Dear Friends in Christ, 

On this blessed feast of Ash Wednesday, we enter into the wilderness of the Lenten season. We often find ourselves in the wilderness, whether we want to encounter it or not. Perhaps we feel drawn into the wilderness to encounter our true self and come closer to the full communion with God. We may also seek to avoid all acknowledgment of the wilderness with the distractions of our day and age. This year, we seek to Embrace the Wilderness!

In addition to fasting, praying, studying Scripture, and worshiping, how might we live into the wilderness where we encounter a truer version of ourselves? This is the place of authentic Truth telling about the evils of society and the truth about who we are. Ultimately, we recognize that we are drawn into God’s grace and that is what our hearts truly desire. 

I hope to see you this evening and may you have a blessed and holy Lent. 

Faithfully yours, 

Saturday, February 17th

@ 6:00 p.m. – Taizé

Sunday, February 18th

@ 8:00 a.m. - Holy Eucharist: Rite I

@ 9:00 a.m. - Bible Study

@ 10:00 a.m. - Holy Eucharist: Rite II

@ 11:30 a.m. - Sunday School / Coffee Hour

Wednesday, February 21st

@ 9:30 a.m. - Holy Eucharist: Rite II

@ 10:30 a.m. - Bible Study

Links to our online services and Bible Studies are available on our website.

Opening - Forty days and forty nights (Hymn 150)

Sequence - Eternal Lord of love, behold your church (Hymn 149)

Offertory Anthem - Prayer to Jesus (George Oldroyd, 1887-1956)

Communion - O spirit of life, O spirit of love (Hymn 505)

Closing - Lord, who throughout these forty days (Hymn 142)

Your Vestry will retreat this weekend to prepare for the year and get to know each other. Our Vestry meets every second Monday of the month and we met this past Monday to elect officers. Thank you to our whole Vestry and to our newly elected officers: 

• Senior Warden – Brian Chatman
• Junior Warden – Jeff Reba
• Register – Sarah Akins
• Treasurer – Anne Brannam

We will have new commission leads after our retreat weekend.

Come out tonight for our evening Ash Wednesday service, starting at 7:00 p.m. Join us as we receive ashes and listen to the Adult Choir lead us into the season of Lent.

Join us on Sunday, February 25th at 5:00 p.m. in the Nave for our next Evensong service. The glorious evensong tradition returns along with the St. Andrew’s Choir, but this time with music that reminds us that there are many complex flavors to our church calendar and to our music history. Lent is not necessarily sad, but it is introspective; in a world when most evensongs are festal and loud, join us for a night to “read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest,” the choir leading us in prayer.

ECHO PANTRY NEEDS: The ECHO Food Pantry needs condiments such as mustard and ketchup, paper products such as toilet paper and tissues, instant coffee, tea, herbal tea, jam, and honey. Donations can be put in the ECHO bin at St. Andrew’s or taken directly to ECHO. The Donation Door at ECHO is open on weekdays from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm, and 7:00 to 9:00 on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings. 

FABRIC NEEDED FOR ECHO: The Teen Program at ECHO needs fabric to make no sew blankets for teenagers whose families are clients of ECHO. This is a small way that the teens in our community to assist families in need of ECHO’s services.

We need 4 - yards of anti-pill fleece fabric for each blanket, 2 yards in a pattern and 2 yards in a coordinating solid.

This month's Under 3 Playgroup (Feb. 18th) has been canceled due to scheduling issues. Our next get-together will be on Sunday, March 17th from 3:30-5:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall.

Join us for a Coffee Chat at West Springfield Panera on Thursday, February 22nd at 9:30 a.m. Come in from the cold and enjoy a hot beverage and warm conversation! See you there!

• Feb. 25th – Hypothermia Prevention 
• Mar. 3rd – Jennifer Pharr Davis
• Mar. 10th – End of Life Care and Planning (Capital Caring Hospice)
• Mar. 17th – Old Testament Themes of Wilderness – The Rev. Stephen Cook, Ph.D.
• Mar. 24th – Palm Sunday
• Mar. 31st – Easter Sunday

An additional resource mentioned in today's sermon is Treasure in the Wilderness: Desert Spirituality for Uncertain Times, by Andrew D. Mayes.

Our first speaker for our next Adult Forum series, Embrace the Wilderness, will be Jennifer Pharr Davis on Sunday, March 3rd.

Davis is a hiker, author, speaker, and National Geographic Adventurer of the Year who has covered over 13,000 miles of long-distance trails on six different continents. In 2011, Pharr Davis set the fastest known time on the Appalachian Trail completing it in 46 days, 11 hours, and 20 minutes. She has published nine books, including her seminal Appalachian Trail memoir Becoming Odyssa.

Our 2024 Workcamp will take place from June 15th to 22nd in Frederick, MD. We have spots for 10 youth. Contact Stacey or Carl for more information or if you have questions.

Our 2024 Vacation Bible School will take place from July 29th to August 2nd. We are in need of volunteers to lead the program this year, so if you are able to step up and help out, please contact Amy.

Please join us for some multi-generational fellowship and refreshments immediately following the 10:00 a.m. service each Sunday! There will be time to enjoy conversation, a cup of coffee, and a snack before Sunday School and Adult Formation begin.

Fellowship will provide coffee, tea, and cold beverages; we need volunteers to provide the snacks (for children and adults). You can use this link to sign up: http://tiny.cc/h4apwz

Our Pre-K and Nursery classes, which watch our youngest members from 10:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Sundays, need helpers for each classroom. Each class has a paid staff member, but for the safety of everyone, we need at least one helper with them throughout the morning.

Our Nursery needs an adult helper each week, and our Pre-K class needs an adult or teen helper each week. Teen volunteers (14+) can earn service hours for their work.

Sign up here to volunteer: http://tiny.cc/babywatch-win24.

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.

emily@standrews.net | www.standrews.net

(703) 455-2500