Readings from the Fourth Sunday of Easter
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, for our Pastoral Team
- In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, for The Nippon Sei Ko Kai
- In the Diocesan Cycle of prayer, for St. John’s Church, McLean and St. Mary’s Church, Goochland
- For Persecuted Christians in Pakistan
- For our President, Donald, Congress, and Judges
- For our Governor, Glenn
- In our Community Cycle of Prayer, for our Mayors
- 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 and Loudoun Valley Fire and Rescue Departments
- For the special needs and concerns of this congregation, especially Stuart Auld; Jake Cathers; Gary Cogle; Jim Czaban; Nancy Dillon; Ken Foreman; Matthew Forys; Mel Hanzel; Gwen Hill; Jennifer House; Gail Hunt; Peggy Kiernen; Steve Koss; The Landstrom Family; Becky Loker; Mike Muihlbauer; Marsha Price; Martha Ramirez; Don Sengpiehl; 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 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 – are today, Sunday, May 11, 2025, after the 9:30 a.m. service. The Eligible Voter list is posted on the bulletin board in McCray Hall. Nominations are open. Contact Rob Smith, Sr. Warden or Deana Czaban, Jr. Warden if interested.
DRIVERS – We are looking for two vans and drivers to take our Guatemala Team to Dulles Airport on Saturday leaving St. Peters at 1:00pm. We need to transport 16 people. If you are willing to volunteer, contact Paula Simpson in the office.
HOPE FOR HOME – For years St. Peter’s Mission Committee has collected items needed by Hope for Home (home for severely disabled children) located in a village in Guatemala. With our help Hope for Home has thrived and grown. It now includes 2 separate homes for severely disabled children: a third for the disabled who have aged out of Hope for Home but who cannot live on their own. In addition, they have established 2 Birthing Centers that also provide Pre and Post natal services. As much as the economy is affecting each of our budgets it is ravaging Third World nations, and more children are lacking the nutritional needs to be healthy. If you would like to keep our blessings of love flowing from the U.S.A. to these needy children just pick something from the list and drop off in the box in the Narthex. These will be taken down by our Mission group in June.
Items are as follows (*bold most important):
- Food thickener
- Waterproof pads and pillow covers
- Waterproof (zippered) mattress covers for twin and/or crib size
- Absorbent/waterproof bibs for droolers
- Boys underwear size 10 to adult small
- Girls underwear sizes 5T and up
- Girls training bras up to adult small
- Hair bands / Chapstick
- Big and small hairbrushes
- Waterproof pads (for chairs or beds)
- Oral sensory toys
MT. CALVARY WOMEN’S GUILD MEETING – Our next meeting is on Monday, May 19, 2025, at 10:00 AM, at St. Peter’s in McCray Hall. The readings that we will discuss are Leviticus 17-27; Numbers 1-15, Mark 8-14; Psalm 42-54; & Proverbs 14-15. Please join us.
ALTAR FLOWERS: If you would like to dedicate altar flowers in memory or honor of a loved one, or in thanksgiving for a birthday, anniversary or other special event, please contact the church office with the date and details. We gratefully accept gifts in the amount of $45 to defray the cost.
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
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.
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
JOIN US FOR VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL – SUMMER 2025 – June 16-20, 2025 • 9AM – Noon. Small class sizes, fun activities, snacks and games! Sign up at https://stpetes.net/vbs/
FIGHT FOR SOULS: SHARING THE WORD “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.” Mt. 13:18-19
“Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” Heb. 3:12-13
“Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress.” Ps. 107:4-6
Lord, lead us to every place you want us to go. Like Jesus we are called to be “travelers” on a mission. Every city and village needs the gospel. Amen
The next meeting will be held at 5:00 p.m. on June 8, 2025, at the Novak House.