Know something that should be featured in Faith Notes? Classes? Services? Special events? Send a brief write-up and photos to 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102, call 703-917-6449 or e-mail mclean@connectionnewspapers.com.
The Great Falls Ecumenical Council is hosting an Easter Sunrise Service on April 16 at 6:30 am at Great Falls National Park. Pastor John Weyant, Dranesville Church of the Brethren, will preach on the theme “What Is It Your Are Looking For?” Soloists are Soni Oberleas and Juanita Wallace Jackson. Paul Ward is directing the brass ensemble. Scout Troop 55 will serve as ushers. The offering will go to Habitat For Humanity. Come casual, bring a chair if you like, and enjoy the beauty of this glorious day. Call the Rev. Paul Gysan at 703-759-6068.
As part of its Lent observance, the Church of the Good Shepherd will again host a weekly Soup, Song and Story. Each Wednesday night during Lent, soup will be served beginning at 6 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall, followed by song and story. Good Shepherd will host a Maundy Thursday Seder service on April 13 at 7:30 p.m. A Good Friday prayer vigil will be held from 4-7 p.m. on April 14, followed by Good Friday service. On Easter, April 16, a special outdoor sunrise service will be held at 6 a.m., followed by the regular worship services at 8:30 and 11 a.m. in the church sanctuary.
The church is located at 2351 Hunter Mill Road, Vienna. Call the church office at 703-281-3987 or visit www.GoodShepherdVA.com.
A Community Good Friday Service will be held at Oakton United Methodist Church, 2951 Chain Bridge Road, April 14 from noon-3 p.m. Guest speakers from area Churches will include Rev. Edward Bauman and Rev. James F. Hoffman, who will be sharing the Seven Last Words of Christ. All are welcome. Childcare provided.
There will be regular Easter Worship Services April 16 at 8:30 a.m. in the Chapel and 10:55 a.m. in the Church Sanctuary. Call 703-938-1233 or visit www.oaktonumc.org.
Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter services at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer. Maundy Thursday, April 13: worship service will begin at 11 a.m. and will remember the Last Supper. The 7:30 p.m. service will explore Jesus' last teachings of love and service.
Good Friday, April 14: the morning Children's Service at 10 a.m. will tell the story of Jesus' betrayal, trial and suffering on the cross. The Good Friday Tenebrae Service at 7:30 p.m. will provide the drama of this Service of Shadows as participants reflect on Jesus' final hours and His sacrifice.
Easter Sunday, April 16: begins at 7 a.m. with an Easter sunrise service to celebrate the new day and life through the Resurrection. Easter worship services at 7, 8:30, 9:45 and 11 a.m. will proclaim the joy of Christ's gift of salvation with a choir and musicians.
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer is located at 1545 Chain Bridge Road, McLean. Visit www.redeemer-mclean.org or call the office at 703-356-3346.
A Second Night Seder is being hosted by the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia, 8900 Little River Turnpike, Fairfax, on Thursday, April 13 at 7 p.m. This will be a kosher seder complete with traditional food. Open to the entire community; singles are encouraged to attend. Cost is $38 for members, $50 for non-members, $12 for children up to age 10. Call 703-323-0880 for reservations. Visit www.jccnv.org for information.
The Nidaros Cathedral Boys Choir from Trondheim, Norway will appear at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in McLean on April 15 at 7 p.m. This concert is sponsored by the Norwegian Embassy and Lutheran Church of the Redeemer. This is the oldest boys choir in Norway and represents a 900-year long tradition of boy singers in the Nidaros Cathedral. The present choir consists of 50 boys ages 9-13 and 25 men who were formerly member of the choir. The church is located at 1545 Chain Bridge Road Visit www.redeemer-mclean.org or call the office at 703-356-3346.
Oakton Church of the Brethren will host Easter morning breakfast at 9:30, April 16. Easter Services will be held at 11 a.m. and will include Handbell and Choir music as well as soloists. The church is located at 10025 Courthouse Road, Vienna. Call 703-281-4411 or visit www.oaktonbrethren.org.
The Great Falls Ecumenical Council is sponsoring a community prayer breakfast for Thursday, May, from 7:30 am to 9 am at the Tavern, in the village of Great Falls. As this is the National Day of Prayer, celebrations will be occurring all over the United States. The special speaker is Dr. Bart Ransom, author of “I Shall Not Pass This Way Again” and long-time affiliate of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Dr. Ransom’s topic is “Praying for Our Neighbors.” A buffet breakfast will be offered. Cost is $12, and tickets are available at all Great Falls Churches as well as at the door. Call Andrew Chapel United Methodist Church at 703-759-3509.
McLean Bible Church. Service times are Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m., 10:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The 10:45 a.m. service includes sign interpretation. Visit www.mcleanbible.org. Frontline services are Sunday nights at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The 5:30 p.m. Frontline service includes sign interpretation. Visit www.frontline.to. The church is located at 8925 Leesburg Pike, Vienna. Call 703-790-5590; 703-770-2939 (TTY). McLean Bible Church was established in 1965, and the senior pastor is Lon Solomon.
Westmoreland Community Church, located at the corner of Westmoreland and Kirby in McLean, is an inter-denominational congregation, which began as a Southern Baptist Church but in 1978 officially changed its name to Westmoreland Community Church to better express the nature of its congregation: a community of Christians who gather to worship God as revealed through Christ. While officially independent of any other denomination, members come from a variety of religious traditions. Westmoreland offers Sunday school at 10 a.m., followed by services led by Chaplain Kal McAlexander at 11 a.m. Sunday school is provided for children at 11 a.m. Call Sandy at 703 241-4993.
Vienna Presbyterian Church holds the following events/services. The church is located at 124 Park St. S.E., Vienna. Call 703-938-9050 or visit www.viennapres.org.
* Cross Roads. Young adults meet each Wednesday, from 7:30-9 p.m., at 146 Maple Ave. Contact Amy Reeves at amy.reeves@viennapres.org.
* Teacher Support Group. The group meets the third Monday of each month, from 7-8 p.m. Call Gail Allen at 703-476-3931.
* Book discussion group. The book club meets the third Wednesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. Contact Ronniejean Irvin at 703- 273-4113.
* Adult Bible Studies. Classes take place Tuesday or Wednesday evenings. For information on Tuesday group, call Barbara Greig at 703-242-3511; Wednesday group, call Dave Gifford at 703-255-9366.
Christian Assembly offers an opportunity for all to enter into Praise and Prayer every Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m., at 8200 Bell Lane, Vienna. Call 703-968-9777 or visit www.christianassembly.net.
Vienna Baptist Church offers numerous Christian worship, education, music and mission opportunities. Each Sunday begins with a high-energy VBPraise service at 8:45 a.m. Sunday school begins at 9:45 a.m., providing different programs to people of all ages. The traditional liturgical worship service takes place at 11 a.m. The church is located at 541 Marshall Road, Vienna. Call 703-281-4400 or visit www.vbc-va.org.
Emmanuel Lutheran Church has a full range of education, music, worship and outreach programs. Traditional worship is at 8 and 11 a.m. in the Lutheran tradition of liturgical song mixed with music of the masters, spirituals and contemporary Christian music. Contemporary worship is at 9:30 a.m. with fresh liturgical song and contemporary Christian music led by Revelation. Christian education for all ages is 9:30-10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.-noon. The church is located at 2589 Chain Bridge Road, Vienna. Call 703-938-2119.
Unity of Fairfax, located at 2854 Hunter Mill Road in Oakton, hosts the following events and services. For more information, call 703-281-1767 or visit www.unityoffairfax.org.
A program using music, drumming, movement, song and prayer seeks to bring communities together as part of everyday life. The dances are cross-cultural using sacred phrases, chants, music and movements from many faith traditions. Efforts are to promote peace and integration within individuals and groups. There are no performers or audience, and no experience is necessary. Donations are accepted. The group meets the second Saturday evening each month, September-June, 7:30-10 p.m. Contact Kathryn at 703-573-1236 or SpiralRose@aol.com. For more information on the worldwide Dance Net-work, visit www.DancesOfUniversalPeace.org.
St. Athanasius Lutheran Church sponsors the following Sunday services: Bible Class for adults and Sunday School for children begins at 9 a.m. followed by worship at 10:15 a.m. Coffee, dessert and fellowship time follows. Midweek Bible Study takes place on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m., preceded by an open forum titled "Ask the Pastor" at 7 p.m. Call 703-455-4003 or visit www.saint-athanasius.org. St. Athanasius is located at 114 Kingsley Road S.W., Vienna.
Body & Soul is a high/low impact aerobic workout, kick boxing, strength training, Pilates all-in-one exercise session to the latest in contemporary Christian music. There are several area church locations from which to choose.
McLean Bible Church conducts classes on Tuesday and Friday mornings from 9:45-11:15 a.m. Call Mary Ward at 703-830-2478 for more information. Child care available. Classes are also offered on Wednesday evenings from 6:45-8:15 p.m. Contact Tricia Van Ryn at trva@yahoo.com. Emmanuel Lutheran Church offers a Fit over 50 version on Wednesday mornings from 9:15-10:30 a.m. The church is located at 2589 Chain Bridge Road. Call Lynn Mostellar at 703-698-8624.
Chabad at Tysons hosts Shabbat educational services at 1503 Lincoln Center Court, in the Club House of the Fountains of McLean, across from Freddie Mac. Saturday morning service starts at 9:30 a.m.; Torah discussion at 10:30 a.m., followed by a sit-down Kiddush. Thursday night features a Kabbalah class. Call 703-356-3451, or e-mail ChabadTysons@aol.com, for more information.
A Centering Prayer Group meets Fridays, 9:30-10:30 a.m. at Andrew Chapel United Methodist Church, 1301 Trap Road, Vienna. The hour includes a brief reading related to Centering Prayer, followed by a 20-minute prayer period. The group will also hear portions from "A Centered Life," an audio tape series by Basil Pennington. Contact Martha Thomas at mmthomas211@hotmail.com or call the church at 703-759-3509.
The New Union Baptist Church, located at 205 Pleasant St., Vienna, offers Sunday School at 9:30 a.m., Worship service at 11 a.m., and Communion each second Sunday at 11 a.m. All are invited to attend. Call 703-281-2556.
Faith Baptist Church, located at 301 Center St. S., Vienna, offers Sunday School at 9:45 a.m. for all ages, 11 a.m. worship, and Bible Study on Sundays at 6 p.m. On Wednesdays at 7 p.m., the Awana Children's Club for ages 4 to sixth-grade takes place during the school year. Nursery school is provided for all services. The preschool and kindergarten program uses the Abeka curriculum and serves ages 3, 4 and 5. Visit www.FaithBaptistVienna.org or e-mail FBCoffice@cavtel.net. Call the church at 703-938-9688.
Lewinsville Presbyterian Church, 1724, Chain Bridge Road in McLean, has a full range of worship, Christian education, youth, music, and small group ministry programs. Traditional worship services are held at 8:30 and 11 a.m. Visitors are always welcome. Call 703-356-7200 or visit www.lewinsville.org.