Pastor Michael Hayes is thrilled to be jumping into all that Prince of Peace does to be the Gospel in our community and here in God's house. The staff would like to keep him from becoming overwhelmed with all the good things we have going on so if you would like to meet with him or have questions for him we request that you contact info@poplc.org and one of the POP staff members will assist you. Thanks for your patience and understanding!

Each year on All Saints Sunday we name our loved ones who have died over the year. This year, we will be making a video slideshow to go along with the reading of names during our church services.

If you would like your loved ones picture and name to be included in this video please fill out the form below. You are also welcome to bring a picture to the church office and we will scan it for you.

Please help our Family Ministry Program by filling in the surveys for ALL parents of children 0 thru high school and a separate one JUST for students grades 7-12 in the links below. Your responses will help us better understand how to improve upon the Family Ministry Programs, as well as assist the committee in finalizing the preliminary job description for the Minister of Children, Youth, and Families. The survey will be available for a limited time so let your voice be heard. Thank you in advance for your continued prayers for the committee as well as for participating in the survey.

During the weekend of October 30th and 31st, our 2nd and 3rd graders will receive their Bibles during worship services. If your child is in 4th grade and did not receive a Bible last year due to Covid please contact the church office at info@poplc.org or

703-451-5855.

Join Us for an Evening of fellowship and mission - Oct. 23, 6:30-8 p.m. when we will talk about the underground Church in Iran and the underground railroad in Aghanistan Register: https://www.sjlc.com/salaam

Dear Church Family,

We are grateful to all of you for your faith, patience, and fortitude throughout these past months. COVID-19 has brought many necessary changes to our church and school lives. As we embrace a mindset of flexibility and grace, we give thanks for our vital community that seeks to discover the new things that God is doing in our midst through all circumstances.

As we deal with the challenges and risks related to COVID-19 and its variants, the Prince of Peace leadership continues to closely monitor the guidelines recommended by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local, state, and federal directives related to the pandemic. The virus causing COVID-19 is evolving as evidenced by the recent spread of the highly transmissible delta variant. Several of our members have tested positive including some who were fully vaccinated.

Since March 2020 we have implemented several ways to protect our church and school families and to extend care to our community. Our opportunity to accomplish both goals is ongoing. Guidance will be updated and communicated to meet the current recommendations.

The CDC classifies disease transmission as low, moderate, substantial, or high. Fairfax County is experiencing a substantial spread of this variant with 97 new cases per 100,000 persons within the last seven days. With this substantial spread comes a change to masking recommendations aimed at decreasing the spread of this variant.

You can help stop the spread of the virus in the following ways:

1. Wear a mask when attending worship services and other indoor functions. We can love and serve one another by willingly wearing masks for the sake of those who are immunocompromised and for our younger worshipers who are not yet eligible for vaccinations.

2. Stay at home when you or a family member are sick.

3. Cover your sneeze or cough with a tissue or your arm.

4. Forgo shaking hands; instead offer a wave or friendly smile.

5. If you or someone you know tests positive for COVID-19, please let the church or school office know so we can find a way to help, pray for everyone involved, and take any necessary precautions on our church and school campus.

If you or a family member are sick or need to stay home during this time, we encourage you to watch our worship services online at www.poplc.org.

Questions or concerns? If you’d like to share your thoughts, concerns, questions, and ideas with us as we navigate our response to this situation, we’d love to hear from you. Your input and feedback are important to us. Please contact us at info.poplc.org. Thank you.

While we cannot control the virus, the spread, or the impact it has in our church and school, we’re doing everything we can to make our campus as safe and clean as possible. We appreciate your cooperation and commitment to help us do just that. We must also remember that God has not called us to live in fear but in faith. As the apostle, Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 1:7, “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Our prayer is that God will fill all of us with these three gifts, no matter what comes our way.

In His name,

Nancy Boriack on behalf of the COVID-19 Task Force

THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!

This week our collective donations to Lutheran Social Services for the Afghan Refugees were delivered to Lutheran Church of the Covenant! Prince of Peace members donated gifts cards and 18 complete Welcome Home Gift Boxes. The volunteer receiving the donations was overwhelmed and very grateful for the donations received! Thank you for supporting the Outreach Committee’s efforts to provide for those in need!

The Knit, Purl, Pray ministry finished 14 pairs of hats and scarves, 2 sets of hats, scarves, and mittens, and 6 hats for kids. Our donations were mailed this week to Knit for Kids c/o World Vision and our prayers that these will warm the kids who receive them. Thank you, ladies! Well done good and faithful servants!

If you and a friend would like to join us please come on the 2nd Wednesday of the month starting 10/13/2021 from 11:30 am-1:00 pm. We will have knitting and crocheting needles and yarn for anyone wanting to learn! info@poplc.org

Sunday School has begun and we are meeting in person. On Sundays, we start in the fellowship hall across from the kitchen at 9:15, then at 9:30 children will go to their classrooms with their teachers. Masks are required for all participants and all classrooms will have hand sanitizer and wipes. We want to make this a meaningful and safe place for all. All classes have two adults present. Please send your children to Sunday School so we can introduce them to Jesus’ Love and Care. We want them to know about God, and to also KNOW GOD in their lives.

On October 4, 2021, the Care Ministry Team will introduce a different type of caring for one another in the places where we live each day. Historically, there is an ancient tradition in Christianity that is known as a “House Blessing.” The tradition is practiced by numerous Christian faiths and takes the form of short intercessions, prayers, and blessings. The intention of the tradition is to bring protection, blessings, well-being and the presence of Christ to the home and all those who live there.

A candle representing the presence of Christ is lit and the short service begins. Leaders and family members follow the candle and move through each room in the home. As the groups stop at a room the blessing is given in the form of prayer and Scripture. The house blessing is completed with a final prayer and benediction.

If you would like to schedule a House Blessing or have questions please contact Deaconess Cassie at Cassie.Brown@POP.org or cell: 703-798-7499.

In Christ’s service,

Deaconess Cassie