The Weekly Net
February 12, 2021
From our Priest-in-Charge

Dear Friends in Christ,

This Sunday is the last Sunday before Lent! That is right, this coming Wednesday, February 17, is Ash Wednesday. As a community, we have accessible worship online at 9:30 a.m. (live), 5:00 p.m. (intergenerational), and 7:00 p.m. (traditional). We also have a shortened Ash Wednesday liturgy which you may print out or pick up at the church, which is designed for individuals and families. Here are some questions you might have:

What about the Ashes? 
We have ashes available for you to pick up at the church which are in individual, compostable, containers.

Who imposes them? 
It is not a requirement for a priest to impost the ashes. You may place them on a family member or on yourself. I have personally found this a powerful experience each year and you are invited into this moment.

What if I don’t have ashes? 
That is ok if you do not pick them up. You may make the sign of the cross on the forehead without them or, if so desired, you may omit this part of the service. It is not a requirement, especially if this moment may be difficult.

Given this is a season when Christians throughout the years have prepared for Baptism, we will examine the five questions found at the end of the Baptismal Covenant during our forum hours, and have small group discussions. These will take place at 11:15 after the 10:00 a.m. service. You may join a little early at 11:00 a.m. for some fellowship!

This reverent season, usually during the coldest time of the year, is often difficult. This particular year, we enter it with compounded difficulty. We have already engaged in many of the behaviors and practices of the Lenten season. I do encourage Lenten practices, but perhaps this season is also a time for you to reflect upon these fasts and reflections over the past year. How has God been present? When has God felt absent? For what do I really long and what is the source of that longing?

I look forward to seeing you on Ash Wednesday this year, online. Until then,

Faithfully yours,
The Reverend William L. Packard
(571) 449-7438
For pastoral emergencies, please call (571) 336-6509
Online Worship & Gatherings for the Week
Saturday, February 13th
@ 6:00 p.m. – Evening Prayer Service (also on Facebook)

Sunday, February 14th
@ 8:00 a.m. – Liturgy of the Word (also on Facebook)
@ 9:00 a.m. – Bible Study (mtg: 142 074 0872 | pwd: CMrCxTkf488)
@ 10:00 a.m. – Liturgy of the Word (also on Facebook)
@ 11:00 a.m. – Coffee Hour (mtg: 863 4884 3653 | pwd: 163336)
@ 9:00 p.m. – Compline with St. Phoebe's (via Zoom)

Wednesday, February 17th
@ 9:30 a.m. – Ash Wednesday Service
@ 10:30 a.m. – Bible Study (mtg: 856 9253 7645 | pwd: 856550)
@ 5:00 p.m. – Ash Wednesday Service (Family Friendly)
@ 7:30 p.m. – Ash Wednesday Service

Note: When joining any of our Zoom meetings, please make sure your name is displayed.
2nd Note: If any of the service links above don't work, check our website for updated links.
Sunday School this Weekend

Godly Play will be at 4:00 p.m. this week. All other Sunday School classes will start at 11:15 a.m. via Zoom at the links below:


If your child hasn't registered for Sunday School yet, they can do so here.

Welcome to our New Vestry!

Thank you to everyone who attended our Annual Meeting last Sunday. It worked better than expected, even if the running time was about the same as a normal Meeting. Please help us welcome our new Vestry members and leadership!

New Vestry Members:
Woody Browne
Jewell Gould
Brian Jones
Jennifer Koerner
Jonathan Withington
Karan Wright
New Vestry Officers:
It was wonderful to see so many people at one time. Here's hoping we will be able to meet in person next year!
Girl Scout Cookies

Local Girl Scout troops will be using St. Andrew's front parking lot to sell GS Cookies this month. The first troop to sign up will be out there tomorrow, Saturday, February 13th, from 12:00 - 3:00 p.m. You can pick up ashes and cookies all in the same trip!

Contact: Emily Nein (emily@standrews.net)
Coffee Hour

Coffee Hour continues on Sunday morning at 11:15 a.m., following the 10:00 a.m. service. We're looking for a few more "Coffee Hour Hosts". If you're looking for a wonderful way to get to know the Parish, this could be a great opportunity for you. Thank you for considering!

Contact: Betsy Cotten (fellowship@standrews.net)
Pancake Supper

Break out those skillets and get to flipping! It’s time for our Annual Pancake Supper: Home Edition! Mix up a batch of fluffy pancakes (with or without chocolate chips or blueberries) and celebrate Shrove Tuesday at home this February 16th. Mess up a few pancakes? No worries, you can use those for your own Pancake Races! We would love to see pictures or videos of your family enjoying this delicious tradition since we can’t be together this year.

And, if you want to help out our Work Camp teens (who traditionally run this event), you can make a small donation online. Maybe $1 for every pancake your family eats? You can donate by going to this link, or by using the link on our webpage.

Contact: Amy Dutton (amy@standrews.net)
Ash Wednesday

We will celebrate Ash Wednesday at 9:30 a.m., 5:00 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday 17th, and you can celebrate with us at home with your own ashes. Starting Friday, February 12th, we will have a bin outside the front door of the church (Parish Hall side) with mini containers of ashes and a Lenten activity. You can drop by and pick up each item any time before the family friendly service at 5:00 p.m. on Ash Wednesday. Then, follow along at home and impose ashes on each other when indicated in the service. If you take any pictures of your family doing this, please send them our way!

Contact: Amy Dutton (amy@standrews.net)
Burying the Alleluias

St. Andrew's has a tradition of "burying the Alleluias" on the first day of Lent. Normally, these Alleluias are printed out and colored by our Sunday School students, then buried out front of the church by the seated area for the duration of Lent.

Since we can't gather to do that this year, we hope you can continue the tradition at your house. No shovels are needed, though. Print out the image here, color/decorated as you wish, then bury it somewhere in your house. Maybe under a bed, in an overcrowded closet, or in that pile of laundry you keep forgetting to wash. Keep those alleluias buried throughout Lent, then check back here before Easter to see what comes next.

Contact: Amy Dutton (amy@standrews.net)
Sundays in Lent

Our Baptismal Covenant asks us five question regarding the life of our faith. We know them and we respond to each, “I will, with God’s help.” This Lent, we will explore what exactly each one of these questions means for our lives in faith. You will enjoy these presentations and discussions with the Rev. Will Packard, the Rev. Colleen Schiefelbein, and our candidate for diaconal holy orders, Jess Speaker! We invite you to attend at 11:15 a.m. on Sundays throughout Lent: February 21, 28; March 7, 14, and 21.

5 Questions:

  1. Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in the prayers?
  2. Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?
  3. Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?
  4. Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
  5. Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?

Join us as we engage these vital questions in our discipleship!

Contact: Will Packard (will@standrews.net)
Audiovisual Support for Worship Services

St. Andrew's Audiovisual is looking for interested individuals to assist with onlinwe & future in-person services. Interested individuals must simply have a desire to learn about simple computer-based editing & working with St. Andrew's television switcher/audio mixer in the Nave. If you have a background in theater, computers, and/or television, this would be ideal for you, and you will be scheduled only for when you are available. Training will be provided.

Contact: Darren Williams (jrwarden@standrews.net)
Meet Father Will!

Father Will would like to meet with each and every one of our parishioners. Now that the weather is colder, meetings will be via Zoom only.

A Sign-Up Genius has been created, so pick a time that works best for you/your family and sign up here to schedule a meeting.

We hope you take advantage of this time to meet our new Priest-in-Charge.

Contact: Betsy Cotten (fellowship@standrews.net)
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 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.

Contact: Michelle Ramsdell (michelle@standrews.net)
Prayer List

Please keep these members of our community in your prayers: 
Eve Albanese, Jen Blair, Tina Boyd, Betty Carruth, John and Janet Carver, Carol Cobb, Chris Conrad, Gloria Covington, Theresa DelConte, Larry Dickerson, Dale Dickey, Donna Daugherty, Katie Durso, Garson, Lori Hardin, Bill Hartig, Hugh Brian Henderson, Susan Henderson, Jesse Hill, Linda and Ed Hunter, Claire Johns, Clay Jones, Tom Kelly, Jack Keyser, Janet Keyser, Nancy Knight, Lisa Lavery, Marie Lichaa, Gunnar and Heike Mayer, Regina McCombs, Sarah Merriam, Mary J. Moses, Pam, Terry Peel, Charles Petty, Ann Riley, Rich Roerig, Kate Schneider, Lloyd Sterling, Douglas Taggart, Mike Tapper, Susan White

For those Departed
Father Richard E. Downing (friend of Amy & Debby Braun)
Linda French (friend of Mary Hartig)


Contact: Deborah England (prayer@standrews.net)
emily@standrews.net | www.standrews.net
(703) 455-2500