The next Ageless Group meeting will be on Saturday, Jan. 10 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Gabe Kajeckas will talk about addictions, with a particular focus on the dangers faced by seniors. Gabe will also describe his work as an addiction interventionist and counselor.

St. Anne's Youth Group News

The next SAYG meeting is the Annual "White Elephant" (First Sunday after the) Epiphany Dinner Party on Sunday, Jan. 11 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. in the Library.  Note the extended meeting time.  Please bring a wrapped gift under $10.  Join us for dinner and a gift exchange as we celebrate Epiphany and kick off the 2015 year! 

The Monday Book Group will be meeting again on Jan. 12 at 12:30 at Café Montmartre in Lake Anne Plaza. They will be discussing The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber.

We're getting together for a party on Saturday Jan. 17 at 7:00 p.m. to let everyone know what we did on our mission trips last year and talk about what we're doing in 2015. St. Anne's offers mission trips for everyone from rising 6th graders on up. We work in the community, building relationships with the people we serve and with each other. This year we're planning trips to Philadelphia, the Dominican Republic, Dungannon/Appalachia, Cuba and our very popular locally-based Mission Possible. We'll have stories to tell and photos to show. If you're thinking about getting involved in a Mission Trip in 2015 this is the perfect event to get your plans rolling.  It'll be a pot luck event so bring something to share.  Please click here to RSVP. 

Bishop Shannon Johnston will be visiting St. Anne's on Sunday, Jan. 18

Community Garden at St. Anne's! 

We're starting to think about having a Community Garden at St. Anne's. We will create the garden on our property and use the resulting produce for those in need in our local community. Betsy Carbo, a horticulturist with the Library of Congress, has volunteered to lead our effort. If this is an area that you would like volunteer to plan, dig, plant, nurture and/or harvest, we will be meeting on Sunday, Jan. 18 at 1:00 p.m. to see if we have enough interest to get this rolling. If you have any questions, please talk with Tim Barwick.

Yes, it's back!  Last year we not only received more than $3,000 worth of FREE food for our food pantry, we also had a lot of fun! This year we'll be returning to Shoppers Food Warehouse at the Clocktower Shopping Center in Herndon on Monday, Jan. 19 from 9:00-5:00. We will be handing out flyers, collecting items for our food pantry, and, yes, stuffing that bus with several hundred pounds of food. It's Martin Luther King, Jr. day; what a great way to remember him by supporting people in need! How can you help? Sign up for a two hour block (the time goes very quickly) at the store or volunteer to meet the bus when it returns to St Anne's at 5:00 to unload and shelve the food. Please click here to book your time slot.  For more information contact Susanne Walsh.

Sunday school classes will not be meeting Dec. 28 and Jan. 4. Classes will resume on Sunday, Jan. 11. If have not already done so, please complete a 2014-15 registration form if your child is a new or returning student. Registration forms are available in the Narthex and in the classrooms. Questions?  Please contact Rev. Laura.

This time of year is financially difficult for many people. Throughout the week, folks come or call into St. Anne's office to ask for assistance with rent or utility bills. When we have funds we provide assistance. Right now, our discretionary account is low. If you are able to contribute to St. Anne's discretionary fund, any and all assistance would be much appreciated. Every dollar we receive allows us to help others. Thank you.

Thank you to everyone who has pledged thus far!  As of Tuesday, Dec. 23, we have received 170 pledges totaling $590,000. Keep those pledge cards coming in!  

You have probably noticed the path of paper stones on the wall as you enter the Narthex.  On the stones are names and stars representing the pledges received.  If on your pledge card, you said we could use your family name on the pledge wall, we did.  If you said no or did not respond to that question, your pledge is represented by a star on one of the stones.  

If you have not yet had a chance to pledge, we hope that in the coming days you have had a few moments to consider the value of St. Anne's to you. St. Anne's offers a welcoming place of worship as well as programs that provide opportunities for engagement in the broader community and the world. Every pledge is important, no matter the size. Your pledge allows St. Anne's to budget for the coming year. Please make a pledge today to allow us to continue to do good works here and in our community. Pledge cards are available in the Narthex or you can use our online pledge form. 

Save-the-date for the St. Anne's Art Show & Silent Auction to benefit scholarships for participation in St. Anne's programs and events: April 17. The theme of the show is "creation" and we are calling for entries in a variety of media, including but not limited to painting, knitting, music, jewelry, poetry, ceramics, metal, drawing, embroidery, photography, printmaking, glass, wood, quilting, and sculpture. Attendees will be able to bid on the entries and thereby help St. Anne's to provide scholarships for persons to participate in various events and programs. Volunteers are needed; please contact Rev. Laura to serve on the art show & auction organization committee. Start working on your own "creation" today!

Coats for Newly Released Prisoners 

Help provide a warm, fresh start to those who are newly released from prison. OAR (Opportunities, Alternatives and Resources) of Fairfax needs gently used men and women's coats, size AS to AXXL This begins Sunday, Nov. 2 through the middle of March. We are also in need of monthly volunteers to help us pick up the coats once a week and deliver them to OAR in Fairfax. As space is limited, please only donate warm, winter coats. You can leave the coats in the bin under the coat hangers in the Narthex To learn more about OAR, see their website. For more information contact Jackie Wooldridge (703-819-2346).