Send announcements or events, which are open to the public at no or minimal cost, to The Loudoun Connection, 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102 or e-mail <a href="mailto:loudoun@connectionnewspapers.com">loudoun@connectionnewspapers.com</a>. Deadline is Friday, two weeks before the event. Photos/artwork encouraged. For more information, call 703-917-6454.
Beginning Sunday, Sept. 7, Riverside Presbyterian Church will add an additional worship service at 9:15 a.m. Grab a cup of coffee from the Kenya Café and join in for an unplugged time of worship. Adult seminars, nursery and children's programs will run as well at 9:15 a.m. Visit www.riversidechurch.com or call the office, 703-444-3528.
Congregation Sha'are Shalom, 19357 Evergreen Mills Road, Leesburg, will hold free study sessions in preparation for Rosh HaShanah (the new year) and Yom Kippur (the day of atonement). The Jewish High Holy Days ("yamim noraim" or days of awe) start with Rosh Hashanah, Monday evening, Sept. 29, which marks the beginning of the year 5769, and end with Yom Kippur, a 25-hour fast, which will begin Oct. 8, Wednesday, at 6:15 p.m.
The sessions take place Thursday, Sept. 11, 7:30-9 p.m., The Binding of Isaac, explore this challenging text through the lens of 2000 years of Jewish interpretation; and Saturday, Sept. 27, 8- 9 p.m., Selichot: The Gates are Opening, an evening of prayer, study and spiritual preparation beginning with havdalah, continuing with selichot (prayers for forgiveness), and concluding with a brief study of the Rosh Hashanah liturgy.
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.
The All Dulles Area Muslim Society, Islamic Society of North America, Unity Walk 2008, and Washington National Cathedral will host the National Interfaith Ramadan Iftar (Breaking of the Fast) at Washington National Cathedral's Cathedral College, 3510 Woodley Road, N.W., Washington, D.C., Sunday, Sept. 14, from 6-10 p.m.
The National Interfaith Ramadan Iftar will take place after the 9/11 Unity Walk. Ramadan is the month on the Islamic lunar calendar during which Muslims abstain from food, drink and other sensual pleasures from break-of-dawn to sunset. Food will be served after sunset.
The event will gather the national and regional representatives of many various interfaith groups and government officials to continue to build bridges of peace, respect, harmony, and understanding.
The 10:30 a.m. service Sunday, Sept. 14, at the Unitarian Universalists of Sterling is "The Inherent Worth and Dignity of Difference," in which the Rev. Anya Sammler-Michael considers the ethics of diversity. UUS meets every Sunday at 10:30 a.m., at the Sterling Oaks Commerce Center at 22135 Davis Drive. Visit uusterling.org or call 703-406-3068.
Congregation Sha'are Shalom will be holding special kiddush luncheon following shabbat services, Saturday, Sept. 20, for all new and prospective members. The luncheon will begin about noon following services, which begin at 9:30 a.m. There is no charge, but guests are asked to RSVP to the synagogue by calling 703-737-6500 or sending an e-mail to membership@sha-areshalom.org.
The 10:30 a.m. service Sunday, Sept. 21, at the Unitarian Universalists of Sterling is "What We Did Well." The Rev. Anya Sammler-Michael invites congregants to consider their mission, as individuals and as a congregation. What are we called to do? What are we prepared to accomplish? UUS meets every Sunday at 10:30 a.m., at the Sterling Oaks Commerce Center at 22135 Davis Drive. Visit uusterling.org or call 703-406-3068.
The 10:30 a.m. service Sunday, Sept. 28, at the Unitarian Universalists of Sterling will be led by seminarian and guest preacher, Shelly Paige. UUS meets every Sunday at 10:30 a.m., at the Sterling Oaks Commerce Center at 22135 Davis Drive. Visit uusterling.org or call 703-406-3068.
Congregation Sha'are Shalom, Loudoun County's Conservative synagogue, has announced its schedule for High Holy Day services for the Jewish year 5769. The High Holy Days mark the beginning of the Jewish New Year for 5769 and start with Rosh Hashanah (the beginning of the year) at 7:30 p.m., Monday, Sept. 29. Services will be held the first and second days of the holiday Tuesday, Sept. 30 and Wednesday, Oct. 1. Services each day begin at 9 a.m. Yom Kippur (day of atonement) services begins with Kol Nidrei (all vows) at 6:15 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 8, and resume at 9 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 9. A break-the-fast will be held after the conclusion of Yom Kippur services around 7:20 p.m., Thursday.
All services and events are held at Congregation Sha'are Shalom, 19357 Evergreen Mills Road, Leesburg. Nonmembers can reserve tickets by calling the synagogue at 703-737-6500 or by downloading the reservation forms at www.sha-areshalom.org.
Stephen Ministry at Ashburn Presbyterian Church, 20962 Ashburn Road in Ashburn, is a one-to-one listening ministry for those who need support for reasons such as divorce, loss of a loved one, recent hospitalization or terminal illness. Although Stephen Ministers are not counselors, they do empathize with those they are called to support and help them to find comfort through God's loving presence. Call Mark Armstrong, associate pastor at 703-729-2012 or visit the church Web site at ww.ashburnpresbyterian.org.
CONNECT, the young adult group at Sterling United Methodist Church, 304 East Church Road, Sterling, is seeking new members. CONNECT focuses on bringing people together in a social setting as they commonly search for Christ's direction in their lives. The group is open to all men and women in their 20s and 30s, married or single, with or without children. There is no cost for membership, although activity participation fees may apply. Call 703-430-6455 or visit www.sterlingumc.org.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.