PARISH NEWS
for Wednesday, April 1, 2020
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Dear St. John's parishioners and friends:
We are now into the third week of social distancing and staying mostly at home. On Monday, Governor Ralph Northam ordered all non-essential workers to stay at home. Some are able to work from home, while others cannot. This regime of only going out when it is absolutely necessary is getting old really fast.
The evening news does not yet give us a lot of hope. The number of cases of the virus in the United States continues to climb, as do the number of deaths. The projected number of deaths just in the US might be between 100,000 and 200,000. We need to stay away from other people as much as possible to stop the spread of this virus.
If nothing else, this virus has taught us that we are dependent on each other. We can pass this virus from one person to another without even knowing it. So if not everyone adheres to the precautions, the virus will continue to spread. We need to stop the spread now.
For many, the isolation is hard. But we can go out and walk, while maintaining social distancing from other walkers. Being outside in God's creation can be uplifting. We can always talk with our friends and loved ones by phone or Instagram or Zoom. Fortunately, many of us have the technology we need to stay in touch with others, but at a distance.
God is here, with each of us, in the midst of our fears and uncertainty. How bad will the virus get in Centreville? What about my loved ones who might be living in one of the "hot spots" in the country? What if my hospital runs out of ventilators and other supplies? Our fears are real and they are in front of us every day. So what can we do to handle the anxiety, fear and stress?
Focus on God. Pray without ceasing. Put your fears and anxiety and stress in God's hands. Pray for strength. With our focus on God, and taking one day at a time, we will get through this, because God is our strength and our hope. And God will never, ever abandon us.
We will continue to have our St. John's services online until we are able to gather together again. That will be at least until May 8, although the governor has issued the stay-at-home order until June 10. David Weir has set up a YouTube channel for St. John's where all our services will now be posted and stored. The link to that channel is
https://youtu.be/3njok_BEH5Q . Each service will be posted by 9:30 on Sunday mornings. I hope you will worship with us online and invite others to watch from their homes. Last Sunday, 63 people tuned in to the service. We will also have services that will be posted during Holy Week on Wednesday evening, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday, all at 7:30 PM.
SInce we are not together on Sundays, I miss the opportunity to find out what is going on in your lives - new babies in your family, graduations, weddings, deaths. In order to stay connected as a church family, I invite you to let me know of these occasions so I might share them with the community in the Wednesday E-Notes.
Nothing grieves me more than not being able to worship with you physically on Sunday mornings. I hope that all of you are participating in the online services on Sunday morning. We are together virtually, and by the power of the Holy Spirit.
This virus will not last forever, and at some point, we will all be back at St. John's. In the meantime, we need to put our faith and trust and hope in God who gives us the strength to endure and to grow. Take care of yourselves and stay healthy!
The Rev. Carol Hancock
Rector
St. John's is here to help you!
If you or someone you know has a need that the church can help with during this pandemic (going to the grocery store, picking up prescriptions, etc), please do not hesitate to call the church (703-803-7500). Many of us are ready and willing to help, should the need arise. The church is here to help in any way we can.
Please pray together
The Diocese of Virginia has asked each congregation to sign up for one hour to pray and to read one piece of scripture between Palm Sunday and Easter. The entire bible will be read during this time. I have signed us up to read Psalms 129 - 134 and to pray from
1:00 - 2:00 PM on Wednesday, April 8.
We are asked to start with saying the "Great Litany", found in the Book of Common Prayer on page 148. We then read Psalms 129-134 and spend the rest of the hour in prayer. From your own homes, please join the St. John's community of faith to pray during this holy time.
Adult Forum this Sunday, April 5
Following the online Palm Sunday service at 9:30 AM this Sunday, please join the online Adult Forum. Steve Busch is in training to become a deacon. He will present the forum on what it means to be a deacon, the responsibilities of a deacon, the training he is doing, and a bit about how he felt called to become a deacon. Please join him online this Sunday.
Diocesan Resources
The Diocese of Virginia has posted on its website (www.thediocese.net) many resources for individuals and clergy to use during this time when we cannot gather together for worship and Christian Education. On the opening page of the website, you will see "Covid 19 Resources" in the upper right hand corner. This page includes statements by Bishop Susan Goff, some church financial resources, tips about recording services online, and Christian Education resources to use at home. One resource is entitled "Do Faith at Home" and has ideas for adults and children (
www.dofaithathome.org).
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Vestry News: What's going on at St. John's this week?
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The vestry met on
zoom internet program on Sunday, March 29 . We will keep meeting weekly to continue our work for the church community.
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On Monday and Tuesday our new HVAC system arrived and was placed on the roof. Our work continues although we remain at safe social distancing.
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(the above items are a sampling from WFCM's Amazon list, which can be found by clicking the link below. Some of the items may be out of stock when you look. But keep looking as some will be available.)
HOW TO HELP WFCM FAMILIES DURING COVID-19
WFCM is pre-bagging food
to continue to provide all clients with food.
With schools being closed
items
are being included for
breakfast and lunch food for kids
(primarily single servings that do not require a stove). The bags will also include bread, fresh fruit and items already in our pantry that come daily from grocery stores.
WFCM is not accepting individual small donations from homes.
If you would like to donate food items,
please order food and toiletry items online and ship them directly to WFCM's office in Chantilly or
donate online
.
Here is the link that takes you directly to WFCM's 'wish list' on Amazon:
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Habits of Grace: An invitation for you, from Presiding Bishop Curry
Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs - Posted Mar 16, 2020
As we learn how to adjust our lives given the reality of the coronavirus and the request to do our part to slow its spread by practicing social distancing, I invite you to join me each week to take a moment to cultivate a ‘habit of grace.’
I encourage all of you to watch his videos on Monday mornings. They are less than five mintes and are very uplifting.
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Living Well Through Lent
An Introduction to
Practicing Courage with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind
Lent is a time for introspection and self-reflection, a time to reflect on the core of what it means to live a Christian life in the midst of great change and uncertainty. When facing change and uncertainty, few practices are more central to that life than courage—the courage to be vulnerable, the courage to grow, the courage to change direction, the courage to let go, the courage to act with grace, and the courage to walk the way of love. To receive daily devotions from Living Well throughout Lent, please click here:
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St. John’s Men’s Group / Lumberjacks SELLING WOOD!
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Replenish your winter firewood, as spring is still some weeks away! And help benefit St. John's at the same time!
The Lumberjacks are selling bundles of wood near the front entrance to the Historic Church for the great price of $5 per bundle.
(or $20 for 5 bundles).
Please give the money to someone in the office, a vestry member, or Carol.
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Most of the bundles will be ash wood. If you would like more than a few bundles (would like to fill up your car or truck), please leave a message with the church office and we will make arrangements.
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Palms for Palm Sunday:
We will be blessing the palms when we record the service for Palm Sunday on Thursday at 4:00 PM. You are invited to come to the church anytime after that to pick up palms for you and your family to celebrate Palm Sunday at home. The palms will be in a basket outside the breezeway on the small porch where the lumber is. You will not have to come into the church or be close to anyone. Join us online for the Palm Sunday service on Sunday morning at 9:30 AM.
Many thanks go to
David Weir for recording our services and getting them online for you to see. Thanks also go to Steve Busch and Walt Cooner who assisted with last Sunday's service.
We encourage you
to please stay current with your pledge and contributions to St. John's. Our bills continue to come in and need to be paid. You can mail your contributions to St. John's at 5649 Mt. Gilead Road, Centreville, VA 20120. If you would rather give online, please use the Tith.ley buttom below. As we will not be having the two Easter services in the church, when we normally get a large plate offering from visitors, we ask that you be particularly generous with your contributions, if you are able.
Blood supplies
are getting low. If you are able to give blood, please consider doing so. Y
ou can go to the Inova Blood Services website to find donation sites and you can sign up online.
The funeral for Mildred DeBell
has been postponed from April 18 to sometime late in May.
Every Monday morning
throughout this pandemic, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry will broadcast a short reflection entitled, "Habits of Grace". He has encouraging words of hope and love for all of us during this difficult time. You can watch the videos at
https://episcopalchurch.org/habits-of-grace
The church office
continues to be open. The four of us have separate offices and we are practicing "social distancing" and staggered office hours. Please feel free to call if we can be of assistance to you.
If you have a prayer or a reflection
, either one you have read or one you have written and you would like to share it in the E-Notes, please send it to Carol. If its one that someone else has written, be sure to include their name.
Parishioner Lori Wade wrote the following prayer:
Dear God,
Each day is a new day. So, please let us not waste it. And:
Please let our faith growth stronger.
Please let our hearts grow more full with love for you and others.
Please let our minds be settled and grow stronger.
Please let our immunity systems be strong and get stronger each day.
Please let our health be good. Take care of those who are sick and let them have a speedy recovery. Take care of the Doctors and Nurses and those developing vaccines for a quick discovery and viable option.
Please let our fears subside and be replaced with the knowledge and understanding that you are with us and you will see us through anything that comes our way! Amen.
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Make an Online Pledge Offering!
You can make your PLEDGE payment electronically.
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Use this button to make your pledge donation.
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THE SUNDAY SERVICES ARE CURRENTLY SUSPENDED DUE TO THE VIRUS
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We can prepare our hearts & minds by reading ahead
for the Sunday Service lesson
The Fifth Sunday in Lent
March 29, 2020
9:30 AM
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The First Reading:
Ezekiel 37:1-14
God instructs the prophet Ezekiel to preach to the most unlikely of audiences, with the most miraculous of results.
The Psalm: 130, page 784, BCP
The Second Lesson: Romans 8:6-11
Paul explains that the Spirit of God animates and emboldens us to the delight of God and for his service, just as we were made to be.
The Gospel: John 11:1-45
Jesus' good friend Lazarus is ill and dies; Jesus joins fellow loved ones in mourning, and then brings hope and resurrection.
____________________________
CURRENTLY THESE ACTIVITIES ARE NOT TAKING PLACE
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 215 (207/208 the first Sunday of the month)
_________________________
St. John's Sunday School
class for ages 2-4, Room 215
Meets the first Sunday of each month from 9:50 - 10:40 AM
_________________________
THE ADULT LECTIONARY FORUM
MEETS EACH SUNDAY IN THE LIBRARY, FOLLOWING THE SERVICE
FROM 10:50 - 11:50 AM
The Saint of the Week:
John Keble, born 1792, ordained Priest in 1816, tutor at Oxford from 1818 to 1823, published in 1827 a book of poems called
The Christian Year
, containing poems for the Sundays and Feast Days of the Church Year. The book sold many copies, and was highly effective in spreading Keble's devotional and theological views. His style was more popular then than now, but some of his poems are still in use as hymns today. He was Professor of Poetry at Oxford from 1831 - 1841, and from 1836 until his death 30 years later he was priest of a small parish in the village of Hursley near Winchester.
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A Message from the Bishops of Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC
March 31, 2020
Dear Friends in Christ,
In this time when circumstances change from day to day, we Episcopal bishops of Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC have conferred with each other in order to share our best wisdom with you. We know that we are better together during this stressful time, and at all times.
We urge everyone in our congregations to abide by the stay-at-home orders of our civic leaders. The orders make provisions for essential businesses and workers, and they provide mandatory guidelines for individuals and groups.
We have consulted with the offices of Governor Hogan, Governor Northam, and Mayor Bowser regarding the practice of live-streaming or recording services in our houses of worship. All three jurisdictions allow for such offerings provided that:
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No more than 10 persons are present in-person for any service.
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Those participating are not at high-risk for contracting the coronavirus. We are especially concerned for our elder clergy who, in love for their congregations, might take risks. We urge the elders and those with health issues to exercise wisdom and restraint.
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Physical distance of six feet or more is maintained at all times, with hands washed and surfaces cleaned.
Within these parameters, Episcopal churches within our dioceses may offer live-stream or recorded services from our church buildings. This permission does not extend to any other gatherings in our church buildings or grounds, other than on site work by a limited number of church employees necessary for administrative services that cannot be performed remotely. These persons must rigorously observe mandated safety practices.
We fully support clergy and appropriate lay leaders who choose to live-stream or record worship from their homes. In this time when visits to hospitals and other facilities are limited, we urge you to offer pastoral care to people in those facilities via phone or other electronic means.
Should stricter guidelines be mandated in the future, we will adjust accordingly. For now, we will plan our Holy Week and Easter observances with the assurance of Christ's presence with us and in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection.
The Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Washington
The Rt. Rev. Mark Bourlakas, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia
The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Brooke-Davidson, Assistant Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
The Rt. Rev. Susan E. Goff, Bishop Suffragan and Ecclesiastical Authority
Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
The Rt. Rev. Susan Haynes, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia
The Rt. Rev. Robert Ihloff, Assisting Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Maryland
The Rt. Rev. Chilton Knudsen, Assisting Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Washington
The Rt. Rev. Santosh Marray, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Easton
The Rt. Rev. Eugene Sutton, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Maryland
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Coronavirus Updates and Information
from the Fairfax County Interfaith Office
FOOD RESOURCES
:
As the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency continues to evolve, we understand that individuals and families in our communities may have food assistance needs. To make it easier for you to find food resources, the county has developed a searchable map that includes all food distribution sites, including Fairfax County Public Schools, community meal distribution sites, food pantries and other related services. You can enter your address, select how many miles from your address you want to search and select from the food distribution and assistance sites to find the name, address, hours (if available) and driving directions.
The map can be accessed
here
Breakfast and Lunch
(Breakfast served 8AM- 10:30 AM; Lunch served 10:30 AM- 2PM).
To view the growing list of FCPS meal sites, please
click here
Bus Route Meal Service:
Beginning Thursday, March 19, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) buses will begin delivering grab and go meals along some bus routes. School buses will stop at designated intersections to deliver these meals. To view the list of bus stops,
click here
HEALTH RESOURCES
:
We have the latest on TESTING. In summary:
- Call your doctor! Physicians will assess and provide referrals for testing as necessary
- Here is a five minute video by Dr. Schwartz giving in-depth testing information, and here is a link to the testing page that will be updated regularly.
- We are working with our health care providers to support and facilitate more opportunities for testing within health care settings. As we do not provide primary care services, the Health Department is not conducting testing. Please visit our county website for information on low-cost health care resources in the community. Contact one of these resources via phone to discuss your concerns, and the health care provider will determine if you need to be tested for COVID-19 and arrange for that test if needed. https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/strategymanagementhhs/health-integration-safety-net
Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services
If you or your congregants are have congregants are facing difficulties - including food, shelter, employment, financial assistance, healthcare and more other needs, please call Coordinated Services Planning (CSP)
703-222-0880 (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays).
Residents can also visit the Human Services Resource Guide (HSRG) at
https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/hsrg/
, an online, searchable guide to available health and human services resources in Fairfax County.
STAY IN TOUCH:
In an effort to ensure you are receiving accurate and timely information, Fairfax County has created a webpage that includes updated information and community resources at
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/covid19
. You can also view the
emergency blog
,
The Emergency Blog can be translated into different languages
. The Health Department has a dedicated phone line that residents can call if they have questions
703-267-3511 (9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends)
From Governor Northam and Fairfax County (3/30/20)
Fairfax County strongly urges residents to follow the
stay-at-home order
issued by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam today.
This order is critical to help slow the spread of the coronavirus as cases continue to climb across the state with 225 confirmed cases in the Fairfax County Health District. Social distancing is the most effective method to
limit the disease’s transmission
.
The governor’s action, which currently remains in effect until June 10, means that
residents should stay in homes with only a few exceptions for essential activities
, including:
- Getting groceries or medicines.
- Caring for a sick family member or friend.
- Getting medical care for yourself .
- Going outside for exercise for yourself or pets (although not in groups larger than 10 people).
- Getting essential social or government services.
- Traveling to and from work or place of worship.
Do not go out unless you need to go out.
“To date, this has been a suggestion to Virginians,” said Northam. “Today it’s an order.”
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VOLUNTEERING AT ST. JOHN'S
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Sign Up Here
to be an altar server
,
or to donate flowers for a Sunday service.
(
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."
I
tems are collected weekly in the baskets at the front door of St. John's Church. For food list:
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Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing;
God only is changeless.
Patience gains all things.
Who has God wants nothing.
God alone suffices.
St. Theresa
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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.
-
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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Please note:
If you choose to unsubscribe below, please be aware that you will no longer receive either St. John's sermons or E-Notes, which are sent weekly. If you do unsubscribe and later want to be added back in, that needs to be done through the provider, Constant Contact. Please email St. John's office with the request: SJECCentreville@aol.com.
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