Church of the Word
ANNOUNCEMENTS

2010

Download our year-long Church Calendar for Year 2010 More information about events will be found below as they occur.

Church-Wide Announcements

• 2010 Vestry of Church of the Word - Following the election on January 17th, the full list of our Vestry members is as follows:
  Dane Swenson - Senior Warden; Bill May - Junior Warden and Building & Grounds; Bob Miller - Treasurer and Administration; Eric McCaslin - Secretary and Lifestyle Discipleship; Kaye Taft - Evangelism; Leon Williams - Loving Community; Krysta Osweiler - Hands on Service ; Lee Sublett - Loving Community; Annetta Griffin – Worship.

• Mark Pearson Healing Conference - We are privileged to have Canon Mark Pearson of the Institute for Christian Renewal lead a healing retreat at our church on the first weekend of March (i.e., March 5-7). Friday night will involve general healing ministry open to all. He will offer a seminar on Saturday which requires registration, and then Mark will be our guest preacher on Sunday morning and afternoon. (Check our website for details.) To register for the seminar on Intergenerational Healing, please e-mail Ann, our church administrator, at admin@churchoftheword.net. Cost is $36 including lunch. Payment is due by February 16.

• School of Healing Prayer, 2nd session – A 13-session DVD course presented by Francis and Judith McNutt, is being offered every Tuesday evening from February 16th onward. We start at 7pm and finish by 9pm. No cost is involved, but we do ask you to register ahead of time. To register for the free School of Healing Prayer part two or if you have questions about the course please e-mail Bill Stalcup at thestalcups@hughes.net

• Archbishop Bob Duncan to Address ADV - March 13, 2010
  As part of the Anglican District of Virginia's speaker series exploring the topic of Anglicanism, Archbishop Bob Duncan of the Anglican Church in North America will address ADV congregations on March 13, 2010 at The Falls Church. The day's activities start with Morning Prayer at 8:30 a.m. and conclude no later than noon.

• MOPS Consignment Sale - Mark your calendars for the next MOPS Consignment Sale, March 19-20. We will need church members to help!

• Men’s Retreat - April 30 - May 1. Watch for more information.

• Singing Children of Church of the Word - We now have a children’s choral group. If you are interested in your children participating, please contact Katie McElroy know by calling 703-507-0418.

• Relief for Haiti - The Anglican Relief and Development Fund is organizing a response to the recent earthquake in Haiti. Checks may be made out to “Church of the Word” and marked “For Haiti.” For more information, go to: http://www.anglicanaid.net
  Checks may also be sent directly to:
      The Anglican Relief and Development Fund
      PO Box 3830
      Pittsburgh PA 15230-3830
          Memo line: “Haiti”

• Preshool Registration Has Begun!
  Application for the Fall classes is now open to the general public. Mrs. Guanga is currently scheduling preschool tours. If you know people who are looking for a preschool, suggest they look at Little Lambs Village Preshool! Please see our preschool page for details.

• Prayer Chain - We would like to expand the ministry of the prayer chain here at Church of the Word. If you believe that prayer is an important tool for the Christian community and you would like to be involved in this ministry opportunity, please contact Donna Adams at r.d.adams@comcast.net or 540-341-0045. Beginning in February we hope to have a weekly chain in operation, most likely by email. This will be confidential and a great source of blessing for many.

• Church Directory - There is a sample directory on a clipboard on the counter in the entryway. Please do two things. First, check to make sure you are in the directory. Secondly, make certain the directory information is correct. NOTE: The database currently allows us to publish only one phone number per family so, if you don’t have a house phone, make sure you indicate which cell phone number to list for family calls. Please put a check mark by your entry if everything is correct. Thanks!

• Parish Review - CANA Canon Julian Dobbs and his team completed their parish review of Church of the Word and they sent a report to the vestry. They identified 5 strengths and 5 priority tasks we need to undertake. You can read the full review on the Vestry notice board. The two priority tasks are to set up the following committees:
  • Property Committee to review the use of our current facility and map out options we might have depending on differing scenarios of what might happen to our current property. We need about 5 good people with differing gifts to serve on this committee.

  • Short-term Goals Committee to work with the leadership and congregation to map our strategy for 2-year and 4-year goals for our church.

  • Further review of Children's Ministry by peer staff in other parishes. This will involve Cynthia and all volunteers active in children's ministry.

  • Further review of Youth Ministry by peer leaders in other nearby parishes involving Liz and our volunteers.

  • Restart Home Group Ministry under the coaching of Brenda Dobbs. This will include developing a new strategy, training of leaders, and formation of new groups.

  If you are interested in serving on any of these committees, please contact one of the wardens, Dane Swenson or Bill May, or Pastor Robin Adams.

• Wednesday-at-the Word - We offer a simple meal for $1 per person at 6:00 p.m. At 6:45 p.m. we offer: AWANA for children ages 4 – 11; Youth Groups for middle and high schoolers; and the Adult Forum. Remember to sign up for the 6:00 p.m. meal or just show up for the 6:45 p.m. programs.

  For more information, go to: http://wednesday-at-the-word.blogspot.com/

• Anglican Fellowship in Manassas - We have started an off campus worship service in Manassas. We worship at 4 p.m. at Crossway Fellowship on Plantation Lane across from Prince William Hospital in the former Assembly of God building. The service takes about one hour and is always communion with blended music. We are interested in connecting with people in Manassas and the nearby area, so if you can forward this information to friends it would be very helpful.

  For more information, please visit Pastor Robin’s blog at http://afmva.churchoftheword.net/.

• Entrance Closed - VDOT has placed barrels across our original access road and posted a "Road Closed" sign just beyond the entrance to the mulch yard. In the interest of safety, we need to use the back entrance off the access road between McDonalds and Church of the Word. When parking, please be careful not to block entrances or turning lanes.

  Also, the preschool has worked out a new parking and drop off pattern for their families. If you need to leave your car in the church parking lot during the week, we ask that you park in the front of the church on the Route 29 side of the parking lot. This will allow preschool drop off and pick up to run smoothly.

  Parking plans will continue to evolve as we learn to live with the new entrance and constraints, so please be cautious and patient.

• Church of the Word's "Redemption Diner" is still open for business, supplying hot meals to shut-ins on the 3rd Thursday of each month. We are currently serving in excess of 30 people. As the list grows, so does our need for operating funds to buy food and supplies and our need for volunteers to help make deliveries. To make a financial contribution, simply write your check to Church of the Word, Gainesville, with “Redemption Diner" on the memo line.

  Meal preparation begins at St. Stephen's Church in Catlett at 2 p.m. on Thursday, and delivery takes place between 4 and 5 p.m. If you can help with either preparation, delivery, or both, please contact Fred or Karen Pickrell, Midland Home Group leaders, at 540-788-4568. The need is great, the workers are few.... Please help where you can.

• Church Directory - Please pick up your copy of the new March 2010 Church Directory. The directories are available in the office.

• St. Patrick’s Communion Opens Retreat House
  The Communion of St. Patrick’s-in-the-Mountains has just opened its Retreat House for ministries to individuals and small groups. Retreat House is located in the Massanutten Mountains in the Shenandoah Valley of Western Virginia. Information regarding St. Patrick’s or the Retreat House may be found on their web site at: http://www.thecommunionofstpatrick.org.

  The Communion of St. Patrick’s-in-the-Mountains is a mission fellowship of The Convocation of Anglicans in North America. The Communion lives to raise up, equip, and maintain discipleship households for holy living, set apart for God’s Kingdom, distinguished by His indwelling Presence, serving as homes of life and light in the midst of a world given to toil, enmity, and death. Households may be composed of single or married individuals, anyone with the experiential confirmation of having been chosen by Jesus to replicate his ministry, of having been baptized in the Holy Spirit, and of a heart to do the will of our Father in the heavens.

• Church of the Word is using Lectionary Year C as found in the Revised Common Lectionary for the liturgical year that starts with Advent 2009 and continues through most of the year 2010.

Youth Group Activities

• Upcoming Youth Events
  • March 5-7. Middle School Winter Retreat.

• Youth Winter Retreats - Don’t forget to sign up for your Middle School weekend on Mar 5-7, $130. Join us for a weekend full of high-adventure activities, skate park, basketball, volleyball, gym equipment, ping-pong, billiards, hot tub, great games and more. We will also have several gatherings for worship with a guest speaker. This is a great opportunity to bring your friends to hear about Christ in a fun setting! Deadline to sign up for the MS weekend is February 5. Forms are on the counter in the hallway.

Sunday School and Children's Ministry

• The Children's Ministry at Church of the Word welcomes families to join us in experiencing and sharing Jesus Christ. We offer Sunday and Wednesday programs:
  • Sunday School - Sunday School is available for members and visitors from age 4 through 13. (Pre-K through 8th grade.) Scripture memory pages and children's devotional pages are sent home with students to be used in family devotionals and to reinforce the week's lesson. Church of the Word is currently using the David C. Cook Bible-in-Life series for all classes. Class breakdowns are as follows: Pre K-Kindergarten, 1st-2nd Grade, 3rd-5th grade, Middle School. A separate High School class is offered by our youth leaders.

  • Nursery care is provided for children age 3 and under during the Sunday worship services and for most special services. Call the church office (703-754-9673) to confirm that childcare is offered at a particular function.

  • AWANA Club is held every Wednesday from 6:45 p.m. until 8:15 p.m. AWANA is a non-denominational club that promotes Bible memorization and Missions support while incorporating games, music, and crafts. There is no registration fee. All children between the ages of four and eleven are invited, and drop-ins are always welcome. For more information on AWANA and its mission, please visit http://www.awana.org.

  For more information on children’s programs, contact Cynthia du Busc at Children@churchoftheword.net.

Church Needs

• Help wanted! Every church is always on the look out for volunteers. No ministry at Church of the Word suffers from being overstaffed. In a way it is good that we have such a variety of opportunities because there surely is something to suit every ability and disposition. Look over this list and think about where God wants you. Then talk to the head of that ministry (see back of bulletin) or ask one of the Vestry.
  • Acolytes
  • Altar Guild
  • Ushers
  • Greeters
  • Scripture Readers
  • Lay Eucharistic Ministers
  • Overhead projector operators for worship services

Outreach Opportunities

Outreach at Church of the Word has ongoing programs as well as unique monthly opportunities to serve.

The monthly outreach activities are small opportunities for the congregation to participate in and support areas of service such as the two local homeless shelters (Fauquier Family Shelter and The Barn), African Team Ministries, and support for missionaries in Tanzania and Kenya. These needs are usually announced at the start of a month and the donations collected are distributed at the beginning of the next month.

For more information on how you can help with our outreach programs, contact Susan Hilleary at 540-364-0132.

Pregnancy Resource Center News

For information and assistance, contact any of the following:
Manassas PRC at 703-330-1300 (e-mail: manassasprcc@verizon.net),
Warrenton PRC at 540-347-7770 (e-mail: warrentonprc@verizon.net), or
Woodbridge PRC at 703-670-5322 (e-mail: woodbridgeprc@verizon.net).

You can also go to the Care Net web site at http://www.care-net.org/.

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven; A time to be born. -- Ecclesiastes 3:1-2.

Everything has its time, the author of Ecclesiastes reports. For the last thousand years, time has marched forward. And mankind has been anticipating the new millennium. Global events have happened exactly when and how God designed them. And personal events have also.

Nothing is more personal than the birth of a child. Perhaps that is why it is listed first in the passage in Ecclesiastes. For many, however, the surprise of an unplanned pregnancy cannot be accepted as part of God's perfect will.

Many times women, men, and families cannot imagine how to deal with this new life. They are scared to death about how the baby can fit into their plans. And unfortunately, death is the alternative solution chosen all too frequently. Each day, more than 3,300 unborn children are aborted and just as many women have their hearts scarred.

Here are the startling facts!

ANNUAL ABORTION STATISTICS

• In 2005 (the most recent year for which there is reliable data), approximately 1.21 million abortions took place in the U.S., down from an estimated 1.29 million in 2002, 1.31 million in 2000 and 1.36 million in 1996. From 1973 through 2005, more than 45 million legal abortions have occurred in the U.S. (AGI).
• In 2001, the highest number of reported legal induced abortions occurred in NYC (91,792), Florida (85,589), and Texas (77,409); the fewest occurred in Idaho (738), South Dakota (895), and North Dakota (1,216) (CDC).
• There are 36 abortions per 1,000 live births in Idaho and 767 abortions for every 1,000 live births in NYC (CDC).
• Overall, the annual number of legal induced abortions in the United States increased gradually from 1973 until it peaked in 1990, and it generally declined thereafter (CDC).
• In 1998, the last year for which estimates were made, more than 23% of legal induced abortions were performed in California (CDC).
• The abortion rate in the United States was higher than recent rates reported for Canada and Western European countries and lower than rates reported for China, Cuba, the majority of Eastern European countries, and certain Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union (CDC).
• The national legal induced abortion ratio increased from 196 abortions per 1,000 live births in 1973 to 358 abortions per 1,000 in 1979 and remained nearly stable through 1981. The ratio peaked at 364 abortions per 1,000 live births in 1984 and since then has demonstrated a generally steady decline. In 2001, the abortion ratio was 246 abortions per 1,000 live births (for the states that reported, a 0.4% increase from 2000 (CDC).
• Nearly half of pregnancies among American women are unintended; about 4 in 10 of these are terminated by abortion. Twenty-two percent of all U.S. pregnancies end in abortion. (AGI).

WHO HAS ABORTIONS?

• 82% of all abortions are performed on unmarried women (CDC).
• The abortion ratio for unmarried women is 572 abortions for every 1,000 live births. For married women it is 65 abortions for every 1,000 live births (CDC).
• Women between the ages of 20-24 obtained 33% of all abortions (CDC).
• 50% of U.S. women obtaining abortions are younger than 25; women aged 20-24 obtain 33% of all U.S. abortions and teenagers obtain 17% (AGI).
• Adolescents under 15 years obtained less than 1% of all abortions, but have the highest abortion ratio, 744 abortions for every 1,000 live births (CDC).
• 47% of women who have abortions had at least one previous abortion (AGI).
• Black women are more than 4.8 times more likely than non-Hispanic white women to have an abortion, and Hispanic women are 2.7 times as likely (AGI).
• 43% of women obtaining abortions identify themselves as Protestant, and 27% identify themselves as Catholic (AGI).

WHY ARE ABORTIONS PERFORMED?

• On average, women give at least 3 reasons for choosing abortion: 3/4 say that having a baby would interfere with work, school or other responsibilities; about 3/4 say they cannot afford a child; and 1/2 say they do not want to be a single parent or are having problems with their husband or partner (AGI).

WHEN DO ABORTIONS OCCUR?

• 87% of all abortions happen during the first trimester, prior to the 13th week (AGI/CDC).

(For more information and statistics on abortion, go to http://www.abort73.com/.)

These millions of overwhelmed women do have a place to find help for themselves and life for their babies. Your local pregnancy resource center works alongside the church to speak words of love, truth, and compassion. Last year, women were helped some 300,000 times through the work of Christian-based centers associated with Care Net.

Tangible help through counseling, access to medical and adoption services, material support... and the message of the gospel changed lives, not just for this millenium, but for eternity.

Remember the women and babies that need Christian compassion to help them through their time of need. Consider joining with your local pregnancy resource center to reach one woman at a time with the right and Godly answer each one is so desperately seeking.

The need is great. Prince William County, with almost 250,000 residents, is 5th in the Commonwealth of Virginia in numbers of abortions performed. In 1996, 1,288 abortions were performed in this county. Forty-five percent of all teen pregnancies are being aborted each year in Prince William / Manassas / Manassas Park.

PRC Ministry Wish List:

• Cribs - We need cribs at both the Manassas and Warrenton Centers. (Yard sales are a great source for cribs, strollers, etc.)
• Video Tapes and Books - We are building educational tape and book libraries for all three centers. Anyone wishing to donate funds or materials can call a center for specific needs.
• Misc. Furniture - We are making our counseling areas more comfortable. Small tables, table lamps, and living room chairs that are not obviously outdated would be greatly appreciated.
• Computer Equipment - We are looking to update our hardware and software to prepare for growth and new ministry. Any usable computer equipment will be very helpful.
• Child Care Volunteers - We are expanding our classes and Bible study offerings to our clients. Many have small children that need care while they attend these meetings.