Send announcements, which are open to the public at no or minimal cost, to The Loudoun Connection, 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102 or e-mail to loudoun@connectionnewspapers.com. Deadline is Friday, two weeks before the event. Photos/artwork encouraged. For more information, call Jennifer Lesinski at 703-917-6454. For additional listings, visit www.connectionnewspapers.com.
Congregation Sha'are Shalom's newly elected rabbi, Michael Ragozin, will lead services and teach at the synagogue, April 11-13. Friday evening, April 11, he will lead the Kabbalat Shabbat, the service, which greets Shabbat (Hebrew for sabbath), 7:30 p.m. Saturday morning, April 12, he will lead the Shabbat morning services, which begin at 9:30 a.m. Saturday evening, April 12, at 7 p.m., he will lead Havdalah, the service which marks the end of Shabbat, and a discussion on Passover, which begins the evening of April 19. All are welcome. There is no charge.
Ragozin will be Congregation Sha'are Shalom's first full-time rabbi. He is completing his final year at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City and will receive his ordination as a rabbi in May, 2008. Michael and Sarah Ragozin are the parents of Liora.
Congregation Sha'are Shalom is located at 19357 Evergreen Mills Road, Leesburg. Call Congregation Sha'are Shalom at 703-737-6500 or write to CSS at P. O. Box 4518, Leesburg, VA 20177-8577. Visit Congregation Sha'are Shalom on the Internet at www.sha-areshalom.org/.
Captive Free, the music ministry team that presents an interactive program about the gospel of Jesus Christ using music, personal testimony, puppet shows and drama, will be performing at Our Savior's Way Lutheran Church, 43115 Waxpool Road, Ashburn. The family-friendly night of praise and worship for all ages will be Friday, April 12, from 7-8:30 p.m. The team will also perform at the 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. services Sunday, April 13. All performances are free.
The 10:30 a.m. service Sunday, April 13, at the Unitarian Universalists of Sterling is called "What, Me Worship?" It will be led by the Rev. Chris Buice, minister of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, Tenn., and author of the book "Roller-Skating as a Spiritual Discipline." UUS meets every Sunday, at 10:30 a.m., at the Sterling Oaks Commerce Center at 22135 Davis Drive. Call 703-406-3068 or visit uusterling.org.
The Unitarian Universalists of Sterling will celebrate the ordination and installation of their minister, the Rev. Anya Sammler Michael, Sunday, April 13, at 4 p.m., at the Bull Run Unitarian Universalists congregation in Manassas.
The sermon will be given by the Rev. William R. Murray, minister emeritus of the River Road Unitarian Church in Bethesda, Md., and past president of the Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago. The UUS Choir, under director Daniel Boothe, will join with the combined Northern Virginia UU Choir in singing the hymns. Call 703-406-3068 or visit uusterling.org.
Beth Chaverim Reform Congregation, 21740 Beaumeade Circle, Suite 100, Ashburn, invites the public Sunday, April 20, at 5:30 p.m., for a Passover Seder and traditional style dinner. Members: $21 per adult/$11 per child 4-12 and free for 3 and under. Nonmembers are welcome to attend: $28 per adult/$13 per child 4-12, and free for 3 and under. RSVP by April 14 to Renee Gupp 703-391-8669.
The First Baptist Church of Sterling will host its Men’s Conference, May 3, at First Baptist Church of Sterling, 21449 Potomac View Road, Sterling, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. The host is Bishop Leslie Patterson, senior pastor, the theme is "Men Making Men," topics are Growing Spiritually, Your Work Matters to God, How to Deal with Temptations That Men Face, the Importance of Men Having a Mentoring, Sexual Purity, Healing the Wounds of the Past, Creating Your Financial Legacy and the Importance of a Prayer Life. Registration starts April 1 at www.fbcsterlingva.org. Contact First Baptist Church of Sterling at 703-430-3322.
Congregation Sha'are Shalom, Loudoun County's Conservative Synagogue, holds Erev Shabbat services Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Shabbat morning services on the first and third Saturdays of the month at 9:30 a.m. Rabbinical intern Michael Ragozin will preside over services once a month. The congregation has an active Men's Club, Sisterhood and extensive gift shop. Call 703-737-6500, e-mail info@sha-areshalom.org or visit www.sha-areshalom.org. Congregation Sha'are Shalom is located at 19357 Evergreen Mill Road, Leesburg.
The Loudoun Church Alliance is a formal association of churches of many denominations. 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.
Galilee United Methodist Church, 45425 Winding Road, Sterling, invites the community to its evening contemporary worship service at 6 p.m., every Sunday, featuring the Winding Road praise band. Sunday school is available for children in kindergarten through third grade, and child care is available for the younger children. Visit www.GalileeUMC.org or contact the church office at 703-430-2203.
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 Route 28 and Church Road. Call 703-406-3068 or visit uusterling.org.
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Loudoun Sunday services are held, at 9:30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m., at the UUCL chapel, located at 20460 Gleedsville Road in Leesburg. UUCL is a welcoming congregation and invites everyone to attend Sunday services. Call the church at 703-737-7644.
St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church of Lansdowne is extending an invitation to families that have children with autism spectrum, ADHD, bipolar disorder and similar conditions. St. Gabriel's has developed several programs to reach out to the community.
* The "Chrysalis" Room is a safe space for children with autism spectrum, ADHD, bipolar disorder and similar conditions. Includes a trained professional staff that provides appropriate activities and lessons. It is available every Sunday during the regular 10 a.m. worship and for special events.
* Spiritual Support Group for families with special needs, on the first and third Thursdays of each month, from 7-8:30 p.m. This group is completely "drop-in."
All programs held Belmont Ridge Middle School, 19045 Upper Belmont Place in Lansdowne. Visit www.saintgabriels.net or call 703-779-3616.
Galilee United Methodist Church’s Sunday evening contemporary service, called Winding Road, has a new time of 5 p.m. The current series is "Jesus, Supersize Me!" Come explore places from the Bible where Jesus goes the extra mile to show us how to "supersize" our lives. Galilee UMC is located at 45425 Winding Road, Sterling. Call 703-430-2203 or visit www.GalileeUMC.org.
Gateway Community Church’s "Celebrate Recovery" is meeting at Arcola Community Center located at 24328 Goshen Road. Celebrate Recovery is a biblically based 12-step program for addressing addiction, co-dependency, anger and other self-destructive behaviors. It meets every Tuesday night from 7 – 9 p.m. E-mail cr@www.gatewaychurch.org or call 703-327-2700.
Riverside Presbyterian Church’s Kenya Café will be open, from 9:15-10:30 a.m., Sundays, at Potomac Falls High School. It offers a friendly, comfortable spot to grab a cup of coffee, chat with others or just relax and read the paper while the children are in small group. The café is also designed to raise awareness of Riverside’s partnerships in Kenya and other parts of the world.
Feel free to join the church for worship at 10:35 a.m. Contact 703-444-3528 or www.riversidechurch.com.
The Shepherd's Table is organized by Loudoun Church Alliance in association with Prison Fellowship at Lansdowne, local churches and faith-based nonprofit organizations. The Shepherd's Table provides a safe and centralized venue for shepherds/elders and ministry leaders to meet on a monthly basis reaching out across all denominations and faith-based nonprofit foundations. The Shepherd's Table meets the first Thursday of each month, at 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Contact Jack Stagman at 540-338-0409 or by e-mail at jackstagman@comcast.net.
Congregation Sha'are Shalom is offering preschoolers the opportunity to receive a Jewish education in a developmentally appropriate early childhood setting. The Rosie Uran Jewish Education Center is now registering students for the 2008–2009 school year. Information is available at the synagogue Web site: http://www.sha-areshalom.org/edu_rujec.php. Participatory visits by parents and prospective students are welcome. Call 703-737-0686 to speak with Sheri Brown, director.
Ashburn Presbyterian Church (APC) is offering its Stephen Ministry to people in the community. Stephen Ministry is grounded in Jesus' command to love one another.
Through one-to-one caring relationships those who are hurting and stressed receive a Stephen Minister to listen and pray with them. Caregivers walk with people through a variety of difficult life situations such as: divorce, grief, unemployment, relocation or just the stress of life. Anyone interested in being a care receiver, call the Rev. Mark Armstrong at 703-421-0511.
APC is located at 20962 Ashburn Road. Call the church offices at 703-729-2012 or visit the Web site at www.ashburnpresbyterian.org.
Join Riverside Presbyterian Church, 20 Pidgeon Hill Drive, suite 109, on Monday nights at the church office, 7:15-8:30 p.m. Where middle-school students meet weekly to strengthen and build friendships have fun and study God’s Word in large and small groups. Visit www.riversidechurch.com or call Daniel or Barb at 703-444-3528.
Wat Yarnna Rangsee in Sterling will be offering free meditation classes every Sunday. Inquire and register at the temple at 21950 Shaw Road, Sterling, 703-406-8290/2509.
Beth Chaverim Reform Congregation holds traditional Shabbat services, family services, children’s services and High Holiday services. The religious school features preschool through post confirmation, B’nai Mitzvah, Hebrew High, adult Hebrew and adult education classes. Social activities include interfaith discussions, youth group, Sisterhood, Men’s Club and Empty Nesters. Student Rabbi Jesse Gallop and Rabbi Randi Nagel, lead biweekly Shabbat services, help prepare B’nai Mitzvah students, provide pastoral counseling and sick/bereavement visits and teach adult education classes at monthly pot-luck dinners before Shabbat services. Call 703-391-8669, visit Web site www.bethchaverim.org or e-mail chaverim18@aol.com.