Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. | |
"The Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need..." This alternate translation to the 23rd Psalm puts a different perspective on our Good Shepherd from how we usually hear these opening words ("The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want...").
This past Sunday's worship focus was on Christ our Good Shepherd. The music and hymns, the Scripture readings and sermon, the prayers - all revolved around this beloved image of our Savior. As the sermon pointed out, the true test of a shepherd is not whether he will lead the flock "into green pastures and beside still waters," important as these things are. The true test is whether the shepherd will lay down his life for the sake of the sheep. This is the very thing our Good Shepherd has done for us, as Jesus himself tells us in the Gospel lesson (John 10:11-18).
In dying the death that we deserved because of our sin, in rising again from death and the grave, our Good Shepherd lives to lead the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand from this life to life eternal.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Pastor Meehan's Blog - April 2024
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Reminder: Voting Day is this Sunday, April 28
Through a series of town hall meetings, our congregation has been discussing a proposed renovation and expansion plan for our church facilities. Whether or not we move forward with this project will be determined by a congregational vote.
Click here to view the architect's PowerPoint presentation.
The Voters' Meeting to consider the proposed renovation and expansion has been set for this coming Sunday, April 28. This meeting will be held immediately following the morning worship service and will take place in the Sanctuary. Please note that our congregational bylaws do not allow for absentee or proxy voting, so voting will be in-person and by secret ballot.
All voting members of St. John's congregation are strongly encouraged to attend. Please make every effort to be present on Sunday, April 28 and participate in this important decision for our congregation!
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Please check out the short video below from our Council Treasurer, Jim Burroughs, discussing the proposed renovations. | |
If you have questions or concerns, you are welcome to reach out to Mike Waring, Campus Projects Team Chair or Denise Canter, Congregational President. | |
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Financial Review for Proposed Renovation and Expansion
In response to a request that came up during the recent Town Hall meetings for more information about our congregation's financial situation, four current and former Treasurers of St. John's met last week to look into this. Please click here to read their report concerning financial feasibility for the proposed renovation and expansion program. We hope this will be helpful information to our members as we prepare to come together for the Voters' Meeting next Sunday, April 28.
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Administrative Professionals Day - TODAY
Administrative Professionals Day is observed on the Wednesday of the last full week in April each year. This year, that date is today, Wednesday, April 24. We say thank you to those who serve in our own church and our Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) offices, we recognize Michelle May, St. John’s Church Administrator and Jennifer Smith, St. John’s Financial Administrator, and Kari Wells, ECEC Administrator. They all work diligently and faithfully to ensure smooth daily operations of our church office, congregation, and school.
You are invited to express your appreciation to Michelle, Jennifer, and Kari for the great work that they do on behalf of St. John’s congregation.
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St. John's ECEC Playground Update
Over the course of the last year, the Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) Board of Operations, in conjunction with the Campus Projects Team, has been working steadily to receive quotes and gather information on renovating our playground. We interviewed 3 companies and received multiple proposals, finally deciding on a company named Playground Specialists, they are a local company based in Maryland that has been in business over 20 years.
In November 2023, we invited the congregation to “Meet us at the Playground” to see for themselves the issues plaguing our play area. The issues were so dire that the playground no longer met the Virginia Department of Education state code of compliance. The final proposal, totaling $264,154.50, was brought to the Congregational Voters' Meeting in December 2023 and was approved with ECEC and SJLC splitting the cost. ECEC paid the initial deposit of $132,077.25.
Renovations began on April 8 and should be completed by April 26! SJLC will pay the remaining balance from the Capital Improvement Fund once complete. The new playground is projected to last the next 20 years.
Please join us for a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, May 1 at 5:30PM.
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Teen Family Game Night
SJLC Teens and their families are invited to join us on Sunday, April 28, from 5:00 to 7:00PM. Families are asked to bring a board game and dish to share. We'll break into groups and spend some time in fellowship together. The whole family, siblings included, is invited to join us for a fun evening.
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National Day of Prayer
Thursday, May 2, is the annual National Day of Prayer when many devote themselves to pray for our Nation. This annual observance was established 72 years ago in 1952 by a joint resolution of Congress and signed into law by then President Harry S. Truman.
In 1988, the law was amended and then signed by President Ronald Reagan establishing it on the first Thursday of each May. This day reminds us that prayer has been part of our nation from the beginning, and it is a call to stand humbly before our Lord and seek His guidance, grace, and healing.
Here at St. John's, we observe this day encouraging all to take time out to pray for our nation. You can do this individually, but we especially encourage you to gather in His name with SJLC brothers and sisters on May 2 at 7:00PM on Zoom. Led by the St. John's Prayer Team, we will pray for numerous categories under the theme "Lift Up the World, Light Up the World" (2 Samuel 22:29-31). To join in, please register here for the Zoom link.
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SJLC Men's Work Day 2024
You are invited to join your fellow SJLC Men for the SJLC Men's Work Day 2024.
On Saturday, May 4, the SJLC Men will host its annual Work Day. We will meet in St. John's Fellowship Hall at 9:15AM for a devotion, cap issue, and team assignment.
This event is a nationwide opportunity for guys to do something positive for their neighborhoods and communities. Every guy who participates will receive a Thrivent T-Shirt to wear the day of the event. Our planned teams are as follows:
TEAM 1: Koinonia - shampoo rugs
TEAM 2: Franconia Elementary School – move bike rack and install latticework under the ramps to their trailer
TEAM 3: Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) - Assemble playground car and clear/improve walking path through the woods
TEAM 4: St. John’s - replace hard to reach lighting
Everyone should dress for light construction including work shoes and bring work gloves and any gardening or wood cutting tools you might have.
Rodney Smith, socr1st@gmail.com, 703-347-9135, will be coordinating the projects and team support.
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Circuit Ascension Day Worship Service on May 9
Bethany Lutheran Church and Preschool in Alexandria, a sister congregation of St. John's within our Circuit, will host an Ascension Day worship service on Thursday, May 9. Circuit pastors will lead the worship service, and all of our congregations within Circuit 9A are being invited to attend this festival service.
The good folks from Bethany invite you to a pulled pork dinner that will be held from 6-7PM, followed by the worship service at 7:30PM. If you are planning to come to the dinner, please RSVP by contacting the church office at Bethany, office@bethany-lcms.org or 703-765-8255. We look forward to celebrating the Ascension of Our Lord with brothers and sisters in Christ on May 9!
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Annual Ladies Tea
Creative Fellowship is happy to be hosting the Annual Ladies Tea once again.
Make plans now to attend on Saturday, May 18, 3 to 5PM, in the Fellowship Hall. Delectable and savory offerings, as well as tea, will be served. Bring your daughter, granddaughter, neighbor, best friend, or relatives. Everyone is welcome!
Click here to RSVP. Ladies are $14 and young ladies (12 and under) are $7.
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2024 Summer Cooking Camps | |
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We are excited to share that we recently partnered with Sticky Fingers Cooking to be able to offer 2 cooking camps this summer here at St. John's in our Fellowship Hall!
First, we are offering a camp the first week of July. It is a 4-day camp, no camp day on July 4. Each day is a half day in the AM. This week is only open to kids ages 4-7 due to capacity because our Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) is open that week.
Second, we are offering a camp during our teacher work week in August. During this time the Early Childhood Education Center is closed, hopefully that can help some of you if you are still looking for childcare or camp options! For this option, the cooking camp is open for kids ages 4-11. This means you can also sign up siblings to join as well! If your preschooler, ages 4-5, is going to participate we will take care of getting them from ECEC to upstairs camp and back down here.
Please find attached a flyer with more information. Below are links with more information on each camp and details on how to register.
Option 1: July 1 - 5 (9-12PM)
The Fourth of July Week Camp - AM
Option 2: August 12 - 16 (9-12PM & 1-4PM) SIGN UP FOR BOTH AND RECEIVE A 5% DISCOUNT!
The Teachers' Work Week Camp - AM
The Teachers' Work Week Camp - PM
For more information please visit Sticky Fingers Cooking or email Amanda, Director of ECEC at ecec@sjlc.com.
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Looking Ahead
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May 12 - New members received into our congregation with a reception in the Fellowship Hall following the worship service.
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May 19 - Festival of Pentecost as we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
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May 26 - Festival of the Holy Trinity. We will have a Sabbatical Blessing for our Director of Discipleship, Jennifer Hills, as this will be her final Sunday before her 3-month sabbatical begins.
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Important Links
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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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