THE CIRCUIT BOARD St. Matthew s United Methodist Church August 2017 Join us for worship on Sunday mornings Traditional Worship 8:15 & 11:15am Modern Worship 9:45am Classes & Studies for all ages In This Issue A Note from Pastor Neil St. Matthew s Upcoming Events August 2 Wednesdays on the Lawn August 4 WDS Playground Group August 7 UMYF Kings Dominion Trip August 11 Bridge Group August 12 Alexandria UMW Meeting August 18 WDS Playground Group August 25 WDS Playground Group August 27 Youth Sunday September 2 Youth Music Retreat September 4 Labor Day Church Office Closed September 9 UMW Welcome Back Tea September 10 Fall Kick-Off St. Matthew s Upcoming Events Music Ministries/ Worship Schedule Among our congregation Women s Ministry Corner Sermon Series WDS Update Disciple 1 Class New Members Virginia Annual Conference Summary
From Pastor Neil s Study It feels like Summer 2017 is going by very quickly. Just a few weeks ago, we were honoring graduates. Now we re finishing up vacations, getting ready for a new school year, collecting supplies for our partner school (Weyanoke ES in Annandale.) Every year, when school begins again, I am reminded that, no matter how old we are, we are all still learning or at least we should be. I ve said this before: by definition, a disciple is a student, a learner. As Christian disciples, we are enrolled in the school of life. We are students of the master teacher Jesus and when we agree to follow him, we become his apprentices. He teaches, and we (hopefully) learn what it means to be a child of God. We learn what it means to be fully human; to be the people God created us to be. This summer we have been listening to the parables of Jesus that the Gospel writers have recorded for us. We ve been learning about the breadth of God s love, the wonders of God s Kingdom, and the joy of being God s children. In the fall, opportunities for learning continue. We ll be preaching more sermons that will help us love God, grow in faith, and serve Christ more fully. We ll be offering discipleship programs and classes for all ages. From long-term Disciple Bible Studies to short-term topical studies and small groups, you ll find opportunities to take the next steps in your relationship with God. Whether you re a life-long follower of Jesus or are just getting started, you will find something for you. When I spend time with children (in the church and in my family) I am constantly amazed at their curiosity and desire to learn. I am also saddened at how easily the joy of learning and the sense of wonder that we had as kids dissipates over time. My prayer for myself and for all of you is that we recapture the joy of exploration and the adventure of learning. After all, being a disciple of Jesus is truly the trip of a lifetime. In Christ, When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, What are you looking for? They said to him, Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are you staying? He said to them, Come and see. (John 1:38-39
Women s Ministry events are open to all women. Circles meet at Among Our Congregation various month to times during the accommodate our busy schedules. July In Sympathies St. Matthew s mourns the loss of the following people. Please continue to hold their loved ones in your thoughts and prayers. Betty Jane Brown, mother of Laura McLean Jack M. Smith, father of Jack Smith. July Baptisms Noor Phenicie Naomi Phenicie August Prayer Focus: You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you made summer and winter. Psalm 74:17 Sermon Series, Tell Me A Story, Continues through August 20 As we read the Gospels, we discover that Jesus told a lot of stories, called parables. Through his parables, Jesus taught about God, the Kingdom of God, God s grace, and faithful life. In this series, we ll look at some of the parables that speak to our lives today. We ll consider how we should interpret them and what they mean for us as followers of Jesus.
Traditional Worship Music Schedule All August 11:15 Sanctuary Choir September 17 8:15 Sanctuary Choir / Mitchell Ringers 11:15 Chapel Choir / Celebration Ringers September 10 8:15 Sanctuary Choir / Peace Ringers 11:15 Chapel Choir / Carol Ringers September 24 8:15 Sanctuary Choir 11:15 Altar Choir / Rainbow Ringers New Disciple 1 Class Register by August 13 for this amazing study of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. The class will meet on Tuesdays from 7:00-9:30 p.m., beginning in September and concluding in May (with some breaks) and will be led by Reverend Anne Hough. The study has been around for several years but is still considered one of the best in-depth Bible studies available today - both for absolute beginners to Bible study and for those who have studied the Bible for years- This class does require registration. You can register online at www.stmatthewsumc.org/adult-education, or pick up a registration form at the welcome desk. Questions? contact Anne at eaehough@gmail.com or call 540-256-4372. St. Matthew s Weekday School TEACHERS NEEDED! St. Matthew s Week Day School is looking for an Assistant Teacher. We are always looking for Substitute teachers for all classes. If you are interested or know someone that is please contact the WDS office, 703-978-6242 or email gpepinvivian@stmatthewsumc.org. Dr. Meserole on Syria Dr. Chris Meserole will speak about today's situation in Syria to the Apostles and Other Folks Adult Sunday School class on Sunday, August 13 at 9:45 a.m. in room 304. Everyone is invited to come and listen to this very informative presentation. For questions please contact Sandy Plate at sdplate@verizon.net.
Annual Conference 2017 Report Virginia s United Methodist clergy and lay delegates met for the Annual Conference in Hampton on June 16-18. Our three pastors attended and the laity representatives were Bob Hull, Lyle Minter, and Beth Lanthier. This year s theme was A New Thing. Bishop Sharma Lewis and invited guests led us in spirit -and music-filled worship, Bible studies, and meetings. The body voted on five constitutional amendments, which had been adopted at the 2016 General Conference. This year, all of the worldwide Annual Conferences vote to accept them or not. Those results will be published at a future date. We celebrated Pastor Grace Han s ordination as an elder. In all, 72 people were ordained in various categories. Virginia churches sent 41,522 disaster relief kits and attendees donated 7,025 pounds of canned/boxed food to the Peninsula Food Bank. Rev. Denise Honeycutt, representing the Board of Global Ministries, presented three awards related to Virginia s high rates of giving to missions and supporting missionaries. Prior to the start of the conference, Rev. Tom Berlin made a presentation on the work of the Commission on the Way Forward, which is preparing a report to the Bishops on the issues related to LGBTQ inclusion. St. Matthew s will have opportunities in the fall for additional study and discussion. We approved a 2018 budget of $31,800,000, a reduction of $200,000 from last year. At the end of 2016, conference-wide UMC membership was 325,099, down 1,095 from the previous year. Average worship attendance was 98,938, up 685 from the previous year. The conference has longer summaries online: https://www.vaumc.org/ac2017 You can also watch recordings and read the Bishop s episcopal address. In addition, you can contact any of the lay delegates if you have other questions. Summer Bible Study: Pondering the Parables, continues through August 9th Reverend Anne Hough is teaching a study on Jesus parables to complement the summer sermon series, Tell Me a Story The material in the class will not simply be a repetition of Sunday s sermon, but will be a more in depth discussion of the parables and how they can be used to strengthen our discipleship and deepen our faith. No previous Bible study experience is necessary and there is no preparation required for the weekly classes. Each class will be offered twice per week during the Sunday School hour on Sundays from 9:45 10:45am and Wednesday evenings from 7:00 8:00pm (immediately following the Wednesdays on the lawn dinner). The study lasts for 6 weeks: from Sunday, July 2 Wednesday, Aug 9. Come to all of the classes, or a few as you are able. For questions, contact Anne Hough at eaehough@gmail.com.
St. Matthew s is happy to welcome the Mokaves family into membership! Parames, Kendra and their two children, Peyton and Parken, have been attending St. Matthew s for over 2 years now. The family was drawn to our contemporary service and Peyton and Parken are active in our Children s ministries. We are so glad to officially welcome the Mokaves into our church family! St. Matthew s is happy to welcome the Brooks family into membership! Jason, Jennifer and their two sons, Bradyn and Austin have been attending St. Matthew s for over a year now and are active in the life of the church! Jason and Jennifer recently completed Pastor Grace s PATH class and Jennifer has jumped right in and is helping to teach the children s summer Sunday school class! The family enjoys our contemporary worship service and Bradyn can t wait to become involved in the music program. We are very happy to welcome the Brooks into our church family!
St. Matthew s welcomes Cynthia and Matt Loe into membership. The Loes have two children, Wesley, a rising 9 th grader at West Springfield HS and Danielle, a rising 6 th grader at Camelot Elementary. The Navy brought the Loes to Northern Virginia and they were drawn to St. Matthew s because of this vibrant contemporary service. Wesley and Danielle have jumped right in and are both active in the youth and children s ministries. Wesley was confirmed in June, and Danielle has been an active participant in our Club 56 program. We are thrilled to welcome the Loe family into our church family. St. Matthew s is thrilled to welcome Dawn Jones into membership! When we think of what it means to serve God and to exemplify what it means to be the hands and feet of Christ, we think of Dawn. While Dawn grew up in the Catholic faith, she has faithfully attended St. Matthew s for over twenty years now, raising her sons, Matthew and Ethan in this church alongside her husband, Mike. Dawn has been very active in the children s and youth ministries; she has served as a leader on ASP more times than we can count, and she is dedicated to the mission commission of this church. She is held in high regard by our youth as someone they can look up to, and who can help guide them on their faith journey. She has been described as simply awesome!
St. Matthew s United Methodist Church 8617 Little River Turnpike Annandale, VA 22003 www.stmatthewsumc.org St. Matthew s United Methodist Church Staff Senior Pastor: Neil Hough Associate Pastor: Grace Han Associate Pastor of Senior Adult Ministries & Visitation: Bill Moberly Office Manager: Chiniza Batiste Director of Youth Ministries: Mike Fee Director of Welcoming Ministries: Julie Avera Director of Children s Ministries: Carrie Schwab Preschool Ministries Coordinator: Christine Moser Bookkeeper: Andrea Crews Finance Secretary: Jackie Dinker Office Assistant: Kim Lauer Director of Music: Nancy Cappel Assistant to the Director of Music: Genevieve Hanson Assistant Handbell Director: Tammy Freeman Organist: Carol Workman Modern Worship Leader: Susan Ely Worship Media Coordinator: Dan Burrer Office Resource Assistant Volunteer: Claire Adams Weekday School (WDS) Director: Gail Pepin-Vivian Assistant Director of WDS: Open