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St. John's Episcopal Church
Welcome to the E-Notes!
January 31, 2018
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Pancake Supper - Tuesday, Feb. 13
5:30 PM - 7 PM
Join in our traditional Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper on
Tuesday, February 13 (the day before the start of Lent) in the parish hall. Traditionally, households had to use up the lard they had in their pantries before the start of Lent. Making pancakes was a good way to do that. Come join us for
fellowship and delicious pancakes on February 13!
Donations gratefully accepted.
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The Vestry is the governing board of the parish and makes financial, outreach, building and other decisions on behalf of the congregation. Vestry members are elected at our Annual Meeting which will be held on Sunday, February 11. Two of our Vestry members, Penny Parker and Val Tucker, are finishing their three year term and will be rotating off. We need confirmed members in good standing to run for the Vestry to fill up to five vacancies. (We can have 12 on the Vestry and we currently have 9.) The Vestry meets on the third Sunday of the month at 12:00 noon.
Vestry meetings are open to parish members to attend. If you would like to know more, please talk with a Vestry member, David Weir our Senior Warden, or Carol Hancock.
- Bishop's Visitation on April 22
Bishop David Jones will make his visitation with us on Sunday morning, April 22. Bishop Jones and perhaps other retired bishops will be assisting with visitations during 2018 while the diocese searches for a second suffragan bishop. Bishop Ted Gulick retired at the end of December.
- Confirmation classes scheduled
If anyone, age 14 or older, is interested in being confirmed when Bishop Jones is here, please let Carol know as soon as possible. The Confirmation classes will meet on Sundays from 10:50 - 12:00 noon, starting on Sunday, February 25 for 5-6 weeks.
- Annual Meeting February 11
Our Annual Parish Meeting will be held after the service on Sunday, February 11. It is important for all parishioners to attend. We will present the budget, elect Vestry members, and hear reports from our various groups. Please make every effort to attend.
- 2018 pledges reach an all-time high!
The
49 pledges that we have received to date total over $206,000!!! We have not been over $200,000 since 2009! Many people made significant increases to their pledges this year for which we are grateful. We also had some new pledgers this year. Many, many thanks to all who pledged and help us get to this milestone. (If you have not yet pledged, it's not too late. Extra pledge cards are on the back table in the church.)
Western Fairfax Christian Ministries sent a note expressing gratitude for the food that St. John's donates to them each week.
In 2017, St. John's donated 1330 pounds of food and toiletries (compared with 823.5 pounds in 2016). "Your contributions will help us continue to provide food to persons in crisis, reducing their risk of homelessness and empowering them towards greater self-sufficiency. This work would not be possible without your generous support." Many thanks go to everyone who has donates food through our Sunday collections. Let's keep up the good work!
- Lent is quickly approaching!
Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, is Wednesday, February 14. We will have services at 12:00 noon and 7:30 PM. Please mark your calendars now and plan to attend. Beginning on February 21, we will have a service at 6:00 PM, followed by a light supper and program for the 6 weeks of Lent. More details about the program will be coming shortly.
- We welcome two new Lay Eucharistic Ministers
Two parishioners have answered our call for additional Lay Eucharistic Ministers - Tanya Peake and Meg Crossett. Monti Zimmerman has trained them for these duties and they will begin serving in the next few weeks. Thanks, Tanya, Meg and Monti!
- Altar flower donations needed
We have many openings in the next few months for donations of altar flowers. Please
click on the altar flower sign up link below and select the date you would like.
Please add your intention online at the time you sign up if this is in memory or in honor of someone or in thanksgiving, or send an email with your intention to Catherine Packard at the office: [email protected]. We like to include your intention in the bulletin.
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Ever wonder why we light the small peace candle on the credence table? Lisa Heller has the answer!
Below is the hand-out we used in Beijing with the peace candle that explained how it got to our Congregation. [We always called ourselves a "congregation" rather than "church" to emphasize that we weren't associated with any denomination and were self-governing.] Since 1994, we have given out hundreds of the candleholders as an expat congregation whose members were constantly coming and going. The Congregation had a special arrangement with a group of Christian woodcarvers from down in Zhejiang province -- they have a thriving business making crosses, creches, Noah's arks and church decorations out of wood -- and eventually hired their manager as the Congregation's administrative assistant, so the wooden pieces were one of our hallmarks. I'm not sure if the candleholder at St. Johns was one that Jim (Heller) and I gave the church some years back or was the one the Beijing congregation gave Howard Kempsell when he came to visit - there may be more than one around.
Congregation of the Good Shepherd -
A Candle for Peace
The small candleholder enclosed is a gift from this Congregation to yours as a small symbol of peace and as a reminder to us all to pray for peace between all peoples of the world.
A similar candle was sent to COGS from the Church of St. Barnabas in Khandallah, New Zealand. St. Barnabas received the candle from St. Mary's Church in North Melbourne, Australia after a candle was sent on from St Mary and All Saints, Kindderminster Parish, Worcester, England. This chain reaction began in 1986 when an American clergyman from First Presbyterian Church of York, Pennsylvania was visiting a Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow. An elderly Russian woman thrust a 3 ruble note into his hand with the request that he light a candle in his church as a symbol of peace.
From there the message has spread through many churches who have in turn sent candles to other places, eventually reaching us in China in 1994. Since then, COGS has sent hundreds of candles out all over the world. We, in turn, are sending you this candle in the hope that the wish of that Russian woman will continue to spread throughout the world and that the peace of Christ will rule in hearts all over the world.
The Congregation of the Good Shepherd, Beijing
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EPISCOPAL NEWS SERVICE:
Letter to the Episcopal Church from Presiding Bishop, President of House of Deputies
'Our church must examine its history and come to a fuller understanding of how it has handled or mishandled cases of sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse through the years'
Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs, Posted Jan 22, 2018
CLICK HERE
Letter written by Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry and President of the House of Deputies the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings.
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OPPORTUNITIES
If you are interested in the trip to Israel in January 2019, you need to contact Andrew Wade
[email protected] as soon as possible.The trip is filling up fast and there is a limit of 40 people. Each person planning to go must make a reservation with St. George's College in Jerusalem and make a $500 deposit by
January 31 (TODAY). We will be traveling with parishioners from Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Delaplane.
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St. John's Recycling Fundraiser
***Have you gotten a new phone lately? Consider donating the old phone to St. John's!
Protect the environment and clean out those used electronic items that clutter closets & drawers!
Nothing to buy! Nothing to sell! Just bring in the used electronic items that you have replaced or that have broken. We will package the items and send them to Eco-Phones for recycling. Eco-Phones pays us for these items -
working or not. Here's what we're collecting:
cell phones - ipads & tablets - inkjet cartridges
Eco-Phones will
not accept desktop computers and is
no longer accepting laptops.
Bring your items to the church and place them in the
"Eco-Phones" box in the breezeway. If you have any questions contact Penny Parker at 703-791-3482 or
[email protected]
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SIGN UP HERE TO
SERVE
as LEM, Crucifer, Lector, Usher, Verger, Torch Bearer at a Sunday Service.
You will receive an automatic reminder a few days in advance. (
If you would like to become an altar server, please see the Rev. Carol Hancock.)
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SIGN UP HERE TO
BRING SNACKS
for coffee hour after the Sunday Service in the Breezeway.
click here:
You will receive an automatic reminder a few days in advance. Coffee hour is an important part of fellowship - staying connected with each other and welcoming newcomers.
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SIGN UP HERE TO
SUPPLY FLOWERS
for a Sunday service throughout 2018.
click here:
You may sign up here to donate the flowers to be used on the altar for each of the Sundays in 2018. Click to read additional info before signing up.
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We can prepare our hearts and minds
by
reading ahead for the Sunday Service lessons.
THE FIFTH
SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY
February 4, 2018
9:30 AM
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Christ Healing the Blind Man, Assereto
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The First Reading:
Isaiah 40:21-31 There is no God like Yahweh, God of the Israelites; he is greatest in mercy and forgiveness, and he is wisest with the rich and greedy. This God is just with those who are selfish and delusional, and this God is generous with those who are oppressed and downtrodden.
The Second Lesson:
1 Corinthians 9:16-23
Paul explains that it is an honor proclaim and share the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ.
Mark 1:29-39
Jesus came to heal the sick, to bind the brokenhearted, and to tell people of God's love for them. As the ministry depleted him, he sought the solace, presence, and strength of God the Father and of the Holy Spirit.
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THE ADULT
LECTIONARY FORUM
MEETS EACH SUNDAY IN THE LIBRARY,
FROM 10:50 - 11:50 am
___________________
CHILD CARE IS
PROVIDED IN THE NURSERY
Each week, St. John's children
join with three of our Ministry Partners:
Fairfax Chinese Christian Church,
Wellspring UCC
& Grace Baptist Church
for Sunday School
10:30 - 11:30 A
M
We offer 3 classes:
PreK: Rm. 205;
K - 6th grade: Rm. 207/208;
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Reminder
Every Wednesday evening, we have a service of Holy Eucharist and healing at 6:00 PM. The service is about 30 minutes. It is a perfect alternative for those who cannot come to church on Sunday mornings, as well as a good spiritual boost in the middle of the week. Come join us!
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Promise
God gives us the responsibility of doing something ourselves about the "faithless fears and worldly anxieties" that are holding us back in whatever way. We don't have to do this alone. We have God's promise of holding our hand and of helping us.
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and the office number is 703-803-7500.
May our ministry together spread God's love to all whom we encounter.
- Carol
The Rev. Carol Hancock
Rector
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