Hey church,
Well, February's a short month, but it still doesn't seem possible that it's almost over. But if a certain
prognosticating rodent is to be believed, winter may be nearing its end as well. Which is swell, if you ask me.
But in any event, this will be the fourth Sunday of the month, which means that we will NOT be gathering for worship at Jammin' Java. However, that doesn't mean we won't be gathering!
Firstly: on Thursday the 24th, at 7pm-ish, the CT Mid-Week Group will gather at Kriss and Ben Buss's house to begin discussing the book
What Every Church Member Should Know About Poverty, by Ruby K. Payne. This will be a preliminary discussion of the book topic, so don't worry if you haven't read the book...neither have we!! If you've never been to mid-week, you're more than welcome. On a typical week, we will eat, drink, goof around, perhaps discuss something (such as a book on cultural differences among social classes; or our favorite YouTube videos; or whale vomit), and pray together. If you'd like to join us, and need directions to Kriss and Ben's place, please
contact us.
Secondly: we won't be at Java on Sunday, but we will be joining our friends at
New Hope Fellowship. Pastor Pat is turning over the service to us Commoners, and the plan is to share stories of how God provided [something significant or unexpected] in our lives. So please come equipped with your craziest God stories, and look forward to hearing some amazing ones from new and old friends.
Worship there begins at 10:40am at the
Greenbriar Community Center, and our own Jen, Craig, and Moff will be leading worship music. We're all invited to join in making the joyful noise, and are welcome to stay for the post-worship meal and fellowship. Additionally, our 9:30am Club will be gathering beforehand (at 10:00am) for informal worship music and practice - all are welcome!
Finally, many of the folks at New Hope are homeless, and Pastor Pat said that since the county hypothermia ministry (which provides winter shelter to homeless folks in Fairfax County) is over in two weeks, tents are needed to stay warm, along with propane heaters, general camping gear, and camp stoves. Anything along those lines that we could bring to donate would be greatly appreciated, along with low-denomination gift cards to casual restaurants. (We should give all donations to Pastor Pat so she can distribute them.)
That's it for this week - but next week is shaping up to be pretty lively, with a karaoke party on Friday evening and our return to Jammin' Java for worship on Sunday. And the week after that centers on Ash Wednesday, and the beginning of Lent. Watch this space for details on all of that, and in the mean time, stay warm, and remember that loving each other is not just a good idea -
it's how we know God.
Peace!
Mike Croghan
