SEAFOOD FEAST—SAVE THE DATE! Saturday, Aug. 29 (tentative time 4:00—7:00 p.m.). Tickets will go on sale soon.

FALL FEST AUCTION ACTION

FALL FEST AUCTION ACTION: Do you remember the invitation in last week’s bulletin: “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?” Lilchy Huffman was the first parishioner to respond! She is giving, once again, TWO items in the auction: both items are Cakes by Lilchy! A Cake a Month for a Year! (15 different cakes or a box of candy from which to choose) offered by Lilchy Huffman, baker extraordinaire. With these two gifts, our auction is off to a great start. We look forward to hearing from more of our fellow parishioners soon. Please reach out to Mary Jane Cole about your gifts or suggestions (maryjane@cfsw.biz).

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.

WEDNESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY

WEDNESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY: On this Wednesday, July 22, we’ll begin a new short-term series on the apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians. We meet on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. over Facebook Live <www.facebook.com/AquiaEpiscopalChurch>, and anyone is welcomed to join in.

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 Thursdays at 6:00 p.m. in the conference room downstairs in the CFFB and simultaneously over Facebook Live <www.facebook.com/AquiaEpiscopalChurch>, and anyone is welcomed to participate. The group will not meet on Thursday, Aug. 6 but otherwise will continue to meet on Thursdays until completing this important book of the New Testament.

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

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 UPDATES

AQUIA'S PANTRY UPDATES: As a reminder, the Pantry will receive $1.00 for each $2.75 reusable Community Bag sold throughout July 2026 at Giant grocery store on Worth Ave. Please consider purchasing a reusable bag or two at Giant.

The grant that purchased lovely fresh produce for the Pantry for a year has now ended. We are INCREDIBLY grateful for this grant which we received through Virginia Community Food Connections. For the remainder of the summer, we hope to be able to purchase some produce grown locally by C & A Produce of Montross. In the meantime, God continues to affirm this ministry: we had a surprise gift of 442 pounds of beautiful cucumbers from the Rappahannock Education Farm on July 15, and 35 pounds of shelf-stable foods from the good folks at St. Herman of Alaska Russian Orthodox Church.

We gave groceries to 126 families on July 15 despite the oppressive heat. This count included only one new family, which means 125 families trusted that we would be offering what they needed on this extremely hot evening.

Our volunteers’ vacations have left some holes in the Pantry calendar through September. If you can join us for a couple hours Tuesday mornings or anytime on Wednesdays from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., please let us know. The most critical shortage time is 5:30—7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. If you can help, please speak to 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.

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.

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).