<i>Send announcements to the Reston Connection, by mail to 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102, by e-mail to reston@connectionnewspapers.com or by fax to 703-917-0991. Deadline is Thursday 5 p.m. for the following week's paper. Photos/artwork encouraged. Call Meghan Williams at 703-917-6407 with questions. This free listing is reserved for activities and events that are open to the public at no or minimal cost.</i>
As the Muslim holy month of Ramadan approaches, the Muslim community in Herndon is taking on an initiative to ensure that no one goes hungry in the Town of Herndon during the month of fasting. The project, nicknamed Herndon Without Hunger, will provide each needy individual a $8-$10 certificate from a local grocer to purchase food. The plan is to distribute 100 or more of these certificates each day of Ramadan – $1,000 a day.
A goal of this program is to bring the plight of the less fortunate into stronger focus, to prompt the community to work toward a more permanent solution long after this effort is over.
A Herndon-based Muslim charity, FAITH (Foundation for Appropriate and Immediate Temporary Help), will coordinate and implement this project on behalf of the donors. Muslim entities and individuals in and around Herndon, led by two Muslim organizations called International Institute of Islamic Thought and Sterling Charitable Gift Fund, have donated $30,000.
Animal Blessing and Memorial by Washington Plaza Baptist Church, 1615 Washington Plaza, Reston, Oct. 8, at 11 a.m. Join a celebration and blessing of current pets, as well as a memorial remembering those who have passed away. Please bring dogs on a six-foot leash, cats and other small animals in carriers. Please leave nervous or aggressive animals at home and bring a photo to be blessed instead. Bring photos of animals who have passed away for the memorial segment of the service. Call 703-471-5225.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Christian Church will hold its fall revival services Oct. 12-Oct. 14. The services begin at 7:30 p.m. each evening. The revivalist is the Rev. Carroll A. Baltimore, Second Vice President of the Progressive National Baptist Convention. Rev. Rose Miles Robinson is the interim minister. MLK Church is located at 11400 North Shore Drive, Reston. Call 703-709-3641.
Kol Ami: Northern Virginia Reconstructionist Community, the only Reconstructionist congregation in Northern Virginia, celebrates the Jewish New Year using its own High Holidays prayer book. All children attend for free and there are special services for tots — up to age 5 — and children — 6 and up — during the congregation's main services. The congregation also sponsors a food drive during this time to benefit the Northern Virginia branch of the Capital Area Food Bank. Services held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, 4444 Arlington Blvd., Arlington. Visit www.kolaminvrc.org.
Yom Kippur Services: Oct. 12, 6:30 p.m. and Oct. 13, 10 a.m. $75 suggested donation.
Holiday Services. Beth Chaverim Reform Congregation will be hosting High Holiday services for Kol Nidre Oct. 12, at 7:30 p.m., and Yom Kippur Oct. 13, at 10 a.m. All services will be held in Ashburn; call 703-391-8669.
Congregation Beth Emeth will offer an Israeli Dancing class for beginners and beyond. The 8-session program will meet Thursdays, beginning Oct. 20 and ending Dec. 22 at the synagogue. Participants will begin by learning simple line dances and progress to the most popular modern folk dances of Israel. Experience not required. Non-slip shoes recommended. Cost: $36 for members of Beth Emeth or W. Fairfax/E. Loudoun affiliated congregations; $45 for non-members. Beth Emeth is located at 12523 Lawyers Road, Herndon. Call 703-860-4515 x127 or email dawn@bethemeth.org.
Congregation Beth Emeth will host a Singles Sukkot Shabbat, Oct. 21, at 8 p.m., with an Oneg Shabbat immediately following services. Jewish singles are invited to attend services, celebrate Sukkot and meet other singles from Fairfax, Loudoun and the metropolitan-D.C. area. Beth Emeth is located at 12523 Lawyers Road, Herndon. Contact Judith Schneider at 703-724-0593.
Klezmer music will set the tone for the celebration of Simchat Torah beginning at 6:45 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24, at the Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation, 1441 Wiehle Ave., Reston.
Simchat Torah (Joy of Torah) marks the completion of the annual cycle of Torah readings. During the service, congregants will carry NVHC’s Torah scrolls throughout the Sanctuary and Temple grounds while dancing to the music provided by The Bulgarim, a Klezmer band from central Virginia. The evening will also include consecration of children who are entering the NVHC Religious School.
Vajrayogini Buddhist Center offers Buddhist meditation class at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, 1700 Wainwright Drive, Reston. Classes are Tuesdays 7-8:30 p.m. No class Oct. 11, Dec. 20-Jan. 3. Fee: $10 per class or $30 for four classes. Monthly membership is also available. Call 202-331-2122 or info@meditation-dc.org. Each of these classes is self-contained and includes guided meditation, a Buddhist teaching, and questions and answers. Everyone is welcome regardless of belief or previous experience. No preregistration required. This season the teachings will draw from the book, "Eight Steps to Happiness," a commentary written by Geshe Kelsang Gyasto, to eight verses in training the mind, a lojong practice, showing the way to develop the supreme good heart and how to learn spiritually from everything in life.
Washington Plaza Baptist Church offers Kerygma Bible study, Discovering the Bible, a basic, yet comprehensive introduction to the Bible as a whole. Learn about the peoples, places and events as well as see beyond to new understandings of faith and life. The study continues Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. until mid-November. Free. Workbook provided with option to purchase. Call the Rev. Sandi John at 703-471-5225 or visit www.washingtonplazachurch.com.
The Reston Bible Church is a non-denominational church, which celebrated its 30th Anniversary in 2005, and serves a congregation of more than 2000 at 11979 North Shore Drive, in Reston. Pastor Mike Minter has served as the church’s pastor since he and his wife, Kay Minter, founded the church 1974. RBC is a Bible believing and preaching church with a passion for impacting the lives of those living in the community. Call 703-478-9730 or visit www.restonbible.org.
A free English class for speakers of other languages is offered at Jubilee Christian Center as a special Sunday school class at 9:30 a.m. 4650 Shirley Gate Rd., Fairfax. Call 703-383-1170.
Every Wednesday at noon, St. Timothy's Episcopal Church, 432 Van Buren St. in Herndon, offers a lunch-time Prayer and Healing Service. This 30-minute nondenominational service is offered to all local residents and people working in businesses in Herndon and surrounding areas; and allows people an opportunity to worship during the work week when they may be away from their regular church. All are welcome. Call the church Mondays-Fridays, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., at 703-437-3790 or visit www.saint-timothys.org.
Beth Chaverim Reform Congregation will hold Sunday School every Sunday, 9 a.m.-noon, at the Boyd Montessori School in Ashburn. In addition to Sunday School, a second day of Hebrew School will be offered Tuesday evenings, from 7-8 p.m., at Sanders Corner Elementary School. Attendance is limited to fourth- through seventh-graders and adults interested in learning Hebrew. Contact Lisa Kimball at bradamk@aol.com or call 703-858-1999.