The Weekly Net
May 7, 2021
From our Priest-in-Charge

Dear Friends in Christ,

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. – 1 John 4:16

God is not only the source and reason for love, God is love. It is the cord which binds us together and draws us into ministry. We see and feel it in relationship. We desire love in our lives because we desire God.

We are now slowly and intentionally beginning to resume activities which were recently described as “pre-pandemic.” With these activities comes some excitement, anxiety, fear, joy, and a host of other emotions. These emotions and reactions will be present as we gradually return to indoor worship and gather.

We do have a few regathering updates, including some from the Diocese, which are detailed below and on our regathering page. We yearn to be together and to worship God while physically gathered. We seek to abide, together and abide with God. At the heart of our emotions is love and our desire for love in God.

For a time, we will continue to worship in a hybrid format and our “regular” services will have a different feel and even different components of worship. This hybrid worship assists us as we continue to bring in those who are not able to return to our buildings for a variety of reasons. We will always have members of our community who will not be able to come to the building and we will not only continue to include them, but it is our call to know that they are part of the cord which binds us together.

A more literal translation of the Greek word “abide” is “remain.” We are called to remain in God’s love and remain in covenant community. We remain when displaced. We remain when we physically gather. We remain when we go out into the world. We remain when our lives resume the Northern Virginia busyness. We remain when we are unable to leave our bed.

We yearn for God and God’s love, which we feel when we enter our sacred space and when we are reminded of our covenant community. As we slowly regather, in the world and in our church, let us remember for what we yearn.

I look forward to seeing you this weekend, outdoors, indoors (see below), and online!

Faithfully yours,
The Reverend William L. Packard
(571) 449-7438
Online Worship & Gatherings for the Week
Saturday, May 8th
@ 6:00 p.m. – Evening Prayer Service

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

Wednesday, May 12th
@ 9:30 a.m. – Morning Prayer Service
@ 10:30 a.m. – Bible Study (mtg: 856 9253 7645 | pwd: 856550)

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.
Note the 3rd: All of our services are also available on our Facebook page.
Weekend Onsite Events

We are now offering limited spots for our indoor 8:00 a.m. service. Please click below to register for either the 8:00 a.m. indoor service, or the 10:00 a.m. outdoor service. If you don't receive a confirmation email after you register, you are not registered. If you have to cancel, please email Emily.

*NEW: PLEASE READ*
When registering for EITHER service, please use the drop-down box on the second page to indicate if you are a parishioner (by choosing Adult or Youth/Child) or a volunteer for that Sunday (by choosing Worship Team). This is extremely important, please do not skip.

Sunday, May 9th

Guidelines you must follow to participate with onsite events:
  • You must register (includes people participating in the service.)
  • Step-by-step guide on how to register
  • Everyone two years and older must wear a mask
  • Keep 6ft apart from people not in your family group at all times
  • If you are feeling sick, or have any COVID-19 symptoms, stay home
  • If you are in an at risk group, strongly consider staying home

Contact: Emily Nein (emily@standrews.net)
Regathering Update

This week, we will open our 8:00 a.m. service up, which will still be in the 10:00 a.m. format, slightly for 25 people. In addition to the 25 people, we will have about 10 ministry volunteers. We especially encourage you to attend if you are interested in volunteering.

This week, the Bishops have provided new guidance in the Diocese which we will begin incorporating into our worship and community life. Here are some of the highlights:

  • We will still wear masks and physically distance outdoors and indoors
  • We may sing in masks outdoors as a congregation. We may also have a soloist or small ensemble and other instruments with appropriate protections. At this time we may not sing as a congregation indoors, but we may hold choir rehearsal. 
  • We may have Eucharist in one kind (the bread) and we are working on these logistics. 
  • There is some loosening of pastoral visitation requirements with fully vaccinated individuals. 
  • We may return Bibles and Prayer Books to the sanctuary (we did remove them for our return). 
  • For Educational and non-worship activities, we may follow the same guidelines for worship, which means we may offer some indoor formation activity if we desire. 
  • Given the low risk of surface transmission, we are not required to sanitize as thoroughly if sufficient time has passed in an occupied space. 

As we continue to iron out details and implement these revised guidelines, we continue to ask for patience and prayers. We have a dedicated team and strong vestry working with you.

We also continue to need additional volunteers as we seek a return to indoor worship. While we are ready to hold indoor services at 10:00 a.m. in the instance of cicadas or inclement weather, we currently do not have enough volunteers to sustain that service. Please email worship@standrews.net if you are interested.
Sunday School this Weekend

Sunday School classes will meet outside this Sunday, and every other Sunday at 11:00 a.m. until the end of the term (June 6th), weather permitting. If classes can’t meet in person, they will take place on Zoom.

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

Contact: Stacey Peters (formation@standrews.net)
Support ECHO moms with Sweet Treats

This Mother’s Day, help us sweeten the day for Mothers who need a little extra treat. St. Andrew’s will be collecting chocolates (i.e., Godiva/Lindt or your special chocolate treat, individually wrapped) for ECHO to deliver throughout May to mothers supported by ECHO services.

COVID-19 has been hard on all of us, but especially for the clients of ECHO. ECHO has been essential to keeping struggling families in our area stable by providing food pantry visits, clothing, and financial assistance.

Mothers have had to navigate this unprecedented crisis with the upheaval caused by school closure and job losses. They have had additional roles going from helping with homework to homeschooling and being a teacher. They have had to provide emotional support to their children as they helped them navigate their fears and new normal to keep them safe and healthy. It is time to recognize them in a small way – we hope you will help.

We will be collecting chocolates at this Sunday's services. If you are interested in putting together goodie bags, please contact Andrea. The last day to drop off chocolates will be Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 9th.

Contact: Andrea Hellier (outreach@standrews.net)
Team Believe Luminaries

Help support St. Andrew's Team Believe and the American Cancer Society. Join us on Saturday, May 8th, from 3:00 - 5:30 p.m. in the church front parking lot to decorate luminarias. A Luminaria honors every life touched by cancer. You can dedicate them to a loved one lost, someone currently battling, or anyone who’s overcome it. At Relay events, you’ll see the Luminarias decorated with names and sometimes messages to the people they’re dedicated to. All ages welcomed. Decorating supplies will be available for use. Luminary bags are $10 each.

We will use these bags on Saturday, May 22nd, from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. for our Luminaria Walk at the church. If you cannot attend the decorating event, we can deliver a luminaria bag to you to decorate at home or you can support the team by buying a virtual luminaria. The virtual luminaria will be used in the Northern Virginia Relay for life virtual luminary ceremony. Virtual luminarias may be purchased here. Team Believe will light the luminaria at our walk and together we take a moment of silence to remember the loved ones they’re dedicated to.

All in person events will be socially distanced with masks required.

Contact: Christine Kelly (teambelieve@standrews.net)
Graduate Sunday

Congratulations to everyone graduating this summer! Graduate Sunday is June 6th this year, and we would love to know about your accomplishments and what your future plans are. So, if you are graduating this summer, please email Emily with your name, your parents’ names, where you are graduating from, where you are going next, what you majored in, and a photo. Due date: Sunday, May 21, 2021.

Contact: Emily Nein (emily@standrews.net)
Meet with Father Will!

Father Will would like to meet with each and every one of our parishioners. Now that the weather is warmer, both virtual and in-person outdoor options will be offered.

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 and chat with our Priest-in-Charge.

Contact: Jen Koerner and Woody Browne (fellowship@standrews.net)
St. Andrew’s Masks

Get your St. Andrew's Masks - We have a limited number of masks still available! Right now we have the following sizes: Adult Small-Medium, Adult Large, Youth Small-Medium, Youth Large. Contact Vestry member Woody Browne to confirm we still have your size and reserve one today. When they're gone, they're gone!

Contact: Woody Browne (fellowship@standrews.net)
Vacation Bible School

We are excited to explore the possibility of having an in person (mostly outdoor) VBS this summer from July 26th - 30th! In addition to monitoring the health markers and following Diocesan guidance—something we will need to make this possible—we will also need a sufficient amount of volunteers. Class sizes will be smaller and kept in separate areas, rotating through the different spots each day so that they can be cleaned overnight.

We need volunteers to help set up the week before, and during the VBS week. Please email Amy ASAP if you can help out. If we don’t meet our volunteer numbers, we won’t be able to host VBS this year.

Contact: Amy Dutton (amy@standrews.net)
Youth Work Camp

We’re gearing up for work camp this summer, the week of July 11-17 in Wilmington, Delaware! We currently have six of the eight youth spots booked. We’re looking for two more high schoolers to join us. Stacey Peters and Carl Jones are the adult leaders this year. Please reach out to them to find out more about this amazing ministry and outreach opportunity.

Contact: Carl Jones & Stacey Peters (workcamp@standrews.net)
Messy Church

Our next outdoor Messy Church will be Sunday, May 23rd, at 3:30 p.m. in the church parking lot. Each family gets their own table! We will be marked and socially distant. Registration is now open.

If you don’t receive a confirmation email after you register, you are not registered. If you have to cancel, please email Emily (emily@standrews.net). Registration closes Saturday night.

Contact: Amy Dutton (amy@standrews.net)
Thank You, Scouts!

Included in the May 1 FACETS St. Andrew’s Hot Meals preparation for the Homeless, Girl Scout Troop 5020 Freshmen and Sophomore Scouts from West Springfield HS, under the leadership of Heidi Kugler, prepared desserts for 120 clients receiving an evening meal from the St. Andrew’s Outreach Hot Meals Program. It is always a blessing to have folks step up and participate in this important neighborhood necessity for those in need. Thank you Troop 5020 for your thoughtfulness.
Stewardship Volunteers

The Stewardship Committee is asking for volunteers to plan for year-round stewardship to help St. Andrew’s plan for its future. Stewardship is an excellent way to get involved in the community for now and for years to come. We are looking for creative ideas and individuals interested to build our stewardship campaign. Skills needed: Strong communications and collaborative skills, desire to help others, and interest in making a difference. You don’t need a degree in accounting or economics, just a desire to help plan for the future!

Last year’s campaign was a wonderful success, especially given the challenges of COVID. Please contact Brian Jones or Karan Wright if you would like to be part of the Stewardship Committee.

Contact: Brian Jones & Karan Wright (stewardship@standrews.net)
Shrine Mont

We are excited to announce our Shrine Mont weekend for this fall - October 29th-31st! These are great dates because we can do some fun Halloween-ish activities but still have the kids home to do neighborhood trick or treating! Please save the dates and start considering if you would like to join us!

Registration and pricing will be available shortly but should be very similar to the last time we went (2019). This weekend is perfect for all ages and all parish members! We will be following our own as well as Shrine Mont's COVID protocols - which you can read here. The biggest change is that they will only provide bed linens - we will need to bring our own pillows, blankets, and towels.

Contact: Amy Dutton (amy@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: 
Pam, Larry Dickerson, Carol Cobb, Linda & Ed Hunter, Dale Dickey, Heiki Mayer, John & Janet Carver, Susan Henderson, Douglas Taggart, Chris Conrad, Bill Hartig, Lori Hardin, Lloyd Sterling, Nancy Knight, Janet & Jack Keyser, Katie Durso, Mary J. Moses, Terry Peel, Charles Petty, Gloria Covington, Tina Boyd, Theresa DelConte, Ann Riley, Mike Tapper, Claire Johns, Tom Kelly, Lisa Lavery, Garson, Hugh Brian Henderson, Jen Blair, Marie Lichaa, Edward, Anne Huss, Al Dessayer, Theo Pickeral, Olivia Kertesz, Carol Matovick, Connie W., Sheri Cizek, Rachel Gordon, Cathy Harmon, Robert Hooper, Nan Little, Cyndi Wildberger, Phil Carlson, and Doris James


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