service through Best Corporate Events to give their time and resources for children in need. Who were the lucky recipients of this day of service? The Fairfax Church Resource Center! We were honored to be part of this day and were thrilled to take home 10 kids bikes to gift to the clients we serve in Fairfax County. The group spent 2 hours in teams building these 10 bikes and they had a blast. It was so fun to be a part of this event and we hope to do it again!

Did you know that doing a corporate day of service with your company or organization is an incredible way to support the Resource Center? And it's fun too! We can tailor make an experience for you that will bring your team together to serve and provide vital resources for the vulnerable children and families we serve. Or perhaps your company has a charitable donation program where the Resource Center could be a recipient? We'd love to hear from you. Email Valerie Nolan at valerienolan@fairfax.cc to explore these opportunities.

Sometimes we stop long enough to see where God has filled our baskets with loaves and fishes and provided just what we need when we need it. Sometimes we notice when God has provided before we even knew that we were in need. And, my personal favorite, sometimes we watch God provide for others in ways that they do not even see yet. We get a ring side seat to watch God at work in and through others.

I say sometimes, because admittedly and with humility, I am more often than I would like, TOO busy to SEE. In praying our gratitude to God, we acknowledge His sovereignty over all things. It is a deep breath in-the-midst of a long to-do list and a gift. Our prayers of gratitude help us to focus on His strength and not our own, His sovereignty and not our own, His priorities and not our own.

An unceasing prayer life increases our faith. Prayer is not complicated. If acronyms, special places, special times, certain people, journaling, or even a simple cry out to the Lord work for you – that is all you need. Listen to the Holy Spirit and when you are prompted to pray, do so; when you are prompted to pray with others and for others, do so even more. Don’t miss out on God’s desire to want to speak into your life or someone else’s.

As we look to 2024, we are focusing on prayer. The work of non-profits, social workers, the Resource Center need ALL prayers. We want to prioritize prayer in preparation to serve. After Jesus was baptized, He was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness where He, no doubt, was praying before His public ministry even began. We want to prioritize prayer in making decisions. In Luke 6, Jesus spent the whole night praying, the next day He chose his 12 disciples.

We don’t want to get lost serving in our own strength, which is so easy to do. We want to be ever mindful of God’s Holy presence in the calling for the Resource Center.

God, may you remove us from the frenetic and into days filled with your purpose devoted to moving as one with you. God, may we lead with compassion, kindness, humility, patience, and love for one another and the communities we serve. God, may we surrender all that is the Resource Center to you knowing that your will is greater than the will of the world. God, may your glory be known in all that we do.

But just as He who has called you is Holy, so be Holy in all you do; It is written: “Be holy, because I am Holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16

On December 9 we had SO much fun hosting the Befriend Foster Kid Holiday Party coordinated by the Department of Family Services. We had 130 people filling our rooms and halls - kids, mentors, family members and social workers all here to make sure these kids had an amazing day. Much food was enjoyed, games were played, crafts were made, gifts were given to the kids, and even Santa and Mrs. Claus made a special visit to Fairfax to hang out with the kids!

For the fourth year in a row, we hosted the Nurturing Families' Last Chance Holiday Boutique, and it was another amazing day! This event gives social workers, school counselors and parent liaisons at local schools a chance to shop for Christmas gifts for the children in need they serve. We had over 20 professionals here shopping for 500+ kids, finding age-appropriate gifts that will surely put a smile on their faces for Christmas. Volunteers were on hand to help these workers shop and transport gifts to their cars. And as tradition holds, we had a mini boutique set up for social workers to pick up some goodies and a little something for themselves. The smiles and relief on their faces said it all!

As always, our congregation came through big to provide 30 children Christmas gifts for our YoungLives Angel Tree this year. These are the young babies and toddlers of teen moms we support in our area through the YoungLives Ministry. It is an incredible program where mentors walk alongside of these moms supporting them in parenting and in discipleship in their faith. We hosted a holiday dinner for these moms this month and were able to give all the gifts to the children. It was an amazing night where God was at work! Thank you to everyone who supported this beautiful gift-giving experience.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Fall Food Drive with us this year. Hundreds of feathers were plucked, each representing items needed to make food and other essential bags for families this holiday season. Needs will be met and those struggling in our area this holiday will have food to eat. THANK YOU!

To our church family - Thank you.  Thank you for the incredible support you have given the Resource Center over the past three years.  In 2021, you showed faith in a vision and a call from God to transform a room in our church building that would serve vulnerable families in our community. And you built it. 

The Resource Center in that first year served about 350 adults & children in our community and connected us with compassionate volunteers who dug in with us to devise the strategies that organize the mission. God brought the right mix of people with the right gifts and experiences to prepare us for the second year. Thanks be to God for He is Good.

In 2022, we served 2,303 adults and children and connected with some of the most compassionate frontline professionals who serve our community every day with incredible resilience.  In the second year, God expanded our territory to the right partnerships with complimenting missions to serve vulnerable families. Thanks in large part to your faith in the vision during our year-end giving you made way for the tremendous growth we were about to experience in our third year but did not know it. Thanks be to God for He is Good.

In 2023, we are on track to serve 4,500 people or more in our community by the end of the year.  We have upwards of 40 volunteers supporting the Resource Center with their call to serve. We are partnered with 35 or more community organizations and 135 or more frontline professionals all on mission to serve vulnerable families. This has been our growth year and one filled with loaves and fishes. Thanks be to God for He is Good.

As we look toward 2024, we are grateful to God and His incredible provision.  We are humbled by your support and want to walk prayerfully into 2024.  We are still learning, pivoting strategy, growing, and surrendering to Him every day.  God has taken us this far and we imagine has more in store for us. Your prayers are unimaginably important to us!  Once again, thank you for joining us in this mission and Thanks be to God for He is Good.

The Resource Center mission is to support social service professionals who support vulnerable families. As volunteers, we are not equipped to move a family toward sustainability, but we can support the professionals who are by sharing in the burden of procuring resources.

Currently, there is an economy of social service professional burnout; high demand for needs; and lower availability of affordable resources. What the social service system lacks in human capacity, we partner with volunteers who have a desire to be a part of the solution. What the social service system lacks in resources, our congregation partners with them generously. What the social service professionals lack in time, the Resource Center provides in ease of access.

But, what else? Why did God put us in this position?

We often hear inspiring stories of why our frontline workers do the work they feel called to and the steps they are willing to take to go above and beyond to help a family. On the other hand, we often witness emotionally exhausted people experiencing second hand trauma. To move a family from circumstantial brokenness to sustainability, a frontline worker must walk with a family through their story. They not only take in these stories, provide next steps and follow up visits, but courageously hold these stories sacred for the rest of us.

We love how Jesus has positioned us in these moments to love them like He loves us. And they need our prayers.

God, we pray for your comfort, your courage, your wisdom & discernment over frontline workers. We are grateful for their willingness to hold the pain of our communities with such care. We pray they can surrender all that they hold to see your mighty hand at work. God, we pray for rest as they lay down their day to care for themselves and their own families. May they feel your Holy presence. – Amen.

This summer, the Resource Center was privileged to have a considerable amount of college/university students volunteer with us during their summer break. From taking inventory, to setting up for food distribution, to fulfilling Resource Center bags for social workers, our college-aged volunteers did it all! We are grateful that they could have chosen to spend their time anywhere, but they chose to spend it with us.

Lewie Mussie, one of these college students, shared some of his experience with us.

“I have been going to Fairfax Church all my life and I started to think just showing up wasn’t enough, so I decided to find a way to help. The Resource Center has been a great way to do that. Being able to work with strong minded people and working with others helped me become more social and communal. I have always been an outgoing person, but I think the Resource Center helped me become better at interacting with strangers. Also, when we have a food distribution, I get to see people with different cultural backgrounds, and that is really great.”

We wish our college students the best of luck this semester back at school!

We are in full swing, back to school mode around here. Students are back in classrooms, and sadly that means orders are up because needs are now being noticed once again. In general, we fulfill anywhere between 70-90 orders each month, representing an average of $10,000 in resources and serving on average 350 people per month! Needless to say THIS is what's up this fall. Fulfilling orders, stocking shelves, facilitating pick-ups, and loving on our frontline workers. Thank you for your volunteer support and generous donations to keep up with this important work we are called to as a church!

Caring for our Social Workers
One way we care for our frontline workers is facilitating opportunities for these folks to breathe, experience joy, and surrender their days both to prayer and relational space through our monthly social worker dinners. These dinners will begin again in September. If you or your small group are interested in participating in this opportunity to encourage frontline workers, email resourcecenter@fairfax.cc.

Hosting Community Events
We have several events on tap this fall from Foster Care Respite Nights, to an Interfaith Resiliency Conference, to many holiday parties and projects for vulnerable families in our county. Be sure to keep up with our Volunteer Hub on VOMO to check out ways you can be involved!

New Website
In just a few short weeks we will be launching our new Resource Center website. We will be able to communicate more clearly our donation needs, volunteer opportunities and stories of hope. We can't wait to share this with you!

Camp Grow was another success this year! We had an absolute blast working with 64 high school students from The Hangar who spent a week in June serving their hearts out. Every morning they served as camp counselors to the elementary school kids attending Camp Grow (Fairfax Church's version of Vacation Bible School) and then another 4 hours in the afternoon with our Resource Center serving in a variety of projects. The amount of energy, passion, commitment and joy they brought while serving was incredible.

The students split up into several groups to accomplish a variety of projects at the church, in our Resource Center, and in the community. They shopped, organized & stocked our shelves, and fulfilled orders for the Resource Center; they ran a free car wash for frontline workers every afternoon; they built a new community garden right in our own backyard in hopes of yielding fresh vegetables to provide to our clients; and they worked with three of our local partners in the community on specific needs they had while learning about the important work they do in serving vulnerable families in Fairfax County.

It was a fun, exhausting, fulfilling and beautiful week serving alongside the next generation of servant leaders!

From Mother's Day to Father's Day we held our Meet the Parents Campaign, focusing on honoring and supporting moms and dads and their support systems in our community! We told stories of the incredible work moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas and mentors are doing in our community to help children in vulnerable situations thrive and find wholeness in life. And we supported families in need by collecting diapers and baby items during this time.

One of the most frequent requests we receive from families in need in our Resource Center is for diapers & wipes, and for new baby items. It is tough to keep these items on our shelves! We had the goal to receive 10,000 diapers and 200 boxes of wipes during this time. And guess what? You all exceeded our expectations!!! We received 13,320 diapers and 268 wipes!! Wow. Just Wow. THANK YOU to all who donated over the last several weeks.

“Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12 (NIV) Marianne Ford and Sandra Meyer are people clothed in compassion, using their gifts, talents, passions, and abilities to clothe children in our community.

Sandra began attending FCC about 17 years ago, when her youngest child (who recently graduated from college) was five years old. Her other ministry roles at FCC have included financial counselor, small group leader and member of our prayer team. She joined the Resource Center in April 2022 after seeing an announcement during a morning worship service and learning we needed more volunteers. Sandra began stocking shelves, and soon after, the Resource Center inherited several tubs of clothing from a local church that was no longer able to continue their clothing ministry. Another volunteer in the Resource Center noted her skill in sizing and sorting children’s clothing, and Sandra was asked to take the lead with this new project. It took months to organize the initial inventory, and she continues to process incoming donations as they come in. She carefully examines each item, pruning out apparel with rips or stains, and making sure to color coordinate each outfit so that the top and bottom match. She shared that she is, “always thinking about the child who will receive it, not just getting the task done; that‘s the importance of the work we do. It’s like giving a gift to someone and wanting that person to be happy with what they receive.”

Marianne became a part of FCC in 2011, joining her new husband at his church home. In other ministry roles, she has served on our hospitality team as a greeter and usher, in addition to preparing and serving communion. When Marianne learned about the Resource Center, she was quick to offer her time generously with her flexible attitude of, “Give me a job. What do you need?” What we needed was Marianne. Marianne is passionately committed to the work of Women Giving Back (WGB), an organization in Sterling, VA dedicated to “Helping Women and Children in Crisis by Distributing Clothing at No Cost.” She has been active with WGB for eight years and was honored as their Volunteer of the Year in 2021, during which she contributed over 1,000 hours of service. She brought exactly the skillset, expertise and experience that was needed to expand our clothing ministry to teen and junior sizes. Marianne coordinates our clothing supply for teens and facilitates an exchange of donations between the Resource Center and WGB that allows both groups to maximize their service to their clients and the community. One example of this is the way she thoughtfully sorts through the t-shirts collected at WGB to select fun designs that our teenagers might like, from tie-dye to college and sport team logos.

Brooke reflects in gratitude and wonder, looking back and seeing how God’s purpose has been unfolding through the vision and volunteers that He has provided.
Brooke: “We’re never doing clothing.”
God: “Yes, you are.” And God brought us Sandra who kept us afloat while we were putting a system into place.
Brooke: “We’re only doing infant to preteen.” God: “No, you’re not.” Then God brought us Marianne who had the expertise from her experience with Women Giving Back to expand our ministry to include clothing for teenagers.

Marianne and Sandra, clothed in compassion, have led us in meeting the needs of our neighbors. “When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:38, 40 (NIV)

On April 7th, Good Friday, we received the unfortunate news of our dear friend, Jim's passing. Jim was one of the first volunteers who helped us open the Resource Center in 2021. He was in the early stages of Progressive Bulbar Palsy and ALS, which made it difficult for him to communicate.

Like many, Jim joined us with certain expectations of serving in mind. And, in turn, God met us, each of us, including Jim, right where we needed to be seen. I don’t think Jim or anyone, could have orchestrated the impact God had in store for our collective and individual friendships.

Jim’s inability to communicate a lot of information about his story prior to being at the Resource Center, made it difficult for us to “know” him in the sense of longstanding friendship and history. But, in the short amount of time that Jim was in our presence God planted seeds deep within the heart of the Resource Center. We developed a rich sense of history and an eternal friendship rooted in love of God and others that continues to grow today. God brought us together for a reason. Seeing God’s purpose in these connections, is just part of Jim’s legacy with us.

In the midst of Jim’s illness, this is how he chose to hold onto the truth of God, “My daily conversations with Him consist of me praying and Him answering by placing individuals with me for that moment and opening my senses to the splendor and beauty He created all around me.”

Before Jim left the area for Hawaii, he wanted to express his thoughts about his relationship with Jesus. In Jim’s words, “While part of this season is silenced by my inability to verbally communicate and my interactions limited, I have given it all to Him and trust that He will guide, protect, and provide far better than I ever could… It is my hope that whatever things, struggles and challenges I face in the past, all will come to know that it was God all along, who brought me through them…. I cannot fully understand the breath of His full love, but I accept that He loved me first and His love redeemed me.”

Gone are Satan’s lies to chain me and keep me in the past. Now, I pray that His will be done in my life. For I know that His will and grand design are perfect.”

April 19th was a truly special day as we welcomed 12 kids in the foster care system to our church to have fun and share their stories, all in hope of finding their forever family. Virginia Kids Belong, an organization empowering leaders to end the foster care crisis in Virginia, organizes these special "I Belong" days where they create professional videos of each child sharing about themselves. These videos are then disbursed widely throughout the state of Virginia to connect these children to an adoptive family. The success rate of being placed is greatly increased through these videos!

Fairfax was simply the space God used that day for his divine purposes. We got to stand on holy ground as we served the volunteers, kids, videographers, social workers and photographers to make this happen. It was beautiful to be a part of. It was beautiful to see folks from our congregation use their skills, time and resources to bless each child that walked through those doors. It was beautiful to see the smile on each child's face as they saw the ice cream truck parked in front of the church to serve them an ice cream sandwich. It was all beautiful indeed.

Join us in praying for these 12 children, that God will provide a forever home and family to each one.

This May we mark Foster Care Awareness Month, where around the country people will be raising the flag of awareness for Foster Care - to acknowledge foster parents, family members, volunteers, mentors, policy members, social care professionals, and others in our community who help children and youth in foster care find permanent homes and connections.

There are just over 5,500 children in the foster care system in Virginia. 550 of those children are in the metro Northern Virginia area. Children are designed to thrive in the context of family. Central to their core development is the need for love, connection, and belonging. In crisis, children become innocent victims and are stripped of those developmental needs. The long-term effects are devastating. The statistics for people who are trafficked, incarcerated, and who don’t finish school, include a high percentage of people who’ve spent time in foster care.

This is something we care deeply about at Fairfax Church. So as we look forward to marking this month of awareness, we wanted to share some of the ways that our church is coming alongside of foster families and social care professionals to LOVE these children.

In March we had the privilege of hosting a College Fair for Afghan refugees through our partner, Lutheran Social Services (LSS). The purpose of the event was to give Afghan teens who recently resettled in the DC area and are transitioning into college, an opportunity to consider a few colleges and universities in the region, and the steps they need to take to make such transitions. Representatives from NOVA, George Mason University, George Washington University, and Germanna Community College, came to present their universities and answer any and all questions they had. Volunteers were on hand to help guide these 11th graders through the process of finding and applying for college admission.

As it is with all the outreach projects we do here at the Resource Center, it was a privilege to be able to help supplement LSS’ efforts to serve local Afghan refugees, by providing event space and hospitality. There is no doubt that their lives have been in constant hardships and transitions the last few years, yet, in this small aspect of their lives, it was a joy to have been able to come alongside them to know that their dreams of getting a great education to positively change the trajectory of their lives was and is possible!

Gabriel Tirado joined our staff on January 31 as part of the Fairfax Fellows 12-month leadership development program for future pastors and church leaders. Gabriel attended Hayfield Secondary School in Alexandria and is currently in the final year of his theology degree major at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. Finishing the final two semesters of his degree online is allowing him to be physically present with us in Fairfax. Gabriel’s primary responsibilities include social media and communication for the Resource Center as well as project management for some of our initiatives, including the Afghan Hygiene Bag monthly distribution.

One thing that stands out to Gabriel about our church is how well-connected we are, within the congregation as well as our broader local community, and the way those connections allow us to access needed resources to serve our guests. He has quickly become aware of the way that our church family supports the Resource Center and their rapid response to needs that arise. “It is so great to see how the departments of our church and the people in our congregation respond and how quickly they are able to get behind our goals and fulfill our initiatives.” Gabriel is grateful for the opportunities that he has to interact with our volunteers and outreach staff, to see their steadfast passion in loving our neighbors no matter the challenges or circumstances, and to work alongside a group that serves with dedication and determination. He describes our Resource Center as “encouragement in the midst of discouragement”, a team who will make a way when they can’t find a way… whether it be plan B, plan C or “plan play it by ear.” We are grateful to have Gabriel as part of this team.

It takes endurance to do the work that our social service professionals face every day. We hear stories of some of the most desperate situations and occasionally, one hits a little differently.

We work with many agencies and one agency in particular wraps around kids who are in hospice care. For the most part, their clients request diapers and some special baby equipment. Today we provided a very specific brand of diapers for a child who was born premature with only partial brain development. This child is being cared for by a family who has several children. And, as the social worker said, “This family not only ‘took this child in’ to care for him when no one else would but 'wanted him' in their lives.” He was not an afterthought, and they were not a last resort. Like so many foster families, the desire to invite this child into their lives was driven by pure love.

"Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world."
James 1:27

As our culture reflects on the word 'love' during this month, we are privileged to see the purest form of love in the work God has called His church to. Whether it is visiting children in South America, carving out a night for our special needs friends to shine, or providing for babies in hospice care here in Fairfax, this is the pure love of God in us and through us.

Night to Shine is a prom held annually at Nats Park and a favorite night of the year for our friends in Fairfax Capernaum, a ministry for teenagers and young adults with disabilities. Proudly dressed in blazers and bow ties, sequined gowns and shawls, 136 Capernaum friends and buddies gathered in the Hangar for a pre-party before the main event.

We created a festive space with black tablecloths, centerpieces and a photobooth for friends to be photographed by their paparazzi of parents and teachers. Our guests were served box dinners with cake and marshmallow pops for dessert and enjoyed time to visit around the tables or to warm up their dancing feet to the Cha Cha Slide and other requested Just Dance favorites. Among our guests were 21 young men and women attending a Capernaum event for the very first time, and our pre-party provided an opportunity for new friends to be welcomed warmly into our church which hosts weekly Capernaum club meetings.

Jay, a longtime buddy with Fairfax Capernaum explained why the evening is so memorable and significant. ”What I love about tonight is the energy and the fact that the kids are the VIPs. We are here to serve them; they are the main characters. Tonight is pure joy. It’s a great place to be.”

Three buses were loaded in front of the church to transport the VIPs to and from the prom. Our youngest helper of the night, a two-year-old, was joined by her big brother and sister in guiding our guests. The children held colorful signs at each of the three buses to help everyone find the right bus to take them downtown to their special night, their night to shine.

I just returned from my first Children of Promise trip and my heart is FULL. Children of Promise is our newest global partner – a locally shaped, globally supported child sponsorship program that cares for children holistically to provide food, education, medical care, and discipleship. Our team got to interview the children in the Argentina program and in the Paraguay program. What a joy it was to hear first-hand how this program is affecting their lives!

We met Daniel, a young 9-year-old boy who dreams of being a police officer when he gets older so he can get the bad guys. His favorite subject in school is World History and he loves playing football with his friends. His dad works in construction and his mom cleans houses. He is doing well thanks to the supplemental supplies and care they receive each month from the program. The best thing that has happened to him this year is coming to the Children of Promise camp and of course seeing Argentina win the World Cup!

It struck me that over and over again we heard from families they would not have regular food if it were not for the monthly supplies they receive from the program. Nor would their children be in school or have medical care. And most importantly they are a part of a loving church community and being discipled to know and love Jesus by amazing caring pastors and leaders.

I am so grateful for this opportunity to see these programs in action and now more excited than ever to plan future global impact trips to Children of Promise sites in the future! We hope to do one in the fall of 2023 and two trips in 2024!

If you are interested in learning more about this trip, or future trips, email me, Valerie Nolan, at valerienolan@fairfax.cc and I would love to connect with you.

Before we get too far away from the holidays, we want to capture the moments that filled our halls and our hearts and share them with you. December was an absolute beautiful blur of events that we were so grateful to be a part of. Amidst the hustle and bustle of shopping, planning, baking, and pushing on were the glimmers of sighs, relief, children squealing in delight, tears of joy, and the thrill hope.

No Child Without Christmas

First there was the Holiday Boutique. Over 40 social workers walked through our doors and shopped for almost 700 children in the toy wonderland set up by the amazing teens in our church. These are the children that didn’t make it on anyone’s list this year, except for the social worker that made sure they would have something to open on Christmas. Maybe the best part of this event for us is getting to care for and love on the social workers while they are there. We set up a shopping area strictly for these workers to find something for themselves – a candle, a soap set, a cozy blanket, a journal…something for THEM. And of course, there was food and apple cider to enjoy while shopping. We had to wrangle a few, package up a gift and force them to stop and do something for themselves, a thought that is foreign to so many who lay down their lives for others every day.

Night to Remember for Teen Moms

Then we hosted the YoungLives Annual Christmas Party. We had 50 teen moms (and a few dads), their babies, mentors, and staff here for a FUN night of food, games, and a time of sharing. The moms even got to shop at the Holiday Boutique for Christmas gifts for their kids and volunteers were there to help them wrap the gifts!

Angel Tree Blessings

So many of you participated in the annual YoungLives Angel Tree for teen moms in another region of the county. You bought specific gifts for these kiddos and the joy on their faces (and their moms) when they opened them was priceless. We can’t express how meaningful it is for these moms to know they have a support system and are not on their own in the overwhelming world of parenting.

Church on Mission

On Christmas Eve, as we were settling in for our worship services, we received a panicked phone call from a social worker who had a family with 7 children that were somehow overlooked and didn’t have anything for Christmas. The Resource Center sprang into action and were able to provide a carload of toys (through some awesome partners), food and supplies for this family. THIS is why we exist. THIS is what God has called us to as the local church serving the community we live in. THIS is our mission.

While Christmas always presents us with many opportunities to serve our community, this is who we are and what we are called to do every day of the year. We are so grateful to be able to serve our frontline workers in difficult situations their families are facing year-round.

So, what’s on tap for the Resource Center in 2023? Quite frankly, it’s YOU. As we pray about what the Lord has in store for the Resource Center this year, we believe it is seeing people get involved and engaging in this work God has called His church to.

The year-end No Child Without Campaign was a huge success. God is providing financially for this work (thank you!). And our partnerships are getting stronger and frontline workers are depending on the services we now provide. It is AMAZING to see the impact living out our faith is having in the community.

We are ALL IN – we’re providing daily orders of fulfillment of food and critical supplies; we’re doing monthly respite nights for foster families who need a break; we’re hosting events for our partners; we’re coming alongside of refugees resettling in Fairfax; we’re shopping for children in our county who need clothes and snacks for schools; we’re showing up at a critical food distribution every week for a beloved community in need; we’re cheering on teen moms who have chosen to keep their babies; we’re loving on our special needs friends as they run after God; and we’re loving on our frontline workers and holding their arms up in the hard work they do.

Will you come along with us on this incredible adventure? Not because we need you to, but because your life will be better for it!

You can always visit us to serve in the Resource Center on a Sunday or Wednesday. We’d love to get to know you and help you find where you can fit in this grand adventure.

https://app.vomo.org/project/sorting-organizing