Click here to hear an audio recording from the recent conference, “Engaging Christian Culture”, with Professor Jerram Barrs.

The Church of the Resurrection is invited to gather with Christians from other congregations in DC to pray together for our city on Saturday, Feb. 7, at 7 PM. This is the 6th such city-wide prayer gathering, and each one has been a precious, joyful, and reverent time.  Don’t miss this opportunity to pray with believers from other churches for the coming of God’s Kingdom.  Location: Christ Our Shepherd Church.

As We Forgive Book Signing Party

You’ve seen the film–now read the book!

In the summer of 2007, Catherine spent two weeks in Rwanda where she interviewed survivors and perpetrators (several of whom are featured in Laura Water Hinson’s award-winning film) of the 1994 genocide—all of whom are learning to navigate the path to reconciliation.

A year and a half later—nearing the 15-year anniversary of the genocide—these stories have hit Borders and Amazon.com in the form of a book, As We Forgive: Stories of Reconciliation from Rwanda.

Please join Catherine at 7:30 p.m. on February 8^th at Christ Our Shepherd Church (801 N. Carolina Ave. SE) to hear more of these powerful stories and pick up your own signed copy of As We Forgive.

Please visit www.asweforgivebook.com to learn more.

The March for Life is this Thursday, January 22. The annual rally draws thousands of people from across the country on the anniversary of Roe v Wade to draw public attention to the injustice of abortion. If you have questions or are interested in attending and would like to coordinate with others from Church of the Resurrection, email Melissa Silvers at Melissa.Silvers@gmail.com

When? January 22, 2009 Starts at 12:00 Noon

Where? National Mall, starting at 4^th St. NW (note change of address)

Praying for Moral Leadership  The morning of the March for Life, Congressman Chris Smith, the Evangelical Environment Network and other Christian groups will be hosting a time of prayer on Capitol Hill for the unborn and other issues. Please come to the Cannon House Office Building (off Independence Ave.), Room 121 anytime between 9:30-11:30am, January 22. Following a time of prayer, those who are interested will head down to the National Mall to join the March for Life. Questions? Email: Alexei (alaushkin@aol.com) or Melissa (Melissa.Silvers@gmail.com)

The Spanish Language Bible Study is a Christian community for Latinos and Spanish speakers. The aim of this ministry is a winsome fellowship in which unchurched Latinos can meet Christ through friendship and Bible study. For questions or to get involved, please contact Ana Lopez at lopezar@gmail.com.  

Many visitors are coming to the city of Washington this weekend. They come to witness a historic inauguration and to enjoy the city. It is a time of enormous optimism and hope. Meanwhile, many Washingtonians are fleeing the city this weekend. Others are planning to stay indoors and stocking up. The way many locals are talking, it’s as if they are expecting a hurricane rather than a new president.

The early church was known for its faithful and courageous hospitality during times of war, economic hardship, persecution, disease and natural disaster. Because of this, the church grew by leaps and bounds. As St. John had said, they knew we were Christians by our love.

So how will Washington Christians fare this weekend when compared with those saints who have gone before us?

What do we have to fear? Seriously, who or what shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall traffic, or road closings, or parking fees, or metro delays, or high security, or partying tourists? To quote King David, perhaps only slightly out of context, “I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.” Ps. 3:6.

The Church of the Resurrection will meet for worship as usual this Sunday evening (1/18) at 5pm at Christ our Shepherd Church. Please join us. We can be reached easily by metro to Eastern Market.

We will also meet again on Tuesday night (1/20) at 5pm at Christ our Shepherd Church for a special evening of prayer, praise and proclamation with Bishop John Rucyahana of Rwanda. Please use public transportation to come to this service, and allow extra time for the trip.

“Don’t start with a big program. Don’t suddenly think you can add to your church budget and begin. Start personally and start in your home. I dare you. I dare you in the name of Jesus Christ. Do what I am going to suggest. Begin by opening your home for community…

How many times in the past year have you risked having a drunk vomit on your carpeted floor? How in the world, then, can you talk about compassion and about community - about the church’s job in the inner city?

L’Abri is costly. If you think what God has done here is easy, you don’t understand. It’s a costly business to have a sense of community. L’Abri cannot be explained merely by the clear doctrine that is preached; it cannot be explained by the fact that God has here been giving intellectual answers to intellectual questions. I think those two things are important, but L’Abri cannot be explained if you remove the third. And that is there has been some community here. And it has been costly.

In about the first three years of L’Abri all our wedding presents were wiped out. Our sheets were torn. Holes were burned in our rugs. Indeed once a whole curtain almost burned up from somebody smoking in our living room. Blacks came to our table. Orientals came to our table. Everybody came to our table. It couldn’t happen any other way. Drugs came to our place. People vomited in our rooms, in the rooms of Chalet Les Melezes which was our home, and now in the rest of the chalets of L’Abri.

How many times has this happened to you? You see, you don’t need a big program. You don’t have to convince your session or board. All you have to do is open your home and begin. And there is no place in God’s world where there are no people who will come and share a home as long as it is a real home.” 

Please stop by the table in the front foyer on January 18
and January 25 to pick up your 2008 Giving Receipt for
charitable giving to the Church of the Resurrection.

Unclaimed receipts will be mailed by January 31, 2009. Thank
you!

The littlest ones in our congregation need your help!  We’re trying to increase seven-fold the amount of nursery workers at Rez.  You may never have thought of yourself as someone who could serve in this way, but we challenge you to reconsider.  Questions, or to request an application, contact: Katie Doherty & Miriam Rudolph nursery@rezchurch.org or (202) 349-2158