AQUIA’S TABLE GOLF TOURNAMENT

AQUIA’S TABLE GOLF TOURNAMENT: The 14^th 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 right away and play for this worthy cause. Information about being a sponsor for the tournament is also available.

MARCH NEWSLETTER

MARCH NEWSLETTER: The most recent issue of our Cross Section newsletter is available electronically here < https://aquiachurch.org/connect/e-newsletter/ >.

THURSDAY EVENING LENTEN SERIES

THURSDAY EVENING LENTEN SERIES: Our Thursday evening dinner-and-discussion series continues through Apr. 10 (6:00—8:00 p.m.). We offer a hearty soup-and-salad meal, discussion about The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis and themes related to Lent as led by the clergy, and fellowship. IF YOU INTEND TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS SERIES AND HAVE NOT ALREADY NOTIFIED FATHER MORRIS, PLEASE DO SO RIGHT AWAY (morris@aquiachurch.org), so that we can prepare appropriately.

COMMUNION ENRICHMENT CLASS

COMMUNION ENRICHMENT CLASS: This series continues on Thursday evenings through Apr. 10 for children preparing to receive their First Communion and for children who are already receiving Communion, so that they will better understand what is going on in the Holy Eucharist. This class meets on the CFFB lower level and runs officially 6:45—7:30pm, with a meal available for children and parents in the great hall starting at 6:00pm and childcare provided till 8:00pm. This children’s class allows their parents to participate in the Lenten dinner-and-discussion series, which meets simultaneously upstairs. In order to register your child for this communion enrichment class, please contact our director of Christian education, Kim Bamber christianed@aquiachurch.org.

LENTEN QUIET DAY

LENTEN QUIET DAY: Parishioners are invited to attend a Lenten quiet day led by our clergy on next Saturday, Mar. 29 (10:00 a.m.—1:00 p.m.) with lunch provided and with opportunity to arrive late or leave early as needed. The theme is “Forgiveness and Grace,” with specific times for prayer, reflection, and connecting the Bible with our lives. This is not a silent retreat, but rather an opportunity to withdraw from the busyness of everyday life and be refreshed spiritually. The only thing you need to bring is a pen or pencil. In order to reserve your space for lunch and indicate any dietary restrictions, please use the signup sheet at the back of the church or contact Father Jay Morris (morris@aquiachurch.org).

EASTER EGG HUNT PREP

EASTER EGG HUNT PREP: Empty plastic Easter eggs can be found in the CFFB lobby. Please take a bag or two, fill them with wrapped candy or small treats, and return to the appropriate bin in the CFFB lobby or the Christian Education office by Sunday, Apr. 13 (Palm Sunday), so that we can hide them for our children’s Easter egg hunt on the following Sunday.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL 

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL: Save the week of June 16-20 for “Egypt VBS.” More details coming soon!

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.

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 a registration form for attending are in the church or call the church office.

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, Father Morris will continue his series about Christian perspectives on bioethics.

FELLOWSHIP BREAKFAST

FELLOWSHIP BREAKFAST: There are plenty of Sundays awaiting folks to serve as breakfast hosts, starting with Mar. 30. 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: Our next evening meeting for teenagers in grades 6-12 will be held with a game night on this coming Sunday, Mar. 23 (5:00—6:00 p.m.), on our every-other-week rotation; teens may bring board games, card games, and other non-electronic games to share. 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: On this coming Wednesday (Mar. 26), Father Jay Morris will continue his online series on the Book of Exodus, starting at Exodus ch. 35. 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 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.

THURSDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY

THURSDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY:  Father James Rickenbaker’s series on the Gospel according to Luke WILL be suspended throughout Lent (in order to allow participation in the Thursday evening Lenten series) but will resume on the Thursday of Easter week, Apr. 24. 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 contribute to the Easter lilies and other floral arrangements for Easter should use the pink form available at the back of the historic church or from the church office, or should contact parish administrator Sue Selz (sue.selz@aquiachurch.org or 540-659-4007) for more information. For any other Sunday, those who want to donate flowers in memory of someone or in thanksgiving for someone or something may contact parish administrator Sue Selz 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-MARCH UPDATES

AQUIA’S PANTRY MID-MARCH UPDATES: We want to share several reasons from this past week for giving thanks. The first is for a family who requested boxes of cereal for their three-year-old’s birthday party as gifts to give to the Pantry. The second is for the family who supplied 60 packages of spaghetti. The third is for all the anonymous gifts which arrived in the great hall before and after worship services. And the fourth is for the time change! March 12 was the first week in a long time when we were able to greet our guests and load their vehicles in daylight. We thank God for all the generous hearts who keep the Pantry stocked with food each week—either with gifts of food or monetary gifts for buying staples such as pasta—so that we can continue to help our guests who are dealing with food insecurity. We could use more volunteers. Our greatest need is for volunteers who can work Wednesday evenings 5:45—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: For a variety of reasons, Aquia’s Table has shifted gears in its ministry. Aquia’s Table is now serving meals on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, rather than every week. Also, 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 Briget Kane (bkwings_n_things@yahoo.com). Our other food ministry, Aquia’s Pantry, continues its current schedule of distributing 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 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.

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 bad weather, 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).