The Weekly Net
September 17, 2021
From our Priest-in-Charge

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. – Romans 12:2

Dear Friends in Christ, 

I am often guilty of using insider language when it comes to church. With many in the military and other unique corporate worlds, we can all forget that others might not know various acronyms or jargon. It is easy for me to talk about Rite I or II or that you can find the coffee outside the narthex. The term Christian formation seems self-explanatory, but what do we mean by it? Is it education? Is it becoming closer to God? Is it helping explore faith? Is it challenging? In short, Yes. 

Christian formation is education and learning about the Holy Scriptures and our faith as it applies today. Education in our tradition is not only for those attending seminary, but is a part of our Baptismal Covenant. We continually seek to learn more and, in so doing, open ourselves to the movement of the Holy Spirit in and through our lives. 

Christian formation is deepening of faith. It is inevitable when pursuing education within our faith tradition, that God, through the Holy Spirit will become more active. God is present in the act of attending a formation activity, sitting beside other 4th graders learning about the same Bible story, or even listening to a community member tending to those in need in our world. What will God reveal to you or to us this year? 

Christian formation is participation in eternal hope. Jesus has saved us, past tense. We remain in this transitory life, however, and seek to follow Jesus in eternal hope. With our lives, we extend this hope into our own lives and into those of others. How does our learning of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and our relationship in covenant community impact the world around us? 

We begin formation for our youth and children this Sunday and hope you bring your youngest ones to attend. Part of our formation this Sunday will be acolyte training. We welcome our third graders and above at this time to learn what this ministry is about (and some of that fun terminology). We look toward adult formation on Sunday, September 26th with the Rev. Dr. Katherine Grieb. Remember, our formation does not end at church. 

I look forward to seeing you online and in person this weekend! 

Faithfully yours, 
The Reverend William L. Packard
(571) 449-7438
Worship Services

Masks are still required for everyone two and older. We do ask that if you are feeling ill to please stay home and follow along with our online services, which can be found at the links below.
Saturday, September 18th
@ 6:00 p.m. – Taizé Service

Sunday, September 19th
@ 8:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist: Rite I
@ 10:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist: Rite II

Wednesday, September 22nd
@ 9:30 a.m. – Holy Eucharist: Rite II (in-person only)

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.
Note the 3rd: All of our services are also available on our Facebook page.
How you Can Help: Volunteers needed

Assistance is need in the Nursery (1-3) and Pre-K (3-5) classes. While our teachers for these two classes are paid employees, we need volunteers to act as assistants each week. Safe Church standards require at least 2 adults in every classroom. Volunteers do not need to be childcare experts, just willing to hold the occasional crying toddler and keep an eye out for wayward crayons going up noses.

Volunteers must be 14 years or older, fully vaccinated, and wear a mask while indoors. When the weather is nice, kids are allowed to play on the playground and don't need to wear their masks.

This is a great opportunity to meet new families and get to know our youngest parishioners. Teens can also earn service hours each week they help. And remember, the more people who sign up, the less often you have to help.

Sign up here to volunteer:
Contact: Amy Dutton (amy@standrews.net)
Shrine Mont

Final payments are due by next Sunday, September 26th. You can pay online by clicking below, or by check (made out to St. Andrew’s, with "Shrine Mont" on the memo line). Your confirmation email will show you how much you owe. If you can't find that email, contact Michelle or Emily.
Contact: Amy Dutton (amy@standrews.net), Michelle Ramsdell (michelle@standrews.net), Emily Nein (emily@standrews.net)
Sunday School Begins!

We are so excited to kick-off the 2021-22 church formation year! Formation will begin this Sunday, September 19th following the 10:00 a.m. service. We will begin Godly Play (which occurs during the sermon) and classes for all grades after the service. The High School Class will be separate from Confirmation this year. All high school students are welcome and encouraged to join us for a weekly conversation.

Please print and fill out the Registration Form as soon as possible. Staffing will be based on the numbers we receive through registration, so filling out the form will help us plan appropriately. Forms can be returned to the envelope on the bulletin board next to the church office.

All classes will be in-person and indoors, with the option to use outdoor space while the weather is still conducive. Children will be masked and adults who teach will be required to be vaccinated as well as masked.

Contact: Christie Dasher & Stacey Peters (formation@standrews.net)
ECHO Food Drive

Please mark your calendars for the upcoming ECHO food drive. This annual St. Andrew’s event provides greatly needed food and non-food items to many ECHO clients in economic difficulties.

On Saturday, September 18th, between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m., we will have a drive-thru drop-off. Boy Scouts will remove the bags from your vehicles and deliver them to ECHO. You can also bring donations to our services this Sunday, September 19th, and leave them inside the church; those donations will be taken to ECHO on Monday. For further information, please contact Andrea Hellier, Marlies Durso, Woody Brown or Pam Hauge.

Currently the list of most needed items includes the following: Canned (tomatoes, beef stew, chili, soup, vegetables, fruit, large juice); Box Mixes (cake, brownie, pancake, muffin, Jell-O, pudding); Other (coffee, cooking oil, peanut butter, jelly, rice, tortillas and crackers). Non-food items include deodorant, shaving cream, shampoo/conditioner, toothpaste, hand/body lotion, sanitary pads.
Calling all acolytes!

Acolytes play an important role in our worship service. They assist the person running the service and enhance the worship to help glorify God.

If you are a young (or older) person (3rd grade and up) and interested in serving the church this way, please join us this Sunday, September 19th during the Formation Hour for a training session and learn more about this important ministry.

This training is for experienced and new acolytes and is not a commitment but your opportunity to learn more. We hope you’ll join us.

Contact: Betsy Cotten (worship@standrews.net)
Regathering Update

We continue to follow our health metrics closely in Fairfax County and surrounding areas. Fairfax County and City have slightly lower transmission rates than other localities and the vaccination rate continues to increase. We do not anticipate any changes this week.
 
As of 9/16/21, 79.4% of adults 18 and older (67.2% of total population) have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. 72.4 of adults over 18 (61% of the total population) of Fairfax is considered fully vaccinated. We remain in the Orange Zone for the Brown School of Public Health with a transmission rate of 16.1 cases per 100,000 on average over the past 7 days. According to the CDC, there are 119.3 total cases per 100,000 over the past 7 days, which keeps us in the “High” zone. New hospital admissions has decreased in Fairfax over the past 7 days (48 new admissions), but ICU beds used has increased (9.3 beds) for Covid-19 according to the CDC.
 
We begin youth and children formation this Sunday, which will take place in masks, indoors. The space is sanitized prior to use and will be sanitized after use. We will ask everyone to continue safe practices and if any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 are present or if there is a recent exposure to someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or to someone who is awaiting a COVID-19 test, to remain at home. Please email the Rev. Will Packard directly with any concerns.

Contact: The Rev. Will Packard (will@standrews.net)
Youth Group Reboot!

On Sunday, September 26th, we invite all high schoolers (grades 9-12) to join us for a Youth Group reboot – a chance to reconnect and reimagine the youth group at St. Andrew’s. We will gather outdoors at the Peters’ home (Todd is a senior at Robinson). Come connect with other high schoolers and join in on some old fashioned fun. Save the Date: Sunday, September 26th, 5:00-7:00 p.m. Email for more information and to RSVP/get the address.

Contact: Stacey Peters & Christie Dasher (formation@standrews.net)
Adult Forums Start Next Week

Our first Adult Forum of the 2021-2022 program year will be held after the 10:00 a.m. service on Sunday, September 26th in the Parish Hall.

Our guest will be the Rev. Dr. A. Katherine Grieb, an American biblical scholar and Episcopal priest. She has taught New Testament and Greek at Virginia Theological Seminary since 1994, and is currently the new director of Center for Anglican Communion Studies (CACS) at VTS.

She will be preaching at the 10:00 a.m. service that Sunday, and then talking about the Book of James at the Adult Forum. We hope you all can join us.
 
Upcoming Adult Forums:

Oct. 3rd - Ministry Fair: Fellowship
Jen Koerner & Woody Browne

Oct. 10th - Life with Cancer (INOVA Program)
Sarah Bradley, Executive Director

Oct. 17th - Ministry Fair: Outreach
Jewell Gould & Jonathan Withington

Contact: Will Packard (will@standrews.net)
Stewardship: Our Church

Do all the good you can.

Often, when I am ushering on Sunday mornings or if I come early, I look at the small cross that an early parishioner made in 1972, nearly fifty years ago when St. Andrew’s, Burke started. There is a small note that tells the story of that cross and St. Andrew’s humble beginnings. If you get a chance, as you are coming in or leaving the Nave and entering the Narthex, I hope you will look at this historical artifact and read more about our history on the Net.

The physical building and grounds of St. Andrew’s is more than just a building. It is a place of comfort, worship, fellowship, and service to our community. This weekend, we are collecting food for Echo to feed those less fortunate. Currently, Echo’s cupboards are especially bare. You can bring your donated goods to church on Saturday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the front parking lot. Boy Scout troops will unload your car and deliver the goods to ECHO. You may also bring your donated goods on Sunday; just leave them inside at the coat hanging area. A list of needed items can be found on ECHO’s web site or in St. Andrew’s Weekly Net. Please do what you can to help them. They are always accepting donations.

In past years, in early February, St. Andrew’s transforms into a temporary home for the homeless. We also help to feed the poor through FACETS, and Food for Friends throughout the year. Our church building is bustling place. During the week, our preschool is full of the sounds of happy children, choir practices, church services, weddings, funerals, prayer groups, Bible study, and many other activities too numerous to mention. During our Sunday services, we have the Learning Center (Nursery & Pre-K), thanks to a few dedicated volunteers. I say a “few” because I hear that we are badly in need of a few more volunteers! Please reach out to Christie Dasher and Stacey Peters if you can spare some time. Each week, teachers are provided the lesson plans to teach, instructions, and fun projects related to the lesson theme. It makes teaching kids very easy and many hands make light work.

Our Stewardship theme this year is to “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, to all the people you can as long as ever you can.” St. Andrew’s is the place where the opportunities for doing good are abundant. It is more than just a building, or a church. It is a community. Thank you for all the good that you do.

Contact: Brian Jones (stewardship@standrews.net)
Receiving Applications for Bishop Diocesan Transition Committee
 
You are invited to apply to be a member of the Transition Committee for the 14th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. Members of the Transition Committee need imagination, creativity, and experience in event planning. Communication, confidentiality, collaboration skills, and hospitality are paramount traits for this Committee. The Committee will shepherd the process of choosing our next spiritual leader from the time of the selection of the candidates by the Search Committee through the consecration of our new Bishop Diocesan.

You may find additional details about the Transition Committee’s responsibilities in the attached application, which is available in English, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese. The work of the Transition Committee is through subcommittees. We ask you prayerfully to consider where to apply your gifts. Download and complete the application in the language of your choice and attach it to an email addressed to standingcommittee@thediocese.net. Send any requests for accommodation for completing the application to the same email address. Applications must be received by no later than midnight on September 30, 2021 in order to be considered.  
  
Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings with your most gracious favor, and further us with your continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in you, we may glorify your holy Name, and finally, by your mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Online Giving

During these unprecedented times, we are called into community in unprecedented ways. Your financial gifts to St. Andrew’s are of vital importance to support our ongoing ministries and our outreach to the most vulnerable among us. Please continue to offer your faithful gifts by:

  • Mailing your check to our church office (6509 Sydenstricker Rd, Burke VA 22015)
  • Hand delivering cash or checks to the church mailbox (cash or check should be sealed in an envelope marked with your name)
  • Using your bank’s online bill-pay feature
  • Using St. Andrew’s online giving feature. You will be asked to provide your email address, an amount, date of gift, whether it is one-time or recurring, and a fund. In the fund box, you can click the arrow at the right-hand side to see the drop-down menu (the current options are Pledge and Plate Offering). The next page will give you the option of paying via your bank or debit/credit card. Please note that St. Andrew’s will pay fees on these transactions and you will be asked if you would like to increase your donation to offset these fees.

Contact: Michelle Ramsdell (michelle@standrews.net)
Prayer List

Please keep these members of our community in your prayers: 
Pam, Larry Dickerson, Linda & Ed Hunter, John & Janet Carver, Bill Hartig, Lori Hardin, Lloyd Sterling, Nancy Knight, Janet Keyser, Charles Petty, Gloria Covington, Jack Keyser, Hugh Brian Henderson, Theo Pickeral, Olivia Kertesz, Carol Matovick, Rachel Gordon, Dave Lewis, Phil Purdom, Karan Wright, Candi James, Kim Reisig, Jeff Nein, Christy Bering, Beth Matovick, Dorothy Polk, Sean Hartig, Rebecca Miyares, Ahmadi, Natasha Browning, Robert, Brian DeWyngaert, Sr., Steve Ramsdell, and Becca Triplett


Contact: Deborah England (prayer@standrews.net)
emily@standrews.net | www.standrews.net
(703) 455-2500