On Friday morning seven members of St. Anne's will be traveling to Cuba for our second short term mission trip. Last year we traveled the length of the country from Santiago de Cuba to Havana, stopping at various cities and churches, getting literally, a lay of the land. This year we will be doing some development work at the site of a youth camp in a rural area outside the city of Santa Clara. Our involvement in this project is at the request of Bishop Griselda, the bishop of Cuba who, you may remember, was with us last July. We plan to worship our first Sunday there at Bermega, the site of a church that was demolished last year while we were in-country. It was torn down because it was structurally unsound. Most of the Episcopal churches in Cuba are in bad shape. Since there is very limited access to Internet and cell coverage we won't be able to send regular blog reports, but please know that we will be there representing you and you will be in our daily prayers. Please pray for us as well.

-- Father Jim

On Sunday following the 9:00 service there will be a Newcomers' Coffee. If you are new to St. Anne's or interested in learning more about St. Anne's please plan to join us for a time of fellowship and conversation and to answer any questions you may have. The coffee will begin around 10:30, with plenty of time for those who attend the 11:15 to meet the clergy and newcomers' welcoming committee.

Easter is April 20. We are now accepting Easter Flower Dedications. To make a flower dedication, please either fill out the dedication on the clipboard in the Narthex or email the Church Office. A $35 contribution is requested, please include "Easter Flowers" in the memo line. This contribution can be placed in the collection plate or dropped off in the Church Office. 

The annual Philadelphia Mission Trip, on which we provide summer activities for children and youth at a Philadelphia family homeless shelter,  is scheduled for June 28 - July 3.  This trip is for rising 9^th graders through rising college freshman. You may sign up on the clipboard in the Narthex or email Rev. Laura directly with your interest.  Please note that your space is not reserved until we receive a $100 deposit; space is extremely limited for this trip! Sign up and deposit are due by Sunday, April 13. Please make checks payable to "St. Anne's Episcopal Church" and put "Philadelphia" in the memo line.  Questions?  Please contact Rev. Laura. 

There is one more SAYG meeting scheduled for March: Sunday, Mar. 30.  Please join us from 6:15-7:15 p.m. If you have questions, please contact Rev. Laura.

"When I was 12-years-old, my cousin and I were living in Grand Cape Mount County with my father and uncle. After a full year of complaining about tooth pain, my uncle brought my cousin and myself to Monrovia to see a dentist. The trip to Monrovia was a long, two-day walk. When we arrived, the dentist extracted our teeth." Despite this arduous experience, Dr. Cox said it was then that she realized she and her cousin were lucky because they had the opportunity to see a dentist. It was also then that she decided to become a dentist and a "foot solider for dental health."

Dr. Cox noted that currently in Liberia there is one dentist per seven hundred thousand people; 12 out of 15 counties in Liberia do not dentists. At JFK Memorial Hospital in Monrovia, where Dr. Cox works, there are 10-15 deaths related to improper dental care per year. St. Anne's, through your generosity, provides support of Dr. Cox's Smiles for Liberia program and we wish her continued success.

The Front Porch Singers offer fellowship through music to the residents of several different assisted living and other senior centers in the Reston area; we visit most facilities once per month for a total of approximately five visits per month at all facilities. We always welcome new singers (there are no auditions or rehearsals, and there is no requirement to show up on any regular schedule -- we're glad to have you sign up whenever you're able to come), but we're in particular need of additional instrumentalists -- guitarists, banjo and ukelele players, and other more portable instruments work best (pianos aren't always available) to help at least get us started on a common key. Children are welcome to come along -- residents love to see younger people! If you enjoy playing an instrument (and/or singing!) and would like more information on what our schedule is, what our songbook looks like, how we interact with residents, etc., please contact Emily McPhie.

Our shelves are pretty bare at the moment, but I know with your help we will be ready for next month's distribution on April 17.

Other good news - we have been approved to purchase food from the Capital Area Food Bank. Once we take training to learn how to order food we will be able to purchase items at a much reduced price. 

Thank you again for all of your support.

Susanne Walsh, Food Pantry Coordinator