Parish Update
September 4, 2020
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Online Worship & Gatherings for the Week |
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Saturday, September 5th
Sunday, September 6th
@ 9:00 a.m. – Bible Study (Mtg# 142 074 0872; password: CMrCxTkf488)
Wednesday, September 9th
Note: When joining any of our Zoom meetings, please make sure your name is displayed.
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From our Priest-in-Charge
Dear Friends in Christ,
Each week, we gather to worship online, One Together, and while our physical gathering is limited, we worship as the body of the church. We have been given permission by the Diocese to worship outdoors which will, once again, change the way in which we worship. On Sunday, September 13th, weather permitting, we will host our first outdoor service as we kick-off the new program year. You will see in a separate communication the safety procedures we will follow and how to sign-up for this service. We ask for continued patience as we all work to safely worship God in different settings and know that our procedures, plans, and more may change.
Please know that we will continue to offer online worship for the foreseeable future. One tenet of our church is the accessibility of worship which has moved from our 16th century movement to have Bibles and the service in a language that everyone could understand to offering worship opportunities to those who may not be able to attend in person. We continue in this tradition!
This Sunday, we will have worship as usual but there will also be a Diocesan-wide service in which you may participate. This service in English and Spanish will be available on Facebook and YouTube. We always worship as St. Andrew’s, as part of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, as part of the Anglican Communion, and the Universal Church! Know that when the illusion of control in our lives is lifted, we may always rely on the one gave us our mission of the church and on whom we rely. That is, the one who said to “follow me,” Jesus Christ.
Have a wonderful and safe Labor Day weekend! I look forward to worshiping with you, One Together.
Faithfully yours,
The Reverend William L. Packard
(571) 449-7438
For pastoral emergencies, please call (571) 336-6509
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Foyer Groups
Do you want another way to connect with parish friends other than Sunday Coffee Hour? We do, too! In the Before Times™, Foyer Groups—small groups of 6-10 people—would meet every 1-2 months and share a meal or activity (game night, winery tour, etc.) New groups would be formed at the start of the formation year.
While church is virtual, we hope to revitalize existing Foyer Groups. You can meet by Zoom or another program and enjoy apps and drinks (or whatever) at your home while virtually sharing time with other group members. If you like the idea and aren't currently in a group, contact Debbie and Sharon. We will add you to an existing group.
When in-person worship and activities resume, these groups will meet together one more time. After that, we will create new Foyer Groups for the rest of the year, giving us all a chance to get to know more people better in a small, relaxed setting.
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ECHO Food Drive
We are having another contactless food drive to support ECHO on Saturday, September 19th from 8:00–10:00 a.m. in the front parking lot of the church. Boy Scout Troop 1849 will be assisting again. Most needed items are regular sized (not super-sized) bags/boxes of rice, flour, sugar, dried beans, canned vegetables, soup and canned meat. We will not be collecting any perishables. Check here to see the most current list of needed items or to donate money. ECHO has distributed over 20,000 bags of food so far this year which is more than they provided the whole year in 2019. The need is still great. How can you help?
- Buy needed items and bring to St. Andrew's on September 19th between 8:00-10:00 a.m. If you don’t want to visit the grocery store, they do deliver, as well as Amazon to your door.
- Post on your neighborhood social media and offer to pick up contributions or have them dropped off at your home to bring to St. Andrew's on September 19th between 8:00-10:00 a.m.
- Host a neighborhood food drive by distributing some sort of flyer to your neighbors and placing a collection box outside of your home. The photo is a picture of a door hanger type flyer that my neighbor distributed for inspiration. Bring donations to St. Andrew’s on September 19th from 8:00-10:00 a.m.
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Blessing of the Backpacks
Kick-off Sunday will be on September 13th and with that we will have our annual Blessing of the Backpacks. We have not finalized the details on this just yet, but stay tuned!
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Sunday School
Save the date! Sunday school will start on Sunday, September 20th. Check next week's update for a link to register and for more details. We are working on a plan to meet in small groups outside after outdoor worship with a backup plan of virtual instruction. Adult formation will be totally done via Zoom and will begin September 27th. We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about our faith traditions both for your children and for yourself.
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Sharing What We Have: Our Diocese
A Series on Giving
The Holy Communion was first celebrated on what is now American soil at James Towne (Jamestown) in 1607, and the (Anglican) Church of Virginia continued as the established church until the Revolution. On the day after the Colony of Virginia declared its independence from England, the Virginia Convention which governed both the Commonwealth and the Church of Virginia, ordered that prayers for the King and Realm of England be removed from its Book of Common Prayer. Most of the clergy took oaths of allegiance to the new Commonwealth, and a significant number of them bore arms in the Revolution, whose great Virginia leaders were parishioners of the Church of Virginia. Only Connecticut (1784), New York (1787) and Pennsylvania (1787) preceded Virginia (1790) in securing the consecration of a bishop. The Diocese of Virginia is proud to be the direct descendant of the first Anglican parish in what is now the United States of America.
The Diocese of Virginia was organized in May 1785 and was one of the nine dioceses represented at the first General Convention in September 1785 which brought together the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Today, the Diocese of Virginia is the largest in the Episcopal Church and includes 38 counties in central and northern Virginia.
This is the story of our Diocese, and, subsequently St. Andrew's founding. Yes, we have our own story, but without the events above (granted, presented in Cliff's Notes fashion), there is no St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Burke, Virginia. Their immeasurable support from the beginnings of the foundling St. Andrew's, which was held initially at area schools, to the support and guidance of the building of this church, to today's version of St. Andrew's, the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia has been there through every step, phase, and Rector we have had.
The Discernment Process that garnered our current Priest-in-Charge, the Rev. Will Packard, and both wonderful Interim Rectors during that process, the Rev. Rosemari Sullivan and the Rev. Edward Miller, were ALL made possible through the active support of our Diocese.
They are our rock, our backstop, our guiding light, and our way forward here in Virginia. Led by our Bishops, The Rt. Rev. Susan Ellyn Goff, Bishop Suffragan and Ecclesiastical Authority, The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Brooke-Davidson, Assistant Bishop, and The Rt. Rev. Porter Taylor, Assisting Bishop, and all our Diocesan leadership and staff, now and before, they have been a friend to St. Andrew's, in good times and difficult.
Stewardship is to take care of that which you hold dear, and that is a two-way street with the St. Andrew's and the Diocese. They exist through careful management of their endowments, and through churches like ours giving back to them. It isn't mandatory here in Virginia, like it is in some dioceses. So, for us to give to them, voluntarily, and help all of our fellow Episcopalians in Virginia, ought to be a very natural process, and it is for St. Andrew's.
The Diocese has a very diverse array of resources for churches, clergy, and parishioners, and I urge you to visit the website of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia to learn more about them: www.thediocese.net.
Darren Williams
Stewardship Co-Chair
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Online Giving
During these unprecedented times, we are called into community in unprecedented ways. 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 mail box (cash or check should be sealed in an envelope marked with your name)
- Using your bank’s online bill-pay feature
- Using our new St. Andrew’s online portal for electronic giving. 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.
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Prayer List
Please keep these members of our community in your prayers:
Madeline Akins, Michael Arnold, John and Janet Carver, Carol Cobb, Chris Conrad, Larry Dickerson, Dale Dickey, John Dunham, Phil Dunn, George Duvall, Vivian Eggers, David Graves, Lori Hardin, Bill Hartig, Susan Henderson, Linda and Ed Hunter, Jack Keyser, Katie Kurz, Dale Leonard, Ryan Martel, Gunnar and Heike Mayer, Regina McCombs, Nadjla Miller, James Padgett, Leean Palmgren, Pam, Philippa Pearce, Mary Lu Powell, Marie Reba, Col. Terry Rice, John Strong, Maureen Sullivan, Douglas Taggart, and Bette Williams
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emily@standrews.net | www.standrews.net
(703) 455-2500
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