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St. John's Episcopal Church
Welcome to the E-Notes!
September 27, 2017
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STEWARDSHIP
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How to Live a Life Worth Remembering
It was sometime during the 1950s that Dr. Milton Erickson received a call from one of his former patients who wanted a favor from the world-famous psychiatrist. The former patient asked Milton Erickson to visit his Aunt in Milwaukee. The Aunt was wheel chair bound, living by herself in a large house, and seemed very depressed. Her only social outlet was the church she attended. The good doctor said he would stop by after the lecture he was planning to give in Milwaukee.
During his visit with the Aunt, Milton Erickson noted to himself the woman did indeed show signs of clinical depression but he did not see anything that he could do to help her. That all changed after she gave him a tour of her house.
During house tour the Aunt proudly pointed out her greenhouse that contained the African Violet Flowers that she grew. Dr. Erickson told the woman that he wanted her to keep an eye on the church news-letter for weddings, funerals, baptisms', or any community social event. She was to then place one of her treasured African Violets in a flower pot and present it as a gift with an appropriate note from her at the event.
Milton Erickson hoped this focused activity on doing something she loved would keep her busy and not allow time to be depressed. What he did not realize was the impact this would have on the community. Years later he received a clipping from a Milwaukee newspaper that noted her passing into larger life. The title of the article read: "Thousands Mourn the Passing of the Milwaukee African Violet Queen". She had touched so many people with her simple act of kindness that her funeral service filled the church to overflowing and the procession to the cemetery stretched for blocks.
Perhaps you sometimes find yourself spending too much time focusing on disappointments instead of nurturing the spark of life that you truly enjoy. Maybe you can even think of your own version of the "African Violet" to share with others. Saint Paul advised the Romans to "not be conformed to the world but transformed by the renewing of your mind." This means that as you ponder your gifts for the St John's 2018 Pledge drive you may discover you too have a special gift that once you share it then:
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Written by David Weir, Senior Warden
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Openings available the next few Sundays for Altar Flowers! This is the be
st time of the year for planting,
so now is a great time to provide flowering plants for the services, which then can be put in the front flower beds!
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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 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.
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PARISH
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From the Rector....
I am thrilled and honored to be called to serve as the next Rector of St. John's, Centreville and I appreciate the faith and trust you have put in me! I have greatly enjoyed my time here as first the Interim, and then the Priest-in-Charge. Now to be called as your Rector is exciting! St. John's is a wonderful, spirit-filled place and it feels like family. I feel at home here and I am delighted to be able to stay.
*
The way this congregation works together and supports each other is a true witness of what it means to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ. We are called together to be the Body of Christ, and to do God's work in this world. It is amazing to me the amount of outreach this small church does and the impact it makes on the community.
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I appreciate the opportunity to walk with you in our journey of faith, to learn together, to grow together, to experience the love of God together. God calls us into community for a reason - to help and support each other, to love each other, and to be a witness for the furthering of God's kingdom together. I am thrilled to be able to join you in this journey and to serve the people of St. John's.
*
The Rev. Carol Hancock
Rector
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Deadline for brick orders and payments is October 8!
Have you been thinking about a memorial brick? "Buy a Brick" Fundraiser!
Buy a brick in honor of, or in memory of a loved one; to celebrate a wedding, confirmation or baptism at St. John's, or an anniversary; as a memorial to parents, grandparents, and other relatives or friends.
Here is an opportunity to purchase a brick to be embedded in the front walkway! Each brick can have the person's name, date and a small symbol if desired.
Please take a look at the bricks already in our front walkway. Engraved bricks are $75, which includes 3 lines (60 letters) of engraving, or 36 letters with a choice of a symbol (shown on form.) Order forms are on the back table in the church, and in the Breezeway. Payment is due when you turn in the order. Please make the check out to St. John's.
What would you like your brick to proclaim?
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Our goal for the carpet fund has been reached!!!
Many thanks go to all who generously donated to replace the carpet in
the historic church. The funds received total $4010. The cost of the carpet, including padding and installation is between $3700 and $4000. Thanks go to Katharine Lavery who spearheaded this fundraising.
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Please help those devastated by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria
The Episcopal Relief and Development Fund is collecting funds to assist those who have been devastated by the three recent hurricanes. Monetary donations are what will help the most right now. You can donate online at
www.er-d.org A contribution of any size will be greatly appreciated. Please see the Presiding Bishop's short video
HERE
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Carol changes her day off
As EfM will be meeting on Mondays, Carol has changed her day off to Friday. On Mondays, she will be in the office from 12:00 noon - 8:30 PM, and all day Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Please sign up to provide altar flowers, coffee hour snacks, and help with Sunday services
You can sign up online! Just scroll further down this page to the sign up block. Click on "altar flowers" or "coffee hour" or "altar servers" and sign up for the date you want. We really need YOUR help. If you would like to be a lector, crucifer, usher or Lay Eucharistic Minister, please let Carol know. Training is provided.
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Centreville Day is Saturday, October 21
Centreville Day happens right here in the St. John's parking lot! We would like to sell baked goods and some crafts as we did last year, so please start baking and making crafts you would be willing to sell at Centreville Day. We will need many volunteers that day and the sign up sheet is in the breezeway. We will need volunteers to staff our table to sell coffee, crafts and baked goods, and volunteers to give tours of the historic church. We will have the Pet Blessing available all day (bring your pets!) and Jo Chandler will bring her spinner and give demonstrations. Many thanks go to Nita Amar who is donating a quilt she made for us to raffle off. The quilt will be on display for the next few Sundays.
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Our Joint Sunday School has resumed
Our joint Sunday School has resumed.
The time has changed to 10:30 - 11:30 in order to allow more time for instruction and activities. All students will meet together in room 207/208 between 10:20 and 10:30, and will then go to their designated classrooms. PreK (ages 3 and 4) will meet in the nursery; grades K - 6th will meet in 207/208; and grades 7 - 12 will meet in room 206. Our joint Sunday School is with the Fairfax Chinese Christian Church, Wellspring United Church of Christ, Grace Baptist Church and St. John's. If you are interested in helping with the Sunday School, please let Carol know. We particularly need some adults to help with the youth class.
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DIOCESE
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Statement from the Bishops of Virginia
in Support of DACA Recipients
and Their Families
We write to you today to pledge our action - and to invite yours - on behalf of 800,000 DREAMers across the country, including the DREAMers in our own Diocese. These young men and women were brought to this country as children; America is the only home they have ever known. As a result of yesterday's decision to phase out Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), they are now threatened with punishment for decisions they did not make.
We your bishops meet DREAMers and their families as we visit congregations. We hear their stories. We learn of the hopes of young people who grew up in the United States, who go to school and play sports and work to help support their families. We hear the dreams for college and safe futures for young people who are as American as any others who grew up on this soil. We ache with them as they speak of their fear of being separated from their families, of being sent to foreign lands that they don't remember, whose culture and, in some cases, whose language they do not know. DREAMers and their families are here in our Diocese, especially but not exclusively in our congregations that worship in Spanish. Some of those congregations are the fastest growing in the Diocese of Virginia. Our DREAMers are a part of vibrant growth and life that the Spirit is revealing to us.
We join with the majority of Americans who support DREAMers and believe they should be offered a just pathway to citizenship. We stand with DREAMers and invite you to stand with them in concrete ways:
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to your representatives in Congress urging them to pass the DREAM Act and to protect DACA recipients. Congress has the power to act before any currently protected young people lose their ability to work, study and live without fear in the United States. The congressional switchboard number is (202) 225-3121.
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DONATE to a DACA recipient who needs financial support to submit a DACA renewal application by the October 5 deadline.
- VOLUNTEER. Local legal services organizations in Northern Virginia and across the Commonwealth are hosting legal clinics to train volunteers in how best to support timely submissions of DACA renewals by October 5.
"The Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt." - Leviticus 10:17-19
The Rt. Rev. Shannon S. Johnston
The Rt. Rev. Susan E. Goff
The Rt. Rev. Edwin F. Gulick
With thanks for research and support from Aisha Huertas, diocesan intercultural ministries officer.
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We can prepare our hearts and minds
by
reading ahead for the Sunday Service lessons
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| Moses Striking the Rock_Chagall (cropped) |
Sunday
October 1, 2017
The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
The First Reading:
The Israelites wander in the wilderness, wondering if God has forgotten them.
The Epistle:
Christians in Philippi are encouraged by the creed of Jesus Christ which the Apostle Paul shares in the body of his letter to them.
The Gospel:
Matthew 21:23-32
While clever religious adherents seek to trip up Jesus with particularities of custom, Jesus is more interested in the integrity of people's souls.
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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
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
10:30 - 11:30 AM
.
We offer 3 classes:
PreK: Rm. 205;
K - 6th grade: Rm. 207/208;
7th - 12th grade:
Rm 206
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COMMUNITY
Mt. Gilead Clean-up Day
A clean-up day for the grounds around the historic Mt. Gilead house, which is just down the street from St. John's, will be held this Saturday, September 30 from 9 - 3. Lunch will be provided. Please bring rakes, wheelbarrows, work gloves and other yard equipment.
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Western Fairfax Christian Ministries
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.
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Western Fairfax Christian Ministries - 10th Annual Fellowship Dinner
WFCM is celebrating 30 years of service at its 10th Annual Fellowship Dinner at the Westfields Marriott, 14750 Conference Center Drive in Chantilly on Friday,
October 13. The reception and silent auction begins at 6:00 pm with the dinner to follow at 7:00 pm. A minimum donation of $75 per person is appreciated.
If you would like to attend, please let Carol know as soon as possible so she can register you to sit at the St. John's table! The following people will be attending: David and Julie Weir, Carol Hancock, Bob Faithful and Susan Woods. Please join us for a fun evening and support Western Fairfax Christian Ministries!
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Please remember in your prayers all those who have lost loved ones, homes, belongings and businesses due to the devastating floods from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, as well as those impacted by the earthquakes in Mexico. Please pray also for the first responders as well as neighbors and strangers who are helping each other out.
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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!
Savor
Jesus promises to give us life, and to give it to us abundantly. Receive that promise - it's God's gift for you - and lap up the goodness of life, the goodness of your life. Let God's light and life and love shine upon your countenance, and savor every moment of your life. Don't miss a minute of it.
-Br. Curtis Almquist
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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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Copyright © 2017. All Rights Reserved.
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