Shining the Light

Seminarian Redmond Self is with us full-time this summer for his Mid-Atlantic Training Program internship. Redmond is a rising senior at VTS. We look forward to getting to know him and incorporating him into the life of our parish this summer. Welcome, Redmond!

A mobilization through the Army Reserve brought Redmond to Arlington in 2017, where he began discerning God’s call to the priesthood. He began his seminary education with Virginia Theological Seminary in 2021 and is now entering his final year of study. He holds a BA in Theology and Philosophy from Villanova University

Redmond has joined the Saint Andrew’s team for the summer through the Diocese of Virginia’s CPE Mid-Atlantic training program. He is excited to serve, work, learn and grow in ministry alongside the this wonderful community.

Redmond enjoys reading and writing stories, collecting books, and exploring the city. You can contact Redmond via email.

This Sunday at St. Andrew's  

10:00 a.m. Choral and Family Eucharist

Readings: Acts 1: 6-14, 1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11 John 17: 1-11

Duty officer May 21 - May 27: Warren Marton

Celebrating Pentecost and Kamila's Baptism on Sunday, May 28

On Pentecost, we will have one intergenerational service at 10:00 a.m. (no 8:00 a.m. service), which will include the baptism of Kamila Wright-Pruski! We will be joined by Rev. Dorota's friend, The Very Rev. Fran Gardner-Smith, as our guest presider so that Rev. Dorota can focus on being the mother of the baptismal candidate. A special reception will follow, hosted by Welcome and Fellowship. Join us!

Each Wednesday at 8:30pm members of St. Andrew's meet via this Zoom Compline link for a brief service of contemplative nighttime prayers. All are welcome to join. For those who do not have a copy of the Book of Comon Prayer at home, you may download this Compline booklet.

Seminarian Redmond Self shares that when Paul visited Athens, he found a pagan society, economically prosperous but spiritually hungry. An altar bore the inscription, "To an unknown god." Today despite our comfort and security, we may feel powerless against evil and injustice, surrounded by idols to wealth, power and fame. Yet we still find an altar to an unknown god -- be it a kind word, a smile from a stranger, an inspirational song lyric -- reminding us of the good news that we are all children of God, and we share in God's salvation.

Arlington Pride Festival: Saturday, June 24

Save the Date! Arlington's Pride Festival returns for a second year on Saturday, June 24.

Once again, St. Andrew's will sponsor the event, and we are coordinating with our sister Episcopal churches in Arlington to have a table at the festival. More information, including sign-up information, is coming soon!

St. Anne’s Guild is sponsoring the collection of socks, washcloths and undergarments to support the homeless shelter in Arlington. We are looking for men or women’s socks, tee shirts, and undergarments in adult sizes. Washcloths for showers have also been requested. According to the guidelines from the shelter, these items need to be new. White socks work best as these individuals are frequently experiencing foot injuries and abrasions that heal best with dye free materials. A labelled bucket will be placed in the Lounge for donations so please feel free to add your contribution at any time. The collection will end on Pentecost, May 28th. Thanking you in advance for your support of this need. Questions: Contact Karen White by email or call 703-356-4816; 323-573-2603.

For the next edition of The Net, we are focusing on all the large and small celebrations in our lives. Do you have a new grandchild or a new graduate in your family? Did you finally clear out those boxes in the attic? Did you master a new recipe or nail a project at work? We want to hear about it and celebrate with you!

Please email your celebrations to the Parish Administrator by May 24 to be featured in The Net. Photos to go along with your celebration very much encouraged! - Emily Blecksmith

One way scammers try to obtain gift cards is by targeting members of faith communities.

These scammers make fraudulent accounts specifically designed to mimic the accounts of

pastors and religious leaders, then send urgent requests to worshipers asking for a favor.

Their goal is to get the recipient to buy gift cards and send them the gift card number and

PIN.

You will know such an email message pretending to be from Rev. Dorota is a scam if the

email address is not one she normally uses (revdorota@gmail.com and rector@standrewsarlington.org are the only ones she uses), if the message has spelling errors and is oddly phrased, and, most telling of all, if there is a request for an unspecified favor. Rev. Dorota will never ask you for money or a gift card via email.

If you receive a suspicious email, do not respond to it. Please contact the office or call Rev.

Dorota directly. Thank you.

This week we pray for: Henry Schmidt, the people of Haiti, the people of Ukraine, Joe Feola, Zorah, Florence Jee and Joan Lawrence.

Would you like to add a name to the prayer list? If so, please email the church office with your request. Names will be kept on the prayer list for about a month unless otherwise specified, and will be published weekly in Shining the Light.   

Thanks to Jane on Tuesday and Anne and Ted on Thursday for watering the garden during the week! On Saturday May 13, the rain held off for Walker, Zoe, Nolte, Brock and Adam from Episcopal High School along with Redmond, Jen, Nate, Shelley, Puwen, Anne, Doris, Ted and Dave to plant winter squash and more Tomatoes and Peppers. We also weeded, fertilized, and installed the rest of the irrigation. The vegetables are starting to look really good!

Our next workday is Saturday, May 20th starting at 9:00am (Sunday, May 21st at 11:30am if it is too wet on Saturday). If you are interested in volunteering in the St. Andrew's Garden for Hope, You can sign up here on Sign Up Genius.    If you have questions concerning the sign-up, please contact Emily Blecksmith, our Parish Administrator.

If you are able to drive the donations to AFAC for a contactless delivery, please sign-up here.

Here is a list of items AFAC accepts.