Pastor Darcy
This season of Lent we have been focusing on JOY and decluttering our hearts to clear the way to experience Easter Joy more fully. Our readings have invited us to explore experiencing joy in the challenges, in moving forward, in letting go, in being lost and found and in giving extravagantly.
Sometimes we think that joy equals being happy and that everything is going well. I appreciate that Archbishop Desmond Tutu reminds us that
"Discovering Joy does not, I am sorry to say, save us from the inevitability of hardship and heartbreak. In fact, we may cry more easily, but we will laugh more easily, too. Perhaps we are just more alive. Yet as we discover more joy, we can face suffering in a way that ennobles rather than embitters. We have hardship without becoming hard. We have heartbreak without being broken."
What does joy mean to you? How do you experience joy? What is blocking you from joy? What in your heart can be "decluttered" to open up space for God's Joy?
My prayer and hope for LCOC as we move through Lent, journey through Holy Week and then Celebrate Christ's resurrection, is that we will experience, embrace, embody, and share the joy that we have been given because Jesus lived, died, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven!
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WHO WILL YOU INVITE TO EASTER THIS YEAR?
Stay connected to LCOC by:
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Council News:
LCOC welcomes
Iglesia Evangelica Palabra Viva on April 4th. This congregation will meet on Thursday evenings at LCOC (with the exception of Maundy Thursday). If you are around on a Thursday evening, please stop by to welcome and to get to know them.
April Meeting: April 13th at 9am
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The last month has been busy with wonderful opportunities to worship and serve including the monthly Men's Prayer Breakfast, weekly Bible studies in the book of Luke, Lenten Soup Suppers and services, a hugely successful Rise Against Hunger meal packing event, and an education series on Christianity and World Religions. I have been privileged to be part of all of these ministries and have received blessings from all of them. I know that all of you who have participated have also been blessed. All of these services and events have also brought us a chance to share God's love and our faith with not only the congregation, but those who have accepted our hospitality and those from other faiths who have welcomed us. The visits a group from LCOC made to a local Hindu temple and a nearby synagogue were especially meaningful to me. I was impressed by the faith and hospitality of these neighbors. These were the perfect way to live out God's commandment to love Him with all our hearts and love our neighbors as ourselves. There will be many more such ministries in the future and I look forward to joining with you in growing in faith and living out that faith.
Spring is here and with it so many causes for celebration: the awakening of nature after a long winter, the wonderful opportunities to share hospitality at LCOC ministries such as Breakfast with the Easter Bunny, but especially the joy of God's gift of salvation, and grace given to us through Christ's death and resurrection. I am praying for LCOC, all of you, as well as our community and beyond. I pray that we will live as an Easter people, finding peace in Jesus' love, standing with Him, and looking to others to share that love. God bless you and may your Easter season be filled with all of this joy and love.
Please feel free to contact me at 703-200-3403 or via email at
[email protected]
if I can help in any way.
Yours In Christ,
Randy
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GATHER
to worship God and fellowship with the community
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Prayer Breakfast
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Men's Prayer Breakfast
Striving each week to look to the past, present and future watching and waiting for the return of our savior.
The next Prayer breakfast is scheduled for April 13th.
Please join us.
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LCOC Prayer Garden
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Community Prayer Group
The LCOC community prayer group meets the seco
nd
Saturday of each month from 7:30 am to 9 am in the Work Room. We share prayers of concern and numerous praises along with a strong cup of coffee. We offer this time to the community and congregation to join us for prayer, openly or privately. We will meet again on September 8th at 7:30 am.
Matt. 21:13 - My house will be called a house of prayer,.....
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Wednesday Lenten Worship
Wednesday Lenten Worship Continues with Holden Evening Prayer and monologues at 7 pm.
The Power of Lent
is a series of Lenten dramas pairing two characters each week from the story of Jesus' Passion; bearing witness to what they saw, heard, and felt. Each pair of biblical characters reflects upon a similar theme for the week, showing how the same events brought about very different reactions to Jesus and his identity.
April 3: The Power of Involvement
April 10: The Power of Sacrifice
April 14: Palm Sunday 8:30 and 11:00
Be a part of the telling of the passion story according to Luke
April 18: Maundy Thursday at 7:00 pm
foot washing, communion, stripping of the altar
1st Communion: Bailey Z and Lauren P
April 19: Good Friday at 7:00 pm
The way of the Cross
April 21: Easter Sunday - worship at 8:30 and 11:00 am
Come and celebrate the Easter Joy with a guest trumpeter,
the bell choir, extra special music
Brunch at 9:45
Next Worship Meeting in May. Date to be finalized. All are invited to join us, or if you cannot attend the meeting to give us suggestions, as we look for ways to make the worship services more meaningful.
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GROW
in our relationship with God through prayer, Bible Study, and service
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ADULT EDUCATION
CHRISTIANITY AND WORLD RELIGIONS
In this study Adam Hamilton helps us to address the questions that many of us have about Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism and compares the beliefs of each of these religions with Christianity. These sessions will help us to build bridges with others, seek peace in the world, love our neighbors and find positive ways to share the gospel.
The field trips for this class included visits to the Durga Temple (Hindu), Congregation Ner Shalom, and Ekoji Buddhist Temple!
Mark your calendars for May 8th -7-9 pm - to attend an interfaith Iftar a the Dar al Noor Islamic Community Center
April 7 Christianity and other Religions: Christianity
April 14 Guests: Sid and Rina Das - Hinduism
April 21 EASTER BRUNCH
April 28 Diving into storytelling: Faithtalk
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Take a look at our web site
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BIBLE STUDY
TUESDAYS AT 10:00 AM
THE GOSPEL OF LUKE
God's Good News of Radical Grace
This year most of the Gospel readings on Sundays will be from the Gospel of Luke.
All are welcome to come and explore
the Gospel of Luke!
No previous experience required!
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Education
You are invited to come and grow in faith
through the Sunday learning opportunities
for all ages at 9:45 am!
Bring your friends and neighbors!
We celebrate with Bailey Z and Lauren P and their families as they receive their first communion on Maundy Thursday, April 18th.
We will have a cake to celebrate them during the Easter brunch!
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Youth Group
Seniors will receive quilts May 19th
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GIVE
of our resources, time, and talents in response to
God's extravagant generosity towards us
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Stewardship
Mark Your Calendars:
June 9th: lunch and legacy giving workshop with Yvonne Lembo, ELCA Regional Gift Planner
Financial Peace University is coming back:
Sundays from 3-4:30 - Sept 15 - Nov 10
Register here
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Additional Ways to Give:
Giving when you shop online through:
Vanco online giving:
Thrivent: Benefit Members are eligible for two action teams/year which provides $250 of seed money for various projects. Associate Members are eligible for one action team/year.
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GO
forth to serve others and share the story of God's love for all
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Evangelism
Last month we talked about our mission to Gather-Grow-Give and Go and all the ways in which God has blessed us and offered opportunities to do just that. We have gathered for worship services, and fellowship over soup; we have grown in our faith and our understanding of the faith of our neighbors with our study of Christianity and World Religions and our visits to other faith's houses of worship; we have given as we have shared more food with ACTS and Neabsco Elementary and as we worked with many from the community and our partner, Woodbridge Rotary, to pack almost 34,000 meals for the food challenged elsewhere in the world with Rise Against Hunger; we are preparing to go to North Carolina to help a flood damaged area rebuild.
I am always especially moved by our Rise Against Hunger ministry because it really does encompass all four G's when you think about it. We gather with people from the congregation, the neighborhood, and varied community organizations to pack the meals. We grow in our hospitality and compassion as well as in our ability to connect. We give of our time and our financial resources to make the meal packing possible. And while we may not physically go to other countries to meet those in need and deliver the meals, we do "go" there in spirit and through our prayers and the nutritious food we are sending. I can't think of anything better to be a part of.
Thanks to all of you who have given of your time and talents and resources to welcome new neighbors (thanks to Darla, Randy, and Marlies for that). Thanks to everyone who participated in Rise Against Hunger. Thanks to all who have invited others to join us at LCOC even if the invitations haven't been accepted yet. Thanks to all of you who usher, greet, offer refreshments, serve in worship through music, reading, communion, and ministry assistance. Please share the joy and blessing you have received with others and encourage them to serve as we all work to connect with our Lord, each other, our gifts, and our neighbors.
Our 50th Anniversary Committee and New Connections Team are making great progress in making 2019 not only a joyous celebration of what has been accomplished, but a looking ahead to even more ways to serve God and reach out to his children in our community and beyond. Please start making your plans to be part of the June 2nd anniversary service and luncheon and start thinking of ways that you can help us make connections that result in 50 new actively engaged members and funds to offer more leadership training and development, enhanced technology and facilities for our expanding ministries and much more.
I would like to feature some of your stories and experiences in upcoming newsletter articles and even in mission moments in services or in short video clips if you are willing. Please contact me at 703-200-3077 or via email at
[email protected]
about sharing joys you have had in inviting, connecting, and ministering. I would also love to hear from you about learning about new ways to be part of our Evangelism and Stewardship Teams.
Thanks, and blessings for all your do.
Patti
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Mark your calendar for 2019
LCOC 50th anniversary celebrations
June 2nd - Worship Celebration/lunch - Bishop Graham guest preacher
Nov 24th - Moving forward in Mission Celebration Brunch
Stay tuned for more details and for ways to be involved in the planning for this special year!
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Birthdays
10 Jackson M
20 Denise W
23 Rachel R
23 Alexa W
26 Patti B
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Anniversaries
1 Kathy & Jim O
6 Mark & Heather G
18 Coy & Gudrun A
26 Stacey & Jared R
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Baptism Anniversaries
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3 David W
6 Willem S
13 Victoria G
15 Hunter W
23 Nathaniel O
25 Ethan D
29 Wyatt O
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Homebound Members
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Ruth J.
Jean J.
Mary S.
Virginia S.
Linda S.
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Members in the Military
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Tyler R.
Tom M.
Ryan L.
Samuel B.
Please remember to keep our service members and their families in your prayers as they serve our country. If you have someone to add to this list, please contact the office.
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Flower Calendar
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The altar flowers for this month are given to the glory of God and contributed by:
April 7
The Gallentine family in memory of sister Ruth.
April 21
The Rosenquist family in celebration of Rachel's 19th birthday.
April 28
The Rudy family in honor of Sue Conklin and in memory of Joan Ward
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OPPORTUNITIES TO USE OUR GIFTS
AT LCOC AND BEYOND
We are fortunate to be able to use our gifts that God has provided us through a variety of ways.
When we choose to give our time, energy and talents to serve others, we are taking part in God's work to share the love of Christ and give God glory. With God working in us and through us, we can make a difference!
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Thank you, LCOC!
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Thank you notes from LCOC Students.
Dear LCOC,
Thank you so much for the Valentine's Day box of goodies. I loved everything in it and am very appreciative of your kindness. College is going very well, and I have been loving all of my classes. Thanks again for thinking of me!
Madison Kidwell
Dear LCOC,
Thank you so much for the Valentine's Day care box. It was really an amazing box with lots of treats and goodies inside. Thank you all for everything. I really love all the kind words and thoughts written on the beautiful card. Hope everyone is doing well. Miss you all lots.
Love,
Rachel Rosenquist
Dear LCOC,
Thank you so much for the Valentine's snacks. That was so nice of you to do that for me. I enjoyed it while studying and doing homework.
Love,
Cody Kidwell
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Farewell Susie
Please join your LCOC family as we celebrate Susie Rush at the Easter Brunch on April 22nd between services. Susie has been a dedicated, committed, and loving member of LCOC for many, many years. Please come and help us bid farewell and say thank you to her for her amazing contributions to LCOC, our church family, and most especially, our Lord Jesus. Any questions, please see Gudrun Adams or Jo Ann Rudy.
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Project Mend-A House
Congratulations Ralph and Bob for being recognized as Volunteers of the Year! Thank you for the time and talents you share to build up the community!
Would you like to participate in the next project?
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OTLWB Book Club
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The next book club meeting is April 8th at 12:30 pm
If you would like more information,
please see Sandy S. or Diane D.
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Prayer Opportunities
Prayer Chain Ministry:
or call the Prayer Chain Lead at 571-210-1979
Free Ceaseless Prayer App:
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April 3, 10 at 6:00 pm. - Connect with the LCOC community and the friends and neighbors that you bring, for the delicious soup suppers and then connect with God during the Holden Evening Prayer where the drama series will focus on the power of Lent: blessings, redemption, faith, involvement and sacrifice
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Church Spring Cleaning
Dates have been set
to spruce up the Church before the 50th Anniversary. The dates are
Thursday May 23rd, Friday May 24th, and Saturday May 25th with core cleaning hours for each day from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Arrive early, stay late, choose a day-just bring the clean! Sign-up sheets will be placed in the Narthex after Easter.
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Office Hours:
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Monday - Friday
9:00 am - 2:00 pm
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Save the date:
Mission trip to North Carolina
for Hurricane Florence Relief
July 7-13, 2019
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