WHILE LENT IS HERE

WHILE LENT IS HERE, consider these opportunities:

• THURSDAY EVENING LENTEN SERIES: Concludes on this Thursday, Mar. 26 (6:00 p.m.). Especially if you have had to miss a meeting, come to see how the book ends or to ask questions about the series.
• 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. Morning Call will not be held on Easter Sunday (Apr. 5) but will resume the following week.
• COMMUNION ENRICHMENT CLASS:Concludes on this coming Sunday (Mar. 29—Palm Sunday) from 9:00 till 9:30, immediately before Sunday school begins.
• CHOCOLATE-COVERED EASTER EGGS FOR SALE: On this coming Sunday (Mar. 29—Palm Sunday), Lilchy Huffman will be in the CFFB lobby during 8:15—10:20 a.m. and from after the end of the 10:30 a.m. worship service till around 12:30 p.m. selling her scrumptious handmade 3-oz. butter-cream-filled chocolate-covered Easter eggs for $5 each, with proceeds going to the clergy discretionary funds. Available flavors are vanilla, chocolate, coconut, and fruit & nut.
• 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 this coming Sunday (Mar. 29—Palm Sunday).
• 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. Mar. 29—Palm Sunday will be the last Sunday for the Lenten cross to be available.
• 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. Several time slots remain unclaimed and available for your devotion.
• 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 there by Good Friday (Apr. 3).
• SPECIAL BROADCASTS DURING HOLY WEEK: Evening Prayer on the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in Holy Week (Mar. 30-31 & Apr. 1-2) at 7:00 p.m., and Stations of the Cross on Good Friday (Apr. 3) at 12:00 noon, all over Facebook Live (facebook.com/AquiaEpiscopalChurch)
• SPECIAL IN-PERSON 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. (sunrise service in the cemetery, weather permitting, or indoors otherwise), 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., & 4:00 p.m.

AQUIA'S PANTRY PREPARES FOR EASTER

AQUIA'S PANTRY PREPARES FOR EASTER: Aquia’s Pantry would appreciate any donations of hams or frozen roaster chickens (5-6 pounds) to offer to our guests on this coming Wednesday, Apr. 1. Please bring your hams or frozen roaster chickens to the CFFB on or before that day.

Also, we have opportunities for volunteering: Tuesdays 10:00 a.m.—2:00 p.m., and Wednesdays 9:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m. or 5:00—7:00 p.m. If you have an hour or two to offer, we would welcome your help. If you would like to learn more about the Pantry, drop in anytime on a Wednesday or speak with Barb Bingay, Ron Korth, or Mary Jane Cole (maryjane@cfsw.biz).

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. As an incentive for recruiting golfers who are new to the tournament, a donor will contribute $50 for every golfer who plays this year but did not play last year, up to $1,000; and of course we always welcome returning golfers, too.

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.

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. On Easter Sunday (Apr. 5) the youth group will not meet at all, but will resume their morning meetings on Apr. 12 and their evening meetings on Apr. 19 (5:00—6:00 p.m.) with a scavenger hunt on our campus. We also have tentative plans for holding an overnight lock-in starting on Friday, May 1 (in lieu of an evening meeting on Sunday, May 3) and to plant flags on the graves of military veterans buried in our cemetery on Sunday, May 15, starting at 5:00 p.m., with dinner afterward at El Gran Charro in Aquia Town Center.

WEDNESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY

WEDNESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY:  Father Jay Morris will begin a new series on the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament on Wednesday, Apr. 22 (7:00 p.m.) over Facebook Live <www.facebook.com/AquiaEpiscopalChurch>.

THURSDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY

THURSDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY Father James Rickenbaker will begin a new series on the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament, starting on Thursday, Apr. 16 at 6:00 p.m. in person in the CFFB downstairs conference room and simultaneously over Facebook Live <www.facebook.com/AquiaEpiscopalChurch>.

SUNDAY SCHOOL

SUNDAY SCHOOL: Our regular schedule for Sunday school classes (9:30—10:15 a.m.) has resumed. Sunday school classes will not be held on Easter Sunday (Apr. 5) but will resume the following week.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL (JUNE 15-19): Children in preschool through 5^th grade are invited to join us for our VBS week (9:00 a.m.—12:00 noon) with the theme “Rainforest Falls: Exploring the Nature of God.” Online registration will be available from Easter Day through Memorial Day weekend at our church Website <www.AquiaChurch.org> or at <vbspro.events/p/c905d9>.

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.

HERITAGE SUNDAY

HERITAGE SUNDAY: Aquia Church will celebrate our rich heritage on Sunday, May 17, with a delicious luncheon sponsored by the ECW after the end of the 10:30 a.m. worship service. Mark your calendar, and stay tuned for more details.

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.

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).