PARISH NEWS for Wednesday, February 13, 2019
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The rector is back from the Holy Land. The Wednesday 6:00 PM service will resume tonight.
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PILGRIMAGE - New Photos of St. John's Group touring in Jerusalem
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Olive Trees in the Garden of Gethsemane
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A Painting of the Palm Sunday Procession
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St. John's Pilgrims outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
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A Jewish Cemetery outside Jerusalem's Gates
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- The Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
From January 27 to February 8, 13 parishioners from St. John's, along with some family members and friends, went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. We stayed at St. George's College in Jerusalem and participated in their program "The Footsteps of Jesus". It was an incredible trip, as we visited places such as the Sea of Galilee, Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Old City and temple in Jerusalem, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Mount of Olives - the list goes on and on. We will present some of our pictures at the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper on Tuesday, March 5. During the six Wednesdays in Lent, the program will be what we learned and experienced during our trip. Each Wednesday, two people will present their pictures and reflections. We will have a service of Holy Eucharist at 6:00 PM, a light supper at 6:30 PM and the program from 7:00 - 8:00 PM. Many of us are still processing what we saw and heard during this 12 day pilgrimage. It was an amazing trip - one that we would like to share with you!
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Parishioner Angela Hadfield is still looking for a good home for her cat. More information is available on the flyer in the office. If you have a home to offer, please talk with Angela or call Catherine in the church office.
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Carol Hancock has become a grandmother for the first time with the birth of Julianna Mae Spigner, born on February 2.
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-At the Annual Parish Meeting
last Sunday, the following people were elected to serve 3 year terms on the Vestry - Sam Cameron, Val Tucker, Jim Heller, Jim Elliott and Andrew Wade. Walt Cooner was elected as our representative to the Annual Diocesan Convention in November and our quarterly regional meetings. Bob Faithful was elected as the alternate. Many thanks go to those who are going off the Vestry - David Weir, Dick Griffith, Marie McDermott, Patricia McPherson and Monti Zimmerman; as well as our Register Julie Weir who has also served for 3 years.
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The parish office will be closed on Monday, February 18 in observance of President's Day.
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We can prepare our hearts & minds by reading ahead
for the Sunday Service lessons.
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The Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany
February 17, 2019
9:30 AM
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The First Reading: Jeremiah 17:5-10
What a relief that we are free from the tyranny of our hearts and our minds. God is the only source of truth and wisdom; we may trust his word, instruction, and care above all else.
The Psalm: 1;
page 793, BCP 585
The Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 15:12-20
Being raised from death is not a euphemism or a fairytale story, it is nothing other than the gospel truth. Our hope is rooted in the power of God's love over all evil, even over the evil of death.
The Gospel:
Luke 6:17-26
Deep and abiding peace is found not in security or popularity, or in material wealth, but in joining with those who are close to God, as they suffer oppression, injustice, marginalization, and trials.
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THE ADULT LECTIONARY FORUM
MEETS EACH SUNDAY IN THE LIBRARY, FOLLOWING THE SERVICE
FROM 10:50 - 11:50 AM
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CHILD CARE IS PROVIDED IN THE NURSERY
(Rm. 205)
During the Service
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JOINT SUNDAY SCHOOL: 10:30 - 11:30 AM
Each week, St. John's children join with our Ministry Partners:
Wellspring UCC & Grace Baptist Church
Room 207/208
St. John's Sunday School
class for ages 2-4, Room 215
Meets the first Sunday of each month from 10:50 - 11:30
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"Prayer in the Midst of Pain"
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Two of the three highest elected leaders in our Commonwealth of Virginia are embroiled in scandal right now that touches the painful legacy of racism in our nation. White American culture once not only tolerated white people donning blackface, but embraced it as a form of entertainment. Yet it was always hurtful, demeaning and insulting to people of African descent. What was accepted back then was not acceptable, and it is not acceptable now.
We as people of faith, no matter what our race, gender or ethnicity, promise in our baptismal vows to respect the dignity of every human being. We also know the power of confession, so much so that we engage in the practice regularly. This current scandal provides us an opportunity to examine not only the lives of our political leaders, but to take a close look at our own lives. When have we done or said things that have diminished the dignity of others? In what activities have we engaged that were once accepted, but never acceptable? This scandal invites us to confess the ways we have fallen short of the image of God that is in us and to repent, to turn around and act in a different way.
The political realities of this current moment in our Commonwealth are complex, but our faith response is not. Out of our own confession and repentance, we can call for the repentance of our leaders. Above all, we can and must pray for them, for ourselves, for all who are hurt in any way by this scandal, and for the coming Kingdom of God in which God's dream of oneness for all humanity will finally be realized.
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP, page 815)
O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us, in the midst of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront one another without hatred or bitterness, and to work together with mutual forbearance and respect; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP, page 824)
Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart, and especially the hearts of the people of this Commonwealth, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP, page 823)
Faithfully yours,
The Rt. Rev. Susan E. Goff
Bishop Suffragan and Ecclesiastical Authority
The Diocese of Virginia
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Diocesan "Listening Sessions"
Bishop Susan Goff invites everyone to a "listening session" to hear what's on your mind and your vision for the diocese. Please register for the session you would like to attend.
This is an opportunity for your voice to be heard about your hopes and dreams for the diocese.
Here is the schedule for the Recall and Reconnect Listening Sessions. You can click on a location to register.
*We hope to broadcast this listening session via Facebook Live.
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VOLUNTEERING AT ST. JOHN'S
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Sign Up Here
to be an altar server
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or to donate flowers for a Sunday service, or to bring refreshments for Coffee Hour after the service.
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(if you're not an altar server, and would like to be a Lay Eucharistic Minister (LEM), a Lector, or a Crucifer, please see Carol).
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WESTERN FAIRFAX
CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES
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"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."
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tems are collected weekly in the baskets at the front door of St. John's Church. For food list:
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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!
Companion
Jesus is God Emmanuel, God with us, God with you, even today. Even if your only experience just now is longing for God and a feeling of emptiness, God is in the emptiness. Really.
-Br. Curtis Almquist
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My email address is stjohnscvpriest@gmail.com,
and the office number is 703-803-7500.
May our ministry together spread God's love to all whom we encounter.
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Carol
The Rev. Carol Hancock, Rector
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ST. JOHN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH | 5649 MT. GILEAD RD. , CENTREVILLE, VA | 703-803-7500
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