Here at Burke UMC, we welcome all to experience Christ's life-changing love as we worship, learn, and share in caring community!

We believe that a holistic approach to discipleship includes engaging in all the core ministry areas of worship, learn, care, and share. This includes all ages, from the youngest to oldest members of our community. Be sure to scroll through this newsletter and read about upcoming opportunities to connect and engage in August.
I am so excited. From August 3rd to August 13th, I am going to be going to Newfoundland with my father, brother, aunt and uncle. It was a trip that was supposed to happen in 2020, but was postponed and now we are finally here! Newfoundland is having a Come Home Year and encouraging people to come back to Newfoundland who are from the area. Now, Newfoundland is not my home, but was home for my great grandparents, Isaac and Sadie Snow. Since my great grandparents emigrated, none of my family has ever been. While preparing for the trip, I have met distant relatives by phone for the first time. We will have the opportunity to see the homes (or where the homes were) of a handful of my ancestors, meet relatives in person, and experience this land that is an important part of my heritage.

I’m intrigued to see what connection I might feel with this place. Will it feel like home even though I have never lived there? I don’t know about home, but I imagine I will feel a connection. My wife did when she went to Germany, even though she had never been. I have heard others say the same. It is a reminder of the great cloud of witnesses that have been before us. The series of places, relationships, circumstances that have led to us being us. When you do ancestry work, you realize the farther back you get, the wider the expanse of connections we have with each other and more and more people and places than we may even realize. And each of them influence who we are. I think it is the beauty of God’s creation…that we are all connected and tied to each other. May we find ways to continue to connect with each other and with those who are strangers to us now. Hopefully, as you look through this newsletter and we move through the rest of the summer, you might find hope through living out your discipleship through the many opportunities there are in the church and beyond. May you have a wonderful August!

-Pastor Jason
August Highlights:  

Our sermon series “The Struggle is Real” continues. The series is based on the book Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope by Joan Chittister.  

  • August 7 - Struggle with Powerlessness/Gift of Surrender. Guest speaker is our own Palmer Moore! We will also conclude and celebrate VBS.
  • August 14 - Struggle of Vulnerability/Gift of Limitations
  • August 21 - Struggle of Exhaustion/Gift of Endurance
  • August 28 - Our series concludes with our service OUTDOORS - the Struggle of Scarring/Gift of Transformation and Closing
  • Bring your lawn chairs and dress cool

Ongoing Worship Opportunities:
  • Weekly Sunday Morning Worship: 9:30 am, In Person and Online on our website at burkeumc.org/online
  • Children's Church: Children age 4 - 2nd grade, begin Worship in the Sanctuary with their families. They will be escorted to Children’s Church when directed. Contact Katie Glick with questions.
  • Altar Flowers: we all enjoy seeing flowers on the altar! If you would like to donate flowers, click HERE. 
  • Interested in volunteering for worship? Click HERE.
  • Missed a worship service? Really loved a sermon and want to listen again? Check them out by clicking HERE.
LEARN Updates:
We've got new LEARN classes coming up this fall and we'd love for you to get involved!

  • Christians Coping with Climate Change, taught by Frank Esposito and Richard Kapuscinski; will begin on September 11 at 10:30 on Sundays in Room 10
  • Bible Basics will restart again, taught by Rev. Evelyn Archer-Taminger; will begin September 11 at 10:30 on Sundays in Room 5
  • HOPE class will continue online on Sundays at 10:30 with their Fall class starting September 11
  • GIFT class will continue on Sundays at 10:30 in Room 1,2,3 with their Fall class (Contemplative Vision – A Guide to Christian Art and Prayer by Juliet Benner) starting September 11
  • A class called A Biblical Theology for Human Sexuality will begin September 11 at 6:30pm in the 1,2,3 room. The class will be led by Roxanne and Nanlee Edwards, with support from other church members.
Looking ahead: On September 4th, we'll have a worship service focused around the topic of Human Sexuality with a sermon on Leviticus 18:22 and Romans 1:24-26. Following the service, we'll have a time of conversation in the Sanctuary to continue the conversation and reflect together.

There are lots of great videos that you can watch on your own time with Amplify! This faith-based video platform is free to church members who use the code WHBLZG. Click HERE to access Amplify and enjoy learning together as a family on your schedule.
Events this month -
  • August 13th: Together Again Meet Up: Movie Night - Encanto, 7:00 pm in the Sanctuary. Come sing along with friends in the BUMC Sanctuary as we gather to enjoy this year's family favorite movie, Encanto!
  • August 28th: BUMC Fall Kick-off. Food, fellowship, backpack blessing, and celebrating the beginning of a new season together. Keep an eye out for more info coming soon in your Friday Fives.

Mark your calendar: Burke Centre Festival is back on September 10th and 11th! Although BUMC will not have a booth this year, all are encouraged to support this fun community event. Represent BUMC by wearing your Burke Gives Back T-shirt while attending! Join other BUMC members in the Wine Garden area at 5:00 pm on Saturday for live music & fellowship - bring your own munchies and a chair. For more info, click HERE.

Have you noticed our beautiful flowers on the altar every Sunday? The flowers are delivered some Sundays to people in our community who cannot come to church or who may have other needs or celebrations. Drivers are needed to make this happen! Can you help the church in this ministry? Please contact Pat Warner at 703-646-5474 or warnerp@cox.net to get involved.

Connection Center: Looking for opportunities to connect with others and help out? Stop by the Connection Center on Sundays and a friendly volunteer will take you to our virtual Clipboard Alley where you will find all our sign-ups at your finger tips. It's fast and easy. We love the Connection Center - it's the place where we can all get connected!  
College Student Ministry Updates:
Congratulations to Kevin Moore on his graduation on August 13th from Baylor University with a BA in Integrated Studies in Education. Cards may be sent to Kevin at 6157 Lucas Pond Ct, Burke 22015 or sign the communal card at the Connection Center before or after worship!
Thanks for helping us to Fill Backpacks again this season!

On Saturday, August 6 BUMC will hold its 2nd annual School Supply Party. Families with children in preschool through 8th grade will be invited to come and shop for their school supplies. Parents will pay $5 for each child (a maximum of $15 per family) and the kids will select a backpack, then fill it with the supplies needed by each grade. There will also be puzzles, games, other educational toys and books for every child. You can still snag a slot to volunteer for the party by clicking HERE.
Next up: Teddy Bear Brigade!

We'll begin our annual Teddy Bear collection this fall to support Gleaning for the World, an organization that distributes teddy bears to children in need as a result of trauma, disasters, and more. To learn more about the initiative, click HERE. Keep an eye out for more info coming soon.
We have many ongoing opportunities for children and youth at BUMC! We hope you'll check out our newsletter designed specially for children and youth to see all of the opportunities during the month of August by clicking the button below.
LEADERSHIP BOARD:

Our leadership board took the month of July off from meeting. Their next meeting will be August 18 at 7 pm via Zoom. If you'd like to attend, you can register for the meeting by clicking HERE.

FINANCIAL UPDATE:
In case you missed it, you can find our mid-year financial update by clicking HERE. Thanks to all of our givers for your continued generosity that allows Burke Church to continue to thrive.
Thank you to everyone who attended our Building A Better Burke Town Halls this past month! We appreciate your input and the time spent engaging in this process.

Weren't able to make it or have more thoughts? You can use the contact form on our website at any point with comments/questions. You can also keep up with the latest information on this website page. You can check it out at burkeumc.org/betterburke!
To read Burke UMC's welcome statement and learn more about ways to get connected into the life of this community, click here!