Dear Friends in Christ, 

This week, we commemorated one year into the pandemic. The initial two-week period gradually extended further and further. Everything in our lives came to a dramatic point as we followed new guidance and watched statistics. Covid-19 which was a news story in the global section soon dominated every section of the paper and news cycle. We shook our heads in wondering disbelief at the prospect of a potential 100,000 deaths, while we now look at the more than 530,000 in the U.S. and more than 2.62 Million worldwide. 

What makes this one-year mark important and why does it feel differently, perhaps, than any other time? We mark anniversaries and remembrances in our own lives, from birthdays and weddings to dates of death. Our bodies and minds seem to remember, even when we do not cognitively acknowledge them. 

Our church and liturgical life also marks important dates in the life of our faith. This season of Lent is a season of self-reflection, penitence, and hope. We are also approaching one of the most intense parts of the church year, Holy Week. We are on our way to Jerusalem with Christ to remember and to mark the hope of the Resurrection. We remember as a Church the pain and the Resurrection which arises from the wounds. Our worshiping lives and practices collectively remember. We lift our voices and our prayers to God as we walk with our Savior. 

We remember and our bodies remember this past year. We come together as a church to remember this past year within the context of worship and community and in this season of Lent. We look towards the light of hope and recall the joys of Resurrection. As we walk this journey, we recall that we walk, not alone but together and with our Savior. This is what we do as the body of the Church and we may invite others into this journey. 

The walk is important and as we reflect upon where we are individually in our own journeys, we are called to seek community and the church body in this still disembodied world. This is when we feel God’s presence and see hope manifest in each other through the Church. 

I look forward to worshiping with you all this weekend and please do take note of our service times for this Holy Week. 

Faithfully yours, 

@ 6:00 p.m. – Evening Prayer [bulletin]

@ 8:00 a.m. – Liturgy of the Word [bulletin]

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

@ 10:00 a.m. – Liturgy of the Word [bulletin]

@ 11:00 a.m. – Coffee Hour/Adult Forum (mtg: 863 4884 3653 | pwd: 163336)

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

@ 9:30 a.m. – Morning Prayer (also on Facebook)

@ 10:30 a.m. – Bible Study (mtg: 856 9253 7645 | pwd: 856550)

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.

Saints with a capital “S” are individuals who lived holy lives we look to for inspiration and have died. Saints are celebrated on the day they died and martyrdom is not a requirement. This is the day they joined God and the saints in heaven. Sometimes the life story of Saints are hard to believe today such as St Margaret of Antioch who was swallowed by a dragon but spit out because her cross irritated the dragon. There is something to learn from all saints. Saints with a lowercase “s” include each of us.

Bishop Barbara Harris is a modern-day saint for us to lift up this week of International Women’s Day. Bishop Harris was the first female bishop in the Episcopal Church of the US and the worldwide Anglican Communion. She was also the first black female bishop. Bp Harris was ordained to the priesthood in 1980 and in fact, she was the crucifer at the first ordination of women in 1974. Throughout her ministry Bp Harris spoke out on social justice issues. In 1984 Harris wrote in The Witness, an Episcopal journal, “How typical of this church and the society it reflects to get its adrenaline flowing over nonissues like irregularity versus validity,” she wrote, “while real issues go unaddressed — justice, power, authority, shared mission and ministry and wholeness in the body of Christ.’’ Barbara Harris was consecrated bishop in Boston in 1989. Bishop Harris spoke the truth plainly and brought light to the darkness. She strongly believed in respecting the dignity of all human beings. Sunday, March 14 is her saint day. She died at the age of 89 last year.

March 28th @ 8:00 & 10:00 a.m.

April 1st @ 5:00 (Family Friendly) & 7:30 p.m. (Traditional)

April 2nd @ 12:00 (Stations of the Cross) & 7:30 p.m. (Traditional)

April 3rd @ 7:35 p.m.

April 4th @ 8:00 & 10:00 a.m.

Join us at 7:00 p.m. for a Zoom worship service of Lament and Healing on Wednesday, March 24th. This service includes Litanies, forms of prayer and songs (both sung and instrumental). We will, together, be able to name griefs in our own lives and seek the joy of healing. While everyone will be on mute, we will be able to offer live prayers through the chat to be named aloud. As the officiant, the Rev. Colleen Schiefelbein will guide us in this prayerful service. This past year has been a journey and, wherever you are in your life, this service will enable us to collectively offer our prayers to God as we approach Holy Week. The Zoom link will be scheduled early next week.

The Preschool is seeking candidates for the Administrative Assistant position beginning with the 2021-2022 school year. This position is responsible for providing a variety of administrative duties that support the Preschool. Interested applicants should contact Tami Phillips, Director by phone or email. Deadline for submitting a resume is COB Monday, March 22nd.

Contact: Tami Phillips (preschool@standrews.net) | 703-455-8458

Now that Lent is here, our minds naturally turn to Soup Suppers! Unfortunately, we can’t gather for our typical soup suppers this year, but, during our Sundays in Lent Adult Formation series, we hope you can enjoy a new soup a week with us. Each week, starting today, we will send out a soup recipe from a fellow parishioner. Feel free to make this soup to eat during the Sunday formation hour or for dinner that night. Either way, we can feel connected to each other by knowing we are eating the same soup and reflecting on this Lent season together.

Recipe of the Week:

Contact: Amy Dutton (amy@standrews.net)

We welcome our very own Jess Speaker who will present and lead our discussion this week on the Baptismal Covenant Question of Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? We welcome you at 11:00 a.m. for fellowship and at 11:15 a.m. as we kick off the presentation. Jess is in discernment and preparation for Holy Orders as a Vocational Deacon in the Episcopal Church. His unique perspective within this call is particularly appropriate for this part of our Baptismal Covenant. Join us and Jess this Sunday! 

St. Andrew's has long supported the Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington (SMGW). Please consider attending this "virtual" brunch to find out more about SMGW and to consider how you might support SMGW as an individual. Woody Browne is the "Table Captain" for the St. Andrew's table this year.

The brunch will be from 9:30 - 11:00 a.m., Saturday, March 20, 2021. Guests will be able to join for a pre-event fellowship starting at 9:30 a.m.

Register by March 17 at 6:00 p.m. (Eastern time) to be seated at the table of your choice; you will then receive information on how to access the Remo platform. Register for this year’s Next Step Breakfast here. Select Woody Browne as your Table Captain to be seated with fellow St. Andrew's parishioners

Yamiche Alcindor, White House correspondent for the PBS NewsHour, will emcee.

Contact: Woody Browne (smgw@standrews.net)

Announcing Holy Week in a Bag! Everything you need to celebrate Holy Week and follow along with our services that week (bag NOT necessary to join us for our worship services). We will have the bags available for pick up on Wednesday morning, March 24th in a bin in front of the church doors (Parish Hall side). Each child should get their own bag, but adults may choose to share with each other if they would like.

Contact: Amy Dutton (amy@standrews.net)

In order to share with each other the joy of Holy Week and Easter, we are asking everyone to create a couple of videos we can show during our online services.

First, download these palm pictures [1] [2], then cut out, color, and record waving them around. Happen to have real palms around the house? Feel free to use those as well. These videos are due to Amy by March 22nd.

Then we need videos of you unburying your alleluias and joyfully saying Alleluia on camera. We hope to mesh all of these together in our own Alleluia Chorus! Videos are due to Amy by March 25th.

The more participants we can get, the better the whole thing will look. Please get your videos in as soon as possible so Darren has time to put this together, along with the 11 services we will have online this Holy Week. (Thank you, Darren!)

Contact: Amy Dutton (amy@standrews.net)

Easter Memorials and Thanksgivings are a wonderful way to remember loved ones or say thank you for the many blessings in your life this year. This year your donations will support the Easter flowers and our beautiful Easter music. Please make your gift online here, or you can mail in a check to the church.

To submit names: email Emily with the subject line of “Easter Flower Names,” the name of the person/people you who like remembered, and if we can print full names or just first names, as this information will be published online in the Easter bulletins.

Contact: Emily Nein (emily@standrews.net)

If you are frustrated trying to navigate the vaccine system and need help getting an appointment -OR- if you are willing to help someone work through this system, please contact Amy Dutton. Hopefully all who wish to be vaccinated will be able to accomplish it by summer!

Contact: Amy Dutton (amy@standrews.net)

Even with everyone slowly working their way to getting vaccinated, there is still a need to wear masks when in public. Now you can wear your very own St. Andrew’s mask! These polyester masks come in either blue or red, and in the following sizes: Youth S/M, Youth L/XL, Adult S/M, Adult L/XL. All masks are $10, and you can pre-order and pay online here. Pre-ordering will end on March 22nd. We hope to have the masks in by Easter. Distribution plan TBD.

(Photo shows Youth L/XL, Adult S/M, Adult L/XL sizes)

Contact: Betsy Cotten (fellowship@standrews.net)

The 2020 Contribution Statements were sent via email on January 28, 2021. The email should show the sender name as St. Andrew's Episcopal Church and the sender address as notification@onrealmmail.org. It contains a link to your 2020 statement. If you did not receive a statement and believe you should have, first check your junk mail folder, and if you still can’t find it, please contact Michelle.

Contact: Michelle Ramsdell (michelle@standrews.net)

Contact: Michelle Ramsdell (michelle@standrews.net)

Please keep these members of our community in your prayers: 

Contact: Deborah England (prayer@standrews.net)