To St. John's Parishioners and Friends:

The Vestry and I will be conducting a Vestry Retreat and our second Mutual Ministry Review on June 6, and we could use your voice. Wait, what's a Mutual Ministry Review? Well, let me back up...

Read "Rectors, Priests-in-Charge, and the Mutual Ministry Review" on our website.

It's a time of discussion, discernment, and decision. For more on what the Vestry will be doing on June 6, take a look at this presentation from the Diocese of Virginia.

If you have ideas, concerns, or thoughts about what’s next for St. John’s, we’d love to hear from you ahead of this important meeting. Contact me, our Senior Warden, or a Vestry member for more.

Peace,

Kevin

The Rev. Kevin Laskowski

Priest-in-Charge

St. John's Episcopal Church

P.S. Sunday ministers - readers, acolytes, ushers - don't forget to scroll all the way down to the usual link and sign up to serve. And if you're interested in serving on Sundays, join one of our upcoming ministry meetings (see below) or contact Fr. Kevin.

Wear Red for Pentecost This Sunday

Pentecost is the "birthday" of the church. It marks the Holy Spirit inspiring the disciples in wind and fire to declare the Gospel. And it's this Sunday, May 24! Don't forget to wear your favorite red outfit or your official red St. John's t-shirt (inquire at the church office).

More Ministry Meetings!

Liturgy is a "work of the people," and we need you to make worship everything it can be at St. John's.

• Are you interested in serving at the altar?
• Curious about reading the word?
• Would you like to help prepare the church for worship?
• What about welcoming newcomers and parishioners alike?

Now's your chance! If you're interested in serving in some way, or you're already serving, join us after worship on upcoming Sundays to check in, renew, and expand our ministry teams:

• May 24: Choir
• June 7: Ushers (this is a change, due to some scheduling conflicts)

Acolytes, lectors (readers), and Altar Guild already met. If you couldn't or can't make a certain meeting but would still like to be involved, email Fr. Kevin.

Save the Date: Centreville Day, October 17

Centreville Day will be held October 17, 2026. This annual community celebration in the historic district features food trucks, local vendors, history, entertainment, and, of course, St. John's! The stage is in our parking lot!

Planning with local leaders has already begun. If you'd like to assist Fr. Kevin on that committee, or help St. John's prepare for the day, email Fr. Kevin.

Altar Flowers Needed

Dedicate the altar flowers in thanksgiving or in memory of a loved one here.

WORSHIP

Sunday Sermon

The Ascended Jesus doesn't move so much in space as time. He ascends to a new future for us, to the promised land, that heavenly country, and our true home. America has always been at its best--not when it tries to return to some imagined past--but when it struggles for the imagined future, when it fights for the world those who went before us could only dream about. Our church has always been at its best when it participates in Jesus’s mission to bring the heavenly to earth. Lost in the montage of worldly images that suggest a life is the icon of the eternal, abundant life of God. That icon is Jesus Christ, the Jesus our country, our church, and our world have been missing.

Since folks have asked about "the sentence," this was the text: "The problem with what we're seeing on our screens and in our streets is not that it's un-American (or Christian). It's that it's too often precisely what it has meant to be American (and Christian). The problem with what we're seeing in our country is not that it's un-American (or un-Christian). It's that it's as American (and Christian) as an underemployed alcoholic apple pie Bible-beating its mail-order bride to the tune of 'Stars and Stripes Forever' with a baseball bat because its sclerotic, uninsured heart can't manage the additional ten feet of desecrated Indian burial ground to pick up the TV remote, much less its unregistered handgun."

View our services on our YouTube channel and look for new sermons here.

Join Us In Person or Online

Join us in the historic church at 9:30 AM Sunday or watch live via YouTube. Additional links to the livestream, worship bulletin, and lectionary class are sent Saturday and also available on our website.

Readings for the Day of Pentecost: Whitsunday

First Reading: Acts 2:1-21

Luke describes the scene in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, the beginning of the Christian church. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ followers boldly and joyfully proclaim God’s mighty works.

Response: Psalm 104:25-35, 37

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13

Paul enumerates the variety of ways the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives. He encourages a vital theology that will energize the church.

Gospel: John 20:19-23

Jesus imparts the Holy Spirit to the disciples. The peace that Jesus brings reconciles all people to God, and our Lord calls for each of us to share that peace with everyone we encounter.

Saint of the Week: Nicolaus Copernicus and Johannes Kepler

The work of astronomers Nicolaus Copernicus and Johannes Kepler "testified to the extraordinary presence of God in creation and maintained, in the face of both religious and scientific controversy, that science can lead us more deeply into an understanding of the workings of the Creator."

Read more about them here.

Bible Study Schedule Change

Our Wednesday class will not meet this week, May 27. The Wednesday class will pick up again on June 3 to discuss chapters 13-14. Our Thursday class will meet as usual on May 28 (ch. 13) and June 4 (ch. 14).

Join us in the library Wednesdays at 11:00 AM or Thursday nights at 7:00 PM for Bible study on St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians. No need to RSVP for individual classes. Jump in anytime.

For more information, read a series overview with syllabus, watch our website, and/or contact Father Kevin or Lisa Heller.

Education for Ministry (EfM)

Through study, prayer, worship, and reflection, EfM seminar groups journey together through scripture, church history, and theology.

St. John's EfM cohort meets Wednesday nights in the St. John's library, unless otherwise announced. Registration for this year is closed. Contact Walt Cooner for more information.

Adult Lectionary Forum This Week - and Special Session on Trinity Sunday

Join us Sundays in person in the church library or online via Zoom to discuss the day's lessons. (This is the new link for meeting #826 4944 0667. Please make sure you use this new, updated link.)

And be sure to join us Sunday, May 31 for a special Trinity Sunday session on this central doctrine of the Church.

A Delicious May at the Hanley Shelter - Join Us in June!

St. John's provided 35 meals at Hanley House in the month of May. We served up a delicious Beef Stroganoff!

Our next date is Tuesday, June 9th. We are serving Pulled Chicken with Mac and Cheese. Please support us in the tasty ministry!

St. John's makes and serves a meal every second Tuesday of the month at the local family shelter. Sign up to prepare or provide food ahead of time and/or join us on June 9 to serve.

Bring donations for our local family shelter to church or drop by the office.

Their needs may be found on their In-Kind Donations Wish List through Amazon.

Donate to Western Fairfax Christian Ministries

St. John's is a founding partner of Western Fairfax Christian Ministries, which provides food and financial support to more than 600 local families every month. Please bring donations of food and more to Sunday services, or drop at the church office. These items are especially needed:

Food:

• White or Wheat Flour (5 lb. bag or less)
• Sugar (1 lb. or 2 lb. bag)
• Oil (canola, vegetable, olive)
• Oatmeal (Quaker Oats)
• Cereal (low sugar preferred)
• Shelf Stable Juice (apple, cranberry, grape)
• Canned Meat (tuna, salmon, Vienna sausages, sardines)
• Canned Tomatoes (crushed, whole paste)
• Canned Vegetables (spinach, potatoes, beets)
• Canned Fruit (pineapple, mandarin oranges, pears, peaches)
• Pasta Sauce (no glass jars)
• Refried, Garbanzo, and Kidney Beans
• Dried Beans (lentils, pinto, black beans)
• Mashed Potatoes 
• Boxed Macaroni and Cheese
• Pancake Mix 
• Flavored Rice (Rice-A-Roni) and Flavored Pasta (Knorr)

Toiletries:

NOTE: Toiletry items cannot be purchased by clients with SNAP​​

• Feminine Hygiene Products (Pads preferred)
• Tissues (Family Size)
• Baby Wipes 
• Body Wash
• Toothpaste
• Lotion
• Shaving Cream and Disposable Razors
• Pull-Ups Size 4T/5

Note: we are not currently in need of diapers due to our partnership with Greater DC Diaper Bank. Please only donate baby wipes if you want to donate items for babies.

Support the Centreville Immigration Forum (CIF)

CIF provides immigrants in need with the means to improve their lives and become more integrated into the community, improve communication and cooperation among all groups serving immigrants, and build community recognition of our strength in diversity.

If you're interested in supporting or volunteering with CIF's labor resource center and other work:

• Donate men’s work clothes and boots (they do not need to be new). Bring them to worship or to the St. John's office, or deliver them directly to CIF at 5944 Centreville Crest Ln, Centreville, VA 20121. Be sure to let the parish office know if you deliver directly to CIF. We like to keep track of St. John's impact!
• Volunteer to provide rides to CIF clients to medical appointments. Sign up on the CIF website.
• Volunteer to accompany immigrants to court hearings. CIF's Volunteer Coordinator will provide training to interested individuals. Contact the parish office for more.

You can support Centreville Immigration Forum's work and advocacy here.

Helping the Shepherd's Center of Western Fairfax

St. John's has several volunteers supporting the Shepherd's Center of Western Fairfax. They provide rides to medical and therapy appointments and other important errands for people who are over 50 and can no longer drive. The Shepherd's Center needs additional drivers and support for local seniors. They've had to turn down a number of recent requests because of a lack of volunteers.

Volunteers do not have to commit ahead to a specific day of the week or time of day. As a driver, you check the Shepherd Center website for the client list, and select the ride you'd like to provide. All pickups are local, and all appointments are in northern Virginia (no DC or Maryland). You don't stay with the client in the doctor's office, if you don't want to. You can volunteer as much or as little as your schedule permits.

To assist, you must live in western Fairfax County in or around Clifton, Centreville, or Chantilly. For more information and to volunteer, visit the Shepherd's Center here.

Prayer Requests

If you would like to add yourself or someone you care about to our Sunday prayer list, please contact clergy or the church office.

Sunday Services

Additional readers and ushers are needed. Sign up here.

Coffee Hour

We gather after worship for food and fellowship. Assist with snacks here.

Katherine Hanley Monthly Dinner

We cook and serve every second Tuesday of the month. Sign up here.

Altar Flowers

Dedicate the altar flowers in thanksgiving or in memory of a loved one here.

Photos?!

Have any photos or short videos from St. John's events? Send them to us.

Support St. John's Episcopal Church

With your contribution, you are part of St. John's offering of healing, hope, and hospitality to all God's people. Click the button below to give online or visit our website for more.