Welcome to the E-Notes!

July 5, 2017 

IT'S WAY TOO EARLY TO SAY THE WORDS "BACK TO SCHOOL" YET...
 BUT IT IS TIME TO COLLECT THE BACKPACKS!
Each year, St. John's participates in a program run by Western Fairfax Christian Ministries to collect backpacks for children in need. This year, we have been asked to provide 25 LARGE backpacks for students at Centreville High School. The color doesn't matter but the size does. We will collect the backpacks through the month of July. (WFCM has said that High Sierra backpacks are available at Costco and will be on sale for $16 around mid-July, though you do not have to buy them there.) You can bring them to church on Sunday or to the church office during the week.
PARISH

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We now have a RED door!
Many thanks go to the Men's Group for painting the front door of the historic church red! It really catches your eye as you turn onto Mt. Gilead from Braddock Road. With the red sign and the red door, we are more visible to those driving by. Thank you, Men's Group!
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The St. John's parish has embarked on a renovation project. We are refurbishing the wood and painting the exterior of the breezeway and the back side of the main building.

 
Scraping off the old, loose paint has started!
We need some more evening volunteers to scrape the old flaking paint.  We have the supplies and two ladders. Please call Andrew Wade if you're able to help with the scraping. Next, in the very near future, after some of the old wood has been replaced, and all is primed, we'll add the final coat of paint.  We are soliciting all willing and able volunteers and parishioners to show off their painting skills on this day. 
Watch this space for the painting date! Many thanks go to all who have been giving of their time and talent during the day as well as in the evenings. If you have any questions, please call Andrew Wade @ 703-477-8980.  
 
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Parents of Young Children
On Saturday, July 15, parents and their children are invited to come to Frying Pan Park at 3:30 PM for fun and fellowship. Bring a picnic snack or supper, if you'd like. We will meet at the small playground by the front gate. This is a good opportunity to get to know each other better while the children enjoy the animals. And its free! Anyone else is welcome to join us as well.
  *** 
Are you a child of the 70's?
If so, you may remember the hit musical "Jesus Christ, Superstar". Well, it's back and will be playing at the Signature Theater in Arlington until July 9. Tickets are going fast so it you want to walk down memory lane and remember some of those great songs, go online and reserve your tickets soon. (Many thanks to Meg Crossett for alerting me to this. She has seen it and gives it great reviews. Carol saw it too, and was greatly impressed. The singers and dancers are outstanding!)
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Education for Ministry - still looking for a few more people
EfM is a program for adult Christian formation through theological education and reflection written by the School of Theology at the University of the South, Sewanee, TN. All that's needed is a desire to learn and grow in your faith. There is a good amount of reading to be done each week, but no tests. The topics of study are Old Testament, New Testament, Church History, and Theology. The entire program is 4 years, but each participant signs up for a year at a time. Interested?  Please speak with Carol as soon as possible as the group is forming now. The group will be starting in September and we have 7 people so far......want to join us?
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Reminder
If you are an LEM, lector, usher, crucifer, or torch bearer, please sign up for the dates this summer that you can assist. With many people away, it is sometimes hard to fill all the slots. Please sign up online on the Altar Servers link below. 
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We need YOU!!
We need more Lay Eucharistic Ministers, lectors, ushers, crucifers, and torch bearers to serve on Sunday mornings. If you would like to serve in one of these roles, please see Carol. Training will be provided.
 


We can prepare our
hearts and minds 
by reading ahead for the Sunday Service lessons  

 
Sunday
July 9, 2017 
  


The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost 
           
The First Reading:
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
Abraham's son, Isaac, marries among their people, through circumstances orchestrated by God.
   
The Epistle:  
Romans 7:15-25a
Though we are empowered by the Holy Spirit, we struggle to do the good and the right, as God gives us power through our Lord Jesus Christ.
 
The Psalm: 45   
 
The Gospel:
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 
Following Jesus doesn't require clever education, but it does require humility of heart and our willingness to be transformed.
 
 
THE ADULT LECTIONARY FORUM
MEETS EACH SUNDAY IN THE LIBRARY,
FOLLOWING THE SERVICE,
 
FROM 10:50 - 11:50 am 
___________________

CHILD CARE IS 
PROVIDED IN THE NURSERY   
(Rm. 205) 
During the Service
 
   Joint Sunday School
  Each week, St. John's children join
 with three of our Ministry Partners: 
Fairfax Chinese Christian Church, 
Wellspring United Church  of Christ
& Grace Baptist Church 
 for Sunday School 10:50  - 11:45 AM .  
 
We  offer 3 classes:
  PreK- 2nd grade: Rm. 205;
 3rd - 8th grade: Rm. 215;
DIOCESE
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The Triangle of Hope 
A statement from the Bishops of Kumasi (in Ghana), Virginia and Liverpool
 
Nairobi, Kenya; June 2017
 
As Diocesan bishops meeting in conference, we thank God for the friendship and mutual support we enjoy in Christ as colleagues within the Anglican Communion. We warmly welcome and commend the "Triangle of Hope" initiative in our three Dioceses.
 
Each one of our Dioceses was directly involved in the dreadful Slave Triangle. We remember and acknowledge with sorrow that human beings were captured and enslaved for financial gain with no regard for their dignity and humanity. We view this history with great pain and in penitence before God, the God who wills in Christ to bring freedom and justice for all.
 
We stand together, determined that the horror of slavery, and its memories of inhumanity, oppression and anguish, must not and will not be forgotten. We commit ourselves to learn from these memories and to ensure that the lessons are shared and embedded in our lives and in our Dioceses. We also stand together in opposing all forms of slavery today, and we are wholeheartedly committed to doing all we can to help those caught in its chains, and to advocate for justice and freedom and for an end to all modern slavery and human trafficking.
 
We are grateful to our colleagues in each Diocese whose hard work has laid the foundation for this new partnership of freedom and justice. We pray for those who will meet in Virginia in October to carry the work forward. We are particularly excited by the opportunities for developing our relationship through the engagement of young people as well as adults. For example, we would rejoice at the involvement of our Mothers' Union/Episcopal Church Women members, and of our many young people's groups and their leaders whose commitment to this work gives us hope for an ever-richer community of learning, justice and love across the world Church.
 
Specifically, we welcome and support the current emphases and initiatives of the Triangle of Hope as our colleagues have shaped them. These include:
  • A commitment to sustained teaching and preaching in the Dioceses on the freedom and dignity of all human beings in Christ. (Our meditation and teaching will begin with a deep consideration of the story of Joseph, sold into slavery by his brothers, as found in the book Genesis, and, in particular, the narrative of forgiveness found in Genesis 50:15-21.)
  • An explicit ownership and commitment by our Synods and Councils to the aims and tasks of the Triangle of Hope.
  • Supporting and developing a number of specific projects, including the following:
    • Expanding the existing Youth Pilgrimage, which currently involves Virginia and Liverpool, into a tri-partite Pilgrimage involving all our three Dioceses.
    • Building an online presence so that the work, teaching and fruit of the Triangle of Hope may be readily available to all.
    • Establishing a relationship of ongoing prayer, undergirded by shared resources and common liturgical and devotional texts.
    • Exploring a number of exchange programs, for example, between parishes or theological education institutions.
As bishops united in faith within the worldwide Communion, we are delighted and proud to support and encourage all this. For us, it is an expression of the Christian hope for a future where all are saved and all are free --  free from slavery and from all oppression. We commend this work to the grace of God and we pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, confident that, by God's grace, the work will prosper.
 
+Daniel Yinka Sarfo
Bishop of Kumasi and Archbishop Primate (The Church of the Province of West Africa)
 
+Shannon S. Johnston
Bishop of Virginia (The Episcopal Church)
 
+Paul Bayes
Bishop of Liverpool (The Church of England)
 
 
The Triangle of Hope is a covenantal community dedicated to transforming the long history, ongoing effects, and continuing presence of slavery in our world through repentance, reconciliation, and mission.

 
COMMUNITY focus on Western Fairfax Christian Ministries
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WFCM reminds us that their shelves can become almost empty during the summer months. Please remember those who are hungry when you do your grocery shopping and donate nonperishable food items to WFCM when you come to St. John's on Sundays. You may put your donations in the baskets by the front door of the church.
WFCM: "These are words to live by. Our goal at WFCM is to embody this message in everything we do and to the best of our ability. That is why our food pantry is at the core of our mission. We are a "choice model" pantry which empowers our clients. Our clients can come into our food pantry and "shop" as they would at a grocery store by picking their own selections from the shelves. We do everything we can to continually stock all the items that would make a fully nutritious meal. These items include non-perishable items such as canned goods, breads' produce, meat, and dairy products. In addition to food items we also carry baby-specific items such as diapers and baby food for those who have infants.
All of these items are donated by amazingly generous people like you and in response to events we hold throughout the year.
We know that food can be one of the most expensive items on a household budget list. Our hope is that in allowing our clients to visit once per month they will save enough money to pay for other expenses such as rent or utility bills.
We are extremely grateful for the support of each and every person that makes a contribution to our pantry and we are especially grateful to organizations such as the Sully District Boy Scouts, our ministry partner churches, area schools and community residents."

Currently Needed Items
Food & Beverages
Fruit Juice (individual size appreciated)
Pasta Sauce
Cold cereal
Oil
Canned pasta
Pancake Mix/Syrup
Canned fruit
Canned chili
Coffee
Sugar
Toiletries
(NOTE: Toiletry items cannot be purchased
by our clients with their food stamps)
 
Body wash
Shampoo
Diapers size 4, 5 or 6
Baby Wipes
 
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OTHER NEWS
Please remember in your prayers all those who have been injured or killed or live in fear due to acts of terrorism; those who live in war-torn parts of this world and all who are on our prayer list.

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SIGN UP HERE TO
SERVE
as LEM, Crucifer, Lector, Usher, Verger, Torch Bearer at a Sunday Service.
   

click here:
ALTAR SERVERS 2017 
  
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.)

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.


SIGN UP HERE TO
SUPPLY FLOWERS 
for a Sunday service throughout 2017.


click here:
You may sign up here to donate the flowers to be used on the altar for each of the Sundays in 2017. Click to read additional info before signing up.
 

 
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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Create
Creativity is one of many ways we relate to God, especially connected to our passions. What are you drawn to create? What enlivens you?

 
 
My email address is [email protected],
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
       Priest-in-Charge 

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