IN CASE OF INCLEMENT WEATHER: When snow/ice prompts Stafford County Public Schools to close, all in-person activities at Aquia Church that day 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 and Facebook. 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.

THE MEN’S BREAKFAST will meet this month on the special date of this Saturday, Feb. 15 (8:00 a.m.), followed immediately by a meeting of the buildings and grounds committee. Then the men’s breakfast will return to meeting on the second Saturday of each month (so Mar. 8, Apr. 12, etc.).

BUILDINGS & GROUNDS: All church members who are interesting in caring for our buildings and grounds are invited to this year’s first meeting of the B&G committee on this Saturday, Feb. 15 (8:30 a.m.) in the great hall, immediately after the men’s breakfast. Your voice and your help will be valued in our work this year.

YOUNG ADULTS MINISTRY: We will have our February WWJB (What Would Jesus Brew?) meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 18 (6:00 p.m.) at Church of the Messiah, 12201 Spotswood Furnace Ln, Fredericksburg. We will begin a new series on the Apostles’ Creed. Supper and childcare will be provided. In order to reserve your meal or request childcare, please RSVP to Father Rickenbaker (rickenbaker@aquiachurch.org) by the end of this Friday, Feb. 14. We hope that you can join us!

CHARLES BANKS BURIAL: The burial service for Charles Banks will be held at Aquia on Friday, Feb. 21 at 11:00 a.m., with reception to follow in the great hall.

UPDATED PARISH DIRECTORY: Copies of our new directory with purple covers are available for pickup at the back of the church—one per household, please.

ASH WEDNESDAY is approaching on Mar. 5, with our worship services at 12:00 noon and 7:00 p.m.

THURSDAY EVENING LENTEN SERIES: Our annual Thursday evening dinner-and-discussion series for Lent will begin on Mar. 6 (6:00—8:00 p.m.) and run for six Thursdays, ending on Apr. 10. We offer a hearty soup-and-salad meal, discussion about this year’s book and related Lenten themes led by the clergy, and fellowship. This year’s Lenten book is The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis, who dreams about a remarkable bus-ride through H-E-double-hockey-sticks and encounters all sorts of characters and behaviors there; the cost of the book is exactly $10 (cash or check payable directly to Father Jay Morris). Childcare for youngsters in your family can be provided upon advance request. You may reserve your meal, order the book, and request childcare on the sign-up sheet at the back of the church or by e-mailing Father Morris (morris@aquiachurch.org).

CAN YOU COUNT? We are recruiting a few dependable parishioners to serve as counters of the financial contributions we receive. This work generally begins soon after the end of the 10:30 worship service on Sundays, with some teams beginning late Sunday morning, and counters serve approximately once every six weeks. The work of counting offerings is not particularly difficult, it takes place in the Fleurries office building, and our treasurer, Chris Arey (treasurer@aquiachurch.org), will gladly explain the duties involved in this important ministry.

SCHEDULING: If your ministry group wants to change its standard meeting place or meeting time, please make arrangements with parish administrator Sue Selz BEFORE announcing the change. This way, Sue can check our calendar for availability and potential conflicts, and she can alert others who might be affected your plans (such as our janitorial service, various ministry groups, and outside organizations who meet here). Our parish administrator (sue.selz@aquiachurch.org or 540-659-4007) is the point of contact who coordinates everything between Aquia Church groups and all others who spend time on our campus.

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.). Father Morris continues his new Morning Call series dealing with selected issues in Christian bioethics.

WEDNESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY: Father Morris continues his new Wednesday evening series on the Book of Exodus. On Feb. 19, we begin discussion at Exodus ch. 23. 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.

THURSDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY:  Father James Rickenbaker continues his new series on the Gospel according to Luke on most Thursday evenings. 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>. The group will meet on this Thursday, Feb. 13, will NOT meet on Feb. 20, and will resume on Feb. 27. This Bible study series 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.

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).

YOUTH GROUP EVENING MEETINGS: Our next evening meeting for teenagers in grades 6-12 will be held on Sunday, Feb. 23 (5:00—6:00 p.m.) on our every-other-week rotation. 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.

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. The Episcopal Church Women (ECW) are graciously hosting a Shrove-Tuesday-style pancake breakfast on Sunday, Mar. 2 (the Sunday before Ash Wednesday).

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.

AQUIA’S PANTRY EARLY FEBRUARY UPDATE: The Pantry wrapped up January 2025 with happy hearts. During the month we handed out 414 sets of groceries and received a plethora of gifts from parishioners that kept the Pantry going. One family brought in 95 pounds of food and 66 brown paper grocery bags, and another family gave us 350 boxes of mac and cheese that they found on sale. We are so grateful for all gifts, large and small, as well as for our awesome volunteers who have made the Pantry a priority, braving 18-degree weather on Jan. 22 in order to hand out groceries to 109 families. We also thank our loving God, who continuously affirms this ministry through the gifts we receive from our fellow parishioners and the many volunteer hours they provide. Our current needs include boxes of cereal, cans of tomato sauce, and jars of peanut butter, as well as brown paper grocery bags and egg cartons. If you would like to learn more about the Pantry, please reach out to Ron Korth, Barb Bingay, or Mary Jane Cole (maryjane@cfsw.biz).

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 on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, and Aquia’s Pantry will distribute groceries to a maximum of 140 households each week.

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: 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: 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.