Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. | |
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The Gospel lesson for this past Sunday (Matthew 21:23-32) underscores the burning question that the religious leaders had for Jesus. They wanted to know the source of his authority, but Jesus refused to play into their hands. He turned the tables on them, and asked where the baptism of John came from: heaven or man?
Refusing to answer him, Jesus then told the parable of a father who asked his two sons to go and work in the vineyard. One said he would not, but then did go, while the other said he would, but never did. Which one actually did the father's will? The one who actually went and worked in the vineyard.
As the sermon pointed out, there is only one Son who said and did his Father's will, and that is Jesus. In humbling himself and becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross, Jesus did for us what we could never do for ourselves. In his death, we have received full forgiveness, life and salvation.
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New Midweek Update Request Procedure
Interested in submitting an article for our weekly Midweek Update Newsletter? Look for the black banner at the top and bottom of this page and click on "Click Here."
While filling out the form, please be sure to provide all the necessary details including the:
- Article Title
- Article Details (include day, date, and time - if applicable)
- Two preferred Wednesday dates (additional dates my be requested - if needed)
Submission time frame for announcements
Thursday 8 am - Monday 4 pm
Also, visit the contact us page on our website sjlc.com and look for "Announcement requests for our Midweek Update Newsletter" to submit requests through our website.
We look forward to hearing from you!
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Fall Stewardship Series in October
"The Grace of Giving" is the theme for St. John's Fall Stewardship series that begins on Sunday, October 8 and concludes on Reformation Sunday, October 29. The key Scripture verse for this series is from 2 Corinthians 8:7: "But since you excel in everything - in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you - see that you also excel in this grace of giving."
Each of us has been entrusted by God with managing what belongs to God: our selves, our time, and our possessions. "The Grace of Giving" seeks to help the members of our congregation grow in managing God's resources, all in response to what God in Christ has done for us. Watch for information about this process that will be coming to each household in the congregation via email or hard copy.
This 4-week series will conclude with commitments for ministry in 2024 being dedicated on Reformation Sunday, October 29, for the Lord's kingdom work in our congregation, community, and world. Please join us for a Chili Cook-off at 12 noon on Sunday, October 29 to conclude our Fall Stewardship series - sign up in the Narthex at church. Questions? Please contact Jim Burroughs, St. John's Treasurer or Jennifer Smith, St. John's Financial Administrator.
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Church Council Meeting on Sunday, October 8
St. John's governing board, the Church Council, will meet next on Sunday, October 8 at 1:00PM. This will be a virtual meeting, and as always, needs and concerns from members of the congregation are welcome and invited. Questions? Please contact Denise Canter, Congregational President.
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Church Office and School Closed on Monday, October 9
Please note that St. John's Church Office and Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) will be closed for the federal holiday of Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day on Monday, October 9.
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10th Annual SJLC Men’s Octoberfest & Pig Roast
Men of St. John’s, come join us for our 10th Annual Men’s Octoberfest and Pig Roast from 5:00 – 9:00PM on Saturday, October 14th. This event is for the men at St. John’s. If you are a father, bring your son along. We will meet at the fire pit by the back parking area at St. John’s. Come early if you plan to play corn hole and pitch horse shoes. We will build a camp fire, tell stories, share our faith, and enjoy fellowship.
We will have smoked pulled pork, baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad, soda, water, and some desserts. There are benches around the fire pit, but you may want to bring a chair and your own favorite beverage. Consider inviting your neighbor.
Please RSVP by Thursday, October 12th, by emailing SJLCMen@sjlc.com or see the sign-up sheet in the narthex. If you would like to bring a dish or dessert, please let us know. For questions, speak with Joe Godwin, Greg Miller, Rodney Smith, Paul Swicord, Jim Burroughs, or Greer Putnam.
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College Care Packages
Our Teens will be assembling and mailing out care packages for our SJLC college students. Parents of college students, please use this link to submit your college student’s address.
Please use this link to sign up to donate goodies for our college students. All donations are due by Sunday, October 22.
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Trunk or Treat
Join us Monday, October 30 at 6:00PM for a combined SJLC and ECEC Trunk or Treat! We’re looking for families or SJLC ministry groups to work together to host a trunk for a Trunk or Treat. This is a combined event for our families at SJLC and our ECEC families. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet and mingle with these two groups of people.
Here’s how to host a trunk for Trunk or Treat!
Step 1: Pick your trunk's theme: Trunk or Treat Car Sign Up
Step 2: Bring your trunk and decorate with the provided decorations*
Step 3: Greet our guests and hand out candy
Step 4: Have a good time with our ECEC/SJLC family and friends
*Candy and decorations will be provided, or choose your own theme and provide your own decorations.
For questions or more information, please contact Jennifer Hills or 703-971-2210.
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Koinonia Holiday Baskets Program
Supporting our local social service agency, Koinonia, is a long-standing tradition at St. John’s. The holiday baskets program provides the food so that the needy area clients which Koinonia services can share a special meal with their families during the holidays. This year, St. John’s plans to contribute 8 baskets of food at Thanksgiving and again at Christmas.
Since we are back to meeting in person, we are once again asking the congregation to contribute specific food items to make up a bountiful holiday meal for Koinonia clients. For Thanksgiving, all food will be due by Sunday, November 12, at 10AM. Place your items on the table on the Fellowship Hall stage marked “Koinonia Thanksgiving Baskets.” Please sign up online through CCB to choose the food item(s) you wish to contribute. The Christmas Baskets food contribution signup will be posted starting November 13.
We are also accepting financial donations starting Oct 4 through the end of the month for the food gift cards which accompany each basket, at both Thanksgiving and Christmas. To contribute, click here and then drop down to the designated offering for "2023 Koinonia Holiday Baskets." Any funds received in excess of what is needed for the food basket gift cards will be donated to the Koinonia food pantry during December. Thank you for your generosity!
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St. John’s 28th Annual Craft and Bake Sale
Saturday, November 11, 2023, 9 AM – 3 PM
St. John’s 28th Annual Craft and Bake Sale is now just 6 weeks away.
One of the highlights of this event is the opportunity for you to be the lucky winner of our quilt. Each year we design and create a unique quilt. The quilt for this year will soon be displayed in the Narthex; see our sneak peek above. Members of Creative Fellowship will have wishes available for this beautiful quilt beginning soon.
The Bake Sale is always a big success. Do you know why? It is a success because of you, friends and members of St. John’s, who make your favorite treats and contribute them to the bake sale. Because of your help, we can provide a large and varied selection for our shoppers. Details as to what types of baked goods sell well and suggestions on how to package your donations will be provided in the Midweek Update in the coming weeks.
Home crafters, thank you for the items you have already contributed. There is still ample time to finish up projects not quite completed. We look forward each year to the special items our talented home crafters bring to the sale. Your contributions add exciting variety, making our Craft and Bake Sale so special.
In September St. John’s hosted a Rise Against Hunger meal packaging event. Proceeds from the 2022 St. John’s Annual Craft and Bake Sale provided support for this event. The dollars you spend at the Craft and Bake Sale travel around the globe:
- helping people survive and thrive through nutritious meals for children and adults;
- helping people help themselves through education and training; and
- helping people in crisis through responding to emergencies and disasters.
Rise Against Hunger is just one of the charitable organizations that benefit from St. John’s Craft and Bake Sale proceeds. A bit of information will be shared each week about some of the charities that benefit from the Craft and Bake Sale proceeds.
For more Craft and Bake Sale photos, check out St. John’s Facebook page.
If you have questions, please contact Cathy Schreiner or Karen Kemmet at 703-973-5358 (cell).
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Financial Update
The August 2023 St. John's Lutheran Church financial results for the Operating Fund and ECEC are posted in the Narthex. For the first time this year, we are now experiencing a deficit. Although operating costs are not as high as anticipated, offerings are lower than expected at this time. This is probably related to less attendance at Church in the summer.
We will begin our fall stewardship campaign next week. The theme this year is "The Grace of Giving."
More details are posted in the narthex or may be obtained from Jim Burroughs, Minister of Finance.
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Looking Ahead
- Scout Wreath Sale - October 8
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ECEC Board Meeting - October 14
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ECEC Back to School Night - October 19
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Chili Cook-Off - October 29 (12 noon in Fellowship Hall after worship service)
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Trunk or Treat - October 30
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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 for the bulletins
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