In the Gospel lesson from worship on Sunday (Mark 10:17-22 ESV), a rich man questioned Jesus about what he must do to inherit eternal life. From outward appearances, it would seem that the man had everything he could want, but his heart was not at peace. When called upon by Jesus to let go of his material possessions and follow Jesus, he “went away sorrowful.” He couldn’t do it.
Where do we find our identity, purpose, and meaning in life? Material possessions come and go, but the foundation of faith remains to eternal life. On our own, there is nothing we can do to inherit eternal life. It comes only as a gift from God through faith in Jesus and all that He has done for us, as the sermon pointed out.
Our Fall Stewardship series, Kingdom Stewardship, began on Sunday and will conclude on Reformation Sunday, October 31 (see announcement below about this series). Weekly video messages that build on the theme from each Sunday will be part of this series. Watch for a stewardship email coming out later this week that provides more specific information.
May our stewardship of God’s gifts in life be a joyful response to his amazing grace!
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Church Flood Restoration Work Finished
We are happy to report that all flood repair and restoration work has now been completed in classrooms of our Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) as well as the Library at church.
The new flooring was installed in the Library last week, and looks great – stop in and take a look. Carpeting for the remaining ECEC classrooms was also finished, and this will be the final week that ECEC classes will meet in their temporary locations. Starting next week, they will again be in their usual location on the lower level of the Education Center.
All told, this project has taken the better part of two months to bring to completion, and a total cost for repairs is $45,981.61 not including an anticipated insurance reimbursement of $8,750. So the grand total for this project comes to $37,231.61. A huge thank you to Brian Hoins for shepherding this project!
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Praying in Color
Praying in Color will gather in person on Saturday morning, October 16 in the church Library. This is the first in person session since the pandemic began. We invite adults and teens to join us as we put prayer on paper in simple ways with simple tools like markers, pencils, and paper. All supplies are provided for this in person session. This is a guided form of visual prayer using scripture and listening to the Lord as we each pray on our own and yet are present together.
If you are new to this prayer form, please attend an orientation session at 9:30AM. Our hour of prayer begins at 10AM. Wearing of masks is highly recommended and appreciated for the protection of all.
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Church Council Meets on Sunday, October 17
The next meeting of the Church Council, the governing board of St. John’s congregation, will take place on Sunday, October 17 at 1:00 PM. As always, input and feedback from the congregation is welcome. If you have anything to share, please contact Congregational President, Denise Canter.
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Senior Fellowship
Join us for brunch at Bob Evans in Springfield on Tuesday, October 19 at 11AM. Rodney Smith will review the fascinating book The Case for Heaven, and Ray Steiger will tell how All Souls' Eve got swallowed up by Halloween. Please call Bev Kroeger or Janet Huck if you plan to attend.
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Choir for Reformation and All Saints Sundays
The St. John’s choir will be singing for Reformation and All Saints Sundays (October 31 and November 7). Would you like to join us? Rehearsals will be held on Wednesday, October 20 and 27 at 7 PM in the music room. Masks are required, and spaced seating will be provided. See you then! Questions? Contact Susan Gobien, St. John’s Music Director.
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Fall Stewardship Series in October
During the month of October, St. John’s will walk through a 4-week fall stewardship series, “Kingdom Stewardship,” based on the book by Tony Evans. The book is sub-titled, “Managing All of Life Under God’s Rule.” As we consider the Scriptural truth that all we are and have comes from the Lord, how do we faithfully manage what belongs to the Lord? Each week, we will consider a different aspect of Kingdom Stewardship as we seek to grow in what it means to steward God’s gifts wisely and well: ourselves, our time, and our possessions. The four weekly themes will flow out of the appointed Gospel lessons and are as follows:
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Sunday, October 10 – “The Foundation of Kingdom Stewardship” (Mark 10:17-22)
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Sunday, October 17 – “The Scope of Kingdom Stewardship” (Mark 10:23-31)
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Sunday, October 24 – “The Approach of Kingdom Stewardship” (Mark 10:46-52)
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Sunday, October 31 (Festival of the Reformation) – “The Benefits of Kingdom Stewardship” John 8:31-36)
On October 31, the Festival of the Reformation, we will dedicate our commitments for the Lord’s ministry in 2022 in the morning worship service. A weekly video message is planned as a follow-up to the previous Sunday. Additionally, watch for a stewardship email message next week that will contain information about this entire process. Together, let us pray that the Lord would open our hearts and minds in response to his great love, using his gifts to us for kingdom stewardship.
Questions? Please contact Jim Burroughs, Congregational Treasurer.
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Eagle Scout Project at St. John’s
Work on an 8x10 patio and arbor located at the trail’s end on our westside campus will begin at 9AM on Saturday, October 23, rain or shine. If you would like to help clean bricks or lay a patio, you are welcome to join in. Following the Troop’s tradition, coffee, doughnuts, and pizza will be available. This is Tim Swicord’s Eagle Scout project. Please contact Tim if you have questions.
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Outdoor Worship Service on Saturday, October 23
You’re invited to join us for our final outdoor worship service with Holy Communion to be held on Saturday, October 23 at 5:00PM.
Please bring your own chairs from home and join us in the lower parking lot near the fire pit. This will be a casual and informal time of worship and you are welcome to bring friends with you. Because this is an outdoor worship service, mask wearing is no longer mandated for those who have been fully vaccinated. However, with the rise in Delta variant cases, we strongly encourage people to maintain safe social distance and to wear a mask.
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Save the Date - St. John's 26th Annual Craft and Bake Sale
Just one month away! Saturday, November 13, 9AM-3PM. Creative Fellowship has been working very hard all year long on special one-of-a-kind items and on many of our most popular sale items. This is also the time for you to try some of our many tasty homemade treat items and to fill your freezer with our homemade frozen soups, entrees, and pies.
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COVID-19 Mask Update
St. John's congregational leadership continues to closely monitor updates by the State of Virginia and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on COVID guidance, the Delta variant, and wearing of mask protocols. The new CDC guidance related to the Delta variant updated their guidance on wearing a mask indoors in public, even if fully vaccinated.
Jeffrey McKay, the Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, periodically sends out an excellent email newsletter which contains the latest information on the COVID situation in our area. If you would like to be added to his mailing list, click here.
If you have questions or concerns, please be in touch with the church office.
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Important Links
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Registration for Holy Communion held on Wednesdays at noon.
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Facebook Live for viewing live services or educational opportunities as well as those previously recorded.
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YouTube for viewing church services
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Click here and scroll down for the bulletins
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