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

Please mark your calendars for our upcoming Lenten Series which will run for five weeks starting on Feb. 22. The group will read the book Being Christian by Rowan Williams, the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury. Each session will focus on major Christian elements: Baptism, the Bible, Eucharist, and Prayer. During the first half hour of each session, participants will listen to the audio recording of the book. The meetings will be held on Sunday evenings from 7:00-8:30. The discussion session will be proceeded by a time of fellowship and dinner starting at 6:30 p.m. The exact dates are: Feb. 22, Mar. 1, 8, 15, and 22. There is a sign up sheet in the Narthex or contact the Church Office. All are welcome!  

Summer is coming - believe it or not. Here are some Mission and Camp dates to help with your planning:

•  Philadelphia Mission Trip - June 20-26
•  Mission Possible - June 22-26
•  Vacation Bible School - July 20-24
•  Dungannon - July 25-Aug. 1
•  Dominican Republic - Date to be confirmed

More information about and sign ups for the mission trips and camp will be available shortly.

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.

Please join us Wednesday, Jan. 21 at 7:30 p.m. for our Contemplative Service. The Contemplative Service offers a time for quiet reflection, prayers and singing. This monthly service is held on the third Wednesday of the month through May.

The Ageless Group meeting on Saturday, Jan. 24, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. will feature a presentation by a Goodwin House staffer about the "Goodwin House at Home" program and other resources that can help us stay in our own homes indefinitely as we age. Additionally, we will hear about the Goodwin House's residential services.

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. 

On Feb. 8 we will be combining our 9:00 and 11:15 service for A Celebration of St. Anne's which will begin at 10:00. The service will focus on our action inside and outside the walls of our church and will also include the annual meeting. Afterwards during coffee hour there will be a chance to talk with folks who are involved with dozens of our missions including our Food Pantry, Youth Group, EfM, etc. Because there'll be so much going on that day there'll be no Sunday School or children's music. It's going to be an amazing and fun event and we hope you'll join us! There will not be a 7:45 service on that day, but there will be a 5:00 p.m. service. 

The spring semester of Kerygma will run Jan. 26 to March 30. Kerygma meets on Mondays from 10:30-12:15. The text is An Odd Couple, Jonah and Ruth. The focus is how we treat the "other" among us.  There is a sign-up sheet in the Narthex.

Yes, the very successful food collection is back. Last year we received over $3000 worth of free food for our pantry and we want to do the same this year, but we need your help. From 9:00-5:00 we will be handing out flyers and collecting food at Shoppers Food Warehouse in the Clock Tower Shopping Center in Herndon. The food is "stuffed" in a bus and brought to St. Anne's. How can you help? Sign up for a two-hour shift at Shoppers to hand out flyers and support the mission (all ages can help) or sign up to help unload the bus and sort the items here at church from 5:00-7:00.

Please click here to book your time slot.  For more information, contact Susanne Walsh.

The Monday Book Group Discussion has chosen Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline for their February meeting. The group will meet Feb. 23 at 9:30 in Room 1 to discuss. All are welcome!

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, Jan. 13, we have received 219 pledges totaling $702,000. 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. 

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).