St. John's Episcopal Church - Centreville, VA
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Parish News - June 24, 2020
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Dear St. John's parishioners and friends:
The Vestry has decided to make a few changes to the Sunday schedule during the pandemic, in response to some feedback from parishioners. Our service will now be at 9:00 AM, though it will continue to be posted on YouTube on Saturday. We will then have our
coffee hour from 10:00 - 10:30 AM and the Adult Lectionary Class at 10:30 AM, as it has been. Some parishioners did not want to wait until noon for the coffee hour. This new schedule will start this Sunday, June 28.
Although the bishop is now allowing outdoor worship with certain restrictions, the Vestry decided it is not in the best interests of our parishioners to try to do this now. We will continue to work on what we need to do for indoor worship so we will be ready when the numbers of COVID cases go down in Fairfax County for 14 consecutive days. Our online services will continue.
I know this continues to be a difficult time for many of you as the pandemic continues. Although some businesses are now opening up on a restricted basis, we still need to weigh the risks of going out versus the safety of staying at home. Please know that you are all in my daily prayers. God is with us to strengthen and uphold us. The Vestry continues to work on your behalf, so we will do the best we can to get through this time of social distancing. When we are able to return to in-person worship, we will be in a strong place, spiritually and financially. Please take care of yourselves and may God bless you all.
The Rev. Carol Hancock
Rector
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Preparing for Phase II Regathering on Our Church Buildings
Here's the link:
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St. John's is here to help you!
If you or someone you know has a need that the church can help with during this pandemic (going to the grocery store, picking up prescriptions, etc), please do not hesitate to call the church (703-803-7500). Many of us are ready and willing to help, should the need arise. The church is here to help in any way we can.
What else can St. John's be doing to fill your spiritual needs during this difficult time? If you have ideas or suggestions, please let Carol know.
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Every Wednesday, St. John's has a
Service of Evening Prayer
at 6 PM
. It is a peaceful way to end the day, and it's now being held virtually. Here is the link to this evening's service:
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PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN TIMES!!
This Sunday, June 28, join us for the service at 9:00 AM, the coffee hour from 10:00 - 10:30 and the Adult Lectionary Class at 10:30 AM on Zoom. The links will be sent out in Saturday's email, which will have the link for the service (9:00 AM), the link for the coffee hour at 10:00 AM and the link for the Adult Lectionary class (10:30 AM)
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A few announcements:
Our prayers and sympathy
go to Dan Jones on the death of his mother, Judy Davis, in North Carolina, and to Nita Amar on the death of her friend, Erinn Travalon. May their souls and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Bob Faithful
is now out of the hospital following surgery and in a rehab facility. He may be released from the rehab facility as early as this Sunday, June 28. His brother will be helping him at home for awhile, but they would be grateful for some delivered meals, if any parishioners could provide a meal or two. Please call him at 703-599-7948 if you are able to provide a meal.
Cheryl Nayyar, a parishioner at St. John's, is in need of a nanny to care for her two small boys, If you know of someone who might be able to fill this position, please email Cheryl at
Many thanks go to
Angela Hadfield
who came up with the idea of having the Vestry take small bags of goodies to our parishioners. Some are bakers and some are deliverers. She has put together a spread sheet and gives us our assignments each Saturday. If you have not yet received yours, you should in the next few weeks. Thanks to Dick Griffith, Susie Pike, Ann Goldberg, and Angela who are doing the baking, and to Andrew Wade, Susie, Angela, and Carol who are making the deliveries.
St. John’s Grounds Cleanup: Saturday, June 27
th
, 2020 9:00 a.m. to Noon
We had a very generous parishioner donate 100 bags of mulch! Now the work begins!
This will be an effort for the morning only. You will be surprised as the St. John’s campus looks terrific after some trimming by J & M Landscaping this spring. There are still some flower beds that need weeding and fresh mulch needs to be spread. This is where we could use some volunteers.
Please bring rakes, wheelbarrows, and gloves. We will have plenty of these supplies if you do not have.
We will have: Water/Gatorade and donuts. Please bring your own coffee. St. John’s parishioners, neighbors, friends, as well as members of our Ministry partners are invited.
If you can make it during any part of the morning, please RSVP to
[email protected]
.
If you participate in our online worship services on Wednesdays and/or Sundays on YouTube, please
hit the subscribe button and you will get notifications of anything posted on YouTube by St. John's. It also shows us how many people are watching our worship services.
Do you have a Book of Common Prayer at home?
As our online services continue, it would be easier for each of you to follow the service and make the appropriate responses if you had your own prayer book at home. Many people do, not just to use for services but also to use its many other resources for personal prayer time. We have extra prayer books at the church, if you would like one. Just let Carol know and we can arrange a "no contact" pick up.
The Prayer list -
If you would like to add someone to the prayer list, please email Carol. The readers who do the readings as well as the Prayers of the People, do their recordings from their homes toward the beginning of the week. If you send a name after the recording has been made, the name might not be on the prayer list until the following Wednesday or Sunday. Also, please note that the prayers of the sick, and those who have died, are read during the services we are posting on YouTube. So they are now "virtual". If you put a name on the prayer list, please contact the church office to have their name taken off the list when they have sufficiently recovered.
Forward Day by Day, a daily devotional normally available in the breezeway, is now here for May/June/July. If you would like one to be mailed to you, please call Carol or send an email.
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Sermons from the Bishop's Online Chapel
Each week, one of our bishops or a member of the diocesan staff prepares and posts a sermon based on the Sunday's readings that can be used for online services. Here is the sermon posted for this past Sunday.
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Psychological First Aid
Psychological distress often follows a crisis. You may need support for yourself, your family, and your community....
Here is the link for the webinar:
Scroll part way down, until you see the title "Psychological First Aid", then click.
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ChurchNext Offers a Free Online Class
This course is designed to give you a boost.
We don’t know when this pandemic is going to end, but we can tap into resources to help us deal with it in healthy ways. As we are increasingly tempted to fall into our phones and ask people to wake us when Covid-19 is over, it becomes increasingly important that we maintain healthy habits.
This course can help us ponder ways we can tap into our faith as a resource for us and others.
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OUTREACH TO OUR COMMUNITY
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Western Fairfax Christian Ministries
We have just received word that Western Fairfax Christian Ministries is again accepting personal donations of food and toiletries. This is what they need most:
Current Pantry Needs
Food & Beverages
Canned Tuna or Other Meat
Canned Fruit
Canned Vegetables (no Green beans, corn or Peas needed)
Canned Pasta (ravioli)
Rice (small bags or boxes)
Mashed Potatoes
100% Fruit Juice
Pancake Mix/Syrup
Flour/Sugar/Vegetable Oil
Toiletries
Deodorant
Toilet Paper
Diapers Size 5, 6
St. John's would like to help people in need of food and other items. We now have a bin outside the door to the breezeway for people who would like to drop off donations and we will get it to WFCM. If you would like a member of the Vestry to come and pick up your donation at your house, please email Angela Hadfield at [email protected]. She will contact a member of the Vestry to call you about a date and time to pick up your donation. If you would like to take your donation directly to WFCM, their address is
4511 Daly Dr. Suite J
Chantilly, VA 20151
They accept donations from 8-10 AM Monday-Friday and 2-4 on Tuesdays and Thursdays,
You can still order food online at Amazon:
Here is the link that takes you directly to WFCM's 'wish list' on Amazon:
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Fairfax County Health Department Neighbor to Neighbor Program
In response to COVID 19, the Health Department has set up a Neighbor to Neighbor Program for residents 60 and over who need to have someone pick up groceries and medications for them. Contact Fairfax County Aging, Disability and Caregiver Resource Line at 703-324-7948.
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SUNDAY WORSHIP & EDUCATION
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The Adult Lectionary Forum
*
Now being held virtually via Zoom. All are invited to join in, following the virtual Sunday service. The links to the Forum and the service are sent out in a separate email on Saturdays.
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We can prepare our hearts & minds by reading ahead
for the Sunday Service lesson
The Fourth Sunday
after Pentecost -
June 28, 2020
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The First Reading:
Genesis 22:1-14
Abraham makes himself and his son, Isaac, completely available to God, even to the point of death. His trust is rewarded.
The Psalm: 13
page 597, BCP
The Second Lesson:
Romans 6:12-23
Those who are baptized into Christ are free to do right rather than to sin, but most significantly we share in Jesus’ victory over sin and death, and his glory.
The Gospel:
Matthew 10:40-42
Jesus charges all his followers, then and now, to prize each person as beloved of God and to offer hospitality to all. In doing so, we will become like those holy ones we welcome.
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Juneteenth observed at St. John's bell.
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Prayers for Justice, Reconciliation and Peace
The Deacons of the diocese put together a booklet of prayers for justice, reconciliation and peace. Click on the link to access the prayers.
We encourage you to please stay current with your pledge and contributions to St. John's. Our bills continue to come in and need to be paid. You can mail your contributions to St. John's at 5649 Mt. Gilead Road, Centreville, VA 20120. If you would rather give online, please use the Tithe.ly button below.
Brick Makers is going to be discontinuing the color of the bricks that we use on our "Walkway of the Saints". If you are thinking about getting a brick in memory of or in thanksgiving for someone, please let Carol know as soon as possible. We need at least 5 brick applications to send an order into Brick Makers. We can continue having engraved bricks installed in our walkway, but they will be a different color. The cost of an engraved brick is $75.
Save the Children
St. John's supports two children through Save the Children, and has done so for many years. Their pictures are posted in the breezeway. We pay $20 per child per month to support these children. ($40 per month). We are in need of donors to help us to continue to provide financial support for these children. If you can help, please make a check out to St. John's, and put "Save the Children" in the memo line.
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Online Contributions
to St. John's
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St. John's now offers three buttons for online donations via Tithe.ly. You may use the buttons below to go directly to Tithe.ly, or you may download the Tithe.ly app on your phone or tablet.
The
Pledge contribution
button may be used to make your pledge payment
(after signing up to be a pledger
,
which may be done at any time in the year. See Carol or Vestry)
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The
Facility donation
button may be used for any contribution for the facility's buildings and grounds, or special facility campaigns.
The
Donation button
may be used for
any other type of donation
to St. John's. If designating gift for a special purpose (i.e.Organ Fund, Cemetery, etc.) please send an email after donating to [email protected].
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Diocesan Resources
The Diocese of Virginia has posted on its website (www.thediocese.net) many resources for individuals and clergy to use during this time when we cannot gather together for worship and Christian Education. On the opening page of the website, you will see "Covid 19 Resources" in the upper right hand corner. This page includes statements by Bishop Susan Goff, some church financial resources, tips about recording services online, and Christian Education resources to use at home. One resource is entitled "Do Faith at Home" and has ideas for adults and children
https://www.dofaithathome.org/
Every week
, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry broadcasts a short reflection entitled, "Habits of Grace". He has encouraging words of hope and love for all of us during this difficult time. They are 4-5 minutes long. You can watch the videos at
https://episcopalchurch.org/habits-of-grace
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Reflections
Revelation
What Scripture proclaims, what the Creeds declare, and what Christians have affirmed about God over the last two millennia is not some mathematical riddle the tells us that 3 = 1, but that God is a God who communicates with creation, that God was revealed to us in the person of Jesus, and that God continues to be known to the people of God, even today.
-Br. James Koester
A Prayer for the Power of the Spirit among the People of God
God of all power and love,
we give thanks for your unfailing presence
and the hope you provide in times of uncertainty and loss.
Send your Holy Spirit to enkindle in us your holy fire.
Revive us to live as Christ’s body in the world:
a people who pray, worship, learn,
break bread, share life, heal neighbors,
bear good news, seek justice, rest and grow in the Spirit.
Wherever and however we gather,
unite us in common prayer and send us in common mission,
that we and the whole creation might be restored and renewed,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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and the office number is 703-803-7500.
May our ministry together spread God's love to all whom we encounter.
-
Carol
The Rev. Carol Hancock, Rector
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Please note:
If you choose to unsubscribe below, please be aware that you will no longer receive either St. John's sermons or E-Notes, which are sent weekly. If you do unsubscribe and later want to be added back in, that needs to be done through the provider, Constant Contact. Please email St. John's office with the request: [email protected].
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