Schedule for the Coming Week at Resurrection Church
Sunday, May 21
9:00 a.m. – No Sunday School.
10:00 a.m. – Worship: Professor James Farwell.
11:15 a.m. – Confirmation Class will meet in Room 13.
Sunday, May 28
9:00 a.m. – Sunday School in the Parish Hall.
10:00 a.m. – Worship: Pastor Gordon Lathrop.
11:15 a.m. - Confirmation Class will meet in Room 13.
Sunday Supply Pastors
We are pleased to welcome to preside and preach, Professor James Farwell of the Virginia Theological Seminary, at our May 21 worship services.
On Sunday, May 28, Pastor Gordon Lathrop will return to preach and preside.
Readings available in place of Celebrate
Beginning in May, we will no longer have the Celebrate bulletin insert, but will continue to have copies of the Sunday readings available. The Worship and Music Committee decided to discontinue the Celebrate insert, and instead make some copies of the readings for those who would like them, because Celebrate uses a different version of the readings than we are using. It also includes intercessory prayers that are different from what we use, and the music for the psalm may vary.
Ascension Day, Thursday, May 18, Readings and Prayer
A principal festival of the church year is Ascension of our Lord, held this year on Thursday, May 18. You may wish to read the readings for the day at home. They are: Acts 1:1-11, Psalm 47, Ephesians 1:15-23, and Luke 24:44-53. You may also wish to pray this prayer of the day:
"Almighty God, your blessed Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things. Mercifully give us faith to trust that, as he promised, he abides with us on earth to the end of time, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen."
Where to find the Daily Readings
For anyone who is currently using the daily readings for the week that are printed on the back of the Sunday bulletin, we will no longer be reproducing this information in the bulletin, but you can find the three readings for each day in Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW), the red book, beginning on page 1121. We are now on page 1124 and will continue with the "complementary series" of the lectionary beginning on page 1125 for Sundays after Pentecost through the summer and the rest of the church year. By the way, Augsburg Fortress publishing is now running a sale on the pocket edition of ELW for only $9.95 (see the augsburgfortress.org website).
RELC Book Club – May 25
The previously proposed Resurrection book club will be held on Thursday, May 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the Library, instead of on May 18. But don’t fret, that just means an extra week to read Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. Wine will be provided. See Jack Schoen for more details.
Help with the RELC Plot for Hunger Garden
The RELC gardeners are looking for help during this year's growing season!
Help is needed weekly to water the garden, harvest any produce and deliver to one of several local drop off centers. Please sign up using this SignUp Genius link.
Questions? Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Cable Recycling Collection until May 28
The Creation Care Team is collecting old charging cables, computer cables and extension cords for recycling through May 28. Please place your items in the box outside the narthex by the coat racks. The Creation Care Team will take the materials to eAsset Solutions in Falls Church to be recycled.
While the church is only collecting cables, you can take many larger electronic items to eAsset for recycling. Here is a list of what they accept.
Offering Envelopes Are Here!
Resurrection’s 2023 offering envelopes have finally arrived! Please claim yours from the table in the Narthex and start using them as soon as possible to assist with counting and allocating your generous donations.
Important Update on RELC COVID-Related Actions
May 11, 2023 marked the lifting of most of the remaining COVID vaccine requirements and the end to much of CDC's data collection on the COVID Pandemic. The country is in a new phase of living with COVID that still recognizes the need to practice rational protection against infectious diseases, including the flu. RELC's COVID Reopening Group recommends that congregants be mindful of the following guidelines, some as recommended by the CDC:
Masks are not required, but everyone should feel comfortable wearing a mask at any time, particularly those at high risk for severe illness.
Pastors and assistants will continue to wear masks for communion. Mask wearing for ushers is optional.
To the extent possible, congregants should maintain a safe distances in the pews, when sharing the peace of Christ with prayer hands and taking communion. Hand sanitizers will remain available throughout the church.
The wearing of masks in Sunday School will continue to be guided by parents.
The CDC recommends staying up-to-date with COVID vaccines and isolating at home if symptoms do occur, if one receives a positive test or if one is exposed to someone with COVID-19.
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.
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 under further notice or our pastor arrives. 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!