Send announcements to The Loudoun Connection, 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102, e-mail to loudoun@connectionnewspapers.com or fax to 703-917-0991. Deadline is two weeks before the event. Photos/artwork encouraged. For more information, call Jennifer Lesinski at 703-917-6454.
This free listing is reserved for activities and events that are open to the public at no or minimal cost.
St. David's Episcopal Church (St. David's) celebrated its 15-year anniversary last week with the commencement of Easter services on Sunday. With more than 1,400 people in attendance on Easter Sunday, St. David's has made tremendous strides in membership, worship, outreach and education programs since 1990 when 60 people celebrated Easter with that same sense of renewal, but under a tent, in the rain, in uncleared woods among the ruins of Belmont Chapel.
Among the organization's recent accomplishments is its glass-walled sanctuary built in 1999. In March 2002, St. David's preschool opened its doors, and today provides 12 classes for more than 160 children each year. In February 2003, annual mission trips began to El Hogar Orphanage for Boys in Honduras, where parishioners assist with much needed renovations for the orphanage and its associated technical and farming institutes. In 2004, January brought official acceptance of St. David's as a parish of the Diocese of Virginia, and in September the church launched its spiritual gifts-based ministry, along with an online spiritual gifts assessment survey, which is the first of its kind in the Virginia diocese.
Today, St. David's offers comprehensive Christian education programs for adults, teens and children, supports outreach ministries locally in Loudoun county as well as abroad in England, Honduras and Liberia, and provides an enjoyable, enriching environment for worship and community.
The Unitarian Universalists of Sterling offer a vespers service Wednesday, April 6, at 7 p.m. All are invited for Evensong, an informal and participatory worship service guaranteed to bring mid-week serenity to your hearts. James Stafford will lead this service which will end at 7:30 p.m. UUS is located in the Sterling Oaks Commerce Center at 21355 Davis Drive near Route 28 and Church Road. Call 703-406-3068 or visit uusterling.org.
Friday, April 8, the Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation's adult choir, Kol Shirah, will sing a special spring music service as part of the regular Friday night Sabbath service. Music director Carol Fram will conduct the choir in concert featuring music continuing the celebration of 350 Years of Jewish Music in America. Services will be at 8 p.m., at Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation, 1441 Wiehle Ave., Reston. Call 703-437-7733.
Regnum Christi, a Catholic apostolic movement, will be holding a spring children's consignment sale at the Douglass Community Center in Leesburg, Saturday, April 9, from 8 a.m.-noon. Doors reopen from 12:30-2 p.m. for the half-price sale. Includes gently used baby clothes, equipment and furniture, as well as children's clothes, toys, games, videos, maternity clothes, etc. Visit www.CatholicConsignments.org or call Patti Sinski at 703-729-7503. Proceeds benefit vocations.
The senior vice president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Dan Britton, will be speaking at Potomac Baptist Church in the morning worship services April 10. PBC invites the community to hear this dynamic speaker. The contemporary service is at 8:30 a.m. and the traditional
service is at 11 a.m. PBC is located at 20747 Lowes Island Blvd., just off of Algonkian Pkwy in Potomac Falls. Call 703-430-2377.
The public is invited to a Bible for Liberals seminar at the Unitarian Universalists of Sterling Sunday, April 10, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Led by James Stafford, the session will examine the Apostle Paul, as portrayed in a new book, "In Search of Paul," by J.D. Crossan and J.L. Reed. UUS is located at 21355 Davis Drive near Route 28 and Church Road. Call 703-406-3068 or visit uusterling.org.
The 10:30 a.m. service at the Unitarian Universalists of Sterling Sunday, April 10, is called "Opening Day." Baseball has often been referred to as a metaphor for American life. It is also a metaphor for the life of UUS, in this spring when all things are new and the possibilities are endless. UUS meets in the Sterling Oaks Commerce Center at 21355 Davis Drive near Route 28 and Church Road. Call 703-406-3068 or visit uusterling.org.
Sunday, April 10, Journey in Faith, St. David's Episcopal Church's foundational course in Christian theology, the Episcopal Church and the Anglican tradition begins. Over six consecutive Sundays, April 10-May 15, from 3:15-4:45 p.m., we will explore the Christian story, Episcopal history and traditions, worship, ministry and more. The course is perfect for those new to the Episcopal Church or looking to deepen their faith and understanding. The course will meet in the Education Room. Child care will be provided upon request. Register by e-mail to dzscheile@stdavidsashburn.org or 703-729-0570.
The Concert Choir of Lutheran High Northwest, from Rochester Hills, Mich., will be performing a free concert Friday, April 15, at Our Savior's Way Lutheran Church, 43115 Waxpool Road, Ashburn, at 7:30 p.m. The program includes a diverse selection of sacred music from the Renaissance to contemporary including spiritual and gospel selections and "Haitian Easter," a piece sung in Creole. The choir is consists of students in 10th-12th grade. The concert is free and open to the public. Call 703-858-9254 or visit ww.oswlc.org.
On Saturday, April 16, at 4 p.m., there will be a Belated Birthday Bash for "Star Trek's" Spock and Kirk at the Unitarian Universalists of Sterling. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy both had birthdays in March and their acting careers will be celebrated through their most renowned roles. All are invited to play games like Tribble Trouble and Star Trek Monopoly, watch favorite Star Trek episodes or just sit and discuss Trek books like "I Am Spock" or "Get a Life". Pizza, cake and soft drinks will be provided. A suggested donation of $10 will benefit the Unitarian Universalists Service Committee for the Tsunami Relief Fund and aid for victims in war-torn Ivory Coast. UUS is located at 22135 Davis Drive near Route 28, off of Church Road, near the W&OD bike path. Visit uusterling.org or write to Gary at glj1@erols.com.
The Children's Choir of Christ the Redeemer Church in Sterling, as one of several area youth choirs, will participate in a special Children's Choir Day April 16, at St. John Neumann Catholic Church. John Horman, a composer and children's choir director, will preside over the day's activities, which will include learning four anthems as well as parts of the mass and hymns. The workshop participants will form the choir for the 5 p.m. mass.
The Christ the Redeemer Children's Choir rehearses and performs under the guidance of Cordy Galligan, choir director, and Diane Kingsbury, director of music.
Christian Fellowship Church MOPS' (Mothers of Preschoolers) spring children's consignment sale will be April 16, at Christian Fellowship Church, from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Features gently used children's items including clothing (up to size 10), equipment, furniture, toys, layette, and maternity. A half-price sale runs, from 12-1 p.m., on designated items. Complete sale information and directions to the sale are available at www.cfcmops.com. Proceeds from this sale fund CFC MOPS and its designated charities.
Intern minister Amy DeBeck will deliver the sermon at the Unitarian Universalists of Sterling at the 10:30 a.m. service on Sunday, April 17. "The Evolution of Revolution: Revere, Darwin, and McVeigh," DeBeck will lead this service right before Patriots Day to explore the intrinsic violence in humanity, while paying homage to the work of Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest. UUS meets in the Sterling Oaks Commerce Center at 21355 Davis Drive near Route 28 and Church Road. Call 703-406-3068 or visit uusterling.org.
First Baptist Church is going to hold a spring flea market/craft sale April 23, parking lot behind the church
681 Elden Street Herndon, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Spots are available for interested crafters or those with flea market items. Cost is $25. Call 703-437-3620.
The 10:30 a.m. service at the Unitarian Universalists of Sterling Sunday, April 24, is called "The Wilderness . . . Again!" The Passover story is about a people who flee slavery and safety and security, for freedom and uncertainty and danger. Before they can enter the fabled Promised Land, they must endure life in the wilderness. We have all been lost in the wilderness; we have all learned the true costs of freedom. The Rev. Roberta Finkelstein will preach this sermon and the UUS choir will sing. UUS meets in the Sterling Oaks Commerce Center at 21355 Davis Drive near Route 28 and Church Road. Call 703-406-3068 or visit uusterling.org.
Sunday, May 22, Darrell Scott, whose daughter Rachel was killed in the shooting at Columbine High School, will be speaking at Our Savior's Way Lutheran Church, 43115 Waxpool Road, Ashburn, about the tragedy and how to prevent further violence in schools. Call 703-858-9254 or visit ww.oswlc.org.
James Stafford will be leading a Bible for Liberals at the Unitarian Universalists of Sterling, taking a literary and critical approach to the Bible. The ancient historical, cultural, literary and religious heritage both in and beyond the Bible will be explored. Open to those who have and those who have not read the Bible. Bible for Liberals meetings occur every second Sunday, through June, from 12:30 -2:30 p.m. These meeting are designed to be casual, drop in,
stand-alone sessions. The session will be held at the Sterling Oaks Commerce Center at 21355 Davis Drive near Route 28 and Church Road. Call 703-406-3068 or visit uusterling.org.
St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church, in conjunction with the Chaplaincy Department of Loudoun Hospital Center, provides a healing service on the second Sunday of each month, from 2:30-3:30 p.m., in the chapel of Loudoun Hospital Center, located on Riverside Parkway in Lansdowne. Patients, family, friends and staff, as well as the wider community are welcome. The service is conducted with "stations" so that people can drop in any time during the hour to receive healing prayer, holy communion, and request prayers for others. Contact the church office at 703-779-3616 or visit www.saintgabriels.net.
The Loudoun Church Alliance is a formal association of churches of many denominations, founded two years ago. It works in the areas of youth development, international missions, evangelism outreach, and is now working to develop relationships with government and business. Contact founder and missionary Jack Stagman at jackstagman@adelphia.net.
The Unitarian Universalists of Sterling meet on Sunday mornings, at 10:30 a.m., at the Sterling Oaks Commerce Center at 21355 Davis Drive near Rt. 28 and Church Road. Call 703-406-3068 or visit uusterling.org.