Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. | |
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In worship this past Sunday, we celebrated both the Epiphany and the Baptism of Our Lord - a good way to begin this New Year! Jesus' revelation to the world, beginning with the coming of the wise men, continued with his baptism by John in the Jordan River. This marked the beginning of his public life and ministry as Jesus continued to reveal himself as the Father's chosen and beloved Son.
The star of Epiphany and the descending dove - the Holy Spirit - of Jesus' baptism all point to Jesus' full revelation of God's amazing love on the cross of Calvary where Jesus would take our sins upon himself, offering his life for us and for our salvation, as the sermon pointed out. How blessed we are to be baptized into Christ's own death and resurrection! Sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ, we are the Father's beloved sons and daughters. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, let us walk in newness of life!
In Christ,
Pastor Meehan
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Pastor Meehan Away Next Week
Pastor and June Meehan will be away next week, leaving Sunday afternoon, January 14, for a week in Florida. The guest preacher for Sunday, January 21, will be Rev. Dr. John Denninger, former President of the Southeastern District.
In the event of an emergency while Pastor Meehan is away and pastoral care is needed, please contact Rev. Andy Jagow, pastor of Bethany Lutheran Church in Alexandria. Pastor Jagow can be reached at 516-782-5519 (cell phone) and via email at pastor@bethany-lcms.org.
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Assistance Needed to Remove Christmas Decorations
We will be taking down and packing up the Christmas decorations in the Sanctuary and Narthex on Saturday, January 13, at 9:00AM. Help is needed to accomplish this task and this is a great way for families to serve together. If you have some free time that morning, please join us; the work can be done quickly if we have enough volunteers and you might just meet someone you have not had an opportunity to meet before. Many hands will make the work light!
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Hypothermia Shelter 2024
As part of "Being SJLC" (Serving Jesus—Living in Community) during this Epiphany Season, St. John's is again Living Out Our Faith by helping with the Hypothermia Shelter to be held at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Springfield, the week of January 28th. The Hypothermia Shelter system in Fairfax County (assisted by the non-profit organization FACETS), provides a safe place in churches for homeless adults to sleep in warmth overnight and receive meals to cover each day during the winter months.
This year, St. John's will be providing meals and volunteers for two days of the shelter operations starting with dinner on Wednesday, January 31st and finishing with lunch for Friday, February 2nd. We need volunteers to cook specific meals and items. In addition, we will be interacting with the shelter guests which is a huge part of this ministry and so we really need folks to come to the shelter to finalize and serve meals, have social/fellowship time with guests, oversee their needs overnight, and to provide breakfast and pass out lunch bags.
This is a wonderful opportunity for individual adults, couples, and small groups to serve our neighbors in dire need in the local community. Each one of the 5 practices of "Joining Jesus on His Mission" can be exercised in this ministry. Children can be involved at home in cooking and teens 16+ can be part of a kitchen/serving team on-site if a parent is with them.
Sign-up sheets with more info, dates, and times for all opportunities to assist/donate are located in the Church Narthex OR you can click in the box below to sign up on Church Community Builder (CCB).
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You only need to sign up once either on the poster or in CCB. Those who sign up on the poster will be added to the CCB list. You can also contact SJLC members Christy Hoins or Cathy Long to sign up or ask questions. | |
Church Office and School Holiday Closing
Please note that St. John's church office and Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) will be closed for the Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday on Monday, January 15.
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Koinonia Clothing Closet Collection 2024
As many of you know, St. John’s supports Koinonia, the local Franconia/Kingstowne community service agency, in many ways throughout the year. What you may not know, is that Koinonia operates a Clothing Closet for eligible residents in our community by providing good quality clothing free of charge for adults and children.
We have been notified by Koinonia that they have an immediate need for winter clothing, especially small and medium sized men’s clothing. Most of the items donated can be used clothing, but socks and underwear need to be purchased new. The clothing must be Fall and Winter appropriate because the storage space at Koinonia is small so they can only take in donations for the current season.
If you have new or used clothing for children and adults to donate, please drop your donations off at St. John’s and place them by the wooden Koinonia box near the entrance to the coat closet; we have a volunteer who will deliver the clothing items to Koinonia.
Questions? Contact Angela Schulze, Living Faith Lead at St. John’s; 703-794-8398.
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Hypothermia Bags
St. John’s “Living Faith” ministry has prepared 150 small Hypothermia Bags that members of our congregation can give to homeless individuals who we may encounter as we go about our day. Each bag contains a new pair of socks, a compact reusable blanket, hand warmers, a poncho, as well as some personal care items and a Walmart gift card. Look for a member of our congregation who will be handing out these bags in the narthex following the worship service on Sunday mornings or stop by the church and pick up one from the church office. Stop by soon while supplies last.
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God’s Plan for Us – A One-Day Bible Study
We have been invited by Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Herndon to join them for a Bible Study in their Fellowship Hall on Saturday, January 20, from 10AM to 2:30PM; come early for coffee and fellowship at 9:30. Lunch will be provided, so they request that we register in advance. Remember to bring your own Bible.
Jonathan Halls, a compelling teacher, speaker, and author and a member of Our Savior’s Way, will lead us through exploring God’s plan for us, His Church, and His world. As we start 2024, we’ll take time to reflect on God’s amazing promises to save us and restore His creation, and consider the roles God wants us individually, and our church to play.
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Church Potluck and Bingo Night on Sunday, January 21
Plan to join fellow members and friends of St. John’s for a mid-winter potluck and bingo night on Sunday, January 21 beginning at 5 PM in the Fellowship Hall.
Sponsored by St. John’s Connecting Ministry, the purpose is simply to bring people together for a time of fellowship and connecting with one another. Plan to bring a dish from home to share and be ready to win big! Prizes will be awarded and lots of fun will be had. Watch for more information to come! Questions? Please contact Barbara Wright, Connecting Ministry Lead.
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ESL Volunteers Needed
Want to make a big difference in someone’s life? Join us teaching English to our immigrant neighbors. Volunteers must commit to teach one class per week, from Feb. 13-May 2, 2024. Classes are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10-11:30AM, or 7:30-9PM. (Our adult students attend both days, but volunteers teach once a week.)
We need morning teachers for Zoom classes and evening teachers for in-person classes at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 5952 Franconia Rd., Alexandria, Va. No experience necessary—just a smile and desire to help people from other countries! Teacher training is Feb. 3.
For more information, click here or contact ESL Coordinator Dori McCormick.
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Join Creative Fellowship on a Mission to be a Blessing to Bethany House
We are collecting the following items for the women and children who seek help and support from Bethany House here in northern Virginia.
- Laundry detergent
- Disinfecting wipes
- All purpose cleaner
- Hand sanitizer
- Paper towels
- New twin sheets and comforters
- New bath towels and wash cloths
- 13 and 30 gallon trash bags
Additional items can be found on the website for Bethany House.
We will be collecting items until Ash Wednesday, February 14.
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SJLC Men's Breakfast - CALLING ALL MEN
SJLC Men's Ministry invites the men at St. John's and area congregations and community to attend our next "Calling All Men" breakfast event on Saturday, February 3, 2024, in the Fellowship Hall. Join in fellowship as we outline our planned studies and activities for the upcoming year.
Breakfast will be ready by 8:00AM and the program will conclude by 10:00AM. Jay Sonstroem will be our guest speaker. Jay's topic will be "How Real Science Reveals a Creator." Please check your St. John's mailbox for more information, or contact Greg Miller, Rodney Smith, Joe Godwin, or Eric Klanderman.
RSVP by Wednesday, January 31, 2024 by returning the RSVP Card to the St. John's Welcome Center or send an email to SJLCMen@sjlc.com if you plan to attend.
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Financial Update
The October and November 2023 St. John's Lutheran Church financial results for the Operating Fund and ECEC are shown below and also posted in the Narthex.
Losses narrowed in October as the church overcame the three staff pay periods from September. Although operating income was $30,000 less than expected, Ministry leads spent $50,000 less than expected in actively utilized money in the most efficient means possible.
For November, the church nearly eliminated the deficit between income and expenses, with a slight increase in congregational giving combined with continued reduced spending on expenses. Our members deserve a hearty thank you for your continued support of St John's Lutheran Church.
The 2023 calendar year may be over, but we still await a few more billable expenses from December. This serves as a handy time to remind everyone that on or about the 15th of January our final expenses from 2023 will be in hand, and we will want to bid farewell to 2023. If you still have an outstanding voucher you wish to turn in for reimbursement, the deadline will be 12 January 2024. Please, please do not wait until 4 PM on Friday the 12th of January to submit an outstanding voucher.
May God bless you all for your abundant generosity!
More details are posted in the narthex or may be obtained from Jim Burroughs, Minister of Finance.
|  | And here are November's numbers: | |
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Looking Ahead
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Monday, January 15 - Church office and ECEC CLOSED in observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day
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Wednesday, February 14 is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the 40-day Lenten season. Worship services will take place at 12 noon and 7:30PM.
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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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