FALL FEST AUCTION ACTION: Preparations for Fall Fest 2026 are underway. The date is set for Saturday, Oct. 3, and there will be an auction! In order to make the auction a success, we need your gifts and ideas to help build it. Do you have a talent to teach or a service to offer? Do you have an antique in your attic, a drum set in your basement, or an extra week of time-share? Perhaps you could donate a pair of Caps or Commanders game tickets or a gift card to your favorite restaurant. How about offering an evening of baby-sitting, or an afternoon of raking and bagging leaves? Could you build a gift basket with a friend or your ministry group? If so, please let us know; we look forward to hearing from you soon—Mary Jane Cole (maryjane@cfsw.biz).

NEW EVENING BIBLE STUDY—ONLY 2 MONDAYS REMAINING TO SIGN UP!

NEW EVENING BIBLE STUDY—ONLY 2 MONDAYS REMAINING TO SIGN UP! Nearly 20 people have signed up for this series so far, but there’s room for you too. Father Jay Morris will lead a survey of the Old Testament, meeting on Monday evenings (7:00—8:30 p.m.) starting on Aug. 10 and ending around Thanksgiving, using the very helpful resource book Discovering the Bible: A New Generation published by the Kerygma Program. This book is notavailable in stores, not even from Amazon.com. The homework will typically involve reading eight to ten chapters from the Old Testament each week; that’s roughly a chapter a day, which is a manageable length while providing a rich and comprehensive overview of the Old Testament. The course will be offered on a hybrid basis, meeting simultaneously in person and over Zoom. If you want to ask any questions about this course, peruse the resource book, or commit to attending a majority of the sessions, please contact Father Morris (morris@aquiachurch.org). If you want to participate in this series, you should pay for the book no later than Monday, July 20 ($47.00 directly to Father Jay Morris—NOT to the church), since he will order books for the group on that date. Those who want to participate in this series but are unable to purchase the book should contact Father Morris confidentially for a scholarship that would cover the cost of the book.

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION STATEMENTS

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION STATEMENTS: 2^nd quarter statements are available now. If you would like to receive yours, please contact parish administrator Sue Selz in the church office (office@aquiachurch.org or 540-659-4007).

SUNDAY SCHOOL

SUNDAY SCHOOL: The first day for the new year of Sunday school will be Aug. 16, which will be our “Sundae Sunday” with ice cream to celebrate the occasion. Stay tuned for more details.

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, July 12, Father Morris will continue a new Morning Call series on the parables of Jesus.

WEDNESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY 

WEDNESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY: On this Wednesday, July 8, we’ll explore some features of Hebrew poetry that matter in the psalms. The series will conclude on July 15.

THURSDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY

THURSDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY: Father James Rickenbaker’s series on the Book of Acts will continue both in person and online on the Thursdays throughout July (6:00 p.m.).

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.

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 JULY UPDATES

AQUIA'S PANTRY JULY UPDATES: The Pantry will receive $1.00 for each $2.75 reusable Community Bag sold throughout July 2026 at Giant grocery store on Worth Avenue. Please consider shopping at this Giant if you need reusable bags.

We are incredibly grateful for several huge blessings received on July 1, including 132 jars of peanut butter and 132 boxes of cereal from a parish family, and the 400 pounds of fresh corn from Snead’s Farm delivered by the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank.

We gave groceries to 126 families on June 24. On July 1, despite the oppressive heat, we served 141 families and were also able to offer extra chicken and pork to many of them.

Our volunteers have started to take their vacations, so we truly need more help. If you can join us for a couple of hours on Tuesday mornings or anytime on Wednesdays 8:00 a.m.—8:00 p.m., please let us know. Specific tasks include checking dates on donations from local grocery stores in the morning, bagging beautiful fresh produce and filling brown paper bags with food for our guests in the afternoon, placing grocery bags in our guests’ vehicles and handing out candy bags for children from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., and much more. If you can help, please speak with Barb Bingay, Ron Korth, or Mary Jane Cole (maryjane@cfsw.biz).

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).

YOUTH GROUP

YOUTH GROUP: Our youth group for teens in grades 6-12 has ended their morning meetings and their evening meetings for this school year. Stay tuned for the possibility of a fun activity we might organize later in the summer before resuming in August.

DIOCESAN ANNUAL CONVENTION

DIOCESAN ANNUAL CONVENTION: The vestry has appointed Lisa Schwartz and Joseph Howard to serve as alternates to the diocesan Annual Convention, to be held in Fredericksburg on Nov. 5-7, in case any of our delegates—Carolyn Hendrickson, Bill Hoffman, and Jennifer Stoltz—are unable to attend. Our thanks to this team for their willingness to represent our parish.

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.

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.