Greetings!
PARISH NEWS for Wednesday, February 5, 2020
St. John’s Men’s Group / Lumberjacks did a terrific job Saturday!
A large group from St John's gathered on Gilead Green, our 1.1 acre property behind the church, this past Saturday to clean up fallen trees and branches. The wood splitter made logs continuously from 8 am to 4 pm and now three cords of firewood are neatly stacked behind the shed. While several truckloads of branches went to the dump, other debris was burned in a firepit, making for a nice mid-winter campfire. We had a total of 19 volunteers that came for a few hours or longer. 

Thank you to: Steve B, Gene C., Jim E., Steve G., Ben G., Jim H., Dave H., Mary J., Mike J., Akshay K., Gene M., Dave P., Larry P., Susie P., John T., Kristen T., Val T., Andrew W., & Monti Z.
Snacks for Sunday's coffee hour will be provided by the choir.

Vestry Coffee Hour set-up and clean up- Andrew Wade.

Annual Parish Meeting - St. John's Annual Parish Meeting will be held immediately after church on Sunday, February 16 . We will have reports from the Rector, the Senior Warden, the Treasurer, and others. We will also elect new members of the Vestry. Those who are submitting written reports should get them to Catherine Packard no later than February 6.

Vestry Nominees - Those who would like to stand for election to the Vestry for a three year term must be confirmed communicants in good standing - faithful in corporate worship and in working, praying and giving for the spreading of the Kingdom of God. If you might be interested in serving on the Vestry, please talk with Carol Hancock, Susie Pike or any member of the Vestry.

Bishop Gulick coming May 10 - Bishop Ted Gulick will be with us on Sunday, May 10. If you are 14 or older and would like to be confirmed when the bishop is here, please let Carol know as soon as possible. Confirmation classes meet once a week for 5-6 weeks.

TV for sale! We have a 32” color TV for sale. It's in good working condition and we will accept the best offer. If you want to come by and see it, it is in Carol’s office. The proceeds will benefit St. John’s.

Need a nametag? If you are new to St. John’s, or if you have never had a nametag, please fill out a form on the back table and we will make a nametag for you. The nametags have a magnetic back and are stored on the magnetic board outside the sacristy (by the nursery). It is helpful for those new to St. John’s for you to wear your name tag so they can get to know you by name.

Looking ahead - The Annual Pancake Supper will be held on Tuesday, February 25 in the parish hall. Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, is February 26. We will have two services, one at 12:00 noon and one at 7:30 PM in the church.
 
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SUNDAY SERVICE
We can prepare our hearts & minds by reading ahead
for the Sunday Service lesson


The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany

February 9, 2020

9:30 AM

 The First Reading: Isaiah 58:1-12
God speaks through Isaiah, mourning his people's disobedience, pleading for them to behave with justice and mercy, to show their contrition and intent to reform by fasting.

The Psalm: 112:1-10, page 755, BCP

The Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 2:1-16
Paul affirms that God works in people's hearts through modeling godly wisdom, not whatever is intellectually fashionable at the moment.

The Gospel: Matthew 5:13-20
Jesus has come to illumine the law, not to throw it out.
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CHILD CARE IS PROVIDED IN THE NURSERY  
(Rm. 205) 
During the Service
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JOINT SUNDAY SCHOOL: 10:30 - 11:30 AM
 Each week, St. John's children join with our Ministry Partners: 
Wellspring UCC & Grace Baptist Church
Room 207/208
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St. John's Sunday School class for ages 2-4, Room 215
Meets the first Sunday of each month from 9:50 - 10:40 AM 

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THE ADULT LECTIONARY FORUM

MEETS EACH SUNDAY IN THE LIBRARY, FOLLOWING THE SERVICE 
  FROM 10:50 - 11:50 AM

The Saint of the Week:

THE DIOCESE OF VIRGINIA
Diocesan Visioning Tour 2020
A year ago, we gathered as people of the Diocese of Virginia in a series of Listening Sessions. We prayed, sang, talked and listened to one another in hope and trust. In the time since then, the ministry needs cited by those who participated coalesced into four areas about which Bishop Goff spoke in her  Pastoral Address  to Diocesan Convention. 
The Four Ministry Areas
  1. Healing across differences and including all, particularly in the face of the sin of racism that infects our souls as a nation and as a Church, and with regard to the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons in every aspect and on all levels of diocesan life.
  2. Strengthening our financial health in order to resource the mission to which God has called us.
  3. Sharing the faith of Jesus with youth and others in such ways that they will hear a message of hope in a difficult and challenging world, and so that we all will take part in God´s work of transforming the world. 
  4. Honoring and caring for God´s creation, particularly in this era when changes in weather patterns threaten vulnerable human communities as well as vulnerable non-human species.
We invite you to be a part of crafting and articulating our diocesan vision and priorities for these four areas of our life. Those who attend a Visioning Session (dates below) will be invited to choose one of the four areas for small group work. A trained facilitator will lead each group to help ensure that everyone has a chance to speak and that all engage in active listening to one another and to the Spirit.
Small Group Discussion 
 The questions in each small group will be:
  • What do you think is God's vision for this area of ministry in the Diocese of Virginia?
  • How might you imagine our working together on this? For example, what is your congregation doing/passionate about in this area? How can that action/passion be a part of our wider work? What do you need from others to live more fully into this ministry?
Participants may have thoughts to share in more than one of these areas. They'll be invited to write those thoughts, suggestions and questions on a response sheet. Additional thoughts may be written and sent to  [email protected] .
We are a large diocesan family made up of interwoven congregations and communities, all bound together by God's love. We look forward to seeing what the Holy Spirit is up to in us through these sessions.
Visioning Tour Dates and Locations
Saturday, February 8, 1:00 p.m. Calvary, Front Royal
Saturday, February 15, 1:30 p.m. Good Shepherd, Burke
Saturday, February 29, 10:00 a.m St. Peter's, Arlington
VOLUNTEERING AT ST. JOHN'S
Sign Up Here to be an altar server , or to donate flowers for a Sunday service. ( if you're not an altar server, and would like to be a Lay Eucharistic Minister (LEM), a Lector, or a Crucifer, please see Carol).
COMMUNITY
WESTERN FAIRFAX
CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES

"We know that food can be one of the most expensive items on a household budget list. Our hope is that in allowing our clients to visit once per month they will save enough money to pay for other expenses such as rent or utility bills."
I tems are collected weekly in the baskets at the front door of St. John's Church. For food list:
OPPORTUNITIES
Reminder
Every Wednesday evening, we have a service of Holy Eucharist and healing at 6:00 PM. The service is about 30 minutes. It is a perfect alternative for those who cannot come to church on Sunday mornings, as well as a good spiritual boost in the middle of the week. Come join us!

A Morning Resolve
I will try this day to live a simple, sincere, and serene life, repelling promptly every thought of discontent, anxiety, discouragement, impurity, and self-seeking; cultivating cheerfulness, magnanimity, charity, and the habit of holy silence; exercising economy in expenditure, generosity in giving, carefulness in conversation, diligence in appointed service, fidelity to every trust and a childlike faith in God.
In particular, I will try to be faithful in those habits of prayer, work, study, physical exercise, eating and sleep, which I believe the Holy Spirit has shown me to be right.
And as I cannot in my own strength do this, nor even with a hope of success attempt it, I look to thee, O Lord my Father, in Jesus my Savior, and ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Amen. (from Forward Day by Day, February 2020)
My email address is [email protected],
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
ST. JOHN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH | 5649 MT. GILEAD RD. , CENTREVILLE, VA | 703-803-7500
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