Our 2015 Pledge Season is wrapping up. If you are still thinking of pledging to St. Anne's this year, you have until Friday at 6:00 p.m. to get your pledge in! The vestry will be meeting on Saturday to discuss the 2015 budget and plans for the coming year. We are still several thousand short of the proposed budget. Adjustments will need to be made. Please, in these last few days of the pledge season, consider what St. Anne's means to you and your family and pledge to financially support St. Anne's. You can pick up a pledge card in the Church Office or fill out the online pledge form. Thank you!

On Sunday, March 15 following the 9:00 and 11:15 services there will be a Newcomers' Coffee. Please plan to join us for a time of fellowship and conversation to learn more about St. Anne's and to answer any questions you may have.

Join us on Friday, March 27 to watch the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament on the Big Screen in the Library! We're getting together for a potluck supper at 6:30 p.m. and to watch coverage of the South Regional matchups. Bring your favorite game day appetizer or dish to share and something to drink.  We will provide hot dogs and fixin's.  Please RSVP to Susan (703-437-6530) so that we have enough hot dogs for everyone. 

And for added fun this year, we will be hosting a St. Anne's NCAA tournament pool. Winner gets bragging rights until next year's tournament!  Keep an eye out for more information about how to join this pool and enter your own picks for the tournament bracket.

During Lent the fifth and sixth grade Sunday school class has taken on a new outreach project. On Sunday, March 15, the fifth and sixth grade Sunday school class will be holding a bake sale after the 9:00 service. Please come buy a delicious Lenten pretzel or baked good! All proceeds from the bake sale will be used to purchase supplies for immigrant children who traveled to the US on their own and who are now being sheltered in a residence about an hour away. In addition to money we raise from the bake sale, we are also accepting donations to help our KIDS HELPING KIDS cause. A list of needed items will be available next week, March 8. Thank you for all your support!

The 2015 Dominican Republic Mission trip, led by Laura Cochran and Martha Furniss, will leave on Saturday, July 4 and return on Tuesday, July 14. The trip is open to people ages 16 and older. The cost is $1,350 for adults and $1,000 for youth. Team projects will include vacation Bible school and some sort of construction work. Knowledge of Spanish is helpful but in no way required. Based on the feedback we've received, there's a lot of interest in going this year. With a maximum of 12 missioners you should let us know about your interest as soon as possible. Please contact Martha Furniss if you are interested.

The Ageless Group will hold an extended meeting from 10 to 12 p.m. on Saturday, March 14 to welcome the Rev J. Bruce Stewart to discuss some of the spiritual dimensions of aging and dying for oneself, for loved ones, and for friends. His topic is: Dancing with Death - Spiritual Resources for the Journey. One of the spiritual resources he will cover is "Praying Always and Praying All Ways."  Rev. Stewart is a former interim priest at St. Anne's, who is now Director of Chaplaincy Services for Goodwin House Alexandria and Founder/ Director of the Center for Liturgy and the Arts.  

On March 22 following morning services Bethlehem Olive Wood decorations will be available for purchase. These items, ranging in size and price, make wonderful gifts. Also your purchase of olive wood ornaments helps support craftsmakers in Bethlehem who have been hard hit by the drop in tourists. Please stop and take at look at the offerings. 

Grab your hammer, jeans and t-shirt -- together we can once again help a family achieve ownership of their first home! Have you heard about HABITAT FOR HUMANITY and wondered how you could help? Our local Habitat affiliate is saving some slots JUST FOR US on Saturday, April 25, 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.  Age minimum: 16 years and older. Location depends on what's ready at that time, but will be within 30 minutes driving time from St. Anne's. Directions and details TBD as we get closer to the date. We are very excited to continue St. Anne's long-term connection and commitment to Habitat! Click here to sign-up. If you have questions, please contact Laurie Corkey (703-435-0191).

For those interested in learning more about the Episcopal Church's role advocating for the rights of refugees and immigrants and immigration

reform, St. Anne's has invited Katie Conway, Immigration & Refugee Policy Analyst from the Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations in Washington, DC to convene a dialogue with us at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 22 in the Library.

Katie's background includes four years of work in the immigration and refugee advocacy field for both the Episcopal Church and the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. Highlights of her talk will include an overview of the policies and ministries of the Episcopal Church related to welcoming immigrants and refugees and how those policies and ministries intersect with the ongoing national debate around immigration policy and reform. Sandwiches and soft drinks will be served prior to Katie's talk from 12:30-1:00. Please join us! 

Thanks to a very successful Stuff the Bus food collection, some of the pantry shelves are overflowing. There are a few items, though, that we didn't get. We need cereal, peanut butter, jelly, and rice before our next distribution on March 19.  During the last distribution there were several (clients, patrons?) who wanted me to express their appreciation and gratitude to everyone at St. Anne's. Thank you all for your support of the food pantry. Questions, comments? Contact Susanne Walsh.

Once a month, St. Anne's is offering a Saturday afternoon program designed specifically for young families.  We invite and encourage parents and young children to gather at St. Anne's for fellowship and fun, and occasionally a meal.  Most gatherings, with some exceptions, will be structured in this way:  3:00-4:00 p.m. - open play/social hour; 4:00-5:00 p.m. - program; 5:00-6:00 p.m. - meal (when planned).

On Saturday, March 21 from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. we will host our inaugural Family Gathering.  It's March Madness - so why not enjoy some games together!  The NCAA college basketball tournament will be on the TV in the library, and there will be plenty of indoor games for folks young and old.  Hot dogs provided for dinner.  Bring your favorite game day appetizer or side dish to share.  Bring your favorite board or card game to play.  Click here to sign up.

Our Lenten Inquirers' Series has began. However, you don't have had attended the previous sessions to join in! The group is reading 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 remaining dates are: Mar. 8, 15, and 22. All are welcome!  

St. Anne's Art Show and Silent Auction

There is a maximum of 2 contributions per person.   The theme 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.  We will accept works created by non-St. Anne's artists.  We will also accept non-traditional art "work"/creative gifts; e.g. cooking a gourmet meal in the auction winner's home, creating landscape designs for a yard, etc. The Art Show will be on April 18. 

The art show will benefit scholarships for participation in various St. Anne's programs.   Questions?  Contact Rev. Laura.