PARISH NEWS
for Wednesday, March 27, 2019
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It is with great sadness that we tell you of the death of long-time and beloved parishioner Terry Barnes. She died on Thursday, March 21 and her funeral will be at St. John's on Saturday, April 6 at 2:30. There will be a chance to speak with the family before the service from 1:30 - 2:30 PM in room 217/218. Please keep the Barnes family in your prayers. May the soul of Terry and of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
- Lenten services and program
Tonight, Wednesday, March 27
and continuing for the rest of the Wednesdays in Lent, the Lenten Program will be what we learned and experienced during our trip to the Holy Land. Each Wednesday, two or three 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.
It was an amazing trip - one that we would like to share with you! Tonight, the program will be presented by Lori and Andrew Wade. Please sign up in the breezeway if you'd like to come for future Wednesday programs so we know how many to plan for. The service will be in the church and the supper and program will be in the library.
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TRAVEL NOTES & PHOTOS – ST. GEORGE’S COLLEGE JERUSALEM
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Reflections from our trip to the Holy Land: John Tucker
I would echo the comments made previously by Tim and Lisa about being awed by the landscape of the areas that we explored on our 10-day trip – from the lush areas of Banias and near Jerusalem to the stark rocky desert of the Judean Wilderness. What I was not expecting was that Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth were not built on flat ground but were built on steep hills and deep ravines. Of course one of the main reasons the cities were originally located where they are, is due to the availability of fresh water sources. Unlike the world we live in, cities could not easily be located just anyplace, but were tied implicitly to the ability to survive.
Another humbling thought was the recognition that we were Pilgrims to the Holy Land, just as Christians have been doing for nearly 2000 years (as well as Jews for an even longer time, and Muslims for a somewhat shorter time). Millions have traveled to these areas over millennia to walk the path of Jesus and feel a closeness to God on Earth. Everywhere we went, we heard the voices of people from around the world, who while they may speak different languages, they share the same experiences of seeing and feeling the lands described in Scripture, and caused me to be aware of how much we all have in common. This realization was just amazing.
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Donations of wrapped candy needed
We will have our
Annual Easter Egg Hunt following the 10:30 AM service on Easter Day, April 21, so we are requesting donations of wrapped candy. WE DO NOT NEED ANY PLASTIC EGGS...….just the candy to put in them. Donations can be dropped off at the church office. We will need the candy before April 13.
Save the date for the Spring Clean-Up Day!
Saturday, April 13 will be a busy day at St. John's and we will need lots of volunteers.
The Men’s Group is organizing a ‘campus’ cleanup day. Starting at 8:00 AM, we will have some simple breakfast food to get everyone started and some lunch for those that can also work the afternoon shift. We will also have beverages.
The grounds of St. Johns is really starting to look good. However, the grounds could use a much needed spruce up. We have much debris to clear out and take to West Ox. We will also be spreading fresh mulch to various trees and flower beds. We will be working around the historic church, the cemetery, as well as the Mt. Gilead green. ***No skills required!
What to bring:
· Gloves
· Rakes
· Wheel Barrows
· Pick up trucks
The Men’s group will have all other supplies to get the various tasks done. In order for us to have the right amount of materials and food/beverage for the day, please RSVP to
andrewdwade@gmail.com
Starting at 9:00 AM, volunteers are needed to
make palm crosses and to
fill the plastic Easter eggs with candy that has been donated. Questions? Contact Marcia Evans.
A light breakfast and lunch will be provided. Please let Val Tucker know if you are coming so we will know how many people to plan for.
Personnel Updates
One of our part-time sextons, Ivy Yee, will be leaving us on March 31 as her hours for her "other" job have increased to full time. Ivy has done a great job in the many months she has been at St. John's and we hate to see her leave. Her enthusiasm and energy were contagious and we enjoyed having her here.
However, one of our own, Kristen Tucker, has stepped up to fill the part-time sexton position and will be starting in early April. She will clean the facilities during the week and Russell Jacobs will continue to work on the weekends. Also, Taylor Ruhl, who has been on medical leave, hopes to return to St. John's in June as our third part-time sexton.
Treasurer Needed (Tom is retiring in January!)
Did you feel a slight calling and Googled what is the Treasurer’s Job Description?
Don’t worry, St. John’s stream-lined the duties to just 3 major tasks and signing of checks weekly.
The basic job description at St. John’s:
- Attend Finance and Vestry meetings – one each per month
- Inspire confidence from the congregation and church executive staff as to integrity and ability.
- The Treasurer is to communicate the situation of the church’s finances clearly. The details need the honest “big picture,” and the vestry needs to know enough to make wise decisions. That’s it.
If you’re interested in being a treasurer, lets chat.
Tom McDermott
Holy Week and Easter
Our Holy Week and Easter schedule is as follows:
Palm Sunday, April 14, 9:30 AM (procession starts outside)
Wednesday, April 17, 6:00 PM, 6:30 supper, 7:00 Final Lenten program
Maundy Thursday, April 18, 7:30 PM, Foot Washing and Holy Eucharist
Good Friday, April 19, 12:00 and 7:30 PM, Good Friday Liturgy
Easter Sunday, April 21, 8:00 and 10:30 AM, both with music, sermon and Holy
Eucharist. Easter Egg Hunt after 10:30 service
We will need extra help for these Holy Week and Easter services. If you are a Lay Eucharistic Minister, usher, lector, crucifer, or torch bearer, please sign up as soon as possible for the times you can help.
Envelopes are on the back table for those who would like to donate for the purchase of Easter flowers. If the flowers are given in memory of or thanksgiving for someone, please write that on the envelope. That will be included in the Easter bulletin.
Save the date for the Progressive Dinner!
This year the Progressive Dinner will be held
Saturday, May 18th.
This is a favorite fellowship event every year so be sure to mark your calendar. Sign up and information sheets will be coming soon.
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Make an Online Pledge Offering!
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The new way to send your pledge offering! You can download the app to your phone, or you can click the link below, and use your credit card!
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Lenten Meditation booklets available
Lenten Meditation booklets, put out by Episcopal Relief and Development, are available on the back of the table in the church and in the breezeway. A short meditation is provided for each day during Lent to help us deepen our relationship with God. Please help yourself!
Choir news – Faure’s Requiem
Several members of St. John’s choir are busy rehearsing
Faure’s Requiem
which will be presented with several church choirs and the Loudoun Symphony on Sunday, April 7 at 4 PM at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Ashburn, VA. The requiem is a choral and orchestra piece written as a mass for the dead and focuses on eternal rest and consolation. Offering envelopes are on the back table in the church. If you would like to help support this concert and have loved ones remembered, please fill out the front of the offering envelope. The names of loved ones who have died will be printed in the concert bulletin.
The admission fee at the door, which is in addition to any memorial you might want to make for a loved one, is $20 for adults, $10 for students, and ages 12 and under are free.
Please join us for this special presentation. Penny and Dave Parker, and Susie and Larry Pike, as well as our organist and choir director Mandy Hull, will be participating in this concert.
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A LENTEN MESSAGE
from the Presiding Bishop
The Most Reverend Michael B. Curry
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church
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Want to see the National Cathedral built out of Legos?!
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You can be part of the Cathedral Lego Project in many ways! Click the link to explore all the possibilities!
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We can prepare our hearts & minds by reading ahead
for the Sunday Service lessons.
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The Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 31, 2019
9:30 AM
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The First Reading: Joshua 5:9-12
God leads the people through the wilderness and provides food for them in a desperate time. As they transition into a new phase of their lives, they begin to provide their own food, marking the occasion with a feast.
The Psalm:32
;
page 624, BCP
The Second Lesson: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21
God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to bring peace and reconciliation to all people. We are blessed to receive the grace God gives us of new creation, being transformed in freedom to love.
The Gospel:
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
God calls all sinners to himself, and rejoices when any one turns. Whatever the flavor of our sin, we have all fallen and we all need forgiveness and reconciliation.
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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
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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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THE ADULT LECTIONARY FORUM
MEETS EACH SUNDAY IN THE LIBRARY, FOLLOWING THE SERVICE
FROM 10:50 - 11:50 AM
This week we highlight the life of:
John Donne was an English poet and cleric in the Church of England. Most of us know him as a pre-eminent representative of metaphysical poetry. His works are noted for their strong, sensual style and include sonnets, love poems, and religious poems with double meanings not unlike the Song of Solomon in the Bible. An ordained Anglican priest, another important theme in Donne's poetry is his idea of true religion, something he spent much time considering and about which he often theorized. From 1622 until his death in 1631 he was Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London, drawing huge crowds to hear his sermons, both at the Cathedral and at Paul's Cross, an outdoor pulpit nearby. His prose style may seem a bit outdated to today's audience, but his theme continues to fascinate readers: “the paradoxical and complex predicament of man as he both seeks and yet draws away from the inescapable claim of God on him.”
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The United Thank Offering, sponsored by the Episcopal Church Women, collects funds in the spring and fall to assist outreach programs in this diocese and beyond.
The Spring Ingathering at St. John's will be held on Sunday, April 7,
when the funds will be collected, blessed and sent on to the diocesan ECW.
UTO boxes and envelopes
are on the back table in the church. You can put a coin or a bill in the box every time you have something to be thankful for. Prior to April 7, you can count the money you have collected for your many blessings and write a check for that amount. Use the UTO envelope for your check and bring it on April 7.
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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, or to bring refreshments for Coffee Hour after the 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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A CROP Walk to end hunger is being sponsored by the Centreville Presbyterian Church on Sunday, March 31 starting at 1:30 PM. Please read the flyer in the breezeway or contact Alice Foltz for more information.
- Local Blood Drive - This Saturday
Did you know that Inova needs to collect 200 units of blood every single day just to meet the needs of our community? There is no substitute for human blood - if it isn't available, "non-urgent" patients wait until it is. I was one of those "non-urgent" patients when I had leukemia. Thankfully, I am healthy today, and I want to make sure that blood products are available to anyone who needs them.
A single pint of blood can save three lives; Come Be a Lifesaver
4th Annual Little Rocky Run Blood Drive
Saturday, March 30th from 8:15 AM - 12:30
Rec Center 2 (6201 Sandstone Way) in Little Rocky Run
Thanks! Brent Keifer
- The movie "NOAH" comes to the big screen!
Seen by more than 5 million people on stage,
NOAH
is headed to movie theaters across the country for a special nationwide event. Filmed in front of a live audience,
NOAH
takes you on board history’s best-known voyage—along with two of every kind of animal! Now you can experience it on the big screen, playing three days only: April 9, 11, and 13 at the Regal Theater at the Fairfax Town Centre 10. There are two shows on April 9, and one each on April 11 and 13. Get your ticket soon and reserve your seat! Tom and Marie McDermott saw the original play and said it is wonderful!!!
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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!
Honesty
Prayer, to be genuine, must be real. God is not interested in how “spiritual” we can look and sound. Prayer is meant to be grounded in the reality of our daily lives; it is meant to touch every part of us. To be genuine and effective, it must be honest and real.
-Br. David Vryhof
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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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Please note:
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