shining the light · shining the light welcoming. growing. caring. all with joyous hearts....
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Shining the LightWelcoming. Growing. Caring. All with Joyous Hearts.
Announcements for July 1, 2020
THIS SUNDAY ATST. ANDREW'S
July 5, 2020
Fifth Sunday afterPentecost
Click Here to Join Us
Virtually at 10:00am forSunday Worship
READINGS FORSUNDAY:
First Reading:
Romans 7:15-25a
Gospel:
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
READERS FOR THISSUNDAY:
The Scott Family
FROM OUR RECTOR: THE REV. DOROTA WRIGHT-PRUSKI Dear ones,
As the covid pandemic rages on, we find ourselves beginningyet another month of adaptation and separation. Those of uswho have been fortunate enough to stay healthy havenonetheless experienced countless losses, some quitesignificant.
In the grand scheme of things, a weekend without fireworks isnothing. Our common health and well-being are much moreimportant. And yet, this 4th of July will feel very differentwithout the typical picnics, celebrations, and booming displaysof pyrotechnics in the night sky. I'll miss the opportunity togather with loved ones to watch the fireworks and take blurrynighttime photos.
We will all be observing Independence Day in a unique waythis year. If there is a gift in the silence this weekend, it is inwhat we will be able to hear under the din. As I sit under thequiet sky, I'll be reflecting on the ways our nation is not yet aplace of freedom and liberty for all people. I'll pray this prayerfor the nation from the Book of Common Prayer, which I alsocommend to you:
Lord God Almighty, you have made all the peoples of the earthfor your glory, to serve you in freedom and in peace: Give tothe people of our country a zeal for justice and the strength offorbearance, that we may use our liberty in accordance withyour gracious will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who livesand reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever andever. Amen.
May the silence of the weekend be a gift. May you hear in itGod's voice. May you receive through it God's peace. And mayyou respond to it with God's just mercy and love.
With love,
Rev. Dorota+
St. Andrew's EpiscopalChurch
The Rev. DorotaWright-Pruski, Rector
Quick Links:
St. Andrew's Website
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THOUGHTS FROM OUR SEMINARIAN Why Black art as a medium for Liberation?
I am not an artist. I just want to be upfront about that. Icannot draw or paint to save my life. But I do appreciate art. Ihave listened to hip-hop, reveling in the rhymes of Black poetsfor most of my life. But as I started my theological education,I started seeing these artists in a different light. I realizedthat this medium, which always seemed separate from myreligious pursuits, is actually rooted in the religious andspecifically Black Church experience. And I want to be carefulbecause I am not forcing religion on individuals but speakingto the worldview through which this art is produced.Embedded in the art that we will be looking at are religiousthemes and references. Through it all is the glorification ofthe Black body as our faith leads us to the same respect andyes glorification of the human body. Our God glorified it whenGodself became incarnate into a Brown Middle-Eastern body.This can be seen in the combination of dance and lyrics ofBeyoncé, how Kehinde Wiley sees the Black body, and howKendrick Lamar views salvation for Black bodies. Through it allis the theme of liberation, not just spiritual but physical inthis time. And this has been a theme from the genesis of theBlack Church as we hear spirituals which speak not only to theenslaved artists' spirituality but their bodily condition inchains. For example, Wade in the Water is not only areflection of Baptism in Christ, but baptism of freedom bycalling the enslaved to run away, crossing streams and rivers.
We will explore these themes in depth in our adult forum thismonth. Our discussions will be Mondays, July 6, 13, 20 and27 at 7:15 p.m. I hope you can join me for one or moresessions this month as we confront institutional racism as anation.
-Celal
BLACK ART AS A SOURCE OF LIBERATION ANDTHEOLOGY Join us for a virtual formation series discussing topics inliberation and theology as they appear in popular Black art.
Each week we will look at a different Black artist and discusshow they showcase themes of liberation as a religiousexperience. We will move through the visual album, Lemonadeby Beyoncé, the grand portraits of Kehinde Wiley, the potentlyrics of Kendrick Lamar, and the oftentimes jarring poetry ofLangston Hughes and James Baldwin. All this will be donethrough the lens of our religious and racial context.
Discussion will be led by our summer Seminarian, CelalKamran. Our discussions will be Mondays, July 6, 13, 20 and27 at 7:15 p.m. on Zoom.
For more information and to sign up, please visit St.Andrew's web page for this series.
You can log in to Zoom here. (For dial-in: Call 301-715-8592
Meeting ID: 899 0491 3230 Password: 4000
STAY-AT-HOME BOOK CLUB During this stay-at-home period, the Welcome and FellowshipCommittee is coordinating a virtual book club.
On Saturday, July 11 at 10:00AM, we will meet virtually viaZoom to discuss the memoir Educated by Tara Westover. If youplan to attend the book club meeting or if you have anyrelated questions, please contact Corttney Roan [email protected].
Please also check out the book club webpage on the St.Andrew's website for information and discussion topics thatwill be posted closer to the meeting date.
ANNUAL MIDSUMMER POETRY FESTSUNDAY JULY 12, 2020 at 3:00PM VIA ZOOM
This is no time to do without poetry, so let's have our 11thannual poetry fest over Zoom. The theme (a suggestion, not arequirement) will be pandemic-related poems. You mightchoose a poem of solitude or reunion, loss or renewal,sickness or recovery. It does not have to be something youhave written yourself, but original works are always welcome. All ages may participate.
If you are interested and would like to take part, please letHelen know by email ( [email protected]) as soon as you can. No need to specify what you will read at this point. If youwould like to listen but not read, you are also welcome to joinus.
For more information, please check out the St. Andrew'sPoetry Fest web page.
Click here to join on Zoom.
PHOTOS FROM THE PRAYER VIGIL On the one-month anniversary of George Floyd's murder, St.Andrew's and Church of the Covenant invited our communityinto prayer by displaying luminaries on our properties-that is,paper bags lit with LED tea lights. Our bags were decoratedwith prayers for racial healing, and were displayed from June25-27, 2020, when dozens of people from our church and our
neighborhood took time to visit and experience thesepowerful messages.
For those who would like to experience the vigil virtually, ourwebsite has been updated to include photos from the event.
FAMILY MINISTRY
Dear ones,
First, a happy announcement: the Confirmation class hasgrown Seedlings of Hope! Please, take some home and enjoythem. They are available outside the office entrance to thechurch, from the parking lot on the Lorcom side. Thank youto Cullen, Sonja and Isabel for all their prayerful work. Thankyou to our Communications team--Mark, Joe and Claire--fortheir help in advertising the Seedlings of Hope. Thank you toTed Edwards for watering the Seedlings until their adoption. God bless you, and may these seedlings bring hope in eachhome they bless.
I'm on vacation this week, so this Sunday everyone will get toenjoy Big Church all together!
Families, as you read and listen to the Gospel reading thisweekend, you'll probably recognize (maybe even fromCompline!) what Jesus says at the end of the passage: 'Cometo me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens,and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learnfrom me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you willfind rest in your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden islight" (Matthew 11:28-30). Arthur and I often read thispassage at bedtime, and he closes his eyes as soon as he hearsthe word 'rest.' I often think about how wonderfully peacefulhis sleep is at night. Then, I think about how I can get to aplace where I might feel a like that, and try to get therethrough praying and meditating.
Kids, and parents, I honestly believe that God is always rightthere, waiting to help us all find a bit of rest in our souls. This week, maybe we can all try to find some time each dayfor ourselves, just to be still. Maybe during that time we canpray, using whatever words we need. This week, one of theways we can be a little closer to God is by asking our lovedones how we might ease their burdens. Perhaps we can helpby playing with our siblings, or walking the family dog, tidyingour room, or even by giving our parents extra hugs during theday. We may find those little acts of generosity give us somerest for our souls, too.
May God's peace be in your hearts and in your souls, this weekand always.
In love,
Carolyn+
GARDEN OF HOPE
On Saturday June 27, 8volunteers (Anne,Christine, Doris, Susanna,Dave, Jim, John and Ted)weeded, expanded thedrip irrigation system,trellised several rows oftomatoes, cleared about
half of the debris from the pile of cut tree limbs, picked,packaged, and delivered 47 pounds of kale, collards, andcabbage to Rock Springs Congregational Church fordistribution. The garden is doing great this year. We are still ahead of theweeds. So far, our 2020's total is 322 pounds.
We hope to see morevolunteers in the nearfuture. Ournext garden workday isSaturday July 4 starting at9:00am. We are normallyfinished around 11:30am. Please sign-up through Sign-up Genius if you're interested. We have updated our procedures ensure volunteer safety:
A maximum of 10 people may be in the garden at atimeVolunteers must sign up here or RSVP to Ted Edwards inorder to ensure that we are under our volunteer limitVolunteers must wear a face covering that covers themouth and noseVolunteers must maintain 6' of distance from othervolunteers while in the garden (exceptions made forvolunteers from the same household)Volunteers must bring their own gardening glovesOther general materials volunteers should bring asneeded: a water bottle, sunscreen, sun protection (e.g.hat, sunglasses, etc.)
AFAC FOOD DRIVE
A huge thank you to everyone who hasdonated to our food drive in support ofAFAC! We have already donated atrunk-load-plus of food, and hope to beable to do it again soon so please keepthe donations coming! In addition, please remember thatthey are not accepting anything inglass containers so please refrainfrom contributing any of those as
we'll sadly have to throw those items away. As a reminder, food donations should be limited to items fromAFAC's list (below) and can be dropped off inside the plasticbin outside the entrance to the church by the church office.
Items acceptable for donation:
*Low sodium preferred.*No glass please!* Canned Tuna & Chicken* Canned Soups* Canned Vegetables* Canned Tomatoes* Peanut Butter (in plastic jars)
If you prefer, monetary donations can also be made via AFAC'swebsite.
Finally, if you are interested in driving the donations to AFACfor a contactless drop off, please contact Marcela Scott at [email protected]. Thank you for your support!
VIRTUAL MEET-UPS OVER SHARED INTERESTS Based on a suggestion during coffee hour recently, we aretaking a survey to see who is interested in participating invirtual meet-ups. These would be times set aside to meet withothers virtually, likely over a video platform, to talk about orparticipate in a common interest. Potential shared interestscould include sports, knitting, cooking, languages, cultures,books, podcasts, social issues, etc. Please considercompleting this short survey, which takes about 4 minutes.Thank you for your participation!
MUSIC NOTES Calling all musicians!
Do you sing or play an instrument? Brandon would love todiscuss with you some ways that you might participate. Thiscould be anything from an audio recording to be included in ahymn/choral anthem to a vocal or instrumental soloperformed live during the Zoom service, or anything inbetween.
You may have seen our joint choir anthem on Pentecost. ( Youcan watch it here.) We are also planning some simple hymnrecordings. There are many ways we can make our music evenmore fulfilling, and we'd love to include you in it. Let's getcreative!
Check out this survey if your interest is sparked. Or contactBrandon at [email protected].
CALLING ALL COOKS AND BAKERS The Welcome and Fellowship Committee has created awebpage for the cooks and bakers of St. Andrew's to post theirlatest culinary creations and share their great recipes. Pleaseshare your favorite comfort food, baked good, limitedingredient, or other recipe that you are enjoying during this"stay-at-home" period or that you plan to enjoy later. Wewould also love to see pictures of your creations.
Parishioners can comment and "like" recipe posts on the pageas well. Instructions for how to post recipes and comments areavailable on the webpage. The webpage link is: St. Andrew'sStay At Home Recipes. Some great recipes are already posted.If you have any related questions, pleasecontact Corttney Roan at [email protected].
GIVING STATEMENTS Giving statements were mailed mid-June. If you made apledge or a financial gift to either the 2020 StewardshipCampaign or the Growing Seasons Capital Campaign and didnot receive a giving statement, or if there are any errors inthe statement you received, please email Emily Blecksmith orcall the office at (703) 522-1600.
Thank you all so very much for your generosity and yourongoing support of St. Andrew's ministries and mission! Wecannot do this without you. Thank you.
GIVING TO ST. ANDREW'S Your financial gifts to St. Andrew's are of vital importance tosupport our ongoing ministries and our outreach to the most
vulnerable among us. Please continue to offer your faithfulgifts by mailing your check to our church office (4000 LorcomLane, Arlington VA 22207), or by dropping off your check atthe church. You may also use a special online portal established throughour diocesan office for electronic giving to St. Andrew's. Usethe link and put "St. Andrew's Arlington" in the memo line ofthe online form. This online portal is being made available bythe Diocese through the summer. If you use the diocesanportal, please also email our Treasurer, Doris Smith, to alerther of your contribution so she can track it. Please note thattransactions have a 3% fee associated with them. If you are making a very large donation, it may be morepractical to send it by check to the church directly.
FREE WOOD
If you would like Locust tree or Cherry tree wood to burn inyour fireplace, smoke your briskets, or to make into woodenbowls, it's yours! Come to the upper parking lot behind the2310 House, next to the Church's Garden for Hope.
All that remains are large trunk size pieces.
The firstest get the mostest. Questions? Please contact TedEdwards, [email protected].
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN PROGRESS
The elevator installation and undercroft and kitchenrenovations are almost complete! This means our final bill toour contractor will be due soon. For those who have not yetfulfilled their pledge to the Growing Seasons CapitalCampaign, we invite you to consider fulfilling your pledge bythe end of June. This will help us minimize the amount we willneed to borrow as a bridge loan until the capital campaignconcludes in the fall. Thank you to all those who have contributed to this project.We could not do any of this without your generosity andsupport! If you have not yet contributed to the capital campaign, it isnot too late to join this effort! Checks can be made out to St.Andrew's with "Capital Campaign" in the memo line.
WORSHIP SCHEDULE
Compline: Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. A brief contemplative service of nighttime prayers
Morning Prayer: Sundays at 10:00 a.m.
Our principal weekly worship service with readings, hymns,a sermon, and a breakout session for families with youngchildren; followed by a virtual coffee hour
All services can be accessed via this link for a videoconnection or, for an audio-only connection you can join byphone! Simply call (253) 215 8782 and enter 592 431 032 whenasked for the meeting ID number.
CONTACTING ST. ANDREW'S
Here is the best way to reach the staff of St. Andrew's at thistime:
Rev. Dorota - [email protected] or call 414-704-9694Emily Blecksmith - [email protected] Heishman - [email protected]. Carolyn Rosen - [email protected] or call 406-696-4113Celal Kamran, Summer Seminarian - [email protected]
To view St. Andrew's online member directory, go to members.InstantChurchDirectory.com and follow the promptsunder "Sign In" to "Create a login now." There is also a freemobile app available in most app stores. Simple search for"Instant Church Directory" to get the download. You will needto use your email address as listed in the directory to create alog-in the first time you use the directory online and via themobile app.
For those who would rather receive a printed copy pleasecontact Emily [email protected].
To our readers: Have a social activity or event you want published in Shining the Light?
The deadline for submissions is Tuesday evening. As always, we welcome your comments, ideasor suggestions.
Email the church office at [email protected] or call (703) 522-1600. Your input is very much appreciated.