Dear Friends in Christ, 

Embracing the Wilderness of anytime is about living. We were reminded of this as we heard from the Rev. Dr. Christine Reimers this past weekend as we learned that hospice is about living and not dying. 

As we are forced into or even think about the difficult topics in our lives, we remember that God’s love and mercy always endures. In the midst of the wilderness, with poisonous snakes, God’s people dwelt on the hardship. God’s love and mercy gave them the healing power they needed through the serpent raised on a staff, healing anyone’s venomous injuries. 

To live is to remember always God’s love and mercy whether in the wilderness or oasis of joy. We look forward to hearing about Old Testament themes of wilderness this weekend with the Rev. Dr. Stephen Cook, Old Testament Professor at Virginia Theological Seminary. How might this information and formation lead us to truly live which is God’s ultimate desire for us. 

I look forward to seeing you this weekend as our Lenten journey continues. 

Faithfully yours, 

Saturday, March 16th

@ 6:00 p.m. – Taizé

Sunday, March 17th

@ 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

@ 11:30 a.m. - Embrace the Wilderness: Old Testament Themes of Wilderness w/ the Rev. Dr. Stephen Cook

Wednesday, March 20th

@ 9:30 a.m. - Morning Prayer

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

Opening - I bind unto myself today (Hymn 370)

Sequence - Hail, thou once despised Jesus (Hymn 495)

Offertory Anthem - Wilt thou forgive that sin, where I begun (German chorale arr. J. S. Bach, 1685-1750)

Communion - Let thy Blood in mercy poured (Hymn 313)

Communion - When Christ was lifted from the earth (Hymn 603)

Closing - Forty days and forty nights (Hymn 150)

Our last guest for our Embrace the Wilderness series this Lent is VTS professor, Stephen L. Cook, PhD, who will preach at our services on Sunday, March 17th, and speak during Formation Hour.

Stephen is the Catherine N. McBurney Professor of Old Testament Language and Literature. He joined the Virginia Theological Seminary faculty in 1996. His areas of expertise include Hebrew, Aramaic, Ugaritic, Ezekiel, Deuteronomy, Prophetic and Apocalyptic Scripture, Social Setting of Scripture, and education technology.

Prior to joining the VTS faculty, Stephen served on the faculty of Union Theological Seminary at Columbia University in New York City for four years. He did his doctoral training in Old Testament at Yale University after completing an M.Div. degree at Yale’s Divinity School, where he also served as an instructor and fellow. His undergraduate work was at Trinity College, Connecticut, where he graduated with honors as a religion major in 1984.

Join us on Sunday, March 17th, from 3:30-5:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall for our next young family fellowship time! We will have snacks and a variety of toys for the kids to play with while parents socialize and connect. Older children are also welcome, but we have scheduled the event to give younger children a chance to nap after church. Don't miss out on this opportunity to meet other families and grow our community!

The Easter Flower envelopes are now available on the bulletin board next to the Church Office. Please fill out your envelope and return it, with your donation ($25 requested), to Emily’s desk (look for the ducks) in the office by Sunday, March 24th. Flowers will be available for pick up after the 10:00 a.m. service on Sunday, April 7th.

We are now implementing a sign-in/sign-out policy for our Sunday School classes. Children (K-5th grade) must be taken to class after the bell rings (after the 10:00 a.m. service) and signed in by their parents/guardians. After Formation Hour when the bell rings again, parents must pick up their kids and sign them out. Children will not be allowed to leave without a parent/guardian present.

Youth in 6th-8th grade can sign themselves in and out but will need a parent to come get them if they need to leave early. Nursery/Pre-K will continue their sign-in and sign-out procedures as normal.

The next Women's Fellowship Coffee Chat will be Thursday, March 21st at 9:30 a.m. at the West Springfield Panera. All are welcome to come for some friendly conversation and a cup of your favorite morning beverage. Catch up with old friends, and make some new ones! 

Thank you to the K-2nd grade class who helped stuff Food for Friends bags this past Sunday. We were able to pack up 65 bags, which will cover a month's worth of weekend food for kids who would otherwise go without. Thank you to Amy Tibbetts for leading the class, and to all the parents who helped out. You all made a huge difference.

Be sure to join us in the front parking lot for the 10:00 a.m. service on Palm Sunday, March 24th. We will, once again, have our guest donkey (Dandelion or Daisy) lead us in our procession into the church (weather permitting). Everyone is invited to arrive a little early for a meet and greet with our fuzzy buddy before the service begins.

Palm Sunday, March 24th

@ 8:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist: Rite I

@ 10:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist: Rite II*

Wednesday in Holy Week, March 27th

@ 9:30 a.m. – Holy Communion: Rite II

Maundy Thursday, March 28th

@ 7:00 p.m. – Holy Communion: Rite II w/ Foot Washing

Good Friday, March 29th

@ 12:00 p.m. – Stations of the Cross

@ 7:00 p.m. – Good Friday Service

Holy Saturday, March 30th

@ 7:30 p.m. – Easter Vigil Service

Easter, March 31st

@ 7:30 a.m. – Holy Eucharist: Rite I

@ 9:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist: Rite II*

@ 10:30 a.m. – Easter Egg Hunt

@ 11:15 a.m. – Holy Eucharist: Rite II*

* There will be childcare for these services

We are preparing for our Easter Egg Hunt, set to take place on Easter Sunday between our 9:00 and 11:15 a.m. service (10:30ish)! If you would like to help, please donate individually wrapped candy (no nuts or peanut butter) and/or small toys that can fit inside plastic Easter eggs. There is a box across from the church office where you can drop off your donations.

You can also help by volunteering to stuff eggs on Thursday, March 28th, at 10:00 a.m. Go here (http://tiny.cc/egghunt24) to sign up to stuff eggs, hide eggs, or donate candy/toys.

Relay for Life is the signature fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. This year’s Relay for Life is on Saturday, May 18th at Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA. Team Believe is a team of amazing, St. Andrew’s women who have all had our lives touched by cancer ourselves or someone close to us. If you are a cancer survivor and you wish to walk the survivor lap with us, or if you would like to become a member, we would love for you to attend! To join us or donate please check out this link.

DONATIONS:

We are looking for donations of gently used purses, jewelry, scarves, and ties for our Relay for Life fundraiser for the American Cancer Society! If you have any items in good condition to donate, please contact us and we will arrange to pick up your items. Please consider donating items and/or plan to purchase some great items at our sale on April 13th at the church. All proceeds go directly to cancer research and education and the donations are tax deductible.

ECHO’s popular Spring Yard Sale is Saturday, April 6th, at St. Bernadette’s School Gym, 7602 Old Keene Mill Road, Springfield. Proceeds from the sale benefit ECHO, which makes shopping a good deed! It is fun to browse through a gymnasium filled with electronics, fashion accessories, holiday decorations, toys, games, home accessories, and more, to search for bargains at bargain prices. Mark your calendar now!

While ECHO is determined to combat hunger in our community, requests for food assistance continue to be at record levels. Recently, ECHO has been distributing about a thousand pounds of food more per month than the amount donated. ECHO must make up the shortfall by purchasing food. Every donation counts. Please donate food if you can. Our most needed items are dried beans, canned fruits, boxed pasta, spaghetti sauce, shampoo, dish detergent, and laundry detergent.

We are looking at updating and/or changing our church website. If you have experience in this area and would like to be considered to give of your time and talent, please email Emily.

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.

Also, we are always looking for more coffee hosts - if you think you might enjoy being a part of our coffee ministry, contact Lori Foster.

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 (Spring Edition): http://tiny.cc/babywatch-spr24

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