Letter from Katie • January 14, 2026
The Emigrant's Letter
Howard Helmick
1868, oil on canvas, overall_1: 28 1/4 × 24 3/4 × 3 1/2 in.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Gift from the Trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art (Gift of William Wilson Corcoran)
2020.20.116
Dear Holy Comforter,
It was delightful to be with you last Sunday on our birthday as a congregation! I was surprised at how strangely normal it felt (as evident in the fact that we forgot to take any pictures to document the event), but I suppose that is a testament to the fact that we’ve been praying and meeting together for almost two years–first as a small group, then as a small group + monthly services, and now as a church plant meeting weekly with two small groups. It’s really amazing to reflect on the slow, steady growth of our community, which has always been supported and empowered by prayer and our affection for each other.
During Advent, Incarnation Anglican prayed for us during the Prayers of the People, asking people to either pray aloud or write their prayers for us on a notecard. I pray that we might all be encouraged for the work that lies ahead, by these prayers of our mother church.
May you be united in love. Praying for all that lies ahead, entrusting you to God’s tender mercies and great love.
May Holy Comforter be a beacon and rock in their neighborhood.
What will Holy Comforter be like? I pray Matthew 5:14-16. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
For Holy Comforter: May God give you the grace to see and serve Christ in your neighborhood, and to see and receive Christ’s love from your neighbors too.
May the Lord fill all your hearts’ desires. When you feel lonely, take strength from the Holy Comforter. May God bless you beyond measure and wildly exceed your expectations.
They loved their Lord, so dear, so dear;
and God’s love made them strong.
Thou wast their rock, their refuge
and their might.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they
shall be comforted.
There was a great multitude that no
one could count.
Wake up, my children!For Holy Comforter: I pray for strength and wisdom in all your endeavors.
Heavenly Father, thank you for our new church in MD. It has been incredible to watch the growth of the small group and new service in MD. Please be with this new congregation as they begin a new chapter. Give them joy and hope. Amen.
In Christ there is no east or west, in Him no south or north; but one great fellowship of love throughout the whole wide earth. – John Oxenham, 1913
As far as Hyattsville, MD may feel from Arlington, VA, it is ever brought closer by the love of Him who resides in each of us. And, if Physics is any indication → Work done = force x distance, then may the work of Holy Comforter equate to the force of our love to the distance reached. Peace be with you and yours. The sparrows and swallows have found their nest.
I saw the image of Holy Comforter as a light–sometimes a dim flicker and sometimes a beacon, but always a light in the darkness. Not a showy light, but a humble, steady light.
I pray that you build a faithful and strong community. May God bless this church and all who come there to worship and meet God.
God, please let the Church of the Holy Comforter have enough people and help them to like each other.
We pray this winter for health and safety, protection from falls, accidents and illness, and for joyful, productive and purposeful labor, with the gift of joyful rest to sustain us on the journey. Bless Holy Comforter as they begin their journey this year.
That Christ Our Hen would cluck and move with God’s joy. May you all move in your own ways, showing your members the joy of following Jesus down unforeseen paths. May you hear the flute and dance; may you hear the dirge and mourn.
I pray that the members and leadership of Holy Comforter would always know that Incarnation is with them and praying for them.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you for every good work set before you from the foundation of the world. May the peace of the Lord shine on you. Amen.
A home for the hurting. Joy.
We pray for Katie as she leads the mission of Holy Comforter and for Amy as she remains at Incarnation, may their roots drink so deeply of divine love that their fruits nourish and their leaves become healing for those in their care. That they might be faithful ministers of your Word.
Lord God, we thank you for being a God who does the impossible; things that we couldn’t even imagine. We pray that you would bless and empower the people of Holy Comforter.
Would you knit the people of Holy Comforter in love and service. Give them joy when resources feel scarce. May the setting up and tearing down of services, caring for children, and potlucking be a source of strength and unity for this community.
We pray for wisdom and community among the people of Holy Comforter.
Lord, we thank you for the work you’ve been doing in Maryland and we pray that you would strengthen the hearts of those who will be going to Holy Comforter.
Lord, we thank you for the privilege of participating in your work of pushing back the darkness through the planting of this new church. And we pray that the light of your Holy Spirit would shine brightly through Holy Comforter.
We pray that you would draw those who feel far from you and far from your church into your fold through the life and work of Holy Comforter.
Heavenly Father, we pray that you would still our hearts in the realization that we will not see our Holy Comforter friends as often as we would like. Be with us in our sadness and joy.
We pray that you would draw the hearts of our brothers and sisters to their neighbors and the hearts of their neighbors in Hyattsville to them so that you might be known in that place.
Give us grace to do your will in all we undertake, especially, we pray, through this bittersweet threshold in a mysterious cleaving that leads to a glorious multiplication. May we marvel at you, the invisible weaver who is creating something we could not imagine in both Holy Comforter and Incarnation
Thanks for being a praying church. Thanks for your prayers for me, for Amy, for each other, for our neighbors, and the world. May we continue to be guided toward and by the light of Christ.
With much love,
Katie
