St. John's Episcopal Church - Centreville, VA |
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Parish News - October 21, 2020 |
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Dear St. John's Parishioners and Friends:
Jesus said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Mt. 11:29-30). Right now, many of us feel like we are under heavy burdens, due to the upcoming election, COVID, racial injustice, and rising unemployment. It is at times like this that we are called to take Jesus' words to heart. When our burdens, no matter what they are, become too heavy, Jesus calls us to rest, renew and replenish our souls, to breathe in God's spirit. Putting our worries, anxiety, cares and concerns in God's hands helps to give us the strength we need to keep going, to find the light in the darkness.
I used this bible verse in the opening statement in my application for a Lilly Foundation Grant to fund a sabbatical, which is to be about rest and renewal. A sabbatical of 3-6 months is usually given to a priest after they have served in a parish for 5-7 years. I will have served at St. John's for 7 years this coming January. Because I have done interim ministry work for most of my 35 years of ordained ministry, I have not been eligible for a sabbatical until now. The Lilly Foundation funds the National Clergy Renewal Program.
I learned this past week that my sabbatical proposal had been accepted and St. John's will be given a grant by the Lilly Foundation for this sabbatical. Please note that this will not cost St. John's anything. The grant provides funds for supply clergy during the sabbatical.
My sabbatical will include time at the abbey in Iona, Scotland; at a retreat house in England; "Our Anglican Heritage Tour" in southern England; time in Hawaii; and time at the Outer Banks, NC, with family. The proposed dates are April, May and June 2021, but with COVID, those dates may need to be moved back in 2021 or even to 2022. I will keep you updated as plans become finalized.
"Come to me all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest," Jesus says. Let us all put our burdens in the hands of Jesus as we live in this tumultuous time.
The Rev. Carol Hancock
Rector
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The Rev. Carol Hancock
Rector
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All Saints' Day is Sunday, November 1. During the service, we will read the names of loved ones who have died. If you would like to have the names of loved ones remembered on All Saints' Day, please email those names to Carol no later that Sunday, October 25 at
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Be a Sunday service reader, from anywhere!
During this time of covid, St. John's holds a Sunday morning
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prayer service, which is "aired" on Sunday mornings at 9 AM.
The readings are pre-recorded, and several parishioners have been doing a great job doing them, from different venues - no matter where they are! We welcome, need, and value your help! If you would like more information on how to do this, click here for the info page on SignUp Genius. Please sign up a week before the Sunday you would like to read, so we can get the readings to you and you can get your recording to David Weir by Thursday.
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Help Area Families in Need this Thanksgiving
Each year, St. John’s participates in the Western Fairfax Christian Ministries (WFCM) Holiday Food Assistance Program. This year, due to the Covid Pandemic, we will collect monetary donations from parishioners which will be consolidated into one gift card. The gift card will be for one of the stores designated by the WFCM. The WFCM will then purchase the food and distribute it on Nov. 21 at the Grace Covenant Church from 10 AM to 4 PM.
As you know, there is a great need this year and WFCM is expecting to provide Thanksgiving Meals to 600 households (over 2,000) individuals. Clearly our support is needed to help these families have a Happy Thanksgiving!
How you can help? Starting on Oct 4th through Nov 5th, St. John’s will collect monetary donations for the WFCM Thanksgiving Holiday Meals Program. Please make your check to St. John’s with a note on the Memo Line “WFCM Thanksgiving”. For cash donations please place in an envelope with “WFCM Thanksgiving” on the envelope.
On Nov 1 we will conduct a final community wide push for WFCM donations and combine that with a WFCM non-perishable food pantry collection (this is separate from the Thanksgiving Program). We will also partner with Andrew Wades’ Rotary Club and collect women’s cold weather clothing. We will have volunteers at the St. John’s parking lot on Nov 1st from 1 PM until 3 PM to collect any donations. Please see lists below for requested food and clothing items.
WFCM is also requesting volunteers to help collect and distribute food boxes and to clean-up at the Grace Covenant Church on Nov 21, the distribution day. They are requesting 10 volunteers for each of 4 shifts: 8 AM – 10 AM Set Up; 10 AM – 1 PM Food Distribution; 1 PM – 4 PM Food Distribution; 4 PM – 5 PM Clean-up. If you would like to volunteer for one of these shifts, please contact Debbie Culbertson at [email protected] by Oct 16th.
We are also planning to support WFCM’s Christmas Holiday Food Assistance Program using a similar model of financial, food, and other donations but are continuing to work on the details.
Food Pantry non-perishable food items that are needed:
- Instant Mashed Potatoes
- Diced Tomatoes
- Canned Corn
- Vegetable Oil
- Sugar (1 lb bag)
- Flour (1 lb bag)
- Tomato Sauce
- Boxed Pasta
- Canned Fruit
- Shampoo/Conditioner
- Soap
- Deodorant
- Toothpaste
- Feminine pads
- Diapers size 5 and 6
- Baby Wipes
Rotary Club/Cornerstone cold weather clothing items:
- Assortment of sweatshirts and sweatpants of all sizes (25% for Kids and 75% for adults)
- Medium/Lg underwear (not white - boxer briefs pref'd)
- Generic colors; grey/ black etc. (Fruit of the Loom is a suggested brand)
- Wal-Mart /Target/ Costco.
Thank you for your generosity to help those in need!
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Every Wednesday, St. John's has a Service of Evening Prayer at 6 PM. It is a peaceful way to end the day, and it's now being held virtually. Here is the link to this evening's service:
October 21, 2020
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Pledge Cards and Letters
Our 2021 pledge cards and letters were sent out and you should have received yours in the mail. The theme this year is "One Together", very fitting for the pandemic we are in now. Please prayerfully decide, with God's help, your pledge to St. John's for the coming year. Please return your pledge card by October 28. We have received 13 pledge cards to date. Those that are received by October 25 will be blessed at the service on November 1.
Juliette Faulding, Bookkeeper
St. John's bookkeeper, Juliette Faulding, is currently on medical leave. If you would like to send her a card, you can send it to her sister's address, where she is currently recovering. That address is Lynette Johnson Williams, 12007 Wallace Lane, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772. Prayers continue for Juliette's full recovery from surgery.
VOTE !!!
With the presidential election now less than 2 weeks away, it is important for all of us to decide how we are going to vote. There are several options available this year, especially for those who do not want to stand in line at the polls because of the coronavirus. You can vote by absentee ballot or in person before election day at a polling station. Details about how to vote and where are on the Fairfax County website. It's our Christian duty to vote. Please pray for the candidates who are running for office and all who are voting.
Prayer for an election:
Almighty God, to whom we must account for all our powers and privileges: Guide the people of the United States in the election of officials and representatives; that, by faithful administration and wise laws, the rights of all may be protected and our nation be enables to fulfill your purposes; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (page 822 BCP)
Prayer list - If you would like to add someone's name to the prayer list, please send the name to Carol or Catherine Packard by Monday in order to have that name on our prayer list for the following Sunday. We need to get the prayer list to our readers by Tuesday so they can record the Prayers of the People and get it to David Weir by Thursday. Please let Carol know when we can take someone's name off the prayer list.
Need firewood?
You can now purchase a bundle of firewood from St. John's for just $5 or 5 bundles for $20. The firewood is by the mailbox and the door to the breezeway. It will be cheaper than buying it at the store and will help St. John's. Thanks to Andrew Wade for getting this organized again this year.
Holding on to Hope: A National Service for Healing and Wholeness
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry will lead a live-streamed prayer service from Washington National Cathedral, Holding on to Hope: A National Service for Healing and Wholeness, on All Saints Sunday, November 1, at 4:00-5:30 p.m. EST. In the midst of pandemic, racial reckoning, and a historic election, the live-streamed service will gather Americans for prayer, song, lament, hope, and a call to love God and neighbor.
The service will feature an ecumenical and multifaith array of voices, musical offerings, and prayers. Using a combination of live and visually stunning pre-recorded elements gathered from across the nation, the service will be live streamed in English and Spanish.
Our deacon-in-training, Steve Busch, will be taking his canonical exams for ordination starting on October 24 and lasting for several weeks. The exams are take home tests, but require a lot of study and strength to complete. If all goes well, Steve will finish the Deacon's School in January and be ordained in April. Please keep Steve in your prayers as he begins his canonical exams.
REMEMBER TO TURN YOUR CLOCKS ONE HOUR FORWARD ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31.
Our Annual Diocesan Convention will be held virtually on Saturday, November 14. Walt Cooner, our lay delegate, and Carol will be attending. We will have a joint diocesan worship service on Sunday, November 15.
Our Fall Cleanup Day will be Saturday, November 7 from 9am - 12:00 pm. We need to pull weeds, trim some bushes, and rake leaves. Please bring rakes, wheelbarrows and work gloves, as well as your family and friends. Many hands make light work. Let's cleanup the church grounds before winter.
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A Reflection
It is nice that God
Forgives us more often
Than we forgive others
It is nice that God
Does not need a place of worship
To hear us pray
It is nice that God
Is always calm
Despite all our fears
It is nice that God
Does not condemn who we are
Like we do certain people
It is nice that God
Still believes in us
When we do not believe in Him
It is nice that God
Gives us more
Than we give Him
I wonder how nice it would be
If we were as nice to God
As He is to us?
Written by David Weir
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The link to the Sunday service will be sent out on Saturday as usual. Then join us for the coffee hour from 10:00 - 10:30 and the Adult Lectionary Class at 10:30 AM on Zoom. The links will be sent out in Saturday's email to all.
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Christian Formation curriculum for families from ChurchNext:
Here's something that can be really helpful for families growing together in Christ during lockdown: This is NOT Sunday School. It starts in later in September but you can sign up today.
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What is "Messy Church"?
Messy Church is an intergenerational program of Christian Formation for all ages. Looking for something to do with your children or grandchildren? Check out the fun activities that are offered and learn more about Messy Church by clicking on this link.
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 Tithe.ly button below.
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SUNDAY WORSHIP & EDUCATION |
The Adult Lectionary Forum
Now being held virtually via Zoom. All are invited to join in, following the virtual Sunday service. The links to the Forum and the service are sent out in a separate email on Saturdays.
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We can prepare our hearts & minds by reading ahead
for the Sunday Service lesson
The Twenty-first Sunday
after Pentecost -
October 25, 2020
The First Reading:
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
The leadership of the people of Israel is passed from Moses to Joshua; a new phase of the relationship between God and his people dawns.
The Psalm: 90:1-6, 13-17
pg. 728 BCP
The Second Reading:
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
The disciples’ ministry among the Thessalonians is defended by virtue of their humility and integrity amongst the gathered faithful.
The Gospel:
Matthew 22:34-46
Continually determined to turn religious faith into an intellectual contest, the Pharisees again question Jesus. His answer silences all his opponents, who are both befuddled and afraid.
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Civil Conversations in Uncivil Times
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Online Contributions
to St. John's
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St. John's now offers three buttons for online donations via Tithe.ly. You may use the buttons below to go directly to Tithe.ly, or you may download the Tithe.ly app on your phone or tablet. |
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The Pledge payment button may be used only to make your pledge payment (after signing up to be a pledger, which may be done at any time in the year. See Carol or Vestry)
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The Facility Campaign button may be used only for any contribution for the facility's buildings and grounds, or special facility campaigns.
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The Donation button may be used for any other type of donation to St. John's. To designate a special purpose (i.e. Organ Fund, Ministry Partner payments, etc.) please send a note to [email protected].
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Sermons from the Bishop's Online Chapel
Each week, one of our bishops or a member of the diocesan staff prepares and posts a sermon based on the Sunday's readings that can be used for online services. Here is the sermon posted for this past Sunday.
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“If we who are Christians participate in the political process and in the public discourse as we are called to do — the New Testament tells us that we are to participate in the life of the polis, in the life of our society — the principle on which Christians must vote is the principle,
Does this look like love of neighbor?"
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A Meditation for The Twentieth Week after Pentecost
Resetting a Body of Broken Bones
In New Seeds of Contemplation, Thomas Merton writes: "As long as we are on earth the love that unites us will bring us suffering by our very contact with one another, because this love is the resetting of a Body of broken bones....There are two things which [people]...can do about the pain of disunion with other [people]. They can love or they can hate."
Our country is manifesting that suffering to high degree because of our politics and our belated recognition -- and sometimes lack of recognition -- of embedded racism. In these times, that suffering seems more visible and contains more volume, perhaps because of our many devices and the endless cycle of news. Then there's the quarantine and its many effects. Breaking bread together is mostly out of reach. Growing up in the South during the 50's and 60's, I thought intense and prolonged division and acrimony might be a thing of the past, but in some sense today is déjà vu.
Yet, there is an opportunity. People are starving for good news. No sensible person likes where we are as a country. We just don't know how to get to a better and different place -- which is the opportunity for the Church. In his short book, Being Disciples, Rowan Williams writes: "For the Christian disciple, human dignity...depends upon the recognition that every person is related to God before they are related to anything or anyone else....That means that whenever I face another human being, I face a mystery." Republican or Democrat. Every person: a mystery.
What if we changed our way of facing others with whom we disagree? What if instead of assuming that they are misguided or wrong or stupid or worse, we remembered they are related to God and therefore they are related to us? What if instead of focusing on our own righteousness and how correct our view of the world is, we admitted our own shortcomings? It may be that connecting with only people who agree with our political views feels good for our egos but is not so good for our souls. Of course, the poet says it best:
The Place Where We Are Right
by Yehuda Amichai
From the place where we are right
Flowers will never grow
In the spring.
The place where we are right
Is hard and trampled
Like a yard.
But doubts and loves
Dig up the world
Like a mole, a plow.
And a whisper will be heard in the place
Where the ruined
House once stood.
Perhaps the whisper is God telling us that God is resetting a body of broken bones and, if we will have doubts about our own self-righteousness and instead embrace the love of God and our neighbor as ourselves, then we can leave the hard, trampled yard and find the garden where the resurrected Lord gives everyone new life.
Yes, it's hard. Yes, it's daunting. However, remember, Jesus sends his disciples out and tells them not to be picky about whom they meet. Remember also that we in our baptism promised to "seek and serve Christ in all persons." "All" means the person who drives you crazy; who doesn't vote like you; who is the least person you want to meet. The choice is to stay in our hard barren yard or to hear the Lord's whisper saying "welcome to communion," and then to allow the Lord both to use us as a mole or a plow as well as witness God's love digging the hard yard in which we live.
This is our calling. May we embrace it.
The Rt. Rev. Porter Taylor
Assisting Bishop
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Provision
God knows our gifts, talents, stamina, and resources. He will give us the provision and fortitude we need to accomplish his will in this life. All we have to do is say yes and trust that he will give us the necessary nourishment for the journey.
-Br. Jim Woodrum
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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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