Aquia Church Weekly Announcements
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR WEEK OF APRIL 27, 2025
AQUIA’S TABLE GOLF TOURNAMENT AQUIA’S TABLE GOLF TOURNAMENT: The 14th Annual Bob Jones Memorial Golf Tournament benefiting Aquia’s Table will be held on Monday, May 19, at Augustine Golf Club in Stafford. Information about registering to play (whether with your group or as an individual who would be matched with other golfers) is available at the back of the historic church and from parish administrator Sue Selz in the church office (sue.selz@aquiachurch.org or 540-659-4007). INVITING NEW PLAYERS: For every player in 2025 who did not play in last year’s tournament, a donor will contribute an extra $50, up to $1,000. Twenty new players will mean an extra thousand bucks for feeding our guests. We cherish our returning participants, and we also want new players to have fun golfing for Aquia’s Table. So even if you do not play golf, please encourage your golfing friends to register and play for this worthy cause. Information about being a sponsor for the tournament is also available.
WEDNESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY
WEDNESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY: Father Jay Morris will begin a new series about “Women in the Bible” on this Wednesday, Apr. 23, at 7:00 p.m. online at our Facebook page <www.facebook.com/AquiaEpiscopalChurch>. 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.
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, Apr. 27, Father Jay Morris will begin a new series about the Psalms.
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.
UNITED THANK OFFERING (U.T.O.)
UNITED THANK OFFERING (U.T.O.): Aquia’s Episcopal Church Women will hold our spring ingathering for the United Thank Offering on next Sunday, May 4. Blue-and-white boxes and blue-and-white envelopes are available around your pews for this purpose; use them to collect your offerings of coins, dollar bills, and checks, then bring them to church on Sunday. The U.T.O. is a long-standing program of the ECW throughout The Episcopal Church for a variety of projects in mission and ministry, and we hope you will be able to show your gratitude to God generously by contributing to this collection. Offerings for the U.T.O. will be collected separately from offerings that will remain with Aquia Church.
DIOCESAN E.C.W.
DIOCESAN E.C.W.: The spring meeting of the Episcopal Church Women of the Diocese of Virginia will take place on Thursday, May 1, at Varina Episcopal Church in Henrico. More details about this meeting and yellow registration forms are available at the back of the historic church.
BRING-A-FRIEND-TO-CHURCH SUNDAY
BRING-A-FRIEND-TO-CHURCH SUNDAY: On May 18 we’ll have our first Bring-a-Friend-to-Church Sunday for 2025. On that Sunday especially, 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.
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.
FELLOWSHIP BREAKFAST
FELLOWSHIP BREAKFAST: There are plenty of Sundays awaiting folks to serve as breakfast hosts, starting with May 4 & 11. 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.
YOUTH GROUP EVENING MEETINGS
YOUTH GROUP EVENING MEETINGS: 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. Our next evening meeting on our every-other-week rotation will be held on May 4 with a pizza-and-movie night off-campus; stay tuned for more details. For more information, please contact one of the clergy.
THURSDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY
THURSDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY: Father James Rickenbaker’s series on the Gospel according to Luke, which was suspended during Lent, WILL RESUME ON NEXT THURSDAY, MAY 1. Broadcasts of past sessions are available online at our Facebook page <www.facebook.com/AquiaEpiscopalChurch>.
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-APRIL UPDATES
AQUIA’S PANTRY MID-APRIL UPDATES: Did you know:
On March 5, the Pantry gave groceries to 112 families.
On March 12, the Pantry gave groceries to 119 families.
On March 19, the Pantry gave groceries to 118 families.
On March 26, the Pantry gave groceries to 125 families.
On April 2, the Pantry gave groceries to 122 families.
On April 9, the Pantry gave groceries to 129 families.
We are indeed grateful to God for enough food to fill all these bags and help all these families. We are indeed grateful to all members of the parish who contributed both food items and funds to help make this possible. We NEED more volunteers. Our greatest need is for volunteers who can work Wednesday evenings from 5:45 to 7:30. Our most needed foods items are boxes of pasta and cereal. If you would like to learn more about the Pantry, please reach out 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 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 350 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).
