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

How much is enough? That is a question that we wrestle with in this life, and one which Jesus addressed in the Gospel lesson for last Sunday. So often, we fear running out and not having enough. Then what? What will we do? Jesus was asked to meditate a dispute in which one brother sought to gain his fair share of the inheritance from another brother. That sounds like a request we might make ourselves in our own family! But Jesus steered things in a different direction, cautioning the man making the request, along with all of us, not to set our hearts and minds on possessions and the things of this world. Jesus then told the parable of the rich fool, and in so doing reminds us that we have been given an inheritance that is much more valuable than silver or gold, as the sermon pointed out the end of our life, we can’t take anything from this world with us. It all gets left behind. The blood-bought redemption that Jesus has won for us through his life-giving death upon the cross is what we put our trust and hope in today, tomorrow, and forever.

In Christ,

Pastor Meehan

From the Pastor's Desk - August 2022

Special thanks to Angela Schulze, Living Out Ministry Lead on Church Council, who helped to coordinate everything for National Night Out. Mark your calendars for National Night Out next year on Tuesday, August 1, 2023! Questions? Please contact Angela Schulze.

After a pandemic induced hiatus our Church nursery is back! Beginning Sunday, August 7 the Church nursery will be open during worship for children up to age 4.

Our nursery is staffed by kind and caring volunteers. We need your help to make this ministry possible. If you'd like to serve in this ministry area please reach out to Beth Rempe who will be managing the nursery as we get it relaunched.

Over the summer, ministry leaders at St. John’s have been in discussion about a proposed schedule change to Sunday mornings. Since we returned to in-person worship from COVID two years ago, our schedule has been for the worship service at 9:30AM followed by the Education Hour at 11AM. As we have discovered, there are some drawbacks with our present schedule, especially when it comes to an after-service reception (New Members, Graduates, etc.) after the worship service. This spills over into the Education Hour and has proven to be a challenge. At present, our average weekly worship attendance thus far for 2022 is 110 (not including midweek worship services – e.g., Lent, Holy Week, etc.). At this time, there is no pressing need to have an additional worship service due to increasing attendance. Far better to have one service that is comfortably full vs. two services that are uncomfortably empty. After discussion and deliberation, both the Gathering Ministry (which oversees the worship life of our congregation) and the Church Council have given approval for the following Sunday morning schedule change that will begin on Sunday, September 11 (Homecoming Sunday), which is the beginning of a new year of Christian education and learning for all ages:

The new schedule may not be everyone’s preference, but ministry leaders believe that this is what will be best for the overall life of our congregation at this point in time. God willing, as more people return to in-person worship in the days ahead, we will be able to expand our Sunday morning schedule. Should you have questions or concerns, you are invited to contact Pastor Meehan, Denise Canter – Congregational President, or Liane Olsen – Gathering Ministry Lead.

The roof repair project at church to reseal the flat roof areas over the Craft Room, Narthex, Sacristy, Offices, and Library is nearly complete. This project encountered both some really hot weather as well as rain, slowing work down, but it’s almost finished. The work is being done by RIBA Construction of Fairfax. Weather permitting, the work will be finished by mid-week. This project is being coordinated by St. John’s Campus Projects Team (CPT). Questions? Please contact Mike Waring, chairman of the CPT.  

Share Sunday is the first Sunday of each month at St. John’s, and that will be next Sunday, August 7.  Summer is an especially challenging time when children are home from school, and extra food is needed. Please consider picking up some extra non-perishable items when you are at the store and bring your donations to church or, if you prefer, continue to drop off at Koinonia. Please share the blessings God has bestowed on you by helping those in need through Koinonia, the Franconia-Kingstowne community service agency. Thank you!

The installation service for the new President of the Southeastern District, Rev. Dr. William (Bill) Harmon, will take place on Saturday, August 13 at 1:00PM at King of Glory Lutheran Church in Williamsburg. Pastor Meehan is planning to attend the service and will represent our congregation, but anyone wishing to attend is welcome and invited to do so. As part of Dr. Harmon’s Installation, a special offering will be received to support the Scholarship Fund for students from the Southeastern District who are going into church vocations. In August, more than 34 grants will be awarded to students who are attending the seminaries and Concordia Universities. They represent all the various ministry vocations and paths that are available: Ordained: Resident, Colloquy, Specific Ministry Pastor; Deaconesses, Teachers, Directors of Christian Education, Directors of Parish Ministry. St. John’s will be receiving contributions for this special offering over the next two weeks in advance of the Installation on August 13. You are invited to contribute to this fund either by writing a check payable to St. John’s with “SED Scholarship Fund” written the memo line, or by making an electronic contribution. Go to the church’s website and at the top of the home page, select the “Give” button. On the drop-down menu that appears, please select “SED Scholarship Fund.” Please make your contribution by the close of day on Wednesday, August 10, so that a check may be written and Pastor Meehan may put this into the offering on the day of Installation. Thank you, members and friends of St. John’s. Your gift will be a blessing to the education of future church workers! 

Jennifer Hills will begin a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership with The Townsend Institute through Concordia University in Irvine, California on August 9.

The M.A. Organizational Leadership will take approximately 1.5-2 years and, with the exception of the Kick-Off Conference (August 13-16), is a completely virtual program.

The Townsend Institute experience studies directly with Dr. John Townsend and master teachers who have decades of experience in leadership and know how to bring transformation, performance, and productivity to teams and organizations. The Townsend Institute has earned a reputation for its relational approach to begin with character growth as a building block for high motivation and performance. Through the Townsend Institute’s online program in Organizational Leadership Jennifer will:

Your prayers and encouragement are welcomed and appreciated as Jennifer begins this new adventure.

Creative Fellowship is hosting an Ice Cream Social on Sunday, August 21, from 3:00-5:00PM in the Fellowship Hall. Please join us for sweet treats and camaraderie.

We also need help selling textbooks to students on Tuesday and Thursday, September 6 and 8 at St. John’s. Click here for more information, or contact ESL Coordinator Dori McCormick.

Handbell ensembles reflect 1 Corinthians 12:12: “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ” (ESV). Each member of a handbell ensemble contributes specific notes to the musical line. Without even one of those notes, the entire line would be lost. A handbell ensemble is an ideal place to help members see the value of their contributions to the church as well as to reinforce this important Bible teaching.

Rehearsals will start in the Fall, and we would love to have you join us! Please contact Director of Music, David Leahey, for more information.

We continue to offer Holy Communion each Wednesday at 12 noon. Based on feedback from individuals, we will continue with this midweek time of worship throughout the summer. All are welcome to join us. Please register here or feel welcome to contact the Church Office (703-971-2210.

Many of you may be aware that there has been an increase in COVID-19 cases in the Fairfax Health District (the "District" is comprised of Fairfax County, Fairfax City, and Falls Church City). Our policy is to follow the CDC guidance and since the first week in May, our "community level" has been at "medium." This is a change from our previous "low" transmission level!

The CDC website provides a link for anyone to check the current status of COVID transmission in their locality. Simply click here to keep up to date on the status of COVID transmission in your county or city.

Please be aware that, at this point, our "CDC Mask Guidance and St. John's" policy as shown in the article below, has not changed.

St. John’s policy has been to follow CDC guidance (Use and Care of Masks | CDC). Although health officials have now indicated it is okay not to wear a mask, even in indoor settings, members of our congregation may choose to mask at any time. Those exhibiting symptoms, or who have tested positive for COVID, or who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 should certainly strongly consider wearing a mask. Pastor Meehan and the Lay Assistants will continue to wear masks during the Distribution of Holy Communion.

Please note that if circumstances change and the transmission category for COVID is on the rise in our area, we will once again encourage everyone to wear a mask indoors. Feel welcome to contact the Church Office, 703-971-2210, should you have questions or concerns.

www.sjlc.com | 703-971-2210