Jesus comes to us in his Word of life and salvation. He comes to us in the cleansing waters of Baptism and in his very Body and Blood in the Holy Supper. Jesus comes to rescue us from the futility of life apart from God. And in recognizing and receiving Jesus as he comes to us now, we will be ready and prepared for his final Advent when he comes to judge the world in righteousness, as the sermon for worship on the First Sunday in Advent made known.

In Jesus, the promise of the prophet Jeremiah, “Behold, the days are coming…” (Jeremiah 33:14-16 ESV), means that those days are here and now in the One who is called “The Lord is our righteousness.” Online daily Advent devotions are available through Lutheran Hour Ministries.

The blessed Advent season will soon be here in which we anticipate not only Jesus’ first coming as the Child of Mary born in Bethlehem, but his second coming as King and Judge of all creation. Midweek Advent worship services will take place on Wednesdays during the Advent season on the following days: December 1, 8, 15 and 22, all beginning at 12 Noon.  

These services will build on the Wednesday noon Holy Communion that takes place each week and will be live streamed for worshipers to watch live or at a later time. Advent devotional booklets will be available (both hard copy in the Narthex as well as online) through Lutheran Hour Ministries. If you have questions, please contact Pastor Meehan or Liane Olsen, Gathering Ministry Lead.

Members of St. John’s are invited and encouraged to participate in a virtual Congregational Voters' Meeting on Sunday, December 5 at 1:00PM. Chief among the agenda items for this meeting will be considering for approval the proposed operating budget for 2022 for our congregation. The Church Council reviewed and approved the proposed budget at its most recent meeting on November 14. The December 5 Congregational Meeting will take place on Zoom, and you can log-in using these credentials:

Passcode: 629380

A meeting agenda with proposed 2022 budget summary has gone out to the congregation earlier this week via email through Church Community Builder (CCB). Questions? Please contact Congregational President, Denise Canter.

St. John’s Gathering Ministry, which oversees the worship life of our congregation, is pleased to announce that, on a trial basis, we will have once-a-month Sunday evening worship services. The first service will take place on Sunday, December 5, at 5:00PM in the Sanctuary, and will include Holy Communion. This will be a quiet, contemplative time of worship that is appropriate for the Advent season. Future Sunday evening worship services will take place on the following dates:  January 30 and February 27, all beginning at 5:00PM. 

For those who are unable to be present for worship on Sunday morning, these Sunday evening worship services will allow Christ’s people to gather together for prayer and praise around God’s gifts of Word and Sacrament. If you have questions, please contact Pastor Meehan or Liane Olsen, Gathering Ministry Lead.

All High School students who have not been trained to serve as Crucifer are invited to a training session on Sunday, December 5 at 11AM (immediately following the Worship Service). Students who are trained but would like a refresher are also invited to attend. We are so appreciative of the service of our youth. Questions? Please contact .Jennifer Hills or Natalie Zylstra.

The Christmas tree is in the Narthex and the stars on it each represent a gift for a child of a certain age range. When you take a star, sign up in the book next to the tree, on the line that matches the number(s) of your star(s). You then purchase the item(s) and place it under the tree when you come to worship. There are also virtual stars that you can sign up for online in CCB with opportunities to drop off gifts without entering the building. No need to sign up online if you take a star from the tree! 

Please leave gifts at the tree (include the stars) only when an attendant is there (before or after worship services). Those not wishing to enter the building may drop the gifts off on Saturday, December 4 between 10AM and 1PM at the Craft Room doors. Please do not bring gifts during the week—we cannot securely store them! You will find a list of Koinonia suggested toys at the tree or at this link. Koinonia asks that neither Barbies nor Matchbox cars are given, and that a gift card does NOT exceed $25.00. The final day to drop off gifts is Sunday, December 5. Contact Christy Hoins for more information.

A member of our St. John's family, Pete Pettigrew, is in need of assistance in taking himself and his son to an important after-school class located in the Fair Oaks area which is about an hour away from their home. The class is held three days a week and there are still nine more weeks left in the session. Pete recently had back surgery and, at this time, is not able to drive.

We are looking for volunteers who can help this family; if you can only provide transportation for Pete and his son once or twice during this time, your efforts will be greatly appreciated. Pete's daughter will be providing his return transportation on most days.

If you think you would be able to help in this effort, please click here for more detailed information including the days and times transportation is still needed.

Orders and payments may be made via CCB or by using a payment envelope located at the Welcome Center. Include your payment, sign, and drop the envelope into the offering basket located near the rear of the Sanctuary. Please note that the sign up and payment deadline is Wednesday, December 22. Thank you!

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church will host a Christmas concert to benefit Bethany House of Northern Virginia (BHNV) on Friday, December 10. The Christmas Shopping Marketplace will begin at 5PM followed by the gospel concert at 7PM. For tickets, click here or call 703-658-9500. 

Bethany House is a Christian ministry that provides emergency shelter and support services to women and children escaping domestic violence. BHNV is funded, in part, by donations from churches and individual community members. For more information concerning Bethany House or the Gospel Christmas concert, contact Tiffany.

The St. John’s Endowment Committee is seeking your input to help form a list of potential Endowment Fund grants and to help guide the utilization of memorial funds. Your recommendations can help fund outreach and inreach ministries above and beyond those funded by the church’s operating budget. A CCB form titled “Endowment and Memorial Grant Recommendation” has been created to collect your inputs . If you have any questions, please contact Mark Gilbertson, 703 451-0027). Deadline to nominate a recipient is January 31.

Due to logistical circumstances and challenges, the Annandale Brass Christmas Concert scheduled to take place in the Sanctuary of St. John’s on Sunday, December 12 at 4:00PM has been cancelled. We regret this cancellation and look forward to another concert at another time.

St. John's congregational leadership continues to closely monitor updates by the State of Virginia and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on COVID guidance, the Delta variant, and wearing of mask protocols. The new CDC guidance related to the Delta variant updated their guidance on wearing a mask indoors in public, even if fully vaccinated. 

According to the current CDC tracking levels for community transmission, Fairfax County is now at the level of "Substantial Transmission." We are thus strongly encouraging that everyone, including individuals fully vaccinated against COVID-19, wear a mask in indoor settings. Click here for more information on Fairfax County COVID-19 guidelines.

Jeffrey McKay, the Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, periodically sends out an excellent email newsletter which contains the latest information on the COVID situation in our area. If you would like to be added to his mailing list, click here.

If you have questions or concerns, please be in touch with the church office.

www.sjlc.com | 703-971-2210