 April Scripture Memorization
In those days there was no king in Israel;
every man did what was right in his own eyes.
Judges 17:6 |
Holy Week and Happy Easter!
GodSend: April 4, 2009
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Palm Sunday
Sun 4/5 10:00am
with Drama
(children stay in service)
@ Mill Run Elementary
Home Group Seders
Thursday 4/9 in Ashburn, Leesburg, and Purcellville
Good Friday
Fri 4/10 - 7:00pm
@ Library at Mill Run Elem
Easter Celebration!
Sunday 4/12
Breakfast - 9:00am
(bring food at 8:45)
Worship - 10:00am
Egg Hunt - 11:30am
@ Mill Run Elementary
Upcoming Events |
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Vestry Nominations Open
Palm Sunday 4/5 until 4/23
Pick up packets at Mill Run or church office
CHS Membership Class
Saturday 4/18
1:00 - 5:00
@ Evon Feroz' home
Wyldlife!
(Middle school youth)
Friday 4/17 - 7:00pm
@ the Rogers' home
Sun 4/19 - 6:00pm
21641 Beaumeade Cir
Ashburn, VA 20147
Vestry Election Forum
Sunday 4/26
After service
@Mill Run
C.S. Lewis Lectureship
"The Man and the Message"
Thursday 4/30
"Man of Letters"
Friday 5/1
both at 7:00-8:30pm
@Patrick Henry College
Free. RSVP to:
mark.smith
@datamarksystems.com
Wyldlife!
(Middle school youth)
Friday 5/1 - 7:00pm
@ the Rogers' home
637 Meade Dr, Leesburg 20175
Fri-Sun 5/1-3
@ Shepherdstown
Wed nights
Starting April 15 - 6:45
@ the Waterman's home in Ashburn
Wyldlife!
(Middle school youth)
Friday 5/15 - 7:00pm
@ the Rogers' home
637 Meade Dr, Leesburg 20175
Annual Meeting and
Vestry Elections
Sunday 5/17
After service
@ Mill Run
Sunday Service with Communion:
10:00am, every week
@ Mill Run Elementary
Contact Us At:
21555 Schoolhouse Ct.
Ashburn, VA 20148
703-726-0777
Pic of the Week
Easter 2008. Will Nixon as a stoic Roman guard in our Easter skit.
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 CHS Prayer Requests |
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1. That every person at CHS attend a small group this year.
2. 24/7 space for CHS soon.
3. That we would live into our true names that God has given all of us.
4. That all of us would keep a Holy Lent.
5. Lift up those who are struggling with parents passing.
Ministry Needs
1. Help for set up and break down on Sundays.
2. Sign-ups for hospitality table.
3. Help with ushering and greeting.
4. Office help.
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CONTENTS He
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Begins Palm Sunday, April 5, with a congregational drama focusing on the Triumphal Entry (with our official CHS donkey Sunny) and Passion of our Lord.
April 9, Maundy Thursday will be celebrated with Passover Seders in three locations - Jorge and Cristina Lugo, 21173 Sundial Ct. , Broadlands 20148 , 703-723-1359; Jeff and Joanne Milrod, 40830 Manor House Road , Leesburg, VA 20175 , 703-431-1136; and Jim and Marilyn Heigl, The Carver Center, Purcellville VA , 540-751-0145. Please call first - availability is limited.
April 10,Good Friday service is at 7:00PM at Mill Run Library. Join us as we nail our sins to the cross in this traditional observance of our Lord's death for us.
April 12, our Easter Celebration! - 9am pancake/pot trust breakfastin the Cafeteria; 10am Festival Eucharist (don't be late for our opening drama) and 11:30 Easter Egg Hunt. Bring a bell to ring at every Alleluia! Bring old pairs of shoes to raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur , Sudan . The shoes will be placed on the Mall as a silent witness, then donated to homeless shelters in the USA . Invite a friend to our Easter Celebration!
Bring a Friend to Easter
(and extra shoes and a bell!)
by Clancy Nixon
What are your Easter plans? Wear your "Sunday Best" to church? Maybe an egg hunt for the little ones? A family get-together? A day trip in the country? Most of us have family Easter traditions - habits deeply ingrained in the heart and our calendars. The Nixons look forward to seeing our local cousins from Southern Maryland most Easter Sundays after church. This year, 3 of the 4 of them are in the US Military in the Middle East, so we remember their sacrifice and pray for their safety. CHS has an Easter tradition, too - we bring bells to worship, to ring them at every Alleluia!
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GIGO Media vs Godly Media
by Jan Fearing
"Garbage In, Garbage Out." Most of us are familiar with this computer acronym meaning that the quality of the output from a computer is a direct result of the quality of the programming and data entry that goes into it. It would be helpful to have a big sign that would pop up, maybe the shape and color of a stop sign, with "GIGO" in big white letters every time I was about to willingly allow garbage to enter into my own, or my children's, hearts and minds. Of course, we have someone who puts up that sign and His name is The Holy Spirit.
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Guess Who?
(Test your knowledge of your friends at CHS.Answer will be given in the next
issue of GodSend)
This time, our Guess Who? is a family who believes that "Life is an adventure!" The members of this clan have have some interesting history and hobbies. One, who used to collect snakes, now loves collecting firearms and swords; the prized piece is a Japanese sword from World War II. Some family members rescue animals and one likes riding horses. Another had a very brief stint in a rock band and wore a rat tail. Guess who?
Last Week's Guess Who?
Last week's "Guess Who" is Pam Manley. Pam is at the far right, with husband Scott, and daughters Kaylin (left)
and Sara.
This seven year member of CHS has Cherokee and Penobscot Indian blood. She grew up in Vernon, Connecticut and loves reading, scrapbooking, and being a wife and mom. Pam teaches the 5-6 year old Sunday School class and helps with many of the activities and events at CHS - from assistant stage directing to hospitality to Alpha. Since the beginning, the Manley family has served in almost every ministry at CHS.
Consider This... |
"We may note in passing that Jesus was never regarded as a mere moral teacher. He did not produce that effect on any of the people who actually met Him. He produced mainly three results---Hatred---Terror---Adoration. There was no trace of people expressing mild admiration."
- C.S. Lewis
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Upcoming Events!
CHS Membership Class
Saturday, April 18th from 1:00pm-5:00pm
At the home of Evon Feroz , 43563 Suzanne Hope Way , Ashburn , VA 20147 , in the basement. To sign up for the class, please call the church office at 703-726-0777. You must be a member to vote in Vestry Elections.
CHS Will Hire a Part-Time Secretary and a Bookkeeper.
CHS will be hiring a Part-Time Rector's Secretary and Bookkeeper, either two separate people, or if a candidate has the right gifts, both roles in one. Hours and pay are negotiable; Secretary role is ½ to 3/5 time. If you are interested, please send a resume to Mark Pinkman or Clancy Nixon.
Vestry Nominations Open Palm Sunday
Packets are in the Hall or the office
Nominations close in 2 and 1/2 weeks, on April 23.
You may nominate yourself or another adult to serve on our governing Board, the Vestry. We will hold an Election Forum, Sunday April 26th after Worship, and will elect a new Vestry at our Annual Meeting, Sunday, May 17 after worship.
Anglican District of Virginia
Men's Weekend
Friday-Sunday, May 1-3
Clarion Conference Center
in Shepherdstown, WV
Last year's ADV Men's Weekend was a great success and this year's Weekend promises to even be better. John Hickey is the Weekend representative at the CHS. For questions please call John at (h) 703-729-8368. Clancy will be one of the featured speakers and the CHS worship team will be there too leading worship. For cost, registration, and all other information, go to www.advmen.com .
(from: ADVance newsletter)
ADV is excited and privileged to have The Rev. Gordon Dalbey as our keynote speaker for the ADV Men's Retreat this May. Rev. Dalbey is the author of four books and has a targeted ministry to men. His book Healing the Masculine Soul is a look into the issues men face in their personal, spiritual and emotional lives. Having a speaker of this caliber is certainly a blessing. Men's lives were touched and changed last year at the ADV's Men's Spiritual Life weekend. One attendee has shared his account:
C.S. Lewis Lectureship at Patrick Henry
April 30 & May 1 from 7:00-8:30pm
Mr. Kim Gilnett of the C.S. Lewis Foundation will share unique perspectives on Lewis' life and work gleaned from over 30 years of study and summers spent restoring of Lewis' home, the Kilns. Mr. Gilnett lectures at Cambridge, hosts summer seminars, and gives tours of the Kilns. This two evening lectureship includes:
"The Man and the Message" - April 30
Lewis viewed every human being as sacred in nature, and strove to live out this belief in his daily life. This presentation will cover Lewis' life and conversion to Christianity, with insights and personal anecdotes from those who knew him.
"Man of Letters" - May 1
Lewis spent hours each day writing and carefully answering letters. His letters were filled with wisdom, humor, advice, and instruction on the Christian faith. Mr. Gilnett will share excerpts from letters, including one written to Lewis by a 12 year old homeschooler which directly resulted in bringing this lectureship to Patrick Henry College.
This event is free and open to the public. For more information and to RSVP, please email mark.smith@datamarksystems.com.
Click here for directions to Patrick Henry College
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Copyright © Curt Gunz - ChurchFun.com. Used with permission | | |
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Bring a Friend to Easter continued
As I've thought and prayed about Easter this year, I'm led to ask us to consider a new Easter tradition: inviting a friend to your Easter celebration. Many of us are in the habit of inviting others for Thanksgiving dinner. Easter is an even better time to invite others.
That's because people who do not attend church are more open and receptive to coming to worship on Easter Sunday than at any other time during the year. Many studies have confirmed this. Easter is a time de-churched people remember their childhood associations with church, and a time when secular people are open to the claims of Christ. Most Americans believe in God. You and I can help them see the benefits of spiritual community in Christ, and help them see the real identity of the unknown god they acknowledge. Your friends will hear the gospel, and will have an opportunity to receive Christ as Lord.
Why not invite them to breakfast, too, where they can meet our folks? Our Easter Celebration begins at 9:00 with a pot-trust breakfast in the cafeteria, 10:00 Festival Eucharist, and 11:30 Egg Hunt. Don't be late for the drama at the beginning of worship!
I'd also like to ask you to bring a few extra pairs of old shoes with you this Easter Sunday. A local teacher hopes to collect 400,000 pairs of shoes for the Shoes on the Mall Campaign, one pair for every person killed in the Darfur genocide in Sudan. The empty shoes will be spread on the mall as a silent witness. Then they will be given to needy Americans through homeless shelters. Why not ask your guest to bring old shoes, too? Many secular people will respond to a call to help the needy when they see the church helping others selflessly.
Remember: bring an unchurched friend; bring extra shoes to give away; and bring a bell to ring at every Alleluia!+
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GIGO Media continued
There is a picture in my mind of two rivers. One is birthed in the mountains from a pure spring and widened and deepened by the runoff of winter's snows. This clean, clear river gives us a wonderful picture of being nurtured by the things of God. Now imagine another river, running through an industrial town, polluted by the trash and industrial waste left behind from man's strivings. This second river is a sad sight. For me, it reflects the current popular culture's distortion of truth that is constantly being pushed on our families. Isaiah describes it well, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter." (Isaiah 5:20)
I don't think it's news to anyone reading this that most of the modern media are polluted with evil, darkness, and bitterness of heart and many of this is directed straight at our children. It's interesting to see whose today's cultural icons are. It's not Batman but Joker, who is the real star of the show, not Obi Wan but Darth Vader. I wonder how many parents actually bought the bedspread with a huge image of Vader's mask for their little one to sleep under? I don't think one with Obi Wan was even made!
All this has brought me to seek for something better. I want to find ways of bringing better things into our homes for us and our children. The good news is - Jesus! There's more good news - people who love Jesus are now producing media that are filled with the good, sweet light of God but you have to search it out.
There have long been great Christian books and music and now thanks to the success of the Kendrick brothers', Facing the Giants and Fireproof, Christian films are becoming more available. Do you know what the highest grossing independent film was in 2008? Not the Oscars' Best Film Slumdog Millionaire but Fireproof. Movies and short films are being independently produced on low (and no) budgets and released on dvd and they are quite watchable. Even if they can't compete yet with the high gloss of Hollywood in quality of production, and some of the acting has rough edges, the quality of heart and story makes up for it. Many of these are made by just a few people with the help of their churches; some were made by homeschooling families.
Here are some to look for: The Widow's Might (thewidowsmightthemovie.com) won this year's San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. It's the story of a woman about to lose her home to tax foreclosure who is helped by two families. It's a movie (a musical no less) within a movie that was written, directed, and starred in by two teen boys. Pendragon: Sword of His Father (burnsfamilystudios.com) is an amazing Medieval epic done by a home school family. Come What May (comewhatmaythemovie.com) was filmed at Patrick Henry College (there's a cameo by our own Dr. Graham Walker) and follows students tackling the "realities and legalities of the abortion issue" while preparing for the National Moot Court championship. For younger kids (about 5 and up), there's a great trilogy from another home school family called the Wars of Humanity (warsofhumanity.com) in which the story of the Exodus, Wilderness Journey, and Jericho are delightfully told using Lego figures.
Check out the websites and support these wonderful filmmakers as they perfect their art ... and at the same time receive the blessing of art that truly seeks to glorify our Lord.
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ADV Men's Retreat continued
The theme of the 2008 ADV Men's Weekend was "courage." Looking back over the months since we explored that virtue, I see subtle but profound changes in my reclusive life style that have liberated me to be more engaged in the lives of others and to exert needed influence over areas of professional and familiar responsibilities. These new behaviors meant being more candid and bold in the appraisals of subordinates, confronting a relative with a sexually risky life style, and even being way more truthful with my lovely wife about things that bugged me which, theretofore, I had held in check for the sake of "domestic tranquility."
The amazing discovery was that with this new courage also came confidence and gentleness I had not been able to generate for a long time. I do not remember if this was a direct part of the ADV Weekend teaching agenda, but I think not. Rather, the new gentleness was the quiet influence of the Holy Spirit, present during the Weekend, enabling me to succeed in living marginally more courageously.
The prayer, worship, fellowship and communal interactions were the agents of the Spirit that were uniquely in full force during the Men's Weekend to complete the work that needed to be done because courage without gentleness is as incomplete as gentleness without the courage.
I look forward with great expectation for what work the Holy Spirit will do during the upcoming 2009 ADV Weekend as we move from the theme of "courage" to that of "power"; power to live in victory during difficult times as these.
As I reflect on that Weekend in 2008, I see that during the energized worship and energetic ministry of the Weekend itself, the real fruit was to be borne months later from the seeds of truth and healing working into the soil of my heart during the Weekend and watered through out the following months by the continuing fellowship with Christ and my ADV buddies.
So what are you waiting for? Register now!
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