Readings for Easter Sunday
ST. PETE’S WEEKLY
Welcome! Whatever your religious background, and however you have come to be here, we’re glad to have you join in our praises of God today. We hope you will feel comfortable here and fulfilled and strengthened spiritually to meet the challenges of your daily life.
PLEASE PRAY FOR THE FOLLOWING:
• For Mark, our Bishop
• For Tom, our Rector
• In our Parish Cycle of Prayer, we pray for Purcellville Men’s Breakfast
• For The Anglican Church, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem
• In the Diocesan Cycle of prayer, we pray for Altar Guilds, Flower Guilds, Ushers, Lectors, Lay Eucharistic Ministers, Acolytes, and Choirs
• For Persecuted Christians in China
• For our President, Donald Congress, and Judges
• For our Governor, Glenn
• In our Community Cycle of Prayer, we pray for our airport employees
• For U.S. troops throughout the world, our foreign service personnel and contractors
• For those who have served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other conflicts and are suffering from posttraumatic stress
• For our Federal, State, & Local Police Officers & Loudoun Valley Fire and Rescue
• For the special needs and concerns of this congregation, especially Stuart Auld; Jake Cathers; Gary Cogle; Nancy Dillon; Ken Foreman; Matt Forys; Mel Hanzel; Gwen Hill; Jennifer House; Don Hummerston; Gail Hunt; Steve Koss; The Landstrom Family; Becky Loker; Mike Muihlbauer; Marsha Price; Martha Ramirez; Chris Short; Randy Stoutenburgh; Karen Stunkel; Erica Wanis; Sarah & Dick Webster; Kevin; Lucas; Reid; Sean & Libby; Stephen; Vanessa, and all those who suffer from any grief or trouble..
PRAYER NEEDS: Individuals and families may choose to have their names placed on the public and/or private prayer lists. The names on the public prayer list are included during the Prayers of the People during worship on Sunday and in the bulletin. St. Peter’s Prayer Quilt members spquilt@stpetes.net pray for the people on the private list. Names are listed for four weeks. If you would like someone to remain on our list, please send us an update every 4 weeks.
NEW WAYS TO PRAY! We have been doing a lot of praying in new ways this year. Consider joining us or making use of any, or all, of the opportunities below –
• Sweet Hour of Prayer every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. with seven of us regularly gathering.
• Using our new Prayer Cards on the first Sunday during prayers of the people.
• Turning the altar in the Chapel into our Prayer Altar, covered with new prayer requests.
• The Vestry is incorporating praying together into our Strategic Plan and into Vestry meetings.
• And the latest: Gathering an intercessor team to pray for people in-person after church on Sundays. Once the crowd has left the Nave, they’d be happy to meet with you discreetly one-on-one to pray with you.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
BULLETIN DEADLINE – Please submit all announcements for the Sunday Bulletin by noon on Wednesday to ensure inclusion in the upcoming bulletin. Send announcements to office@stpetes.net.
2025 VESTRY ELECTIONS – will be held on Sunday, May 4, 2025, after the 9:30 a.m. service. The Eligible Voter list will be posted on the bulletin board in McCray Hall. Nominations are open. Contact Rob Smith, Sr. Warden or Deana Czaban, Jr. Warden if interested.
COFFEE HOUR – There is a signup sheet on the bulletin board in McCray Hall to sign up for May & June Coffee Hour. Come serve your fellow parishioners and have fun meeting them.
NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER, MAY 1, 2025 – The National Day of Prayer annual observance is designated by the U.S. Congress and held on the 1st Thursday of May. People of all faiths are asked to come together and pray for our nation. Mt. Calvary Guild is advertising this wonderful event at St. Peter’s. This year we will be Praying ‘Round the Cross at 5:30pm. Bring a friend and come meet with us out front: on your way home from work, after or before supper, whatever you are doing at 5:30. Take a few minutes out of your day to thank God for the blessings of America and ask his protecting hand over our country.
18TH ANNUAL BIBLE READING MARATHON, APRIL 26 – MAY 1, 2025 – 6am to 12midnite each day. This event takes place on the Court house lawn in Leesburg. Anyone and everyone is welcome. This event is sponsored by Loudoun Awakening. The Mt. Calvary Guild is excited to reintroduce this event to St. Peter’s. The Bible will be read in its entirety under a tent ( rain or shine.) Members of Mt. Calvary Guild will be reading between 12:30-1:30 on Wed. April 30. If you would like to join us, sign up in McCray Hall or contact Charlene Lane 540 454-2101. If you would like to sign up to participate on another day or time visit www.loudunawakening.org. If you need help or have questions, contact Charlene. It will be a fun experience sharing God’s word.
TGIF – The first gathering will be on April 25, 2025, at 8:00 pm – Michael and Marcia Davis will host. This will be a Coed event. Their address is 18 Clarke Ln, Berryville Va, 22611. As usual, please feel free to bring your favorite snack or adult beverage. Since it is the first gathering, bring a neighbor, work staff or friend to enjoy a great evening. Any questions, feel free to contact Tom Simmons at St. Peters or Michael Davis at 540-903-5929. Hope you can attend.
MT. CALVARY WOMEN’S GUILD MEETING – Our next meeting is on Monday, April 21st, at 10:00 AM, at St. Peter’s in McCray Hall. The readings that we will discuss are Exodus 27-40; Leviticus 1-16; Matthew 26-28; Mark 1-7; Psalm 32-41; & Proverbs 12-13. Please join us.
BOOK TALK: CALLED TO FREEDOM, BY BRAD LITTLEJOHN, Sunday, May 18, 2025, at 4:00pm – “For you were called to freedom, brothers,” writes St. Paul. “Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Today, we live in a time and place where “freedom” is constantly invoked as an opportunity for the flesh, where autonomy is prized above all, and any exercise of moral judgment is dismissed even among Christians as “legalism.” And yet freedom is central to our heritage not only as Americans, but as Protestant Christians, as a people brought out of slavery to sin and set free to follow Christ.
What does it mean to be “free” and how can we use our freedom well? Does “gospel freedom” or “Christian liberty” have anything to do with political freedom? How do we distinguish “freedom of conscience” from mere relativism? Is the “free market” a Christian ideal or an American idol? And what about technology, which promises to free us from the constraints of nature but often shackles us in new forms of slavery?
In his new book, Called to Freedom: Retrieving Christian Liberty in an Age of License, scholar and writer Brad Littlejohn explores all these questions and more, distilling insights from a career at the intersection of the church, academy, and public policy. Join us for an exploration of the true meaning of freedom as he shares key concepts from his book and answers your questions about Christian liberty.
LEARNING
Save the Date! VBS 2025 will be the week of June 16-20, 2025.
GRACE THROUGH THE EYES OF JESUS BIBLE STUDY – Please join us at 11:00am in the library on Sunday mornings for this See Jesus interactive Bible study based on stories from the Gospel of Luke. This study “…allows participants to absorb the Scriptures through engaging questions, theological insights, useful charts, and interesting historical backgrounds centered around the truth of the gospel. There is no more practical way to be transformed by the doctrine of grace than to learn it from our Redeemer, Jesus.” Contact Maggie Snyder at maggiesnyder77@gmail.com.
Nursery: If needed, Nursery care is available during our 9:30 am service. The Nursery is located on the lower level. We are always looking for a few more volunteers to help staff the nursery from 9:30 – 10:45 am. If you have any questions, you can contact Kathleen Voss at (703) 409-2314 or katvoss1970@gmail.com
Sunday School – The program year runs from Sunday September 8, 2024, through June 1, 2025. We will continue to use a variety of curriculums, including Weaving God’s Promises, Kids Sunday School and the Children’s Chapel Workshop during the program year. The elementary Sunday School group will meet from 9:30 -10 AM on Sunday mornings. The Middle & High School kids will be meeting from 9 AM – 9:30 AM on Sunday mornings in room #202.
FIGHT FOR SOULS: SHARING THE WORD
“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols, I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.” Ezekial 11:19-21
“Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him. If we disown Him, He will also disown us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.” 2 Timothy 2:11-13
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4
“No condemnation now I dread,
Jesus, with all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach the eternal throne,
And claim the crown, thru Christ, my own.” -Charles Wesley
The next meeting will be held at 5:00pm on Sunday, May 11, 2025 at the Novak House.
