Greetings!
PARISH NEWS for Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Dear St. John's parishioners and friends:

As we finish the second week of quarantine and social distancing, many of us are starting to feel the impact of how our lives have changed. Some are isolated. Some are frustrated that the end does not seem to be in sight. Many have lost their jobs and their businesses and are realizing the financial impact this pandemic will cost them. Children will now have to be home schooled for the rest of the academic year, to the chagrin of many parents. Some of are grieving the loss of normalcy, the fear of the economic toll it will take, the loss of connection to family and friends. And we are filled with anxiety and uncertainty. We don't know how long our isolation will last, when businesses will reopen, when we can gather again for public worship.

Where is God in the midst of the corona virus? God is here, with each of us, in the midst of our fears and uncertainty. With our focus on God, and taking one day at a time, we will get through this, because God is our strength and our hope. And God will never, ever abandon us.

As Christians, we are called to trust in God, no matter what happens to us in this earthly life. God gives us the courage and the strength to trust. And God calls us to pray. Pray for strength. Pray for courage in these uncertain and anxious times. Pray for a stronger and deeper relationship with God. Prayer can open up the space for our faith and trust to grow.

We will continue to have our St. John's services online until we are able to gather together again. Bishop Susan Goff just announced that all services of public worship will be suspended at least until May 8, which is a Friday. David Weir has set up a YouTube channel for St. John's where all our services will now be posted and stored. The link to that channel is https://youtu.be/3njok_BEH5Q . Each service will be posted by 9:30 on Sunday mornings. I hope you will worship with us online and invite others to watch from their homes.

SInce we are not together on Sundays, I miss the opportunity to find out what is going on in your lives - new babies in your family, graduations, weddings, deaths. In order to stay connected as a church family, I invite you to let me know of these occasions so I might share them with the community in the Wednesday E-Notes.

I miss seeing each of you and worshipping together on Sunday mornings. But this will not last forever, and at some point, we will all be back at St. John's. In the meantime, we need to put our faith and trust and hope in God who gives us the strength to endure and to grow. Take care of yourselves and stay healthy!

The Rev. Carol Hancock
Rector

Vestry News: What's going on at St. John's this week?
Old Beast about to leave
Good-bye Beast
The New Beast in Town
The vestry met on zoom internet program on Sunday, March 22 . We will keep meeting weekly to continue our work for the church community.
On Monday and Tuesday our new HVAC system arrived and was placed on the roof. Our work continues although we remain at safe social distancing.
(the above items are a sampling from WFCM's Amazon list, which can be found by clicking the link below. Some of the items may be out of stock when you look. But keep looking as some will be available.)


HOW TO HELP WFCM FAMILIES DURING COVID-19
  
WFCM is pre-bagging food to continue to provide all clients with food. With schools being closed items are being included for breakfast and lunch food for kids (primarily single servings that do not require a stove). The bags will also include bread, fresh fruit and items already in our pantry that come daily from grocery stores. 
 
WFCM is not accepting individual small donations from homes.  If you would like to donate food items, please order food and toiletry items online and ship them directly to WFCM's office in Chantilly or donate online .
Here is the link that takes you directly to WFCM's 'wish list' on Amazon:

  
Habits of Grace: An invitation for you, from Presiding Bishop Curry
Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs - Posted Mar 16, 2020
As we learn how to adjust our lives given the reality of the coronavirus and the request to do our part to slow its spread by practicing social distancing, I invite you to join me each week to take a moment to cultivate a ‘habit of grace.’

Living Well Through Lent
An Introduction to
Practicing Courage with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind
Lent is a time for introspection and self-reflection, a time to reflect on the core of what it means to live a Christian life in the midst of great change and uncertainty. When facing change and uncertainty, few practices are more central to that life than courage—the courage to be vulnerable, the courage to grow, the courage to change direction, the courage to let go, the courage to act with grace, and the courage to walk the way of love. To receive daily devotions from Living Well throughout Lent, please click here:
St. John’s Men’s Group / Lumberjacks SELLING WOOD!
Replenish your winter firewood, as spring is still some weeks away! And help benefit St. John's at the same time!

The Lumberjacks are selling bundles of wood near the front entrance to the Historic Church for the great price of $5 per bundle. (or $20 for 5 bundles).
 Please give the money to someone in the office, a vestry member, or Carol.
Most of the bundles will be ash wood. If you would like more than a few bundles (would like to fill up your car or truck), please leave a message with the church office and we will make arrangements. 
 
The final meeting of the Lenten book study , reading "Woman of God" will meet online tonight at 7:00 PM. Directions on how to join the discussion will be sent out shortly to those who have been attending.

Many thanks go to David Weir for recording our services and getting them online for you to see. Thanks also go to Jean Makurat and Val Tucker who assisted with last Sunday's service.

Thanks go to David Thompson who has been painting room 217/218.

Thanks go to Tom McDermott who has been overseeing the purchase and installation of our new HVAC system as well as repairs to the roof.

Congratulations go to Denise McCarthy on the arrival of the newest member of her family, Natalie Christine Cornell.

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 Tith.ley buttom below. As we will not be having the two Easter services in the church, when we normally get a large plate offering from visitors, we ask that you be particularly generous with your contributions, if you are able.

Blood supplies are getting low. If you are able to give blood, please consider doing so. There will be a blood drive at Fair Lakes shopping center, near BJ's from 9 - 2 on Monday, March 30. However, only 6 appointments are left. https://bit.ly/FairLakesCenterDonate032020 .You can go to the Inova Blood Services website to find other donation sites.

The funeral for Mildred DeBell has been postponed from April 18 to sometime late in May.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has put out a short video on our responsibility as Christians to participate in the census. With an accurate counting of people in their geographic locations, government funds will be better allocated. The census can be done online.

Every Monday morning throughout this pandemic, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry will broadcast a short reflection entitled, "Habits of Grace". He has encouraging words of hope and love for all of us during this difficult time. You can watch the videos at https://episcopalchurch.org/habits-of-grace

The church office continues to be open. The four of us have separate offices and we are practicing "social distancing". Please feel free to call if we can be of assistance to you.

If you have a prayer or a reflection , either one you have read or one you have written and you would like to share it in the E-Notes, please send it to Carol. If its one that someone else has written, be sure to include their name.
Make an Online Pledge Offering!
You can make your PLEDGE payment electronically.
The Tithe.ly App
Use this button to make your pledge donation.
THE SUNDAY SERVICES ARE CURRENTLY SUSPENDED DUE TO THE VIRUS
We can prepare our hearts & minds by reading ahead
for the Sunday Service lesson

The Fifth Sunday in Lent

March 29, 2020

9:30 AM

 The First Reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14
God instructs the prophet Ezekiel to preach to the most unlikely of audiences, with the most miraculous of results.

The Psalm: 130, page 784, BCP

The Second Lesson: Romans 8:6-11
Paul explains that the Spirit of God animates and emboldens us to the delight of God and for his service, just as we were made to be.

The Gospel: John 11:1-45
Jesus' good friend Lazarus is ill and dies; Jesus joins fellow loved ones in mourning, and then brings hope and resurrection.
____________________________
CURRENTLY THESE ACTIVITIES ARE NOT TAKING PLACE
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 215 (207/208 the first Sunday of the month)
_________________________

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 

_________________________

THE ADULT LECTIONARY FORUM

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

The Saint of the Week:

John Keble, born 1792, ordained Priest in 1816, tutor at Oxford from 1818 to 1823, published in 1827 a book of poems called The Christian Year , containing poems for the Sundays and Feast Days of the Church Year. The book sold many copies, and was highly effective in spreading Keble's devotional and theological views. His style was more popular then than now, but some of his poems are still in use as hymns today. He was Professor of Poetry at Oxford from 1831 - 1841, and from 1836 until his death 30 years later he was priest of a small parish in the village of Hursley near Winchester.


THE DIOCESE OF VIRGINIA
The Rt. Rev. Susan Goff Announces Appointment of Assisting Bishop 
 
The Rt. Rev. Susan E. Goff, Bishop Suffragan and Ecclesiastical Authority of the Diocese of Virginia, is honored to announce the appointment of the Rt. Rev. G. Porter Taylor as Assisting Bishop of the Diocese of Virginia. Taylor is the retired Bishop of the Diocese of Western North Carolina and comes to the Diocese of Virginia from Wake Forest University Divinity School, where he serves as a visiting professor of Episcopal Studies. He will begin his duties on July 1.
Coronavirus Updates and Information
from the Fairfax County Interfaith Office
FOOD RESOURCES :
As the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency continues to evolve, we understand that individuals and families in our communities may have food assistance needs. To make it easier for you to find food resources, the county has developed a searchable map that includes all food distribution sites, including Fairfax County Public Schools, community meal distribution sites, food pantries and other related services. You can enter your address, select how many miles from your address you want to search and select from the food distribution and assistance sites to find the name, address, hours (if available) and driving directions. 
The map can be accessed  here

Breakfast and Lunch (Breakfast served 8AM- 10:30 AM; Lunch served 10:30 AM- 2PM). To view the growing list of FCPS meal sites, please click here

Bus Route Meal Service:
Beginning Thursday, March 19, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) buses will begin delivering grab and go meals along some bus routes.  School buses will stop at designated intersections to deliver these meals. To view the list of bus stops, click here

HEALTH RESOURCES :
Here is a short video by Health Department Epidemiologist Barbara Downes on social distancing and CDC “how to protect yourself” page. 
Here is a five minute video by Dr. Schwartz giving in-depth testing information, and here is a link to the testing page . We are working with our health care providers to support and facilitate more opportunities for testing within health care settings. As we do not provide primary care services, the Health Department is not conducting testing. Please visit our county website for information on low-cost health care resources in the community. Contact one of these resources via phone to discuss your concerns, and the health care provider will determine if you need to be tested for COVID-19 and arrange for that test if needed. https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/strategymanagementhhs/health-integration-safety-net
 
We have the latest on TESTING. In summary:

  1. Call your doctor! Physicians will assess and provide referrals for testing as necessary
  2. Here is a five minute video by Dr. Schwartz giving in-depth testing information, and here is a link to the testing page that will be updated regularly.
  3. We are working with our health care providers to support and facilitate more opportunities for testing within health care settings. As we do not provide primary care services, the Health Department is not conducting testing. Please visit our county website for information on low-cost health care resources in the community. Contact one of these resources via phone to discuss your concerns, and the health care provider will determine if you need to be tested for COVID-19 and arrange for that test if needed. https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/strategymanagementhhs/health-integration-safety-net
Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services  If you or your congregants are have congregants are facing difficulties - including food, shelter, employment, financial assistance, healthcare and more other needs, please call Coordinated Services Planning (CSP) 703-222-0880 (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays). Residents can also visit the Human Services Resource Guide (HSRG) at https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/hsrg/ , an online, searchable guide to available health and human services resources in Fairfax County.
 
STAY IN TOUCH:
In an effort to ensure you are receiving accurate and timely information, Fairfax County has created a webpage that includes updated information and community resources at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/covid19 . You can also view the emergency blog , The Emergency Blog can be translated into different languages . The Health Department has a dedicated phone line that residents can call if they have questions 703-267-3511 (9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends)
 
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:
Reflections
Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing;
God only is changeless.
Patience gains all things.
Who has God wants nothing.
God alone suffices.  

St. Theresa

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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