Author Archive: Leesa Bell

Wednesday Night Lenten Series

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Amidst Our Neighbors

Don’t forget to tune in for our weekly Lenten Bible Study Series called
“Amidst Our Neighbors” on Wednesday nights at 7:00pm.
Next week’s theme on March 24th will be:
“Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love.”
Please join us for the Zoom Meeting or view the video on YouTube at Pastor Gerry’s YouTube page sometime during the week. We hope that the time we spend together edifies our faith in Jesus Christ as we learn from him how to live amidst our neighbors.

A note from Pastor Gerry:

I never knew when the first time I ate crabs. I was young and I remember people telling me how to open a crab, but exactly how old I was, I do not know. I do know that we were not wealthy so it was not a common treat. It was a very special treat and one that was usually a special occasion that we were invited to. My dad’s company had a company crab feast at Sandy Point which was circled on our calendar each year.

I do know that I grew up around people that loved crabs. When they were in front of a bushel, you couldn’t get them to move from the table. Everyone, everyone was a crab lover. So I guess I just went along with the crowd. By High School age, I was taken with the sum- mer ritual of eating crabs and I would whenever I could (maybe once a year). But there was nothing like it. A friend of mine had a wedding reception crab feast. What can I say?

In my lifetime, I saw on TV and read in the papers the “I have a Dream” speech by Martin Luther King, JFK assassination, Civil Rights Act of 1964, Martin Luther King’s assassination, the Baltimore riots, the assassination of Bobby Kennedy, and school bussing, all in the context of the Vietnam War that was very close to sucking me in.

The struggle of civil rights took on many different phases all during my life. There were times I didn’t understand it. There were times I fought with it. There are times I embraced it. But the time I learned the most was when I was a sophomore in high school and a camp counselor at St. Vincent De Paul’s summer camp in Annapolis for Baltimore City children. It was to give the poor children a summer vacation. While my heart went out to those kids, it didn’t mean I knew everything about civil rights or racism meant. I was just there.

“Amidst Our Neighbor” is to talk about these types of experiences. Just like eating crabs, our response to race has been groomed in us. For some of us that has been good and for some of us not so good. Amidst Our Neighbor is not to criticize that but to open up our heart to the stories and experiences and give us more information to head in the best direction. Please join us on Zoom on Wednesday night or on video at YouTube at Gerry Johnson.

Pastor Gerry

For more information contact Gerry Johnson Pastorgfj@gmail.com

Book Club

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April 15, 2021
at 7:00pm
Mark your calendars
and save the date –
Book Club is coming
up next month!!
Grab a copy of our
next selection and
join us in April.
Meeting codes will be
provided as it gets closer!
The Next Book is:
Such a Fun Age
by Kiley Reid

Grow to Give

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Growing and Harvesting for Those in Need
The “Grow to Give” initiative is ready to begin. Would you like to be part of the team that gives your time in the field from planting to harvest?
Please call or email
Lory and Grant Gustafson if you are interested!
571-246-3144 or lorygustafson@hotmail.com

Christmas Eve

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CHRISTMAS EVE WORSHIP SERVICES
for THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2020
PLAN A:
OUTDOOR WORSHIP SERVICE
with HOLY COMMUNION
at 5:00pm, 7:00pm & 9:00pm
at the Front Entrance of the Church Steps
BUT WAIT!! If it rains (and there is a pretty good chance that it will), THIS is what we plan to do instead:
PLAN B:
We will have a drive-in service with Holy Communion at 7:00pm in the parking lot on the side of the Church with an FM radio broadcast that you can listen to while you sit in your car.

Either rain or shine:

Please take a moment to tune in and watch our very special Christmas Eve Video Service. We have prepared a beautiful arrangement of music and readings that you just won’t want to miss! It will be sent out on Dec. 24th around 5:00pm via email.  Contact Pastor Gerry for more information:  pastorgfj@gmail.com

Bubble Groups

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To reduce the spread of COVID-19, we have taken many steps to minimize risk, including at this time, suspending indoor services. The services were suspended because we felt the risk of contamination was too high for our procedures to mitigate. But just like children and families have done, if you know and trust the self-limiting exposure of a group of people, like a neighbor, you can do things together with them, that you would not do if you didn’t have that level of trust. That is a bubble group. It is people who trust each other’s level of contact and feel safe being around each other.
In our congregation, we have friends and family members who do things outside of church. We know that some of our members have limited their “going out” like dining in restaurants or shopping. If people want to gather together in smaller groups, we could arrange to have a worship service for them. Further, anyone who wants to come and visit the church or receive Holy Communion, you are always welcome to do so, just reach out to Pastor Gerry!

Children Tell The Story

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SUNDAY SCHOOL CHRISTMAS PAGEANT

2020

SUNDAY SCHOOL
CHRISTMAS PAGEANT 2020!!
JOIN US FOR OUR VIEWING PARTY ON SUNDAY, DEC. 20TH DURING REGULAR SUNDAY SCHOOL HOURS
LINKS TO THE VIDEO WILL BE SENT OUT SOON!
or contact Pastor Gerry for the link!

Children’s Virtual Advent Calendar

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Hey Kids! Check out our Virtual
Children’s Advent Calendar on YouTube!
Every day, Pastor Gerry and members of the Church Staff will be posting a kid-friendly video during the season of Advent in anticipation of the birth of Jesus Christ. Let Pastor Gerry know if you’d like to be added to the email list so you can be a part of this very special countdown to Christmas!

Handbell “Huddles”

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JOIN US FOR HANDBELL “HUDDLES”!
We may not be able to sing during these COVID times, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make beautiful music together with our handbells and tone chimes! Our goal is to learn and record a song for the Advent/Christmas season. Each “Huddle” group will be comprised of 4-6 ringers (based on skill level) and will meet at the church (socially distanced, of course!) Spaces are limited, so reserve your spot now!

Give the Gift That Keeps Giving

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As we’ve done in the past, we will be offering Scrip Cards again this year to benefit our Youth Ministry Group. Your holiday shopping plans may look a little different this year, so Scrip Cards could offer you the opportunity to find the perfect gift while shopping online from the comforts of your own home! There are over 750 cards for various retailers to choose from – including Amazon! Here’s how it works:
  • You can get a printed copy of the retailer list from the Welcome Center or you can download one online https://shop.shopwithscrip.com/Login
  • Once you’re on the Login page, scroll down to the bottom and click on Retailer List or Retailer List by Category. A list of participating retailers will load in a PDF format.
  • Select which gift cards you would like from the list and write the name of the card, denomination of the card ($25.00 etc.) and the quantity of cards you need for each retailer.
  • Add up the total value for the cards you are ordering and make out a check payable to “Holy Trinity Youth”.
  • Submit your list and payment to the Church Office. We will process the order as a group order, not individually, and will contact you once the cards are ready to be picked up.
  • Retailer lists and order forms will also be available at the Welcome Center, outside of the Church Office.
We will be collecting Scrip Card orders starting Sunday, November 15th and will continue on 11/22, 11/29, 12/6 and 12/13. In most cases, if you order on a Sunday, we will have your order available the following week. Have a safe and easy Christmas shopping season with the purchase of Scrip cards.
What is Scrip? Scrip is a gift card based fund raiser — just purchase a gift card, and you will get full value for your shopping.  The Holy Trinity Youth will receive a commission (up to 15%) for selling you a card — no additional cost to you!  Scrip offers a wide variety of gift cards, from Amazon to Zappos, and everything in between, both online and brick-and-mortar retailers!

 

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The Metro D.C. Synod will be offering an online All Saints Serviceon November 1, 2020 at 4:00 PM to remember all those who have died in the past year, which is especially important as we grieve for those we have lost through the COVID-19 pandemic.
You are welcome to participate in this service through the
or Facebook page.
To prepare for worship, please have a small bowl of water available and light as many candles as you would like.