PARISH NEWS
for Wednesday, February 26, 2020 (early edition!)
|
|
LENT BEGINS TOMORROW
Ash Wednesday,
which marks the beginning of Lent, is
tomorrow, February 26
. We will have two services, at
12:00 noon and 7:30 PM
in the church. Please join us for this important service of repentance and reflection.
"Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
(Because of the Ash Wednesday evening service, we will NOT have the 6:00 PM service.)
The changes that Lent brings -
The 40 days of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 26 and ends on Easter Sunday, April 12. It is a time of penitence, prayer and self-denial. Many people give up something, like wine or chocolate or Facebook; others take on something, like daily devotions or additional prayer time or additional acts of kindness. Each time we deny ourselves something that we want, or reach out to others, we remember that Jesus died for our sins as we acknowledge that we are penitent sinners. To reflect the penitence of the Lenten season, there are several changes we make in our Sunday services:
-there will be no "alleluia's" said or sung
-there will be no altar flowers, but greens instead
-the color of the altar hangings will be purple, a penitential color
-we will use the Rite I liturgy, rather than Rite II
-on the first Sunday of Lent, March 1, we will chant the Great Litany
Do what makes Lent meaningful to you. There are a lot of resources online. We will have daily devotional booklets from Episcopal Relief and Development on the back table in the church.
Lenten Program
- The Lenten program this year will be a bit different. We will read and discuss a novel, "Woman of God" by the popular author James Patterson. The book deals with the subject of suffering and where God is in the midst of it. Again this year, we will have a service of Holy Eucharist at 6:00 PM, a light supper at 6:30, and the book discussion from 7:00 - 8:00 PM. The book study will be held on the
6 Wednesdays in Lent, from March 4 through April 8
. Please sign up in the breezeway to provide soup and bread for the supper. The cost of the book is $8, or you could borrow it from the library. (I have 1 copy of the book left. It can also be ordered on Amazon.) For those who plan to attend, please read the first 82 pages, which is all of Part 1, for the first session on March 4.
|
|
|
|
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:
|
|
|
|
St. John’s Men’s Group / Lumberjacks SELLING WOOD!
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
Snacks for Sunday's coffee hour
will be provided by those whose last names begin with A - N
Vestry Coffee Hour
set-up and clean up- Jim Heller.
St. John's Car Magnets - Evangelism never got so easy!
We have a stack of St. John's magnets on the back table in the church. Put one on your car and as you drive around, you are advertising St. John's. And, yes, we did get a new family who is now quite active here, because they saw a St. John's car magnet!
Rise Against Hunger -
Rise Against Hunger is looking for volunteers to help fill bags with dried food and spices. Boxes of these food kits are sent to places in America where there is hunger, as well as places overseas. This will be held on March 14 in the morning at the Reston Community Center. For more information, see Andrew Wade.
Mildred DeBell's funeral -
The funeral for Mildred DeBell will be held at St. John's on
Saturday, April 18 at 1:00 PM,
followed by the burial in St. John's cemetery. A reception will be held at the home of John and Connie DeBell. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to the Organ Fund at St. John's. Mildred played the organ and sang in the choir for many, many years.
Carpets cleaned!
Many thanks go to David Thompson for organizing the carpet cleaning project last Monday. Both upstairs and downstairs carpets were cleaned professionally by one of our Ministry Partners who owns that business. He was helped by a few others to move furniture out of the way. Thanks, David. The carpets look great!
Bishop Gulick coming May 10 -
Bishop Ted Gulick will be with us on Sunday, May 10. If you are 14 or older and
would like to be confirmed
when the bishop is here, please let Carol know as soon as possible. Confirmation classes meet once a week for 5-6 weeks.
Save the date!
The annual Progressive Dinner will be held on
Saturday, May 16.
Put it on your calendar now. Details will be provided closer to the date.
TV for sale!
We have a 32” color TV for sale. It's in good working condition and we will accept the best offer. If you want to come by and see it, it is in Carol’s office. The proceeds will benefit St. John’s.
It's not too early.
.....to sign up for Shrine Mont camps for this summer. Brochures are in the breezeway. These camps fill up rapidly so register soon. Shrine Mont is located in Orkney Springs, VA, in the Shenandoah Mountains and is owned and operated by the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia.
|
|
|
|
Make an Online Pledge Offering!
|
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!
|
|
|
We can prepare our hearts & minds by reading ahead
for the Sunday Service lesson
The First Sunday in Lent
March 1, 2020
9:30 AM
|
|
The First Reading: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
Adam and Eve decide that God might be wrong, or might be trying to keep something good from them. They trust themselves and the serpent more than they trust God.
The Psalm: 32, page 624, BCP
The Second Lesson: Romans 5:12-19
Paul explains the connection between Adam and Jesus, the first man who led all into death and sin, and Jesus the "new Adam" who led all into life and redemption.
The Gospel: Matthew 4:1-11
Jesus is tempted by the devil who, as in Genesis, uses truth that has been twisted to drive a wedge between Jesus and God's trust.
____________________________
CHILD CARE IS PROVIDED IN THE NURSERY
(Rm. 205)
During the Service
____________
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 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:
|
|
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing.
Isaiah 35:1-2a
Life abundant is springing up all around us. The crocuses and daffodils are in full bloom. The Lenten rose, humble in its rank of first blossom, is far from alone this year. Winter is making way, quickly, fully and earlier than usual, for spring.
In the season of Lent, we intentionally enter the winter wilderness of our own hearts to look for the blossoms there. And they are present
- in the gift of forgiveness that feels like quenching water on a sin-parched soul,
- in the simple yet extraordinary healing of wounds that happens little by little, day by day,
- in the bubble of laughter that escapes our lips in the most trying of times,
- in the kindness of a stranger,
- in the reconciliation that comes when we dare to listen without judgment and speak without reproach.
The wilderness of Lent overflows with life. As we give up old practices and take on new ones, we can see life as surely as we notice blossoms on the once-dormant earth. The wilderness of Lent is a training ground for life, shaping us to see it all around us, preparing us to receive the gift of abundant life from God who created us and loves us fiercely.
Don't be afraid to go to the inner wilderness you have long been trying to avoid. Don't be afraid to enter the places of fear or longing or pain that you've long been trying to ignore. Signs of life and promises of hope are already there, just waiting for you to find them. God is already there, too. And God, the author and giver of life, will never abandon you.
Faithfully yours,
The Right Rev. Susan E. Goff
Bishop Suffragan and Ecclesiastical Authority
|
|
VOLUNTEERING AT ST. JOHN'S
|
|
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).
|
|
WESTERN FAIRFAX
CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES
|
|
"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:
|
|
|
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!
Desert
To get at the truth is not easy. We are so prone to illusions about ourselves, we prefer to hide behind facades and masks. The sheer intractability of the task led our predecessors into the deserts of Egypt – where stripped of illusion, standing with their hearts naked before God, they could begin to face the truth about themselves, and begin the task of spiritual transformation. As we approach the season of Lent, we are challenged to go into the desert ourselves, whatever that may mean for us, and to carve out a time for deeper prayer and reflection.
-Br. Geoffrey Tristram
|
|
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
|
|
|
ST. JOHN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH | 5649 MT. GILEAD RD. , CENTREVILLE, VA | 703-803-7500
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
