Dear Friends in Christ, 

What do we do? 

This is the questions which arises throughout our lives and it ranges from the mundane to significant life events. We often ask, in the more boring category, what do we do: 1) for fun today; 2) for dinner tonight; or even 3) when we are stuck at home in quarantine. Then we have such questions as what do we do 1) when our loved one falls ill; 2) when the finances are not working; 3) when a relationship ends. We also have the more systemic questions, what do we do 1) about racial reconciliation; 2) when I hear of wars and famine; 3) when the Capitol is overrun during a democratic process. 

We are reminded in so many of these questions that control is an illusion which we are able to alleviate sometimes through temporary means. The questions above, (aside from ordering pizza again), are difficult reminders of our frailty and mortality. They are also reminders of our dependence on God. 

This Sunday, we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ and it is always at an opportune time! We will renew our Baptismal Covenant and remember on whom we rely and to whom we turn when we ask the above questions. I invite you into this service, to listen to the Scriptures, to renew the promises, and accept the invitation of grace given to you and to all of us through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

When we ask the questions above and do not know the answers, we turn to prayer, we look to our covenant, and we stand firm on the rock on which we rely, Jesus Christ. This is not something done in isolation, but in community. Our baptisms are always done in community and we gather this Sunday, while distant, together. Let us celebrate the gift of Baptism and the gift of discipleship this Sunday. 

Please continue to be safe. 

Faithfully yours,

@ 6:00 p.m. – Saturday Evening Service

@ 8:00 a.m. – Liturgy of the Word

@ 9:00 a.m. – Bible Study (Mtg: 142 074 0872 | pwd: CMrCxTkf488)

@ 10:00 a.m. – Liturgy of the Word (also on Facebook)

@ 11:00 a.m. – Coffee Hour (Mtg: 847 0278 7729 | pwd: 437719)

@ 9:00 p.m. – Compline with St. Phoebe's (via Zoom)

@ 9:30 a.m. – Morning Prayer Service

@ 10:30 a.m. – Bible Study (Mtg: 884 0844 2173 | password: 313159)

Note: When joining any of our Zoom meetings, please make sure your name is displayed.

2nd Note: If any of the service links above don't work, check our website for updated links.

All Sunday School classes will start at 11:15 a.m. via Zoom at the links below:

If your child hasn't registered for Sunday School yet, they can do so here.

Contact: Jane Girondo & Stacey Peters (formation@standrews.net)

This year we will not be able to host guests at St. Andrew's but we will be providing meals and other essentials to the Hypothermia Shelter in Tyson's Corner.

We will collect a specific set of donated items for the breakfast and lunch meals which can be found on the signup genius. Please note that the requested items are on the signup genius and differ from the items that we have collected in the past (for instance they do not need jackets at the moment). We will have teams to safely assemble and deliver the meals to the shelter. We have contracted with a local professional caterer, whose business has also been impacted by Covid, who will be providing dinners to the guests and staff at the shelter during our week.

We have donation drop offs as listed on the signup genius starting January 21st for non-perishable items. Our week begins Sunday evening, January 31st and ends Wednesday evening, February 3rd (Floris UMC will take over on the 4th and finish out the week).

Please take special notice of the drop off dates and times on the sign up genius; due to COVID we can only offer limited opportunities to drop off items. There will be volunteers at the church to gather dropped off items so you will be able to drop items off at the front door during the main dropoff times.

Thank you for all you do to help this vulnerable population in our community!

Contact: Steve Koss & Elaine Runkel (hypothermia@standrews.net)

To help shed some light on this dark time, here is an Epiphany blessing we can all do at home. You can say this blessing and use chalk to write (20+C+M+B+21) on the top of your door. The “20” and “21” stand in for the year while the “C+M+B” stand in for the names of the three magi: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar.

Starting January 19, 2021, our preschool will begin registering for the 2021-2022 school year. Current families, siblings of alumni, and Parish members get priority on registering. Registration opens to the community on February 16, 2021. Classes are filled first come first serve, so please don't delay if you are interested. Please visit our website for more information and to view a virtual tour of the preschool.

Contact: Tami Phillips (preschool@standrews.net)

Save the date: Our Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, February 7th via Zoom. We will send out more details once we get closer to the date.

A Sign-Up Genius has been created, so pick a time that works best for you/your family and sign up here to schedule a meeting.

Contact: Betsy Cotten and Rebecca Umberger (fellowship@standrews.net)

Contact: Michelle Ramsdell (michelle@standrews.net)

Please keep these members of our community in your prayers: 

Contact: Deborah England (prayer@standrews.net)