LENT IS HERE

LENT IS HERE, so consider these opportunities:

 

• THE LENTEN CROSSmakes opportunities for Lenten almsgiving and service to others available at your discretion. Simply take a card—or take more than one!—and complete the request for donations of time, talent, gift cards, or materials that our ministries can use. The Lenten cross stands at the back of the historic church.
• THURSDAY EVENING LENTEN SERIES: On Thursdays through Mar. 26, we shall hold our Lenten dinner-and-discussion series, with a hearty soup-and-salad meal available starting at 6:00 p.m.
• MORNING CALL: Morning Call is our Sunday morning forum for adult formation and discussion, held in the great hall (9:30—10:15 a.m.). On this coming Sunday, Father Jay Morris will continue his new series about the New Testament’s various uses of the Old Testament.
• COMMUNION ENRICHMENT CLASS:Our children’s ministry is offering a communion enrichment class (sometimes called a ‘first communion’ class) on the Sunday mornings in Lent from 9:00 till 9:30, immediately before Sunday school begins.
• EASTER LILIES: If you want to donate to the Easter lilies that will adorn our historic church for Easter Sunday (Apr. 5), please complete a contribution form available from the back of the church, or contact parish administrator Sue Selz in the church office (selz@aquiachurch.orgor 540-659-4007) by the end of Palm Sunday (Mar. 29).
• GETHSSEMANE WATCH PRAYER VIGIL: Sign up for an hour or two of prayer at this overnight vigil in the great hall, running from the end of the 7:00 p.m. service on Maundy Thursday (Apr. 2) through the start of the 12;00 noon service on Good Friday (Apr. 3). The sign-up sheet is available at the back of the historic church.
• Our CHILDREN’S EASTER EGG HUNT will be held on Easter Sunday (Apr. 5) as soon as the 9:00 a.m. service has ended. We are receiving plastic eggs filled with candy or other treats for distribution at the egg hunt. You may provide your own eggs that you have filled yourself or that you have purchased already filled, or you may pick up empty eggs from the bin in the CFFB lobby and return them (filled) to the same location. Filled eggs should be returned by Good Friday (Apr. 3).
• SPECIAL WORSHIP SERVICES: Maundy Thursday (Aor. 2) at 7:00 p.m., Good Friday (Apr. 3) at 12:00 noon & 7:00 p.m., and Easter Sunday (Apr. 5) at 6:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., & 4:00 p.m.

TEA TOWELS

TEA TOWELS: The Saints Mary and Martha Guild is selling spring-themed tea towels. Do you need a sweet gift for a teacher, coach, or music teacher? Between the 7:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. services, you are  invited to browse and purchase these hand-made tea towels. They are festive, and $5 will secure your purchase of this textile art. The booth is currently located in the CFFB foyer. Come one, come all!

YOUTH GROUP

YOUTH GROUP: Our youth group for teens in grades 6-12 will have their weekly morning meeting during the Sunday school hour (9:30—10:15 a.m.) on this coming Sunday in the youth group room, with our next every-other-week evening meeting on this coming Sunday, Mar. 8, when we will watch the movie Inside Out 2 (starting at the usual time of 5:00 p.m. but ending later than usual—around 6:45 p.m.—with refreshments served). This occasion will make up for our missing the movie night originally scheduled for Feb. 22, when freezing precipitation hit our area that afternoon and evening.

YOUNG ADULTS MINISTRY

YOUNG ADULTS MINISTRY: Our March WWJB (What Would Jesus Brew?) meeting will be held on Tuesday, Mar. 17, at 6:00 p.m. at the Episcopal Church of the Messiah, 12201 Spotswood Furnace Lane, Fredericksburg, with dinner and childcare provided. We will discuss the doctrine of sanctification. Please RSVP to Father Rickenbaker no later than the close of business on Friday, Mar. 13 (so we know how much pizza to get).

AQUIA’S TABLE GOLF TOURNAMENT 2026

AQUIA’S TABLE GOLF TOURNAMENT 2026: Monday, May 18, at Augustine Golf Club in Stafford. Mark your calendars, practice your driving and putting, and recruit your fellow golfers to join in the fun. Registration and sponsorship information is now available at the tall table at the back of the historic church: one flyer has a registration form for golfers, a different flyer has a form for those who want to be a sponsor for the tournament, and both flyers have important details about the day.

OPTIONS FOR DONATING ELECTRONICALLY

OPTIONS FOR DONATING ELECTRONICALLY: The use of electronic contributions to Aquia Church is a convenient blessing. For your information, this is how they are handled. Contributions made through Realm are processed by VANCO, a third-party firm. We are assessed a 3% fee for this service, and many of you pay an additional 3% of your donation to cover that fee—thank you for doing so! By contrast, we are charged only a 1% fee for contributions made with Zelle; simply send funds to <treasurer@aquiachurch.org>. As a third option, you may be able to use a bill-pay function provided by your financial institution, wherein the institution sends a paper check to the church, for which normally there is no fee at all. For more details on this third option, please consult your financial institution directly.

SUNDAY SCHOOL

SUNDAY SCHOOL: Our regular schedule for Sunday school classes (9:30—10:15 a.m.) has resumed.

FELLOWSHIP BREAKFAST

FELLOWSHIP BREAKFAST: There are plenty of Sundays awaiting folks to serve as breakfast hosts. If you want to serve as a breakfast host for any Sunday, please use the signup sheet at the back of the church, or contact Sue Selz in the church office (sue.selz@aquiachurch.org or 540-659-4007). Please consider taking a turn in promoting fellowship within our parish through this weekly breakfast. The breakfast can be as simple or elaborate as you wish to provide.

WEDNESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY

WEDNESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY: Wil resume in early April, so stay tuned for details.

THURSDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY

THURSDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY will not meet during the season of Lent but will resume in early April.

ALTAR FLOWERS

ALTAR FLOWERS: Those who want to donate flowers in memory of someone or in thanksgiving for someone or something for most any Sunday of the year may contact parish administrator Sue  Selz in the church office and select a particular Sunday; the signup sheet is also available at the back of the church. The cost is $50/week. Even if a given Sunday has already been claimed, you may add your name and dedication for that same Sunday. Traditionally, we do not have flower arrangements during Lent or Advent, but most other Sundays during the year remain available.

FROM OUR FOOD MINISTRIES

FROM OUR FOOD MINISTRIES: The long lines of guests coming on Wednesdays for food from Aquia’s Pantry and Aquia’s Table likely reflect the ongoing financial need among so many neighbors around us. This level of outreach is possible because of the generosity of support from faithful volunteers and donations from many different people and groups—from among our parishioners and beyond our church membership. If you can offer some support to these ministries (especially with your time on Tuesday mornings and during the day and early evening on Wednesdays or with financial contributions), your help will be deeply appreciated. Aquia’s Table prepares a maximum total of 400 meals on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, and Aquia’s Pantry distributes groceries to a maximum of 140 households each week. Please note: when Stafford County Public Schools are closed for inclement weather, our food ministries do not operate that day.

AQUIA'S PANTRY UPDATES FROM FEBRUARY

AQUIA'S PANTRY UPDATES FROM FEBRUARY: On Feb. 11, the Pantry distributed groceries to 117 families, and on Feb. 18 we helped 122 families. There were only three new families in line on Feb. 18, which means 119 of these families had received food from us before, and found it worth their time and energy to come again. We are humbled to see the smiles of those who return because they trust we will help them.

Speaking of trust and help: we have much for which to be grateful to God, including a new Tuesday volunteer, the anonymous donation of 20 boxes of cereal, 24 jars of peanut butter, and 24 boxes of pasta that were dropped off recently, and other gifts of peanut butter, bags, and egg cartons that were quietly dropped off in the great hall.

The Pantry has a continuing need for peanut butter along with boxes of cereal, mac-and-cheese, and pasta. We also have an opportunity for someone willing to pick up breakfast sandwiches from two nearby Wawas each Wednesday in the early afternoon. If you would like to learn more about the Pantry, please speak to Barb Bingay, Ron Korth, or Mary Jane Cole (maryjane@cfsw.biz).

NEWS FROM AQUIA’S TABLE

NEWS FROM AQUIA’S TABLE: Aquia’s Table serves meals on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. There are opportunities for folks to join in the work of this important ministry, whether as a new volunteer or whether returning to involvement—we welcome assistance with food preparation during the day on Wednesdays, with plating the meals on Wednesday evenings, and with baking desserts on your own schedule at home or at church. For more information about how you might support Aquia’s Table, please contact Dina Stanford (jjanddina@comcast.net).

NURSERY AVAILABLE

NURSERY AVAILABLE: Our nursery, located on the lower level of the Christian Formation and Fellowship Building (just across the hallway from the elevator), is available for the 10:30 a.m. worship service, with coverage provided by caring, trained, and experienced staff—plus lots of toys, diapers and wipes, a pack-and-play, and whatever else your child or grandchild might need.

BUSY BAGS

BUSY BAGS: Busy bags are available in the historic church for our youngest members. A child’s Bible, activity pages, drawing paper, and crayons are available in canvas bags when you enter the church. Please take one bag per family and return it after the service ends.

ELECTRONIC BROADCASTS

ELECTRONIC BROADCASTS: We offer broadcasts of Sunday morning worship at 7:30 a.m., Morning Prayer on most weekdays at 8:00 a.m., and our midweek Bible studies as well. These broadcasts are particularly helpful for those who are unable to attend in person due to illness, travel, or work. The broadcasts are available online at our church’s Facebook page <www.facebook.com/AquiaEpiscopalChurch>. Even if you do not have a Facebook account, you can access the broadcasts simply by clicking on the given occasion. Also, you do not have to watch the event live; the videos are stored there for your viewing later on.

 

If you want to be added to our e-mail distribution list for weekly announcements and special updates or for the monthly Cross Section newsletter, simply notify Sue Selz in the church office (sue.selz@aquiachurch.org or 540-659-4007).