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Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. | |
Traditions - we all have them in life. They touch on things that are deeply felt and often are time-honored as well. Jesus spoke about traditions in the Gospel lesson in worship for this past Sunday, Mark 7:1-13. In speaking as He did, Jesus quoted a passage from the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 29:11-19), pointing out that sometimes our traditions can get in the way of the kingdom of God.
Our faith life can degenerate into just going through the motions; checking the box. As the sermon revealed, rather than trust in our traditions, Jesus calls us to put our trust in him and what He has done for us through his life, death and resurrection.
Pastor Meehan's Blog - July-August 2024
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The "Building for Eternity Campaign" is in Full Swing!
Our efforts to rehabilitate the Fellowship Hall and associated areas are gathering steam. Last week Pastor Meehan introduced the Campaign Prayer, and on Sunday we announced more details for the September campaign. As campaign chair, I spoke on Sunday about my family’s connection with St. John’s and the community that has sustained my family for nearly 20 years. Maintaining the St. John’s facility for future generations — so that others can find their community at St John's also — is why Elisabeth and I will be supporting the campaign.
This week you should receive a mailing to your home address from St. John's. In it, you will find an introductory letter from Pastor Meehan, a full-color brochure discussing the planned renovation, and a small card with the campaign prayer.
Over the next few weeks, you’ll hear from other St. John's members who will share their connections with our Church and their support of the campaign. On Sunday, September 15th, each member will receive an individualized pledge request and will be asked to prayerfully consider what support they could offer our campaign.
The campaign’s goal is $1.0 million in pledges over a five year period. This sum will allow the Church Council to confidently plan next steps, including hiring an architect for final drawings and securing a construction loan.
The Campaign will run through Sunday September 29th. Look for a progress chart in the narthex beginning in mid-September. If you have any questions or concerns you would like to share, feel free to contact me at airsandy@me.com or (703) 785-1574.
Greg Auld, "Building for Eternity" Campaign Chair
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Sunday Morning Worship Schedule Change
Please note that St. John's Sunday morning worship schedule will change this coming Sunday, September 1 (Labor Day weekend)! During the summer months of July and August, we had an earlier start time for worship at 9:30AM. Starting on Sunday, September 1, we will revert back to worship at 10:30AM with the Education Hour beginning at 9:15AM. We look forward to seeing everyone back for worship and Bible study as we enter into the fall season!
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Koinonia Share Sunday - September 1
The first Sunday of each month is Share Sunday at St. John’s, in which we gather items to bless those in need in the community around us. These items are given to Koinonia, the local Franconia/Kingstowne community service agency, and they are then disbursed to people who need them.
Please consider picking up something from Koinonia's most recent "needs list" when you are at the store. Your donations can be left in the shopping cart at the church (only non-perishable items, please) on Sunday, September 1 or you may drop them off at Koinonia. Please share the blessings God has bestowed on you by helping those in need through Koinonia. Thank you!
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Come Back to Church
As the summer comes to a close and life gets busier with the fall season, The Rev. Dr. Bill Harmon, President of the Southeastern District, has a short video inviting everyone to “come back to church.”
This is a timely message as we prepare for a new year of learning that begins with Homecoming Sunday on September 8. Please watch this 2-minute video and, if you’ve been away for whatever reason, be open to coming back to church. St. John’s is ready to welcome you back with open hearts and arms!
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Installation of New Pastor at Grace-Woodbridge
Members and friends of St. John's are cordially invited to the installation of Rev. Wayne Puls as pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Woodbridge in a worship service on Saturday, August 31 at 1:00PM. A reception will follow the service and the church is located at 1601 Prince William Parkway Woodbridge, VA 22191.
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Food Truck Thursday is Coming to St. John's
As a service to the community around St. John's, we will be hosting food trucks in our church parking lot on a trial basis once a month for the fall season. This new initiative was brought before the Church Council at its August meeting, and after consideration, approval was given. There is no cost to our congregation for hosting this, and each food truck vendor is fully licensed with insurance and bonding. The trucks will be parked in our church parking lot and will be open for business on the following dates:
- September 5 from 4:00 - 7:30PM
- October 3 from 4:00 - 7:30 PM
- November 7 from 4:00 - 7:30PM
Each year at St. John's National Night Out in early August, we have had food trucks present and they have been well received. We will be publicizing the above information to the local community, and you are encouraged to share this information with friends and neighbors.
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Graveside Committal Service for Former Member of St. John's
Former member of St. John's, Ruth Hoppe, passed away in March 2020 and will be laid to rest in a graveside committal service on Thursday, September 5 at 11:00AM at National Memorial Park in Falls Church. Members and friends of St. John's are invited to this service. Together with her daughter, Gwen, Ruth was active in Creative Fellowship and was faithful in worship attendance at St. John's, having joined the congregation with her husband, Bill, in 2000. He passed away in December 2001. Ruth and Gwen continued to make their home here before they moved to New Jersey in 2013 to be closer to family there. May our risen Lord Jesus Christ grant resurrection comfort and blessing to everyone in the Hoppe family!
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Soup and Sandwich Lunch on Homecoming Sunday
Sunday, September 8, is Homecoming Sunday when a new year of learning for all ages begins at St. John’s! Classes for everyone will take place during the Education Hour from 9:15-10:15AM, with the worship service following at 10:30AM.
Congregational leaders will be installed during this service, and a special blessing for teachers, staff, children and families of our Early Childhood Education Center will also take place. Immediately after the worship service, a soup-and-sandwich lunch will be served in the Fellowship Hall through St. John’s Ministry of Connecting. You don’t need to bring anything and no sign-up is needed - just come and enjoy! We look forward to seeing everyone back from summer on Homecoming Sunday, September 8!
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Daniel – Shelter in the Storm: Fall Sunday Morning Bible Study
The Bible study on Daniel begins on Sunday, September 8 from 9:15-10:15AM in the Fellowship Hall and concludes on Sunday, November 3 for a total of 8 sessions. Pastor Meehan will lead the study during the Adult Education Hour.
The book of Daniel has much to teach us today about how, where, and when to seek shelter in the storms of life. Though he lived long ago, Daniel’s life can serve as a model for modern-day believers in how we are called to struggle well in our own journey of faith. Remembering God’s faithfulness to Daniel in his storm-tossed life and ministry in Babylon provides encouragement to us to find our own shelter in the storm through God’s abiding promises and enduring faithfulness. Please register here for this Bible study.
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Sunday Morning Children and Teen Ministry Kick-Off
Begins Sunday, September 8 at 9:15AM
At St. John's, we love to share with children the Good News that Jesus is our Savior!
Our Sunday Morning Children's Ministry focuses on loving and connecting with children so that they may experience the love God has for them through Christ Jesus. Its purpose is to help children connect with Jesus, one another, and caring adults.
Our Sunday Morning Children’s and Teens' Ministry is for children and teens ages 3 to grade 12! There’s something for everyone!
Tots' Ministry (ages 3-4 and Kindergarten) will meet in a contained classroom on the lower level. Our Preschool and Kindergarten students will discover Bible stories through music, play, and teaching. Preschool and Kindergarten is a great time to begin to build a lifelong love of learning.
Kids' Ministry (1st – 5th grade) will meet in classrooms on the upper level. Students will explore Biblical truths to our shared faith story and participate in a music enrichment experience.
Teens' Ministry (6th-12th grade) will meet in the Student Ministry Lounge for fellowship and Bible study crafted to address timeless issues faced by today’s teens. There will also be opportunity for fellowship and service events outside the Sunday morning hour.
Our Sunday Morning Children's Ministry meets from September to the beginning of June. Children from age 3 through 12th Grade are invited to join us each Sunday at 9:15AM.
NEW and RETURNING children are asked to register in advance for Sunday Morning Children's Ministry.
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St. John's Prospective Member Class
For anyone interested in making St. John's their home congregation, a prospective member class will be held in the Library during the Sunday morning Education Hour starting on Sunday, September 8. "Discipleship 101" is a 7-week class that uses Scripture and Luther's Small Catechism to explore both our faith as Lutheran Christians and our life together at St. John's, weaving together visits from our ministry servant leaders with our congregation's mission and vision.
St. John's New Member Team, together with Pastor Meehan, will lead this course. All materials will be provided. Please register here. If you have any problems with the online form, please contact the church office via email or phone (703)971-2210.
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Bible Study of the Book of Acts
The Midweek Bible Class is led by Pastor Meehan, and meets twice each month on the second and fourth Wednesday at 10AM in Rooms 307-309 on the upper level of the Education Center. The first session will be on Wednesday, September 11 at 10AM. Although the class is made up mostly of retirees, anyone is welcome to participate. Study guides will be needed for the class, and are available for purchase at $12.99 each.
What was the fledgling Christian church like in the New Testament era after Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension? What challenges did the apostles face as they brought the good news of Jesus to people, both Jews and Gentiles? What can we learn from these early believers for our own life in Christ today? The book of Acts will be the subject of an in-depth study in the year ahead through St. John’s Midweek Bible Class. Using materials from LifeLight Bible study through Concordia Publishing House, the book of Acts will be studied over the course of the year ahead in a two-part series.
To register for the class, click here. If you would like to pay by check, please stop by the office during normal business hours Monday to Friday 8:00AM to 4:00PM.
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Confirmation Classes Start Up
Confirmation classes for young people (usually grades seven and eight) will begin on Wednesday, September 11, at 6:30PM. Parents and students will meet in the Fellowship Hall for dinner and an overview of the year ahead. Please make every effort to be present for this first gathering as we start the new year of learning.
Confirmation is a two-year process to help baptized young people grow in faith and reaffirm their Baptismal vows in the Rite of Confirmation. Click here to register for Confirmation classes, or if you have questions, please contact the church office, (703-971-2210).
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Journey to Joy Together
With joy we announce that our brother in Christ, and member of St. John's, Elohim Mombunga, will soon welcome his family to the United States. St. John's has been blessed to be part of the Mombunga family journey which includes a family separation of over eight years. Elohim lived and participated in our English classes and then congregational life while processing his immigration paperwork. He supported his family who remained in The Democratic Republic of Congo the entire time.
Elohim will be in Virginia on September 4 to reunite with his family, arriving at Dulles on either September 6 or September 7. Elohim's wife, Bijou, and their two children, Precious and Ephraim, will enjoy a short stay in Virginia, including worship with us on September 8, before driving to their now-permanent home in Indianapolis, Indiana.
We invite the St. John's family to play a part in a warm welcome for, and loving embrace of, this family. You are invited to consider taking up any or all of the following actions:
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Sign up at our CCB needs list. Included are meals, some transportation help, shopping help, and/or items you think of.
- Sign your well wishes and notes in a Pledge of Allegiance picture book which will be presented as a gift on Sunday, September 8. The book is located at the Welcome Center from now until presentation.
- Provide warm embraces and smiles at our September 8, 10:30AM worship service and follow-on fellowship around Soup & Sandwiches in the Fellowship Hall.
- Being responsive to additional needs that come up.
- Say and wave BON VOYAGE at their Springfield hotel the morning of September 10. Exact time and location will be shared when known.
Address questions and additional suggestions with Tish Nordvall.
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SED High School Gathering
High School is a time when making plans becomes a regular part of life. Whether it’s plans to hang out, plans to play sports or join a club, or plans for the future, making a plan is just what you do. But what about the plan God has for your life? How does that plan fit into the ones you're making? And what happens when things don’t go according to your plan? As we walk through Jeremiah 29, we’ll explore the immense comfort, hope, and joy found in the promise that God has a plan for us, and that plan is better than anything we can imagine.
Join us for this year's SED High School Gathering
November 1-3
Watermarks Camp
Scottsville, VA
To Register click here
Early Bird: Aug 1 - Sept 22: $160
Standard Reg: Sept 23 - Oct 6: $185
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"Sight and Sound" Theater Production of Daniel
SAVE THE DATE
October 11, 2024
Day bus trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lunch at Miller’s Smorgasbord
Cost $130.00 per person
Sponsored by St. John’s Senior Ministry
Everyone is welcome.
Sign up here
*image sourced from https://www.sight-sound.com/shows/daniel*
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Looking Ahead
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September 21 - Indoor Yard Sale in the Fellowship Hall sponsored by St. John's Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) beginning at 8AM.
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Important Links
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Facebook Live for viewing live services or educational opportunities as well as those previously recorded.
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YouTube for viewing church services
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Click here for the bulletins
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Stay up to date on all things SJLC.
Download our church app at by texting "app" to (877)776-1304.
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