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Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the Gospel lesson for this past Sunday, Mark 1:14-20, Jesus called Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John to leave their fishing nets behind and do a new kind of fishing. Jesus invited them to follow him and he would lead them to be fishers of men. The message which Jesus preached, as found in the Gospel lesson, remains the same today: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel."

Jesus invites us to follow him today as he leads us into seeing all of life through the Gospel lens of his redeeming love. Click here to listen to (and watch!) the sermon from Sunday by our guest preacher, Pastor John Denninger.

In Christ,

Pastor Meehan

Pastor Meehan's Blog - January 2024

2023 Giving Statements

Be on the lookout... Giving statements will be provided a little differently this year! 2023 SJLC giving statements will be emailed directly to those who gave last year on or about January 31. They will be sent to the email provided in CCB so be sure to make any necessary updates now! If there is no email listed in CCB, giving statements will be left in your church mailbox. If you will need your giving statement mailed to you, please call or email the office to request this option. 703-971-2211 or finance@sjlc.com.

As always, thank you for your continued gifts and blessings to our Church.

Hypothermia Shelter 2024

As part of "Being SJLC" (Serving Jesus—Living in Community) during this Epiphany Season, St. John's is again Living Out Our Faith by helping with the Hypothermia Shelter to be held at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Springfield, the week of January 28th. The Hypothermia Shelter system in Fairfax County (assisted by the non-profit organization FACETS), provides a safe place in churches for homeless adults to sleep in warmth overnight and receive meals to cover each day during the winter months.

This year, St. John's will be providing meals and volunteers for two days of the shelter operations starting with dinner on Wednesday, January 31st and finishing with lunch for Friday, February 2nd. We need volunteers to cook specific meals and items. In addition, we will be interacting with the shelter guests which is a huge part of this ministry and so we really need folks to come to the shelter to finalize and serve meals, have social/fellowship time with guests, oversee their needs overnight, and to provide breakfast and pass out lunch bags.

A big THANK YOU to all who have signed up to meet these needs! As of this past Sunday, all food needs are met as well as some of the onsite opportunities.

We still need more folks to help prep and serve dinner both nights as well as people to spend time with guests during the social/activity time both evenings.

Finally, we need two adults to do the overnight shift starting Thursday, Feb 1. Please note, teens 16+ can be part of a kitchen/serving team on-site if a parent is with them.

Sign-up sheets with more info, dates, and times for all opportunities to assist/donate are located in the Church Narthex OR you can click in the box below to sign up on Church Community Builder (CCB).

You only need to sign up once either on the poster or in CCB. Those who sign up on the poster will be added to the CCB list. You can also contact SJLC members Christy Hoins or Cathy Long to sign up or ask questions.

Koinonia Clothing Closet Collection 2024

As many of you know, St. John’s supports Koinonia, the local Franconia/Kingstowne community service agency, in many ways throughout the year. What you may not know, is that Koinonia operates a Clothing Closet for eligible residents in our community by providing good quality clothing free of charge for adults and children.

We have been notified by Koinonia that they have an immediate need for winter clothing, especially small and medium sized men’s clothing. Most of the items donated can be used clothing, but socks and underwear need to be purchased new. The clothing must be Fall and Winter appropriate because the storage space at Koinonia is small so they can only take in donations for the current season.

If you have new or used clothing for children and adults to donate, please drop your donations off at St. John’s and place them by the wooden Koinonia box near the entrance to the coat closet; we have a volunteer who will deliver the clothing items to Koinonia.

Questions? Contact Angela Schulze, Living Faith Lead at St. John’s; 703-794-8398.

Hypothermia Bags

St. John’s “Living Faith” ministry has prepared 150 small Hypothermia Bags that members of our congregation can give to homeless individuals who we may encounter as we go about our day. Each bag contains a new pair of socks, a compact reusable blanket, hand warmers, a poncho, as well as some personal care items and a Walmart gift card. Look for a member of our congregation who will be handing out these bags in the narthex following the worship service on Sunday mornings or stop by the church and pick up one from the church office. Stop by soon while supplies last.

ESL Volunteers Needed

Want to make a big difference in someone’s life? Join us teaching English to our immigrant neighbors. Volunteers must commit to teach one class per week, from Feb. 13-May 2, 2024. Classes are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10-11:30AM, or 7:30-9PM. (Our adult students attend both days, but volunteers teach once a week.)

We need evening teachers for either Zoom classes or in-person classes at St. John's. Alexandria, VA. No experience necessary—just a smile and desire to help people from other countries! Teacher training is Feb. 3.

For more information, click here or contact ESL Coordinator Dori McCormick.

ESL Book Sale

Give a warm welcome to our ESL students. Volunteer to help with the ESL book sale on one of these dates and times at St. John's.

Tuesday, February 6 (10-11:30AM or 7:30-9PM)

or

Thursday, February 8 (7:30-9PM)

For more information, contact ESL Coordinator Dori McCormick. 

Join Creative Fellowship on a Mission to be a Blessing to Bethany House

We are collecting the following items for the women and children who seek help and support from Bethany House here in northern Virginia.

• Laundry detergent
• Disinfecting wipes
• All purpose cleaner
• Hand sanitizer
• Paper towels
• New twin sheets and comforters
• New bath towels and wash cloths
• 13 and 30 gallon trash bags

Additional items can be found on the website for Bethany House.

We will be collecting items until Ash Wednesday, February 14.

SJLC Men's Breakfast - CALLING ALL MEN

SJLC Men's Ministry invites the men at St. John's and area congregations and community to attend our next "Calling All Men" breakfast event on Saturday, February 3, 2024, in the Fellowship Hall. Join in fellowship as we outline our planned studies and activities for the upcoming year.

Breakfast will be ready by 8:00AM and the program will conclude by 10:00AM. Jay Sonstroem will be our guest speaker. Jay's topic will be "How Real Science Reveals a Creator." Please check your St. John's mailbox for more information, or contact Greg Miller, Rodney Smith, Joe Godwin, or Eric Klanderman.

RSVP by Wednesday, January 31, 2024 by returning the RSVP Card to the St. John's Welcome Center or send an email to SJLCMen@sjlc.com if you plan to attend.

Looking Ahead

• Friday, February 2 - Groundhog Day
• Sunday, February 11 - Transfiguration Sunday and Super Bowl
• Wednesday, February 14 - Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the 40-day Lenten season. Worship services will take place at 12 noon and 7:30PM.

Important Links

• Facebook Live for viewing live services or educational opportunities as well as those previously recorded.
• YouTube for viewing church services
• Click here for the bulletins

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