Author: Faith2014

A Friendly Reminder:
It’s time to turn back your clocks!  Daylight Savings Time will end this Sunday at 2:00 a.m.

Gift Donations for Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR) are still being accepted for another week. Please place your items in the large designated box in the Fellowship Hall. Thank you for caring!

Mission of the Month
November’s Mission of the Month is A-SPAN (Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network), a community-based non-profit, which has supplied services to the homeless of Arlington for the past 25 years.  Arlington County’s Homeless Services Center (HSC) at Courthouse is operated by

A-SPAN under contract to the County.  The HSC provides a multitude of services under one roof 24/7, 365 days a year, a first for the DC Metro area and one of very few comparable facilities on the East Coast.  By consolidating all these components-housing, medical, shelter, meals, street outreach, employment and case management- the hope is to shorten the ultimate time between moving people from homelessness to homes.  For more information on A-SPAN, go to their website at: www.a-span.org.

Shopping Bags for Outdoor Ministry will be available for pickup this Sunday and for the rest of the month at the church entrances.  The bags will have a “shopping list” attached of all the clothing and personal care items we can put to good use in our outdoor ministry to the homeless. Donations can be placed in bins near the Jackson Street doors

Homeless Bagged Meals Ministry
Next Saturday and every second Saturday of the month, we prepare simple meals in the kitchen and then later that day hand them out directly to our homeless neighbors at an outdoor location in North Arlington. You can help with shopping for the food, the meal preparation at 1:30 p.m., or the distribution of meals at 5:30 p.m  Contact Paul Wengert to get involved: poor.yorick@verizon.net

Faith Volunteers at the Arlington Homeless Services Center (HSC)
Volunteer days require 2-3 volunteers (from 5:30 p.m. to around 7:00 p.m.) to serve the evening meal, monitor the clothing room, or assist staff with other tasks.  Please consider putting yourself on a list for future consideration by contacting Ginny Paulus: virginia.paulus@gmail.com

Guardians of the Cosmos:
Being a Christian in an Age of Doubt and Mystery
Join us for a four-week Bible Study as we explore what it means to be a Christian in an age of doubt and mystery. Using Guardians of the Galaxy as a metaphor, we’ll unpack the apostle Paul’s claim that we are “servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries” (1 Corinthians 4:1).  The series continues November 9th, 16th and 30th, at 8:30 p.m. Either join us for an hour at the church building or on Facebook Live.

To access the Facebook Live video, either go to our website and follow the link on the main page or head to www.facebook.com/flcarlington. Once on our Facebook page, the video should be in the feed as you scroll down. If you are not a Facebook user, you can still see the video. You will only need an account if you wish to comment on the video.

The XYZ group will take Blankets to Lutheran World Relief in New Windsor, MD on Tuesday, November 15^th.  The van leaves at 10:30 a.m.

Richmond Town and Country Hike.
Saturday, November 12th, 10:00 a.m.
We’ll meet at Faith and then drive together to Richmond where we’ll have lunch, and then hike Belle Isle in the James River just outside the city. Afterward, we may see more in town before heading home. Please email Greg Mantell at greg@sharptel.com to sign up or for more information.

Arlington Turkey Trot
Come run with Pastor Kate and Kris Finney before you gorge yourself on food on Thanksgiving Day! Bridges to Independence, our August Mission of the Month, is a beneficiary of the Turkey Trot. Register to run and help this wonderful organization while burning off a few calories in advance. For more information and to register, go to www.arlingtonvaturkeytrot.org.

Mission of the Month: Offender Aid and Restoration
October’s Mission of the Month is Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR). OAR is a community-based restorative justice organization that blends compassion and accountability to assist offenders in leading productive and responsible lives, to the benefit of all. Serving Arlington County, the City of Alexandria, and the City of Falls Church, OAR works with individuals who have been incarcerated as well as persons who are mandated by the courts to complete community service hours.  To learn more about OAR, visit their website or follow them on Facebook.

Project Christmas Angel
To brighten this Christmas for area children whose parents are incarcerated,
please contribute to this worthwhile O.A.R. (Offender Aid and Restoration) program. Your donated toys and gift cards will be distributed in December, helping children feel connected to those who can’t be physically present during the holidays. A display in the Fellowship Hall provides details on how you can help these needy kids.

Young Adult Oktoberfest
Saturday, October 22, 4:30 – 7:30 p.m.
We’ll gather at Pastor Kate’s house (the parsonage on 1st Street) for brats and a good time. Not only will we fill ourselves with food and drink, but we’ll also take time to wrestle with a semi-spiritual question together. Brats, buns, and condiments will be provided. BYOB and/or a side dish to share.

Confirmation Sunday
A confirmation reception will take place on October 30th  in the Fellowship Hall from 10:30 -11:00 a.m. and confirmands will share their statements of faith at the 11:00 service.

Installation Celebration
Also on October 30th is the installation of Faith’s co-pastors, Pastor Yvette and Pastor Kate.  If you have not done so already, please RSVP for the 2:00 p.m. installation and the reception after the service. To reserve your place, you may either use Eventbrite or contact the church office.

Several volunteers are needed to bring desserts to the installation reception. You can volunteer using SignUpGenius .

Young Adult Firepit Theology

The rescheduled firepit will take place this Friday, October 28 at 7:00 p.m. at Pastor Kate’s house. Come sit around a fire, eat some s’mores, and talk about God. The conversation will be casual and Pastor Kate will have some questions to get us started or keep things going if needed.  You can find the Facebook event here.

Congregational Meeting
A special meeting of the congregation to take place Sunday, November 6 at 12:15 p.m. in the sanctuary. The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss and consider a recommendation for funding capital projects. This meeting will follow-up on the capital campaign update that was shared on September 18th. All confirmed and voting members of Faith Lutheran Church are encouraged to attend the meeting.

Please contact either Council secretary, Rachel Miller-Bleich, or Council President, Jill Faris, if you have any questions.

Guardians of the Cosmos:
Being a Christian in an Age of Doubt and Mystery
Join us for a four-week Bible Study as we explore what it means to be a Christian in an age of doubt and mystery. Using Guardians of the Galaxy as a metaphor, we’ll unpack the apostle Paul’s claim that we are “servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries” (1 Corinthians 4:1).

We will be offering this study both online and in person on Wednesdays in November (2, 9, 16, & 30) at 8:30 p.m. Either join us for an hour at the church building or on Facebook Live. Recordings of the sessions will also be available on our Facebook page.

Young Adult Gleaning Service Event
We will be volunteering with AFAC for gleaning on Nov. 5 at a farm in Winchester from 9:00 am – 11:30 am. A group will leave from the church at 7:30 am or you can meet the group at the farm at 9:00 am. “Gleaning” means gathering crops after the harvest. AFAC will be donating the gathered produce to a local food bank/distribution center in Arlington. Please contact Greg Blatt (gpb113@yahoo.com) for more information or to sign up.

Arlington Turkey Trot
Come run with Pastor Kate and Kris Finney before you gorge yourself on food on Thanksgiving Day! Bridges to Independence, our August Mission of the Month, is a beneficiary of the Turkey Trot. Register to run and help this wonderful organization while burning off a few calories in advance. For more information and to register, go to www.arlingtonvaturkeytrot.org.

Reformation Sunday and Installation Celebration – Please RSVP by Thursday, October 20!
There’s a lot happening at Faith on Sunday, October 30! It’s Reformation Sunday, Confirmation Sunday, and the installation of Faith’s co-pastors, Pastor Yvette and Pastor Kate.

Please go to our Eventbrite page to reserve your place at the installation service and celebration.   We also need a few volunteer bakers to provide desserts for the reception.  You can sign up here.

Mission of the Month: Offender Aid and Restoration
October’s Mission of the Month is Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR). OAR is a community-based restorative justice organization that blends compassion and accountability to assist offenders in leading productive and responsible lives, to the benefit of all. Serving Arlington County, the City of Alexandria, and the City of Falls Church, OAR works with individuals who have been incarcerated as well as persons who are mandated by the courts to complete community service hours.  To learn more about OAR, visit their website or follow them on Facebook.

Project Christmas Angel
To brighten this Christmas for area children whose parents are incarcerated,
please contribute to this worthwhile O.A.R. (Offender Aid and Restoration) program. Your donated toys and gift cards will be distributed in December, helping children feel connected to those who can’t be physically present during the holidays. A display in the Fellowship Hall provides details on how you can help these needy kids.

XYZ (Xtra Years of Zest) OktoberfestTuesday, October 18, 11:30 a.m.
Pastor Kate is hosting the annual XYZ Oktoberfest at the 1st Street parsonage. Brats, buns, and condiments will be provided. BYOB and/or a side dish to share. Be sure to let Carolyn Baker know that you are coming: 703-671-0312

Young Adult Oktoberfest
Saturday, October 22, 4:30 – 7:30 p.m.
We’ll gather at Pastor Kate’s house (the parsonage on 1st Street) for brats and a good time. Not only will we fill ourselves with food and drink, but we’ll also take time to wrestle with a semi-spiritual question together. Brats, buns, and condiments will be provided. BYOB and/or a side dish to share.

Young Adult Gleaning Service Event
We will be volunteering with AFAC for gleaning on Nov. 5 at a farm in Winchester from 9:00 am – 11:30 am. A group will leave from the church at 7:30 am or you can meet the group at the farm at 9:00 am. “Gleaning” means gathering crops after the harvest. AFAC will be donating the gathered produce to a local food bank/distribution center in Arlington. Please contact Greg Blatt (gpb113@yahoo.com) for more information or to sign up.

Arlington Turkey Trot
Come run with Pastor Kate and Kris Finney before you gorge yourself on food on Thanksgiving Day! Bridges to Independence, our August Mission of the Month, is a beneficiary of the Turkey Trot. Register to run and help this wonderful organization while burning off a few calories in advance. For more information and to register, go to the Arlington Turkey Trot website.

Mission of the Month: Village of Hope
September’s Mission of the Month is the Village of Hope (VoH), a Christian fundraising organization committed to supporting programs and ministries in Haiti that promote excellence in education, spiritual growth and primary health care. To that end, VoH funds a school for 640 students and a health center which provides health care, food, immunizations, health education and midwifery. To learn more about VoH, visit their website.

You can support Village of Hope by praying for their ministry, giving to them through Faith’s mission of the month program, sponsoring a child, or going on a mission trip. Donate to the mission of the month by using the special mission offering envelopes in the pews or online at www.flcva.org.

Blessing of the Animals, Saturday, October 1, 10 a.m.
Gather in the upper parking lot off Jackson Street for a special service of blessing for our animal companions. All pet varieties are welcome on a leash, in a crate, in a bowl, or other habitat/container as appropriate.

First Friday Family Potluck, October 7, 5:30 p.m.
It’s Taco Friday! Join the Families of Faith for a Taco Bar, fellowship, and activities on Friday, October 7 in the Fellowship Hall. Sign up online at http://tinyurl.com/TacoBarFriday to bring something to the potluck and help set or clean up. All ages are welcome!

Sunday School
Sunday School classes are held from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. Please note the new time! PreK – grade 3 students should go directly to their classrooms downstairs, and grades 4/5 should report to the Lounge at 9:30. All classes will return to worship at 10:15 to participate in the offering, children’s message, and Communion.

Young Adult Firepit Theology, Friday, September 30, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Come sit around the fire at Pastor Kate’s house (the 1st Street parsonage), roast marshmallows, make s’mores, and talk about God. The conversation will be casual and Pastor Kate will have some questions to get the conversation started and keep it going. Bring your own beverages and a comfy chair to sit in.

Young Adult Oktoberfest, Saturday, October 22, 4:30 – 7:30 p.m.
We’ll gather at Pastor Kate’s house (the parsonage on 1st Street) for brats and a good time. Not only will we fill ourselves with food and drink, but we’ll also take time to wrestle with a semi-spiritual question together. Brats, buns, and condiments will be provided. BYOB and/or a side dish to share.

Upcoming XYZ (Xtra Years of Zest) Events
Tuesday, October 4, 10:30 a.m. departure from the parking lot for a trip to the Shamrock Restaurant and Catoctin Orchard.

Tuesday, October 18, 11:30 a.m., Oktoberfest at Pastor Kate’s (1st Street parsonage). Brats, buns, and condiments will be provided. BYOB and/or a side dish to share.

Stray Kitchen Items Need Good Homes
There is a growing collection of stray water bottles, containers, etc., that people have left in the kitchen. Please stop by and retrieve your items by October 10, after which remainders will be donated.

Faith’s Athletic Department Needs Your Help!
Faith has a large collection of playground balls, volleyballs, and basketballs that are partially or completely deflated. If you own an air pump, please help by taking some home to inflate and then return by next weekend. The balls are in mesh bags located under the green cover in a bin next to the Fellowship Hall stage.

Employment Opportunity at Columbia Gardens
Faith’s neighbor, Columbia Memorial Park (Columbia Gardens Cemetery), is seeking a bilingual (English/Spanish) receptionist/administrative assistant. For more information or a position description, please contact the manager at (703) 527-1235.