Greetings!
PARISH NEWS for Wednesday, March 13, 2019
  • Lenten services and program

Starting today, Wednesday, March 13 and continuing for the 6 Wednesdays in Lent, t he program will be what we learned and experienced during our trip to the Holy Land. Each Wednesday, two or three people will present their pictures and reflections. We will have a service of Holy Eucharist at 6:00 PM, a light supper at 6:30 PM and the program from 7:00 - 8:00 PM. It was an amazing trip - one that we would like to share with you! Tonight, the program will be presented by Val and John Tucker. Please sign up in the breezeway if you'd like to come for future Wednesday programs so we know how many to plan for. The service will be in the church and the supper and program will be in the library.
Travel Notes & Photos - Saint George’s College, Jerusalem
Susan Davis: As a more visual person I liked seeing all the places in the bible for myself. Now the down side to this is that wonderful manager scene we have in our heads from Christmas, well it is now a huge church with a very commercialized square in front of it. But my WOW moment was in Nazareth when we visited the Convent of the Sisters of Nazareth. Our 89 (for those who got my notes 89 not 98 is the correct number) year old nun took us under the convent where there was a large church and house of Joseph, with a larg e burial cave containing 3-4 burial niches. The local tradition argues that this was the home of Joseph, who decided to turn it to the family burial plot – Mary, Jesus, and himself. But since Mary and Jesus moved to Jerusalem, it was used only for Joseph’s own burial. In the 7 th century a pilgrim said he was told this was the tomb of a “Just Man”, name given because he married Mary despite the fact she was pregnant. No one thru the years could come up with another theory about the this being Joseph’s crypt and house. The tomb would have held the body for 2 years and then the bones removed and put into a bone box. The large stone to seal off the crypt was next to the entrance. There is a grate over the tomb where it is obvious a lot of incense was burned. The Wow moment was partly because this was probably where Jesus grew up but that fact this was a HUGE space with plenty of head room. And on top is a convent. (Susan shot the photos below.)
LENTEN MESSAGE from Bishop Susan
Lent blows in like a strong March wind, just when I need it the most. Lent blusters its way into my life, interrupting a long, wet After-the-Epiphany season during which my soul grew a little flabby and my heart a little faint. Lent comes late this year, but it comes decisively.
 Maybe, like me, you indulged during the cold and dark of winter in temptations you might easily resist when it's light and warm and dry.  Maybe it was eating too many holiday sweets, binging on TV, buying stuff online that you don't really need, bickering mindlessly with loved ones, skipping the gym, neglecting the volunteer work that gives life. The earth lies fallow in winter, and we human beings need some fallow time, too, but that need can tempt us into habits that break relationship with God, with other people and with our deepest selves.
  And so Lent comes offering us a chance to recall what's really important, to reconnect with God and others, and to recalibrate habits for the sake of health - our own, our community's and our world's. This Lent, I invite you to join me in practicing a Lenten discipline in one or more of the three focus areas I described during the Recall and Reconnect Listening Tour.
 
1. Telling our Story. Some say you should never talk about politics or religion in "polite company." Jesus said something different. He told us boldly to proclaim the love, the healing and the goodness we have known in relationship with God. StorySharing materials on The Episcopal Church website invite us to share our stories with simple prompts like:  When have you felt God really alive in your church? Describe that moment. Or, share a story about how you made use of your sufferings, difficulties, or hardships in order to help someone else facing similar troubles. Explore these and other questions alone in journaling or in small groups, so that you may become more and more comfortable in telling your story to others. The   StorySharing Guidebook   tells you more.
 
2.Building Community . We Christians proclaim that all of humanity is created by God and that all are in the image of God. By the power of the love of God, made known to us in Christ Jesus, there are no "others" in the human family; there are only brothers and sisters. Yet we separate ourselves from one another based on race, ethnicity, gender, nationality, language, culture, political affiliation, religion and other factors.  Sacred Ground   is a new film-based dialogue series from The Episcopal Church that explores race and faith and invites us into the hard and holy work of overcoming our divisions for the healing of communities. I commend this program to you. 
 
3. Honoring God's Creation.  We human beings were created by God with a unique role as stewards of God's creation. Yet our lifestyles often leave us disconnected from the power, the wonder and the beauty of God's creation -- to the harm of the earth and ultimately to our own harm. As people of faith, we can act in concrete ways for the healing of our planet. The Presiding Bishop and the Task Force on the Care of Creation will soon post a Pledge for the Care of Creation and invite people across the Church to reflect with it throughout Lent. Those who feel so called may then sign on during Easter Week. The goal is to have 1,000 people sign the pledge by the first Sunday after Easter, and to partner for the sake of lasting change in our church, our communities and God's good earth. We will send a link to this Pledge as soon as it is made available.

 Lent blows in like a strong March wind, just when we need it the most.
 May God bless you with the all the hope and courage you need to live a full, transforming and holy Lent for the sake of your own soul, for the sake of community and for the sake of God's creation.
 Your sister in Christ,
 The Rt. Rev. Susan E. Goff
Bishop Suffragan and
Ecclesiastical Authority
Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
Kristin Tucker with the Giant Pancake!
Many thanks go to the Pancake Supper cooking crew!

 About 35 people turned out last Tuesday night for the Annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper. While eating the pancakes, parishioners got to see pictures from the recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Many thanks go to Dave Parker, John Tucker, Larry Pike, Katherine Sawyers, and Kristin Tucker for cooking the pancakes, bacon and sausage, and to all who helped set up and clean up. Thanks to the Tuckers for the pilgrimage slideshow.
  • Lenten Meditation booklets available
Lenten Meditation booklets, put out by Episcopal Relief and Development, are available on the back of the table in the church and in the breezeway. A short meditation is provided for each day during Lent to help us deepen our relationship with God. Please help yourself!

  • Thanks, Marcia!
Many thanks go to Marcia Evans for repairing and lining an old purple chasuble for use during Lent. The chasuble had previously belonged to Carol's father, but will now belong to St. John's.

  • Choir news – Faure’s Requiem
Several members of St. John’s choir are busy rehearsing Faure’s Requiem which will be presented with several church choirs and the Loudoun Symphony on Sunday, April 7 at 4 PM at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Ashburn, VA.  The requiem is a choral and orchestra piece written as a mass for the dead and focuses on eternal rest and consolation. Offering envelopes are on the back table in the church. If you would like to help support this concert and have loved ones remembered, please fill out the front of the offering envelope. The names of loved ones who have died will be printed in the concert bulletin. The admission fee at the door is $20 for adults, $10 for students, and ages 12 and under are free. Please join us for this special presentation. Penny and Dave Parker, and Susie and Larry Pike will be participating in this concert.

  • A CROP Walk
A CROP Walk to end hunger is being sponsored by the Centreville Presbyterian Church on Sunday, March 31 starting at 1:30 PM. Please read the flyer in the breezeway or contact Alice Foltz for more information.

  • Local Blood Drive
D id you know that Inova needs to collect 200 units of blood every single day just to meet the needs of our community? There is no substitute for human blood - if it isn't available, "non-urgent" patients wait until it is. I was one of those "non-urgent" patients when I had leukemia. Thankfully, I am healthy today, and I want to make sure that blood products are available to anyone who needs them.
A single pint of blood can save three lives; Come Be a Lifesaver 
4th Annual Little Rocky Run Blood Drive
Saturday, March 30th from 8:15 AM - 12:30 
Rec Center 2 (6201 Sandstone Way) in Little Rocky Run
Make An Appointment or email your preferred time to pantherpints@gmail.com
Thanks! Brent Keifer

  • The movie "NOAH" comes to the big screen!
S een by more than 5 million people on stage, NOAH is headed to movie theaters across the country for a special nationwide event. Filmed in front of a live audience, NOAH takes you on board history’s best-known voyage—along with two of every kind of animal! Now you can experience it on the big screen, playing three days only: April 9, 11, and 13 at the Regal Theater at the Fairfax Town Centre 10. There are two shows on April 9, and one each on April 11 and 13. Get your ticket soon and reserve your seat! Tom and Marie McDermott saw the original play and said it is wonderful!!!

2 - 4 Year Olds Class
The children in the Sunday School class of 2 - 4 year olds take a break from their lesson that we are all part of God's family. This class meets on the first Sunday of each month from 10:50 - 11:30 AM in room 215. Invite your family and friends to join us!
Want to see the National Cathedral built out of Legos?!
You can be part of the Cathedral Lego Project in many ways! Click the link to explore all the possibilities!

SUNDAY SERVICE
We can prepare our hearts & minds by reading ahead
for the Sunday Service lessons.   

The Second Sunday in Lent

March 17, 2019

9:30 AM
 The First Lesson: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
God makes a covenant with Abram and takes on himself all the consequences for the covenant's failure. In choosing a man who has been infertile to be the father of his people, God makes a bold and seemingly unwise choice.

The Psalm: 27 page 617, BCP

The Second Lesson: Philippians 3:17-4:1
The apostle Paul urges Christians in Philippi to remember their identity as children of God and to behave as such. They should deny themselves the constantly changing desires of the world and its emotions, and, instead, focus on the truth which God has placed in their hearts.

The Gospel: Luke 13:31-35
Seeing that Jesus is a messenger from God, even Pharisees warn him against the evil governmental plot. Jesus will not hide from conflict, even if it leads to death, because God will not abandon his sheep to slaughter without defense.

____ __________________________________________________________
 
CHILD CARE IS PROVIDED IN THE NURSERY  
(Rm. 205) 
During the Service
____________

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

St. John's Sunday School class for ages 2-4, Room 215
Meets the first Sunday of each month from 10:50 - 11:30 

THE ADULT LECTIONARY FORUM

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

This week we highlight the life of St. Gertrude of Nivelles , OSB (c. 628 – March 17, 659), a 7th-century nobleman's daughter and abbess who, with her mother, founded the Abbey of Nivelles, Belgium, a double monastery in which male and female monastics lived, worked and prayed in separate wings. At age 24, Gertrude's mother died and she assumed leadership of the monastery. She knew much of the Bible by heart, memorized passages from books on divine law, oversaw the building of churches in communities near her monastery, and offered refuge and care for orphans, widows, captives, and pilgrims. Gertrude made the most of every day and literally worked herself to death. True to her monastic vows, she died in poverty on March 17, 659 at age 33 and was buried in the very hair shirt she wore under her habit.


 
DIOCESE

  • Celtic Worship
In the latest edition of the "Virginia Episcopalian", the quarterly magazine put out by the Diocese of Virginia, an article featured a Celtic worship service that is held at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Richmond. A Celtic worship service is a quiet service, often with candlelight, soft music, prayer, silence and readings, a time to be calm and sit in the presence of God. Oftentimes, the leadership is shared among several laypeople and musicians and it can be a very moving service. Church of the Epiphany in Herndon has a Celtic service on the first Sunday of the month at 5:30 PM and you would be welcome to join them. Try it and see if you like it.

  • United Thank Offering
The United Thank Offering, sponsored by the Episcopal Church Women, collects funds in the spring and fall to assist outreach programs in this diocese and beyond. The Spring Ingathering at St. John's will be held on Sunday, April 8, when the funds will be collected, blessed and sent on to the diocesan ECW. UTO boxes and envelopes are on the back table in the church. You can put a coin or a bill in the box every time you have something to be thankful for. Prior to April 8, you can count the money you have collected for your many blessings and write a check for that amount. Use the UTO envelope for your check and bring it on April 8.
VOLUNTEERING AT ST. JOHN'S
Sign Up Here to be an altar server *, or to donate flowers for a Sunday service, or to bring refreshments for Coffee Hour after the 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).
croissant2.jpg
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!

Complaining
Complaining, or murmuring, as St Benedict calls it, can have a toxic effect on human communities. Suppose you gave up complaining. Suppose you made it your practice to express what you desire and to work constructively toward achieving it, rather than complaining about the things you don’t like. Could becoming "murmur-free" make a difference in your quality of life and in the quality of life of those around you?
-Br. David Vryhof
My email address is stjohnscvpriest@gmail.com,
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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