Welcome to the

November 2023

NEWSLETTER

HOW TO REACH THE OFFICE...

Email the office

Subscribe to the LCOC YouTube Channel

INTERIM PASTOR SUSANNE

We will spend some time in November thinking about stewardship

and the way we give to the church.

People generally think about giving in the sense of money.

The Bible has about 2350 verses concerning money. Nearly 15% of everything Jesus spoke about related to money and possessions.

Giving is also about giving of time and talent.

Through sermons and articles in the newsletters we will have the opportunity to explore those topics.

On the last Sunday of the liturgical year, Christ the King Sunday, you will have an opportunity to make a pledge, both financial and what you can give of your time and your abilities

As you continue to move into this next phase of who you are as a faith community, your pledges will help the council to work at ensuring the essential resources are in place.

CALL COMMITTEE

The Call Committee is delighted to announce that we have begun the interview process for our new Pastor. We have no idea at this point how long the process will take, but we are excited and hopeful to be at this stage of our search. Please keep the Call Committee, our Synod representatives supporting us, and all potential candidates in your prayers, as we seek God's guidance and wisdom in this important decision.

In an effort to keep everyone informed, the ongoing call process will unfold as follows:

Following the interviews, which involve on-line and in-person interviews and interactions, as well as reference checks, the Call Committee will make a unanimous recommendation to the Church Council on the chosen candidate.

The Church Council will meet with the recommended candidate. The Council will then vote on whether to extend the call to that person or not.

If the Council vote is to extend the call, the Council will schedule a meet and greet with the congregation.

Following the meet and greet with the congregation, the Council will schedule the Call Meeting, held following a Sunday service at which the candidate preaches. At the Call Meeting, the congregation will vote on whether to extend the call and if yes, the congregation will vote on the compensation package.

The Call Committee and the Church Council are not able to share any information on the individual candidate(s) prior to introducing the selected candidate at the congregational meet and greet.

Thank you for your continued prayers.

Council Meeting

The next Council meeting is on Monday,

November 13th at 7:00 PM via Zoom

Announcement of the LCOC Annual Meeting

The LCOC Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, December 3, 2023.

There will be a pot luck luncheon following the 9:30 service, preceding the meeting.

Candidates for the following offices are needed:

President

Vice President

Property

Worship

Evangelism

Prayerfully consider volunteering for one of these offices.

No former experience is required - as proven by the current president !

Lee Schumacher, LCOC Council President

Potluck sign up!

Worship Committee

The next Worship Committee meeting will be via Zoom on Thursday, November 16th at 9:30 am

2023 MINISTRY FOCUS

GROWING IN FAITH

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (Acts 2:42)

Experiment with various spiritual practices so that we can deepen our relationship with God.

Some ideas include:

· Storytelling

· Prayer opportunities

· Worship

· Bible Studies

BUILDING COMMUNITY

like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:5)

Develop clarity for how LCOC operates as a community of faith so that we can more fully live together in God’s ways.

Some ideas include:

· Fellowship Opportunities

· Incorporation of LCOC

· Update Constitution

· Ministry Team Development

CONNECTING THROUGH OUTREACH

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

Make new connections so that we can widen God’s kingdom through the ministry of LCOC.

Some ideas include:

· Outreach opportunities

· Continued development of technology tools for worship and education

WAYS TO CONNECT ONLINE

NOTE: currently all of our events use the same information.

CLICK HERE FOR ZOOM INFORMATION

GROWING IN FAITH

WORSHIP

Worship Sundays

9:30 am

in-person and online via Zoom and YouTube Live!

October and November Worship Servers

On Sunday, November 5, we will commemorate All Saints' Day. Please send to the office the names of any persons who died since last year's All Saints' Day that you would like to have commemorated. Also, please send digital photos you have that can be used in the slide presentation.

Please send the photos and names of your loved ones, before October 30^th. Thank you!

Tuesday Bible Study

Please join us via zoom as we continue our study of the Psalms. We will be using the book Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible by Lutheran theologian and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Materials from the book will be provided so it is not necessary to buy the book but it is fairly widely available if you would like to purchase your own copy.

Please use the zoom link at the LCOC website to join us.

thanks

Pastor Susanne

Adult Education on Sunday's after Worship

ADULT EDUCATION - Adult Education will continue with our study of the gospel text for the following Sunday, though we are also exploring other options and welcome input. Join as on Sundays 10:45 in the conference room.

Altar Flowers

If you would like to donate flowers in memory of loved ones or in honor of someone’s birthday or anniversary, etc.

please contact Noris in the office

(telephone 703-670-4242)

Thank you!

BOOK CLUB!

The Out to Lunch with Books (OTLWB) club will meet on November 13th at 12:00 noon to discuss The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz.

All are welcome to attend. If you would like more information, please contact

Diane DeGroodt.

BUILDING COMMUNITY

BEING PART OF A MINISTRY TEAM

Experience the joy of being God's hands in ministry

and serving with others!

Click here to learn more about being a part of a team

If you can play music on your computer OR use PowerPoint, OR have been the family videographer, OR you willing to learn, then you, too, can be a part of the Broadcast team!

Broadcast team email

Some ways to serve in worship include:

Assisting Minister
Reader
Usher
acolyte

Do you like to have fun or do you like to plan gatherings?

Would you be willing to plan ONE event this year and/or work with several people to plan an event(s)?

CONNECTING

THROUGH OUTREACH

Share the Bounty Food Drive

ACTS has begun its annual Thanksgiving food drive. The list below has the items that ACTS is requesting in order to make Thanksgiving dinners possible for our neighbors in need. Please have your food items at the church by November 15th so that we can deliver them on the 16th. Thank you for your generosity!

A direct and compelling headline

STIHL CADETS

"Sherman made Colette an Honorary Stihl Cadet recently. Congratulations and Welcome Colette'!

"Caddy's Support Team."

NEABSCO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

"Delivering Halloween Candy to Neabsco Elementary School. Lydia, Corey and all the other staff are so thankful to and for LCOC."

St. Matthew's Lutheran Church invites all singers to consider participating in a Choral Festival being held at St. Matthew's Lutheran on February 3, 2024. This event is a part of our new organ dedication concert series. The festival is open to singers in high school and beyond. The participants will rehearse with our guest conductor, Sheri Neil, PhD, from 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. with a final performance scheduled for 7 p.m. in the sanctuary. Dr. Neil recently retired as Director of Music Education and Associate Director of Choirs at Texas Christian University. The repertoire will include a short three-movement sacred work with organ and brass in addition to several octavos which will be accessible to most church choirs. This event is being held at no cost to the participants.

If you are interested, I can forward a more detailed information packet. Please email me at mmgoodwyn@gmail.com.

from Melvin Goodwyn, organist, St. Matthew's Lutheran Church

THANK YOU CARD FOR LCOC FAMILY

PROJECT-MEND-A-HOUSE

The volunteers for Project-Mend-a-House continue to care for the Prince William Community. Talk to Ralph Morse for more details in how you can participate in this outreach.

Here are some pictures of a recent project:

SUPPORT LCOC IN MAKING

NEW CONNECTIONS

PURPOSE

To equip LCOC to:

grow in faith

share the love of God and LCOC with others

connect people in mission and outreach.

Because of your generosity, LCOC has been able to:

· Make in-person and online worship connections with a new audio and projection system, camera, and other cables for the sanctuary

· Provide a safe sanctuary for children and youth as provide background checks for the adult leaders.

· Brighten the entrance hallway with new LED lights

· Reach out to support God’s work in the Synod to develop church leadership, grow existing congregations, plant new churches, and support growth across the country.

With your generosity, in 2023 LCOC will be able to:

Make People Connections and create New Ministries
Redesign our website and refresh our communication tools
Grow and expand our online options with a broadcast booth, and additional technology needs for the sanctuary/UFH/rooms on upper level
Create a welcoming space with a new HVAC system and heating and a/c for hallways