Midweek Announcements for April 6, 2023

Schedule for the Coming Week at Resurrection Church

Sunday, April 9 - Easter Sunday

8:30 a.m. – Easter Breakfast Potluck.
9:20 a.m. – Easter Egg Hunt.
10:00 a.m. – Worship: Pastor Wally Jensen.

Sunday, April 16

9:10 a.m. – Sunday School in the Parish Hall.
10:00 a.m. – Worship: Pastor Allen Dayal.
11:15 a.m. - Confirmation Class will meet in the Parish Hall.

The Three Days

As you are planning for Holy Week this year, do think seriously about joining the single liturgy that stretches over three days.  Pastor Gordon Lathrop will preach and preside from April 6-8: 

  • Maundy Thursday at 7:00 p.m. on April 6, including the stories of the Passover and the first Eucharist, the communal washing of feet, and the celebration of Holy Communion; 
  • Good Friday at 7:00 p.m. on April 7, including the Passion of the Gospel according to St. John and the Adoration of the Cross; and,
  • the Vigil of Easter at 7:00 p.m. on April 8. The first service of Easter is also known as the Great Vigil. The service consists of four parts: The Service of Light (kindling of a new fire, lighting the Paschal candle, the Easter Proclamation); The Service of Lessons (readings from the Hebrew Scriptures interspersed with psalms, hymns, and prayers); Holy Baptism or the Renewal of Baptismal Vows; and the first Eucharist of Easter.

These are the most important liturgies we celebrate all year.  Treat yourself to the joy of taking part.

Sunday Supply Pastors

We are pleased to welcome to preside and preach, Pastor Allen Dayal, at our April 16 worship service.

On April 23, Richard Graham, Retired Bishop of the Metro DC Synod, will return to preach and preside.

Congregational Meeting April 30 to Consider Calling New Pastor

Please save the date for a Congregational Meeting on Sunday, April 30 to consider calling a new pastor! We are also planning to have a social meet and greet on Saturday, April 29 – details will be forthcoming in future Announcements and a written letter to all members of the congregation. Please hold these dates in your calendars as we consider an important next step in the future of Resurrection!

Easter Breakfast

Please join us for the Easter Breakfast, which will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 9.

To Fans of the ELW commemorations, from Gail Ramshaw

At the beginning of each of Resurrection’s online Advent and Lenten evening prayers, I introduced worshipers to one or two of that week’s commemorations. See pages 15-17 in Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW) to see what I am talking about. Some of you welcomed these stories about the saints. If you are interested in more of this history of those who have gone before us in the faith, you might want to purchase a book I published in 2016, More Days for Praise: Festivals and Commemorations in Evangelical Lutheran Worship. There’s a double-page spread for each commemoration, with a picture in color, a brief bio, a quote if possible from the person, a hymn and a prayer suggestion, and prompts for your own prayers. This book is available from our national church’s publishing house, Augsburg Fortress, for $22 (go to augsburgfortress.org). If you don’t have a copy of the ELW at home, its purchase price is $24.50. To encourage your interest in these commemorations, ahead of us in April are for example the artist Albrecht Duerer, the martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the remarkable Japanese renewer of society Toyohiko Kagawa, and (my favorite!) Catherine of Siena.

Calling All Quilters

After a very long break because of COVID, the RELC Quilting Group will begin meeting again on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month from 10 a.m. - noon in Room 204. Our first meeting will be on March 14. No sewing skill is necessary. We spend most of our time laying out, pinning and hand tying quilts that will be sent to Lutheran World Relief. Hope you can join us!

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Lutheran World Relief (LWR) Personal Care Kits

LWR warehouses are empty and these items are desperately needed by refugees and other people impacted by natural and man-made disasters around the world.
Your Social Ministry Committee is collecting:

  • light-weight bath-sized towel (between 20” x 40” and 52” x 27”), dark color recommended;
  • bath-sized bars of soap equaling 8 oz. to 9 oz., any brand, in original wrapping; 
  • adult-sized toothbrushes, in original packaging;
  • sturdy combs; and,
  • metal nail clippers.

Please drop donations in the box in the narthex. You may also donate money so that we can shop for the items that we need.  Please write “LWR Kits” on the memo line of your check or enclose cash in an envelope marked “LWR Kits.” Thank you all for your generosity.

A Lenten Lens on Creation Care

During Lent, please join the Creation Care Team in working to become better stewards of God’s beautiful creation. We will highlight reflections and actions from the Creation Justice Ministries 2023 Lent Resource Calendar.

 Creation Justice Ministries Lent 2023 Calendar  pdfCreation Justice Ministries Lent 2023 Calendar (PDF)

This week’s eco-friendly tip: “To show love for our Creator, we respect and protect all of creation. Take a moment today to pick up trash off the street, or from a local stream or storm drain.” The local storm drains around RELC empty into Four Mile Run which flows into the Potomac River. Learn more about Arlington’s watersheds and streams at https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Programs/Sustainability-and-Environment/Streams.

Farewell, Lee Ann

As many of you may have heard, our beloved soprano section leader, Lee Ann Konstantinov, will be leaving us for new adventures. Although Lee Ann's last Sunday with us will be April 23, the choir will be hosting a goodbye coffee hour for her on the previous Sunday, April 16. PLEASE make an effort to attend this coffee hour. Lee Ann has been with us for about 25 years, let's send her off with all our love, support, thanks, and prayers.

Music At Resurrection

Please mark your calendars for Saturday, April 22 at 4:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary, as the Music at Resurrection committee will be hosting a concert by Carmina and Illuminare. Carmina is a choral group consisting of both men and women, while Illuminare is a women's ensemble. These groups were brought to our attention by our Music Director, Barbara Bulger Verdile, and our very own Darwyn Banks will be performing with Carmina. Please visit their website to learn more about these fabulous groups!

While this concert is free, there will be a free-will offering. Those offerings will go to an Arlington charity, Path Forward.

Also, there will be a light reception in the Parish Hall following the concert. Please reach out to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with any questions.

Earth Sunday Event and Blessing of the Garden on April 23

RELC will observe Earth Day on Sunday, April 23. Following the service, we will have a blessing of our "Plot Against Hunger" garden. During coffee hour, the Creation Care Team will host an informational session on best practices for recycling and composting at church and at home. We’ll also provide updates on other green initiatives going on at church. We look forward to celebrating Earth Day with you!

Offering Envelopes Are Here!

Resurrection’s 2023 offering envelopes have finally arrived! Please claim yours from the table in the Narthex starting March 26 and start using them as soon as possible to assist with counting and allocating your generous donations.

Congregation COVID Protections

Based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) current recommendations, masking is optional for attendance at Resurrection’s worship services when the CDC assessment of Arlington County’s community COVID level is “low” and is recommended, but not required, for attendance if the community level is “medium.”

The CDC recommends that residents stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines, get tested if they have symptoms, and wear a mask if they have symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19, as well as to individuals on public transportation. The agency also encourages residents to wear a mask at any time, if they choose to do so, as an additional precaution to protect themselves and others. Anyone at high risk for severe illness is encouraged to consider wearing a mask indoors in public and taking additional precautions.

Congregants at Resurrection’s worship services are also reminded to maintain appropriate distances when sitting in pews, sharing the peace of Christ and taking communion, and to wash hands and use sanitizers in church. Our pastors, communion assistants, and ushers will continue to wear masks when welcoming those attending services and in distributing Holy Communion. The wearing of masks in Sunday School will continue to be guided by parents’ feedback. Anyone not feeling well should stay home and access the livestream feed of worship services.

Share Your Intent to Support Our Budget

Having adopted our 2023 operating and capital budgets, Resurrection’s financial team needs to ensure that our congregation will back these budgets with its generous offerings of support. Please let us know of your giving intentions by answering the Stewardship Committee’s request and returning your Giving Intent response at our Sunday services, mailing it to the church office, or using the online form on the Resurrection website.

You can also choose to have your offering automatically drawn from your bank account on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis with the “Simply Giving” electronic funds transfer program. Just complete an enrollment form and return it along with your giving intent – or schedule a recurring offering using the “Donate” button on the Resurrection website.

Support Our Altar Guild

The Altar Guild plays a critical role in preparing our worship services – but it currently has only a few members and would very much appreciate some additional assistance. If you are willing to help or have any questions about what would be entailed, please contact Jeanette Barkley.

Member Information Form

Resurrection is continuing to work on updating its membership directory with the most current, accurate and preferred contact information. Member Information forms are available in the Narthex – we urge each member of the congregation to fill one out and return it to the church office.

Can't make it to church? Watch us Live! Now Livestreaming Worship

To view our 10:00 a.m. Sunday worship service on YouTube live, click on the live worship link on the RELC home page on Sunday mornings during the worship hour and be redirected to the YouTube live stream. The Live Stream will "go live" at 9:55 a.m. on each Sunday morning. To view the service at a later time, go to our YouTube Channel. Click on the videos tab to browse archives of past services. Click on the Subscribe button and create an account to be notified when Live Streams are started or when other videos are added. For any questions, please contact the pastor.

Intercessory Prayer During the Time of Pastoral Transition

During our pastoral transition, we will suspend the compilation of a formal and published prayer list. Our intercessory prayer lists are crafted and maintained by the pastor who receives names and who exercises pastoral discretion and care in relation to those named and those who name them. Without an interim or called pastor to generate and maintain the list and to follow up pastorally concerning those named, an intercessory prayer list would be challenging to maintain with pastoral integrity and sensitivity. That said, each Sunday’s prayers of intercession include a petition during which members of the worshiping assembly can call out aloud specific names of persons for whom they would like to pray, and during this time of pause, worshipers can also name persons in the silence of their hearts and minds. Please be assured that your prayerful intents and those of the whole worshiping assembly are heard by God.

Pastoral Care for Emergencies and Other Needs

Pastor Alex Stall of nearby Advent Lutheran will be taking over to be on call for members of the congregation to contact in case of pastoral emergency and other pastoral needs beginning in March. He may be reached at: (703) 571-7010, (301) 793-4133, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Other Announcements?

Alexandra Mattson, the editor of our now quarterly Steeple Light newsletter, is now also serving as the editor of our Weekly Announcements messages, working closely with Council President Leslie Nolen. If you have any items that you wish to communicate in the Weekly Announcements as committee chairs or those responsible for other ministry initiatives at Resurrection, please send them via email to both This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by late Wednesday mornings for inclusion in the message for the coming Thursday. Thanks!