Aquia Church Weekly Announcements
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR WEEK OF NOVEMBER 17, 2024
NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER
NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER: The most recent issue of our Cross Section newsletter is available electronically here < https://aquiachurch.org/connect/e-newsletter/ >.
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 Nov. 6, the amount received toward this matching challenge is $60,717.72—we are heading in the right direction! Can you make a gift that will help us reach our goal? Every donation matters.
ATTENTION YOUNG ADULTS
ATTENTION YOUNG ADULTS: We will have our next WWJB (What Would Jesus Brew?) meeting on this coming Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 6:00 p.m. at Church of the Messiah (12201 Spotswood Furnace Road, Fredericksburg). We will have a conversation on the 9th commandment of the Ten Commandments. Supper and childcare will be provided.
GROUNDS CLEAN-UP DAY
GROUNDS CLEAN-UP DAY: On Saturday, Nov. 23, starting at 8:00 a.m., we will clean up the grounds around the church. We need your help! Please bring a rake, blower, or anything else that will help as we pick up limbs, discard debris, trim bushes, and so forth; work gloves are helpful, too. This is a good activity where individuals and families can work together. Rain-date is the following Saturday, Nov. 30. Please note that all decorations on gravesites will be removed at this time.
ATTENTION TREASURE HUNTERS!
ATTENTION TREASURE HUNTERS! We need some volunteers to help us verify our cemetery records about remaining unoccupied spaces in the new section of the cemetery (on the east side of the cemetery driveway) that are available for sale. If you have a bit of time to be a good detective, you can be a huge help. Please join us on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 8:45 a.m. or 12:00 p.m. (the Sunday before Thanksgiving, right after each morning service ends). For more information, please contact cemetery superintendent Ellen Brandon (edbfsu@comcast.net) or cemetery committee chairman Bill Hoffman (wmhoffman@verizon.net).
THANKSGIVING CARDS FOR THANKSGIVING WORSHIP
THANKSGIVING CARDS FOR THANKSGIVING WORSHIP: On the tall table at the back of the church, there is a stack of blank index cards. We encourage you to write on a card something for which you are thankful, then place that card in the offering plate. These cards will be collected and lifted up at the altar at our Thanksgiving Eve worship service (Wednesday, Nov. 27 at 7:00 p.m.). You may choose to sign the card on behalf of yourself, your family, or your ministry group.
VESTRY NOMINATION FORMS
VESTRY NOMINATION FORMS: Members who want to be considered as candidates for election to our vestry, or local governing board, will find the self-nomination forms on the tall table at the back of the church or in the church office. In order to be considered, applicants must be confirmed members of Aquia Church (or must be in the process of being confirmed), must be receiving communion regularly, must be fulfilling a financial pledge to Aquia Church for 2024, and must make a financial pledge for 2025. For more information about the responsibilities of being a vestry member, please consult Father Morris. During the coming year, we expect to have particular need for members with experience in financial matters and in property maintenance (buildings and grounds). Completed forms are due by 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 15.
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 a new Morning Call series titled “Why These Four Gospels?” which should be informative for anyone of any age or any background seeking to learn more about the Bible. There are four Sundays remaining in this series.
Looking ahead: Father Morris is exploring possible topics for his next Morning Call series, 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).
YOUTH GROUP EVENING MEETINGS
YOUTH GROUP EVENING MEETINGS: Our youth group for teens in grades 6-12 will have its next evening meetings on this coming Sunday, Nov. 17 (5:00—6:00 p.m.); for this game night, teens are asked to bring board games, card games, and other non-electronic games to share. On Dec. 1, the youth group will meet off-campus and shop for less fortunate families whom we can support at Christmas (5:00—6:00 p.m. at Target in Stafford Marketplace). Our last evening meeting for this calendar year will be on Dec. 15 (stay tuned for more details). There will be no evening meeting on Dec. 29. 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.
CHRISTMAS PAGEANT
CHRISTMAS PAGEANT: Our annual Christmas pageant will take place on Sunday, Dec. 15, during the 10:30 a.m. worship service in the great hall. All children from preschool through high school are welcome to participate in this special event. Please sign up your child here or at this link <https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4BAFA72DA7FFC16-53236391-christmas>. Please share this information with others and invite grandchildren, friends, and family to join us. For any questions, contact our director of Christian education, Kimberly Bamber (christianed@aquiachurch.org).
WEDNESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY
WEDNESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY: Through December, Father Morris will continue his new evening Bible study series on the Book of Genesis. This series begins at 7:00 p.m. online at our Facebook page <www.facebook.om/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
THURSDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY: Today, Nov. 14, Father James Rickenbaker will begin a new series on the Gospel according to Luke. 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, starting with Dec. 1. 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.
AQUIA’S PANTRY MID-NOVEMBER UPDATES
AQUIA’S PANTRY MID-NOVEMBER UPDATES: November is off to a solid start with well over 100 families coming weekly. We have received 30 turkeys from the food bank, large donations of cereal and canned vegetables from our congregation, and plenteous fresh produce to share with our guests. We thank God for all these wonderful gifts. We also have a new volunteer, just in time as several of our steadfast volunteers prepare to visit their out-of-state families over the holidays. If you have an hour or two to spare on a Tuesday morning or anytime on a Wednesday, we have job for you—be it checking egg cartons for broken eggs, weighing frozen meat into four-pound bags, checking expiration dates, bagging groceries, recycling cardboard, or something else. And, yes, the Pantry will be open the evening before Thanksgiving!
We have immediate need for boxes of cereal, cans of beans and vegetables, jars of peanut butter, and brown paper grocery bags. If you have any questions or suggestions, please reach out to Ron Korth, Barb Bingay, or Mary Jane Cole (maryjane@cfsw.biz).
P.S. Please remember that the Pantry will receive from Giant on Worth Avenue $1.00 for each $2.75 reusable Community Bag sold during the month of November. Please shop there if you need any reusable bags.
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 350-400 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).
ATTENTION GARDENERS AND FLOWER-LOVERS
ATTENTION GARDENERS AND FLOWER-LOVERS: The work to upgrade and beautify your garden really starts in the fall, when you plant your spring flowering bulbs and plants. Aquia Church is now a participant in the fundraising program sponsored by Brent and Becky’s, a premier family-owned-and-operated horticultural business based in Gloucester, Virginia. Simply go to this link <https://brentandbeckysbulbs.com/bloomin-bucks/>, select Aquia Episcopal Church from the drop-down menu, follow the instructions, and Aquia Church will receive a donation equal to 25% of your purchase.
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 flower 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 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).
