St. John's Episcopal Church - Centreville, VA |
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Parish News - March 3, 2021 |
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Dear St. John's Parishioners and Friends:
Every other Tuesday, the bishops of the Diocese of Virginia invite all clergy to join them online for a "Bishop's Webinar". What started as a time for the bishops to touch base with the clergy during the early days of the pandemic has turned into a year long program of support, learning, encouragement, and teaching. I have found these webinars to be quite helpful as we learn how to navigate the waters of this pandemic, something none of us could have imagined and something none of us have been through before.
Our webinar yesterday included a speaker who is a pastoral counselor in Roanoke. He talked about the importance of taking care of oneself during this prolonged time of stress, disorientation and loss. There are no books to tell us what to do in a pandemic. He said the more we give voice to our pain, in poetry or art or music or writing, the better off we will be. Everyone is exhausted. We have had to change our behaviors and life style in so many ways. We can't connect with others as we used to. We are people who need community and we have not been able to have that, except on Zoom. He said, "Hang on to God" as God is always with us. He told us to forgive ourselves and others. Try something new or different. Reach out to someone if you need help. It's okay to say "no" to someone's request. Rather than thinking, "what is wrong with me?", know that everyone is having a hard time, but we will get through this.
As we come to the one year anniversary of the recognition of the pandemic in the US, may we voice our thankfulness, our joys, our hurt, our pain, our loss to God who loves us fiercely and will not let us go.
The Rev. Carol Hancock
Rector
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SPECIAL EASTER SURVEY
The Vestry and I are needing to get a sense of how many people would come if we offered an in-person outdoor worship service on Easter, which is April 4, 2021, weather permitting.
Let me explain what the service would look like. We would have a service of Holy Eucharist but we would have “spiritual communion”, as we cannot safely distribute the bread and wine. There would be no congregational singing, though we would have music and one or two of our choir members might do a solo. People would need to keep a six foot distance from each other and wear masks at all times. We cannot pass the peace or have coffee hour after the service. We are thinking of setting up the altar on the side patio (facing Gilead Green) and having people bring their own chairs and set them up in the parking lot. It will not be the kind of Easter service that we have had in the past. But we could at least see each other and worship together, if you feel comfortable doing that.
If we get more than 25-30 people who say they will come, we may offer several services so we don’t have too many people at one time. We may then have a sign up sheet online for people to reserve a spot at a particular service.
The diocese has said that we can offer outdoor services, with the COVID restrictions in place, if Fairfax County has less than 25 infections per 100,000 population. Last week, we had 17.5 and this week, the number is 17.8. If the number should spike above 25, before Easter, we would not be able to have an outdoor service. The highest concern for the diocese, and for St. John’s, is to keep everyone safe.
If the weather is bad, we will cancel the outdoor service, and a few of us will livestream or record the service from inside the church. If we have the outdoor service, we will also have an online service for those who do not wish to, or who do not feel comfortable, attending a service at the church.
Setting up an outdoor service takes a lot of work so we will need your help to do specific tasks. Please answer the following two questions:
1. If St. John’s offers an outdoor worship service, weather permitting, on Easter Day, will you come?
2. If you are coming to the outdoor service on Easter, will you help with a specific task with set up or take down of signs, tables, etc.?
Please send your answer to these two questions to me at
[email protected] Include your name and how many members of your household (those who are living with you) are planning to attend. We have to make a decision about whether to do this or not by March 14.
Thank you for your help is determining how many people will attend an outdoor service on Easter and how many would rather watch the service online. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Take care.
Carol
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From the Bishop’s Office
In our continually evolving circumstances, we’ve all been anxious to have the most current status updates, especially the status of worship protocols and regathering for public worship. Many of our policies are guided by the Office of the Bishop of the Diocese of Virginia.
And while we will always communicate the latest information from the Bishop’s office, you are eligible to get these updates directly from the Bishop’s office by subscribing to the diocesan e-news service.
There’s another important reason you should subscribe. Last year, the Diocese made the difficult decision to discontinue the printing of the quarterly magazine, the Virginia Episcopalian. In a time of decreasing budgets, a costly magazine was simply not a luxury that our church or the Diocese could afford to continue.
The good news is that the monthly diocesan newsletter, the eCommunique, will now be incorporating some of the great storytelling and features you enjoyed in the Virginia Episcopalian, but without the lag time and hefty price tag of a traditional print publication. By subscribing to the diocesan news service, you will receive the monthly eCommunique plus announcements from your Bishops as they happen. Rest assured that the diocesan offices will never share your information with any other parties.
We strongly encourage you to subscribe to keep up with what is happening in our diocese.
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Lenten Book Study - For our Lenten book study, we are discussing Presiding Bishop Michael Curry's most recent book, "Love is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times." We are meeting on Monday evenings in Lent from 7:00 - 8:00 PM. We will be discussing chapters 5 and 6 next Monday. March 8.No need to pre-register - just join us on Monday night. The link for the Lenten book study is
Lenten Resources - There are a variety of online resources as well as books you can order to enhance your Lenten journey. Here are a few:
--The Episcopal Church - Has various daily devotions and other Lenten resources from a variety of Episcopal organizations. Free
--Forward Day by Day - Provides daily devotions not only for Lent but year round. It is online (free) or you may purchase an individual subscription.
If you don't own your own Book of Common Prayer.... you could purchase one at www.churchpublishing.org . They range from $23 and up, depending on the size and the kind of cover, and if they include the hymnal or not. During this time of online services due to the pandemic, it would be easier to participate in the services if you had your own prayer book and hymnal.
New Treasurers - Tom McDermott was elected by the Vestry as the treasurer for this year and Penny Parker was elected as the Assistant Treasurer. Many thanks go to Denise Bellows who served as treasurer this past year.
Sunday readers - We are in need of people to sign up to be readers for the Sundays in March. Please click on the link below and sign up for the Sundays you would like. One person does the three scripture readings and one person does the psalm and the Prayers of the People. Or one person can do both. Carol will send you the readings and Catherine Packard will send you the prayers. The recordings for the service need to be sent to David Weir by the previous Thursday so he can put the parts of the service together.
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Be a Sunday service reader, from anywhere!
During this time of covid, St. John's holds a Sunday morning prayer service which is "aired" on Sunday mornings at 9 AM. The readings are
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...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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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:
Wednesday, March 3
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Sully District Neighborhood College
Neighborhood College is designed for residents who want to make a difference but aren’t sure where to start. It is a FREE, seven-session civic engagement program (March 11 - April 29) open to residents interested in learning about Fairfax County and how to work with neighbors, community organizations and local government to strengthen neighborhoods, build community capacity and promote a sense of community. It is also a leadership program for residents who serve as officers on their homeowner or civic association board. To register, click on this link:
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The link to the Sunday service is sent out each 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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"LIFT ME UP" FACILITIES CAMPAIGN
Our campaign donations continue to be strong and we're making steady progress towards our goal! We still have two more weeks to get there.
One of the reasons that St John's has been able to weather the financial challenges of this past year has been because the vestry and finance committee moved quickly to obtain a Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan created for small businesses and non-profits during
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the Covid crisis. Since St John's has been careful to meet all the requirements for loan forgiveness, at this time it looks like the loan will not have to be paid back. Further, we are working on the second installment of the PPP program which will bring an extra bit of security. Special thanks go to all those members of the vestry and finance committee, not to mention St John's staff, who have worked with the bank and our accounts to make this possible for St. John's.
There are still fourteen days to make a contribution before March 17. Please send checks to the church office or check us out on Tithe.ly. Thank you for your faithful support.
Lisa Heller and Andrew Wade
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SUNDAY WORSHIP & EDUCATION |
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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 Third Sunday in Lent
March 7, 2021
The First Reading:
Exodus 20:1-17
On Mount Sinai, Moses receives the Ten Commandments; God provides boundaries for his people to help them to live the good life.
The Psalm: 19, page 606, BCP
The Second Reading:
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
The way of the cross does not make sense to the world. Power, success, fulfillment, safety – these are turned upside down when we put our faith in Christ.
The Gospel:
John 2:13-22
When he clears the temple, Jesus shows that the physical world matters to God. Like the temple and like Jesus’s body, our bodies and our environments deserve sacred treatment.
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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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Meditation on One Full Year of Life in Pandemic
One year ago this week, the pandemic became real to most of us as dramatic changes to our daily routines began. The last diocesan gathering was the ordination of Deacons on March 7, 2020. The last Sunday that we gathered in person for worship in our accustomed way was March 8. It has been a year, a full year of loss, of longing and of learning. How do we mark this anniversary? I invite us to do it by naming before God what we have experienced, because naming has power.
In the second biblical story of creation in the book of Genesis, we read:
"So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name." Genesis 2:19
Naming has power because naming something, as the first human in the story did, gives us a measure of control over it. My husband Tom and I named our dog Georgia. All we have to do is call that name and the tall ears of our pup lift and her head turns toward us with eager expectancy. She responds when we whisper her name caressingly and when shout it sharply. Knowing her name gives us some power over her although, given her willfulness, that power is far from complete.
Naming has power because naming things we fear strips away some of the control those fears have over us. Many years ago, I wanted to go sky diving. I imagined the freedom, the grace, the wonder of seeing the world from a higher view. When I told my father about my desire, he urged me not even to consider it. As we talked, he named his life-long fear of heights and he named what he witnessed in his years of military service in the South Pacific during World War II. I named my fear that if I didn't sky dive, I might always be afraid to try new things and my fear that if I did, I might not live to try new things. Naming fears with my father robbed those fears of power. I never did sky dive (not yet, anyway) and I've not been afraid to face new challenges and try new things.
Naming has power because naming something leads to deep compassion. Our neighborhood is full of birds, especially this time of year. Early each morning and again each evening we enjoy a concert of songs and calls. The glorious cacophony often stops me in my tracks and fills me with delight. As I learn to identify and name more and more birds by their songs and by their appearance, I cannot take them for granted. They are no longer nameless objects, but robins and mockingbirds and wood thrushes that share this fragile and beautiful world with me. They are friends that I care about as loss of habitat threatens them.
As we complete one year of life in pandemic, I invite us all to name our experiences, trusting that the powerful act of naming gives us strength, takes away some of the sting, and deepens our compassion for ourselves and for the world. In prayer, in reflection, perhaps in journaling or in conversation with a trusted other:
Name what you have lost in the past year.
Name what you long for now.
Name what you have learned and what you are learning.
Name the fears that deplete you and the hopes that enliven you.
Name them all before God.
Don't be afraid.
God will give you strength, courage and compassion.
And God who loves you fiercely will never let you go.
Bishop Susan Goff
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Gospel
As Christians, we have a gospel to proclaim. That gospel gives us an identity. It shapes our vision. It renews our purpose. It fills us with hope. As an individual I can tell you who I am by telling you my story. As Christians we can remind ourselves who we are by telling one another the story of Jesus and how he has brought to each of us the good news of release, recovery, and redemption.
-Br. James Koester
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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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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: [email protected].
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