BRING-A-FRIEND-TO-CHURCH SUNDAY

BRING-A-FRIEND-TO-CHURCH SUNDAY (MAY 18): This coming Sunday, we’ll have our first Bring-a-Friend-to-Church Sunday for 2025. We encourage you to invite friends who are not already active in a church nearby to attend one of our worship services with you. The day will include a children’s sermon, and a food truck (Will’s Place) will be in the parking lot after the 10:30 a.m. worship service; the food truck’s menu is available in the brochure on the tall table at the back of the church. We look forward to being with you and your guest(s) for worship, community, and delicious food.

YOUNG ADULTS MINISTRY

YOUNG ADULTS MINISTRY: We will have our May WWJB meeting on this coming Tuesday, May 20, at 6:00 p.m. at Aquia. We will continue our series on the Apostles’ Creed, with supper and childcare provided. Please RSVP to Father James (rickenbaker@aquiachurch.org) no later than the close of business on this coming Monday, May 19. We hope that you can join us!

HERITAGE SUNDAY

HERITAGE SUNDAY (JUNE 1): On this day, following the 10:30 a.m. worship service, there will be a festive luncheon sponsored by the Episcopal Church Women (ECW) as we celebrate the rich heritage of our faith and enjoy fellowship together for this special occasion. Please see the sign-up sheets outside of the historic church on Sunday morning and offer to help with the festivities.

FELLOWSHIP BREAKFAST 

FELLOWSHIP BREAKFAST: There are plenty of Sundays awaiting folks to serve as breakfast hosts, starting with this coming Sunday (May 18) and June 1. 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.

MORNING CALL

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 Morning Call series about the Psalms. Morning Call will be held on May 25 (Memorial Day weekend) but not on June 1 because of the set-up for the Heritage Sunday luncheon.

WEDNESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY

WEDNESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY: Father Jay Morris continues his new series about “Women in the Bible” on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. online at our Facebook page <www.facebook.com/AquiaEpiscopalChurch>. The topic for this Wednesday, May 14, is “More Women from Genesis and Exodus, Named or Unnamed.” Even if you do not have a Facebook account, you can access this series simply by clicking on the given occasion. Also, you do not have to watch the broadcasts live; the videos are stored there for your viewing at any subsequent time.

THURSDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY

THURSDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY:  Father James Rickenbaker’s series on the Gospel according to Luke has resumed. We hope you can join us in person (starting at 6:00 p.m.); if not, the broadcasts are available online at our Facebook page <www.facebook.com/AquiaEpiscopalChurch>. Broadcasts of past sessions are available there as well.

CAN YOU USH???

CAN YOU USH??? Our 10:30 worship service would benefit from having a few extra parishioners serving as ushers. They offer a friendly greeting, distribute bulletins, assist with seating, receive offerings, and direct traffic for communion. The ministry of ushers is not complicated, it does not require any extra trips to church nor any meetings, and it does not consume much extra time. If you are willing to begin serving as an usher, please contact Chris Arey (chris.arey@gmail.com) or one of our clergy.

YOUTH GROUP EVENING MEETINGS

YOUTH GROUP EVENING MEETINGS: Our next evening activity will involve planting flags on the graves of military veterans in our cemetery on this coming Sunday, May 18 (4:00—6:00 p.m.) with dinner afterward at the nearby El Gran Charro Mexican restaurant. Friends, siblings, and parents are invited to participate in the flag-planting and dinner. In case of rain on the afternoon of the 18th, the flag-planting and dinner will be rescheduled for a different afternoon. The morning meetings for teenagers in grades 6-12 take place basically every Sunday morning of the school year (9:30—10:15 a.m.) in the youth group room. For more information, please contact one of the clergy.

SUNDAY SCHOOL SCHEDULE

SUNDAY SCHOOL SCHEDULE: The last regular day for this year’s Sunday school is this coming Sunday (May 18), and the new Sunday school year will begin on Aug. 17.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL 

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL: Save the week of June 16-20 (9:00 a.m.—12:00 noon) for “Egypt VBS.” Students will learn how Joseph journeys from prison to palace in the Old Testament as they watch the Bible come alive. Online registration is available now on our Website (www.aquiachurch.org), so please get your child or grandchild registered soon.

RETIRING OUR MORTGAGE DEBT

RETIRING OUR MORTGAGE DEBT: This year we continue to receive contributions (with “new building” marked on the envelope or on the memo line of your check) toward retiring our mortgage debt on the Christian Formation and Fellowship Building (CFFB). Besides continuing with our monthly mortgage payments, the Vestry voted on Feb. 25 to make an additional $50,000 payment on the principal of the mortgage, in order to shorten the duration of our debt and thus reduce overall interest payments.

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.

AQUIA’S PANTRY MID-MAY UPDATES

AQUIA’S PANTRY MID-MAY UPDATES: Gifts to Aquia’s Pantry continue to gladden our hearts. During these past two weeks, we have received a donation large enough to purchase 80 boxes of cereal, which we will combine with the 60+ boxes that an anonymous donor drops off each month. That way, every family will receive cereal once during May. We also received 176 paper bags from an extended parish family and 971 pounds of Easter candy from Target! Once again, we are so grateful for all the gifts that the Pantry receives, both large and small, both monetary and in-kind. Through these donations, we can see God’s mighty hand at work supporting this ministry, and we are thankful. Despite these generous donations, we have an urgent need for pasta, cereal, and canned goods. We also need brown paper grocery bags (we use over 400 each week) and egg cartons. Are you interested in volunteering at the Pantry? Come and see what it is all about! We are at work in the great hall on Tuesdays 8:00 a.m.—2:00 p.m. and ALL day on Wednesdays. Or reach out to Barb Bingay, Ron Korth, or Mary Jane Cole (maryjane@cfsw.biz) to see how you can help.

NEWS FROM AQUIA’S TABLE

NEWS FROM AQUIA’S TABLE: Aquia’s Table is now serving 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 Tuesdays and 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 Ellen Brandon (edbfsu@comcast.net) or Dina Stanford (jjanddina@comcast.net). Our other food ministry, Aquia’s Pantry, distributes groceries every week.

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.

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.

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.

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 at any subsequent time.

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).