Aquia Church Weekly Announcements
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR WEEK OF DECEMBER 22, 2024
WORSHIP SCHEDULE FOR DECEMBER AND BEYOND
WORSHIP SCHEDULE FOR DECEMBER AND BEYOND
Sunday, Dec. 22 (Fourth Sunday of Advent)
7:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., & 4:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist
Tuesday, Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve)
4:30 p.m., 7:00 p.m., & 10:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist (Christmas Eve)
with Christmas music beginning 30 minutes before each service
Wednesday, Dec. 25 (Christmas Day)
10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
Sunday, Dec. 29 (First Sunday after Christmas)
7:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist
10:30 a.m. Christmas Lessons and Carols with Holy Communion
no afternoon/evening worship service
Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025 (First Sunday of the New Year)
9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist & Parish-Wide Annual Meeting
with Election of New Vestry Members in the great hall
(in case of snow or ice, the annual meeting will be postponed one week)
Sunday school activities throughout the morning for students in pre-K through 12th grade
4:00 Holy Eucharist
HOME COMMUNION
HOME COMMUNION: If you or someone in your home is shut-in, home-bound, or hospitalized and would like to receive a visit from the clergy during the Christmas season (including the offer to share communion), please notify Father Jay Morris (morris@aquiachurch.org) or Father James Rickenbaker (rickenbaker@aquiachurch.org) at the church office (office@aquiachurch.org or 540-659-4007), and we shall gladly make the arrangements.
Help Decorate for Christmas
Help Decorate for Christmas: You are warmly invited to help the flower guild decorate the historic church for Christmas on this Saturday, Dec. 21, starting at 10:00 a.m. If you would like to help, simply show up—no experience needed. The point of contact is Margaret Hedger (mah5724@aol.com).
E.C.W. ADVENT GIFT SHOP
E.C.W. ADVENT GIFT SHOP: This coming Sunday, Dec. 22, is the final Sunday for shopping at the ECW Advent Gift Shop in the great hall. We have beautiful gold Aquia Church ornaments and notecards, plus Aquia Church cookbooks with recipes from various members. We also have tea towels with favorite recipes of Gary Perkins or the Moncures, and other tea towels with sports themes or Christmas designs. Of course, we still have the popular sock monkeys (perhaps children will be more inclined to make their beds for a sock monkey’s new home!).
SUNDAY SCHOOL SCHEDULE
SUNDAY SCHOOL SCHEDULE: Sunday School WILL be held on this coming Sunday, Dec. 22; Sunday School will NOT be held on the Sunday after Christmas, Dec. 29. On Jan. 5 (the morning of our parish’s annual meeting), children’s activities will be available throughout the business session, which begins after the conclusion of that morning’s 9:00 worship service. Regular Sunday school resumes on Jan. 12 at 9:30 a.m.
AQUIA’S TABLE MEETING
AQUIA’S TABLE MEETING: All parties involved with Aquia’s Table are invited to a meeting in the great hall on Sunday, Dec. 29 (4:00—5:00 p.m.) in order to discuss some possibilities and make some plans for the future of this ministry.
ANNUAL PLEDGE CAMPAIGN
ANNUAL PLEDGE CAMPAIGN: As of Dec. 18, we have received 61 pledge cards with a total of $314,332 for God’s mission and ministry here in 2025—plus 29 pledges for the Heritage Endowment Fund with a total of $115,660. That is encouraging, to be sure, but we have more work to do for operating under a suitable budget for next year, given that our current year’s budget is over $575,000 not counting the CFFB mortgage. If you have not yet turned in your pledge card with a financial commitment for 2025, then please return it to the church office soon or put it in the offering plate soon. Blank pledge cards are available from the tall table in the back of the historic church or from the church office; we can also provide a small packet of information that explains the importance of pledging. If you have any concerns or questions about pledging, please speak confidentially with Father Morris or with our treasurer, Chris Arey (treasurer@aquiachurch.org).
RETIRING OUR MORTGAGE DEBT
RETIRING OUR MORTGAGE DEBT: Aquia Church has received a commitment for a new matching challenge to help us retire the mortgage debt for the Christian Formation and Fellowship Building. Every donation received for the new building throughout this calendar year will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000.00, so that we can continue to pay off the mortgage ahead of schedule, with reduced interest payments and reduced overall expense. Please make sure that your gift is clearly marked with something like “new building” on the memo line of your check or on the envelope. As of Dec. 15, the amount received toward this matching challenge is $74,442.12—we are even closer to our goal than before! Can you make a tax-deductible gift for this important cause? Every donation matters.
NOTES FROM OUR TREASURER
NOTES FROM OUR TREASURER: Monetary contributions intended for 2024 must be received by the church by 31 December 2024 or be postmarked by 31 December 2024. Contributions such as checks which are dated in 2024 but which are received after 31 December 2024 or postmarked after 31 December 2024 will be counted towards 2025. Electronic contributions must be made by the end of 31 December 2024 to count towards 2024.
After 31 December 2024, for in-kind donations made during this year which have not previously been identified, parishioners are asked to provide the receipts to the office as soon as possible. In the event that in-kind receipts are not received by the church office before end-of-year statements are produced, the Treasurer will provide a separate statement for these in-kind donations.
End-of-year contribution statements for 2024 will be available at church in mid-January 2025. Any discrepancies should be referred to Sue Selz, our parish administrator, for resolution.
In the new year, if you are requesting a reimbursement for an in-kind contribution, please consider holding your request until you reach the amount of $25.00. Each of our security-enhanced checks costs nearly a dollar, and postage for mailing each check continues to increase, so we are trying to minimize the cost of producing checks for small dollar amounts. If this is not feasible for you, then we will process your check per your request.
MORNING CALL
MORNING CALL: On this coming Sunday, Dec. 22, Morning Call will offer another session of “Stump the Priest!” when you may ask Father Morris any question on your mind, and on Dec. 29 Morning Call will offer some opportunities for informal conversation. Looking ahead: Father Morris is planning his next Morning Call series, which will begin on Jan. 12, with possible topics including Christian bioethics, how the New Testament uses the Old Testament, and the Creeds of the Church. If you have ideas about Morning Call themes that would be helpful for your life, please give your suggestions to Father Morris (whether in person or via e-mail: morris@aquiachurch.org).
OFFERING ENVELOPES
OFFERING ENVELOPES: If you have requested to receive offering envelopes in the past, they are now available for pickup at the historic church. If you would like to start receiving these envelopes, then please contact Sue Selz in the church office (sue.selz@aquiachurch.org or 540-659-5007) or treasurer Chris Arey (treasurer@aquiachurch.org).
VESTRY NOMINATIONS
VESTRY NOMINATIONS: When our parish holds its annual meeting on Sunday, Jan. 5 (starting at 9:00 a.m.), we shall elect new members for the vestry. Rick Bryant, Michael Ferrantino, Joe Howard, and Pat Quinn have been nominated for election to three-year terms, and Chris Dearing and Carol Korth have been nominated for election to one-year terms.
YOUTH GROUP EVENING MEETINGS
YOUTH GROUP EVENING MEETINGS: Our evening meetings for 2024 have concluded but will resume on January 12 & 26 (5:00—6:00 p.m.). In addition, our youth group’s morning meetings 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.
WEDNESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY
WEDNESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY: Father Morris will conclude his evening Bible study series on the Book of Genesis on Dec. 18. This series begins 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 still 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 that is more convenient for you. In a natural follow-up to this series on Genesis, our next Wednesday evening series will begin on Jan. 8, 2025, with the Book of Exodus.
THURSDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY
THURSDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY: Father James Rickenbaker is leading a new series on the Gospel according to Luke, with a one-week break on Dec. 26. 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>.
FELLOWSHIP BREAKFAST
FELLOWSHIP BREAKFAST: There are some Sundays awaiting folks to serve as breakfast hosts in the weeks ahead, starting with Dec. 29. If you want to serve as a breakfast host for any Sunday in the months ahead, 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.
IN CASE OF INCLEMENT WEATHER
IN CASE OF INCLEMENT WEATHER: When snow/ice prompts Stafford County Public Schools to close, all in-person activities at Aquia Church will close as well; that is particularly true for Aquia’s Pantry and Aquia’s Table, which do not operate when the roads are unsafe with snow/ice. If snow/ice prompts us to cancel Sunday worship services, we are usually able to send out notices via e-mail. When there are forecasts for snow/ice, we trust parishioners and visitors to exercise caution in trying to attend in-person worship services and other activities, and we encourage you to rely on our Facebook page <https://www.facebook.com/AquiaEpiscopalChurch> for electronic broadcasts of Morning Prayer and midweek Bible studies.
AQUIA’S PANTRY DECEMBER UPDATES
AQUIA’S PANTRY DECEMBER UPDATES: December is off to a busy start with 137 families receiving food the first week. We wish to thank the children in Sunday school for their gifts of cereal during November! We also give thanks for the many anonymous gifts of canned goods, paper bags, and egg cartons dropped off in the great hall during the past few weeks. Your support is invaluable to the health and strength of Aquia’s Pantry, and we are grateful. Once again, we thank God for all these gifts from such generous hearts, and for all the hours that our volunteers pour into this ministry each and every month.
The best news is that the food bank has begun receiving donations from area food drives and these donations are available to us. Hence, our needs have now shifted to boxes of cereal, cans of tomato sauce, and jars of peanut butter, as well as brown paper grocery bags and egg cartons.
Aquia’s Pantry will offer groceries the first three Wednesdays of December and ALL the Wednesdays in January, weather permitting. We will be open on January 1. The only Wednesday when we will be closed for service is Christmas Day, nor will we work this Christmas Eve.
If you have questions, suggestions, or offers to help, please reach out to Ron Korth, Barb Bingay, 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. Also, as part of our ongoing effort for good stewardship at various levels, Aquia’s Table will prepare a maximum total of 400 meals each week, and Aquia’s Pantry will distribute groceries to a maximum of 140 households each week.
INVITATION FROM AQUIA’S TABLE
INVITATION FROM AQUIA’S TABLE: Aquia’s Table is recruiting volunteers to assist with baking or preparing desserts (either at home or at the church kitchen on Tuesdays: cookies, brownies, crispy rice treats, cakes, etc.) and to assist occasionally with preparing meals when others might be unable to serve. In recent weeks, we have been serving 400 meals, and some extra help with fixing desserts and meals from time to time would be welcomed. In order to offer your hands-on help, please contact Briget Kane (bkwings_n_things@yahoo.com). Aquia’s Table will not operate during the week of Christmas nor during the week of New Year’s Day.
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, which is <www.facebook.com/AquiaEpiscopalChurch>. Even if you do not have a Facebook account, you can still 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 that is more convenient for you.
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).
