Holy Week Services

Sunday, April 2 - Palm Sunday

8:00 a.m. Service

10:30 a.m. Service

Thursday, April 6 - Maundy Thursday

7:00 p.m. Service

Friday, April 7 - Good Friday

12:00 p.m. Service

8:30 p.m. Cristo Rey Service

Saturday, April 8 - Holy Saturday

10:00 a.m. Service

Sunday, April 9 - Easter Sunday

6:45 a.m. Sunrise Service

10:30 a.m. Service

The Liturgies of Lent: Finding Ourselves on the Road to Jerusalem

We completed this Lenten program this week. We enjoyed delicious suppers of soup and bread while discussing the liturgies of Lent. Thank you to all who planned and participated in this series!

Walk the Stations through the Eyes of Cristo Rey - Friday nights during Lent at 7 p.m.

Everyone is invited by the community of Cristo Rey to make a weekly walking of the Stations of the Cross part of our Lenten prayer practice this year. 

Walk the images and prayers of Holy Week in Spanish with English handouts available. Friday nights from 7 to 8 p.m. through March 31st. Held in the Church. 

Prayer Shawl Ministry – Returning this Saturday, March 25!

We will begin to gather once again for the Prayer Shawl Ministry. We will gather on March 25th at 11:15 am in the library and will meet on the last Saturday of the month going forward. You do not need to know how to knit or crochet to attend. We will have someone to help you learn. If you wish to learn to crochet at the first meeting, we will have handout instructions and help. Please bring a G or H crochet hook to start. We have plenty of yarn to practice and begin making shawls. Come ready for fellowship and service as we make prayer shawls for those in need of comfort and prayer. 

Please contact Chriss Foster at: ladybug6116@verizon.net with any questions. Library

Book Discussion Group - March 28 (Tue)

The Book Discussion Groups meet on the fourth Tuesday of every other month in the St. Christopher’s Library. One meeting will be at 2 p.m., and the second meeting will be at 7 p.m. for those who work and/or need an evening. More details to follow. Please contact Janet Quinn (bandito8@verizon.net) or Janet Bush (jebush27@gmail.com) with any questions.

The books and meeting dates for 2023 are:

March 28 – The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

May 23 – Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

July 25 – No Echo by Anne Holt

September 26 – The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

November 28 – Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Holy Hike – April 1

We hope you can join us for our next Holy Hike — our second annual “Cherry Blossom-Welcome to Spring Hiking Jubilee.” We’ll meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 1 at the FDR Memorial gift shop next to the Tidal Basin in D.C. From there, we’ll walk to the MLK Memorial, Korean Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, WW II Memorial, Washington Monument and down the National Mall to the Smithsonian Castle before turning back. Should be a fabulous way to welcome springtime in Washington.

PLEASE NOTE: Parking near the Tidal Basin is extremely limited. So for your convenience, we’ll car pool from St. Christopher’s lower lot at 9:15 a.m. Questions: contact Jim Bradshaw at jim.bradshaw@cox.net. See you there!

Join us for the flowering of the church! – April 4 (Tue) and 8 (Sat)

The St. Christopher’s flower guild will decorate the church for Easter on Saturday, April 8, starting at 9 a.m. Everyone is invited to join us for this joyful activity, and no experience arranging flowers is needed! We welcome help in hanging wreaths, moving buckets and tables, watering plants and more. Help is also welcome on Tuesday, April 4, in the afternoon, when the flowers will be trimmed and conditioned. Contact Liz Zubritsky at ezubritsky@gmail.com for more information.

Easter Egg Hunt – Sunday, April 9 at noon

Please join us after the 10:30am Easter Sunday service (about noon) for an Easter Egg Hunt. Bring your Easter basket or a bag to collect your eggs. Light refreshments will be served. All St C's children, St C's Preschool children, grandkids, friends and visitors are welcome. We are also hoping to find some big kid volunteers to hide the eggs. We hope to see you there!

Contemplative Prayer - Wednesdays at 4 p.m.

Centering or Contemplative Prayer is a method of silent prayer in which we experience God's presence within us. Nancy Mahon will be leading on March 1^st and 8^th at 4 p.m. beginning with a brief introduction followed by twenty minutes of meditation. Library

Chair Yoga - Saturdays at 10:00 a.m.

Chair Yoga led by Ruth Meagher gives a gentle but meaningful time to center in our bodies. This activity will occur on most Saturdays. Check our website calendar for the most up to date information. See link below. Auditorium

Breakfast Bunch - Sunday between Services

Come Eat with Us! Join a group of St. Christopher's folks for a fun, informal breakfast most Sundays at Delia's about 9 a.m. Delia's 6715-F Backlick Rd., Springfield.

ECHO Semi-Annual Yard Sale – April 15th

ECHO’s Semi-Annual Yard Sale will be held at St. Bernadette’s School gym on Saturday, April 15th from 8:00 a.m. to noon. Items needed include vintage items, jewelry, pottery, glass, cameras, linens, quilts, pictures, artwork, figurines, toys, CDs, books, and much more. All proceeds go to the ECHO Operating Fund. 

You can contribute by dropping your donations off at ECHO or by putting them in the wooden ECHO box in the Parish Hall. For items going directly to ECHO, they must be dropped off at least one week prior to the sale. For items being dropped off at church, please drop them off by April 2, so we have time to drop them off at ECHO by their deadline. Please contact Margaret Kirk at margaret.kirk@verizon.net with any questions.

Easter Flower Dedications - By April 2

St. Christopher's invites you to dedicate Easter flowers in memory or in celebration of your loved ones. The signup is available through Sunday, April 2. All donations support the Flower Guild's arrangements, which will decorate the church on Easter weekend. The suggested donation is $40; please note on the donation that it is for the Flower Guild.

Please sign up online using the button below. There will also be some paper forms will be available in church. Contact Liz Zubritsky at ezubritsky@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Membership Committee Volunteers Needed

We are looking for volunteers to participate in our Membership Committee. The committee will look at opportunities such as helping new parishioners and continuing to grow our congregation. The first meeting (in the next week or two) will be via Zoom to make it easier for people to participate - sit at home in the early evening, grab your favorite drink and help us brainstorm!! Please email Gaye Evans with your interest at gayenkayla@aol.com.

Potluck Coffee Hour – April 2 (first Sunday of the month)

Don’t forget about Potluck Coffee Hour next Sunday and the first Sunday of each month. Please bring a treat of your choice to share. Non-perishable items like crackers and cookies are always welcome. Please contact Niki Purkoski at dogmom5@cox.net if you have any questions.

Coffee Hour Hosts Needed

Please let us know if you are interested in volunteering as a coffee hour host. The commitment is for 4-5 Sundays a year. Questions? Contact Niki Purkoski (dogmom5@cox.net).

Preschool Registration 

St. Christopher’s Preschool (SCP) is planning for it’s 62^nd year. Registration for next year continues and the classes are filling up quickly. Please note that there is a discount for parishioners. Please contact Jen Huff (SCP Director) at Jennifer Huff at huff.stchristopherspreschool@gmail.com or Cathy Branch at scp.bookkeeper@gmail.com for more information.

GrandInvolve - Can You Spare an Hour to Help a Child?

Friends - I am currently engaged in one of the most satisfying volunteer gigs I've ever had: reading with 4th Graders at Garfield Elementary School. The teacher allows me to select things to read, and to develop discussion questions and writing exercises. The sponsoring organization is called GrandInvolve: www.grandinvolve.org. Once qualified through GrandInvolve (training, background check), you can help at any Fairfax County school. Let's help the world, a few kids at a time! For more information, please speak to me in person or email me at skinsnats@gmail.com. 

John Quinn.

Cybersecurity Reminder

This is a reminder to everyone to be safe and cautious with your personal information and money on the internet, via email, and on your phone. Churches and their parishioners are being targeted more frequently now. Remember that St. Christopher’s and Reverend Carey will not request money from you by text or email. Please be very careful if you receive a request that seems unusual and/or urgent. You can follow up by calling the church office if you want to confirm that something is legitimate.