Aquia Church Weekly Announcements
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR WEEK OF APRIL 28, 2024
YOUTH GROUP
YOUTH GROUP: Our youth group for teens in grades 6-12 meets most Sunday mornings of the school year during the Sunday school period (9:30—10:15 a.m.). Our next evening dates are this coming Sunday, April 28, plus the following Sunday, May 5 (5:00—6:00 p.m. on consecutive Sundays). Our final meeting date of this school year will be a special occasion: Saturday, May 18, starting at 4:00 p.m., when we will place flags on the graves of military veterans buried in our cemetery; afterwards, teens and their friends and families are welcomed to join us as Father Jay Morris treats us to dinner nearby at El Gran Charro Mexican restaurant (2834 Richmond Hwy, Stafford) in Aquia Town Center.
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. This challenge is retroactive to January 1, 2024, so that any donation for this purpose made earlier this year can be counted toward the match alongside any contribution made after this announcement. In order to ensure that your tax-deductible donation is credited properly, 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.
DEADLINE APPROACHING FOR AQUIA’S TABLE GOLF TOURNAMENT!
DEADLINE APPROACHING FOR AQUIA’S TABLE GOLF TOURNAMENT! Calling all golfers to this year’s main fundraiser for Aquia’s Table on its new, warmer-weather date of Monday, May 20 (shotgun start at 9:00 a.m.) at Augustine Golf Club, 76 Monument Drive, Stafford. Cost is $125/person or $500/foursome, with carts and lunch provided—all for a most worthy cause. Sponsorship opportunities are available, too, at a variety of levels. Brochures for registration and for sponsorships are available at the back of the church and from the church office, so get yourself signed up! You are encouraged to recruit individual golfers and foursomes to play for this important charitable event.
FELLOWSHIP BREAKFAST
FELLOWSHIP BREAKFAST: There are plenty of Sundays in 2024 awaiting folks to offer to serve as hosts, starting with May 5 and May 12. 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.
INTERESTED IN C.P.R./A.E.D. TRAINING?
INTERESTED IN C.P.R./A.E.D. TRAINING? Parishioners who want to receive training in the use of Aquia’s AED (automated external defibrillator) equipment and in CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) from an experienced instructor certified by the American Red Cross, should contact Dina Stanford (jjanddina@comcast.net) in order to express their interest and begin setting a date for the workshop. The training you receive could help save a life!
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL: Please save the dates of June 10-14 for “SCUBA VBS” as we dive into friendship with God. Registration is available online now at our Website (www.aquiachurch.org). Volunteers are also needed to dive in, in order to make VBS a success. For more information, please contact our director of Christian education, Kimberly Bamber (christianed@aquiachurch.org).
SUNDAY SCHOOL
SUNDAY SCHOOL: Sunday school classes take place most Sundays of the school year 9:30—10:15 a.m. downstairs in the Christian Formation and Fellowship Building (CFFB). Sunday school is open for students in grades pre-K through 5th grade, with youth group for 6th through 12th graders. The final date of Sunday school for this school year is May 19.
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, we continue our new series about the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel according to Matthew (chs. 5—7).
WEEKDAY BIBLE STUDIES
WEEKDAY BIBLE STUDIES: Our Wednesday evening series on the New Testament letters of Jude and II Peter has concluded. A new evening series on the Pastoral Epistles in the New Testament (I-II Timothy and Titus) will run throughout the Wednesdays in May, starting electronically over Facebook Live at 7:00 p.m. On this Thursday, Father Rickenbaker’s Thursday morning group will continue its series on the Gospel of Mark (starting at 11:00 a.m. in person in the CFFB downstairs conference room and simultaneously over Facebook Live). The broadcasts are available online at our Facebook page <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 time. Simply scroll down to find the broadcast for which you are looking (each one is labeled), then begin to play the recording.
HIGH NUMBERS OF GUESTS AT AQUIA’S TABLE AND AQUIA’S PANTRY
HIGH NUMBERS OF GUESTS AT AQUIA’S TABLE AND AQUIA’S PANTRY:
Mar. 6: Aquia’s Table served 447 meals, Aquia’s Pantry gave groceries to 125 households.
Mar. 13: Aquia’s Table served 301 meals, Aquia’s Pantry gave groceries to 97 households.
Mar. 20: Aquia’s Table served 338 meals, Aquia’s Pantry gave groceries to 101 households.
Mar. 27: Aquia’s Table served 416 meals, Aquia’s Pantry gave groceries to 128 households.
Apr. 3: Aquia’s Table served 400 meals, Aquia’s Pantry gave groceries to 124 households.
Apr. 10: Aquia’s Table served 397 meals, Aquia’s Pantry gave groceries to 114 households.
Apr. 17: Aquia’s Table served 380 meals, Aquia’s Pantry gave groceries to 130 households.
Apr. 24: Aquia’s Table served 397 meals, Aquia’s Pantry gave groceries to 111 households.
8-WEEK AVERAGE: 385 meals served and groceries given to 116 households
The long lines of guests coming for food 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.
AQUIA’S PANTRY APRIL UPDATES
AQUIA’S PANTRY APRIL UPDATES: As the beautiful gardens of the CFFB bloom around us, the Pantry is seeing another uptick in our number of guests. Since we are also seeing our faithful volunteers beginning their spring and summer vacations, we are seeking more help. Our biggest need falls on Wednesday afternoons from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., when we fill the bags with bread, produce, and canned goods. Neither previous experience nor heavy lifting is required, so please let us know if you can help.
The Pantry is also busy counting our blessings. On Sunday, April 21, we received over 700 grocery bags! Some came from faithful parishioners, but 600 were donated by a resident of a nearby neighborhood who saw our sign and checked out our Website. Did you know that we use over 400 paper bags each week? On Wednesday, April 14, the Pantry received 2,000 pounds in food and beverages from the Target store on Rt. 610! The gentlemen who drive their pickup trucks to fetch the gifts from grocery stores required two trips to Target that day in order to “harvest” this bounty. For these and all of God’s many blessings which enable us to help our neighbors in need, we are so grateful.
In order to help the Pantry continue its mission of feeding our neighbors in need, we would appreciate jars of peanut butter, cans of soup, boxes of mac-and-cheese, brown paper bags from grocery stores, and empty egg cartons. If you would like to learn more about how the Pantry works and how you can help, please speak to Barb Bingay, Ron Korth or Mary Jane Cole (maryjane@cfsw.biz).
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 around 400 guests, 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).
ALTAR FLOWERS
ALTAR FLOWERS: Those who want to donate flowers during 2024 in memory of someone or in thanksgiving for someone or something may contact Sue Selz in the church office (sue.selz@aquiachurch.org or 540-659-4007) and select a particular Sunday; the signup sheet is also available on the short table 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 such arrangements during Advent or Lent, but most other Sundays during the year remain available.
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 continue to 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 on most Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. and most Thursday mornings at 11:00 a.m. 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 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 time 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).
