Posts from 2023 (Page 3)
ECHO’s Client-Choice Room
ECHO has changed its model of food distribution to be more like a shopping experience. Clients are given guidelines on their quantity of items based on family size, and then they make individual selections in a “mini-mart” setting. Last Thursday evening, juice, instant coffee, olive oil and mayonnaise shelves were bare. Some of the most expensive items, these are often the first to go. And it wasn’t long before supplies of canned fruit, corn and mixed vegetables, bags of red…
Special Offering for Malawi
Special Offering for Malawi through April 30 Our congregation has had, and continues to have, a vital relationship with the people of Malawi through financial and spiritual support of medical and educational mission co-workers. Now our friends again need our help. Cyclone Freddy, perhaps the worst on record for most accumulated cyclone energy (ACE), a measure based on a storm’s wind strength over its lifetime, severely affected Malawi in March, causing massive death and destruction. After the storm ripped through…
Food for ECHO – the need continues
Lent offers a time to take on a spiritual practice. You might consider donating food to ECHO as a way to respond to the call to “Feed my sheep.” If you don’t have time this week to check out the Most Needed items at echo-inc.org or can’t visualize examples that have recently been displayed on the communion table, please remember this: Most ECHO clients request flour or masa, sugar, canned fruit, and instant coffee or tea. Add one or two of these…
Join us for services during Holy Week
Please plan to join us for Holy Week services. All services will be held in the Meeting House; some will also be offered online. Invite your friends, neighbors, and family members. All are welcome! Maundy Thursday, April 6 – 7:30pm, Communion around tables jointly with First Baptist Church of Vienna, with guest preacher Dr. Vernon C. Walton, in person only Good Friday, April 7 – 7:30pm, Tenebrae service of light in the darkness, in person and online Easter Sunday, April…
One Great Hour of Sharing
This Sunday, March 26, Palm Sunday, April 2, and Easter Sunday, April 9, we will receive the One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) offering. Around the world, millions of people lack access to sustainable food sources, clean water, sanitation, education and opportunity. Three programs supported by OGHS — Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the Presbyterian Hunger Program, and Self-Development of the People — all work in different ways to serve individuals and communities in need. From initial disaster response to ongoing community development,…
March Mission Madness Recap
Thanks to everyone who answered the call to join us for March Mission Madness! Your service always matters and we’re grateful that you took part. The madness began at 8:00 am on Saturday, March 11, when teams of youth and adults (60+ people) traveled to different service sites across the DMV. They built benches, prepared/handed out food, organized items in a warehouse, and tackled a variety of odd jobs for an animal rescue center. Then, on Sunday, March 12, they gathered…
New ideas for ECHO food donations
Need a new idea for ECHO food donations? Think canned fish and meat. Clients are selecting their food in a mini-market setting and gratefully accept a wide variety of these shelf-stable proteins. Most popular: sardines and Spam. A full list of “most needed” items is available at www.echo-inc.org. Please place your contributions in the mission center cabinet across from the kitchen. We deliver them early each week. ECHO (Ecumenical Community Helping Others) assists residents of Burke and Springfield suffering the effects of…
NoVA RAFT Wish List
NoVA RAFT (Resettling Afghan Families Together) has added to and updated their Amazon wish list for two more families who will finally be moving from a hotel to their own homes. If you have furniture to donate, please email Tammy@novaraft.org with photos. NoVA RAFT is a grassroots coalition of neighbors committed to supporting newly arrived Afghan allies as they join our community. NoVA RAFT’s volunteer team consists of teens, adults, and community groups. Their activities include raising awareness, collecting and providing in-kind donations…
Lent 2023 at BPC
Join us throughout the season as we explore a theme we’re calling “Seeking.” The Lenten scripture readings this year offer us stories of Jesus encountering people who are seeking: Nicodemus under the veil of night, the woman at the well, a man born blind. All are asking questions. All are seeking meaning, new beginnings, and a deeper worthiness than what they have experienced in the world. Throughout the turbulence of the past few years, many of us are asking big…
Exploring the Sacraments
A two-part Sunday School series for children and adults Are you curious about baptism or communion? Join us as we explore these sacraments through Godly Play and conversation with Pastor Becca. All ages are welcome! We’ll have two sessions. On Sunday, March 12, we’ll explore baptism. On Sunday, March 19, we’ll explore communion. Both classes will meet at 10:15am, during the Sunday School hour, in the Godly Play Room/Conversation Corner.
Little Free Pantry Opportunity
Join us in keeping our Free Little Pantry Full! Build by BPC member Jack Marin for his Eagle Scout project, this pantry is designed to help us serve our neighbors with simple items to grab and go. You can learn more about the Nationwide Little Pantry Organization at www.littlefreepantry.org. You are invited sign up as a group, family or individual for a month or a week at a time. Contact the church office for information on how to sign up. It is…
Seeking Jesus at the Table
A new adult Sunday School class, Seeking Jesus at the Table, starts on February 19. The Gospels are full of stories of Jesus sharing meals with disciples and friends, as well as tax collectors and Pharisees. Join this Lenten study as we seek Jesus, search for biblical insights, and share our thoughts and questions along with examining issues regarding our own time, such as who gets invited to dinner and who is left out and left behind in our culture…