Thirst & Theology returns on Sept. 10! All are invited to gather at the corner of Thirst & Theology for an informal and honest conversation about life and faith. We gather on the second Wednesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at Kalypso's Sports Tavern at the Lake Anne Plaza (1617 Washington Plaza N, Reston). Bring your thoughts and questions and friends! Fill up with a good chat. Fill up with good people.  Fill up with good news. To learn more, please contact Rev. Laura. 

Grab your flannel shirt and overalls (OK, jeans and t-shirt) - it's time for St. Anne's to step up once again to help a family achieve ownership of their first home by coming out for a Workday! We are looking for 10 volunteers to help put the finishing touches on a brand new home -- with landscaping and other exterior work -- on Saturday, Sept 13, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Falls Church. Directions and details to be provided. Usually you have to be 16 or older to participate in a Habitat project, however, at this stage the project doesn't involve actual construction so the minimum age is 14. If it rains, we will have indoor options at other sites. We are very excited for this opportunity to renew St. Anne's long-term connection and commitment to Habitat! With only 10 volunteers needed we anticipate this opportunity filling up quickly so visit our signup and book your slot(s) as soon as possible. If you have any questions contact Laurie Corkey (703-435-0191).

Men's Fellowship Breakfast is starting its fourth season on

Are you game for a getaway to the scenic Harper's Ferry area of West Virginia? Does pitching a tent, taking a hike, kayaking or tubing on the Shenandoah River, enjoying the outdoors, and campfire fellowship sound like your idea of a good time? The St. Anne's Fall Camping Trip will be October 3-5 in Shannondale Springs, WV. Spend the weekend with us in a quiet spot on the banks of the Shenandoah River's North Fork, about 10 miles south of Harpers Ferry. People of all ages welcome! This is a BYOT-F-E event...Bring Your Own Tent-Food-Everything! Space is limited to 30 people. If you are interested in participating, please sign up on the clipboard in the Narthex. Questions?  Please contact Rev. Laura.

Help the Homeless Walk

One of Cornerstones key awareness and fundraising events is their annual Help the Homeless Walk. This year the walk is going to be on Oct. 19 with check-in starting at 12:30 p.m. and the walk beginning at 1:30 p.m. We are pleased to be returning to the traditional route that takes us from the Embry Rucker Community Shelter to St. Anne's and back again. (Click here to see the route map.) With St. Anne's as the turnaround point, we'll have a lot of exciting activities going on here. Stay tuned for more information! From a fundraising perspective our participation will help provide basic and essential items such as pillows, dishes and food for individuals and families who are moving from the shelter into stable housing through Cornerstones' Rapid Re-Housing Challenge.  

St. Anne's has committed to providing 100 walkers and we are matching 100% of donations from our walkers to a maximum donation of $2,500. This is a great opportunity to double your money and show St. Anne's commitment to resolving this important issue! The cost is $25 for an adult, $20 for a walker under 18 with a family maximum of $50. Click here to sign up now. To allow us to match your contribution please type "St. Anne's" in the 'Organization, Congregation or Team Name' box at the bottom of the registration form!

If you have any questions please contact our team leader Pat Sartorius (703-674-6933).

Save the date for a day of fresh air, good works, time with family and friends, and APPLE PICKING! We will once again be helping The Society of St. Andrews in their mission to end our country's hunger insecurity. The Society of St. Andrews works with farmers and others to gather, collect,

and distribute produce that would otherwise be thrown away. We need your help to clear some local apple orchards in Winchester, VA! We arrive just before 9 a.m. on a Saturday and work for 2-3 hours. We then have the pleasure of enjoying a gorgeous produce farm that also has picnic tables, orchards for picking (or just walking), and the most fabulous play area for both big and little kids! Please click here to volunteer or contact Amber Gilson for more information. The days we will be picking apples are: Saturday, Sept. 13 and Saturday, Oct. 11.

Sunday School registration begins on Sunday, Aug. 31. We are asking all new and returning students to please complete a 2014-2015 registration form to make sure we have the most up-to-date and accurate information.

Registration forms will be available in the Narthex; please return completed forms to the basket. 

There will be a Sunday School "Open House" on Sunday, Sept. 14 from 9:30-10:00 a.m. This is an opportunity for you and your child(ren) to explore the classrooms and meet the teachers for the 2014-2015 program year. 

Sunday School begins on Sept. 21. For all children in preschool through 2nd grade classes meet at 9:00 a.m., after which children join their parents in the nave for communion. Classes for older children and teens, grades 3 through 12, meet between the 9:00 and 11:15 a.m. services. 

There will be a half hour CRUCIFER TRAINING for all high school-aged acolytes on Sunday, Sept. 14 immediately following the 10:00 a.m. service (approx. 11:45 a.m.). (NOTE: this is a change from the originally scheduled date of Sept. 7) Rising 9th graders and older are invited to attend and be trained specifically as a crucifer by Rev. Laura. Please direct any questions or send your RSVP to attend to Kelly Cosgrove. 

In response to the outbreak of Ebola in Liberia and due to the creative and fast-acting efforts of some of our parishioners, St. Anne's is working with MedShare, a nonprofit organization that recovers and redistributes medical supplies and equipment, to provide personal protective equipment to those providing care, i.e., gloves and surgical masks. In recent days, there have been news stories about the Ebola epidemic in Liberia and about doctors in Liberia contracting the disease. For several years, St. Anne's has had a Liberia connection, most recently by providing support and assistance to the Diocese of Liberia through the Liberian Episcopal Church, USA. If you would like to make a donation to this cause, please make out a check to St. Anne's with Project Liberia - Ebola in the memo line.

Please join us on Sunday, Sept. 21 at 7:00 p.m. to discuss a trip/pilgrimage to the Holy Land in the coming year. This trip would be an opportunity to visit the Holy Land as well as a chance to offer much-needed support to Dr. George Ghanem, who is working to build and staff a rehabilitation clinic for Israeli and Palestinian youths.

Please join us on Sunday, Sept. 28 at 2:30 p.m. for a facilitated round table discussion on the issue of gun violence in our society.

Kerygma will begin its fall session Monday, Sept. 8. We will do a 14 lesson study of Exodus. A sign-up sheet is available in the Narthex. Questions? Please contact Jane Smith.

Many of you have enjoyed the beauty of our Memorial Garden and the lovely recognition bricks on our patio. Many have also asked when there would offer an opportunity for additional bricks to be purchased. The time is now! The Vestry of St. Anne's is pleased to offer you the opportunity to purchase an engraved recognition brick(s). We are offering two sizes of bricks: 4"x 8" brick for $150 or 8"x 8" brick for $275. Funds raised from the bricks will be dedicated to finishing the back pathway to the garden and to completing the memorial plaque wall. Click here to see and download the order form. EACH BRICK ORDER WILL REQUIRE A SEPARATE ORDER FORM. If you have any questions, please contact Susan Allen (703-437-6530). The deadline for ordering bricks is Sept. 28. Thank you for your support!

Sometimes you have moments where everything just works...and usually it's because of all the hard work done in advance. Our Food Pantry last week was a great example of this thought in action. Three different ministries and everything just clicked.  

Every week we pick up unsold baked goods from Panera for distribution. These items were bagged on Wednesday for easy distribution at our Thursday Food Pantry. As part of our relationship with the Capital Area Food Bank we receive free, (yes, FREE!) fresh (yes, FRESH!) produce which is transported to be bagged by people with disabilities at SPARC and driven back here. Then our amazing Food Pantry team distributed bags of 111 groceries, the fresh produce, which this month included apples, corn, peaches, potatoes, and carrots, and baked goods.  We also used the Sanctuary for the first time to help organize our customers.  What a great example of what we can do when we work together!