What's New at Saint Gabriel's For more information about any of the following events or activities, please call the church office at 703-779-3616 or email info@saintgabriels.net News and Items of Interest   Act on It" Don't Just Go to Church…. Be Church!   Upcoming Message Series & Small Group Discussions -April 6- May 11 talk about "organized religion" as if it is the same thing as the Church…..It's not. was critical of organized religion, but he is the one who invented the Church to be His Body in the World. This spring, as we explore scenes from The Acts of the Apostles, the book in the bible that tells about the early church, we will discover what it means to be an authentic Christian community, not an institution. You'll find out how to go deeper in your personal relationships, how the local church is the hope of the world, and how "being church" is much more fulfilling than just "going to church." Weekly small group discussions will help you connect the Sunday message and bible passage to your own life.   Don't miss it!     SUNDAY MAY 4, 2008 - STEWARDSHIP VISIT On Sunday, May 4, 2008, St. Gabriel's will welcome a visitor from the diocese.  Ms. Patsy Bjorling, Director of Stewardship and Development, will be at church with us on that day.  Patsy will participate in our 10 A.M. service by presenting a talk on Stewardship.  She will then teach a class on Stewardship during our Adult Forum and will provide Stewardship Training after church for our Stewardship Committee and our Vestry .  We hope that each of you will be able to attend that day to welcome Patsy and learn more about this important topic.        Saint Gabriel's Offers Online Contribution Capability   Effective immediately, Saint Gabriel's is offering the members of our parish community the convenience of submitting their contributions to the Church's ministries and special funds though an web-based, secure transaction payment facility.    The access to this electronic funds transaction web site is on the menu bar, under Resources selection.  It is the first option under this menu selection.  Click on the facility and register for this new online electronic transaction capability.       SATURDAY NIGHT LIFE! New Worship Service!   Come check out St. G's new worship service 5:30 pm Saturdays at St. James' in Historic Leesburg. Great Band, Fun Crowd, & Meaningful Message.     Save the Date!! 2008 Parish Retreat @ Shrine Mont May 24th – May 26th   Rest | Reflect | Rejoice Mark your calendars now for this year’s parish retreat.  Treat you and your family to a time of rest, reflection and rejoicing in a naturally beautiful setting.  This year, you are invited to experience thoughtful discussions on resting in God, prayer, and reflective Scripture meditation.  Relevant children’s activities will be provided as well. Our infamous variety show is the event of the weekend and services at the Shrine were we will rejoice in God’s creation is very special. View Shrine Mont Slide Show To register, using a Word 2003 document, click here To register, using an Adobe PDF file, click here We have exciting news as well: new accommodations “up the hill”!  Look for additional information soon on the web and updates during the announcements on Sunday.   Shrine Mont Summer Camps Summer camp at Shrine Mont, the Diocese of Virginia's mountain retreat center, is a great experience you won't want to miss. Shrine Mont camp brochures are available on the information table or online at www.camps.thediocese.net. For more information contact Paris Ball at 800-DIOCESE x27 or pball@thediocese.net   Today's Discipleship Opportunities KIDZONE 11:10 am-12:00 pm for all kids ages 4-11! Cafeteria MIDDLE SCHOOL, 5th-8th grade in Choral Room 1, 11:1512:00 BACKSTAGE- for Senior High meets Backstage, 11:15-12:00 ADULTS &quotThe Life You've Always Wanted" Choral Room 2 Please join us after worship for refreshments and fellowship   Step up to leadership-Ministry Leader openings With the restructuring of the vestry and ministry leadership teams, and with the rotation off of several vestry members, we will have key leadership openings in the following ministries beginning in January. Outreach Coordinator Newcomer and Membership Coordinator Community Life (Events and Fellowship) Coordinator Terms are normally for one year. Small Groups Discuss Weekly Sermon Series Small Groups OPEN TO NEW MEMBERS   Connect with a small group for fellowship, fun, spiritual support and a "make it real" discussion on our Sunday lessons or other topics.  Currently, there are 4 small groups meeting:   Men's Monday night group in Ashburn @ Darren Kara's; Women's Monday night in Leesburg @ Dana Buchanan's; Tuesday night in Leesburg @ Peter Schweitzer's;   We expect other groups to be forming soon. If you'd like to join one of the current groups, or be part of another group forming in the near future, please contact the host or our small groups coordinator, Peter Schweitzer to get connected. 703-777-4202 or  pschweitzer@usgs.gov.     St. Gabriel's Online Resources From the St. Gabriel's website you can do all sorts of things! Add your family picture to our database; enter a discussion on our member's forum; do your shopping through iGive and support our music ministry; read Pastor Jeunee's occasional blog; stay abreast of national and international happenings in the church with our direct link from to the Episcopal News web site. Check it out! www.saintgabriels.net... For more information contact our webmaster at harveyhodges@verizon.net   Life Care Ministry Needs Volunteers to Reach Out to Others In times of difficulty, people are grateful to have someone who can provide simple gifts. If you are available to provide (or coordinate) a meal, touch base with someone to explore what needs they may have or perhaps provide transportation to an appointment or run an errand, the St Gabriel's Life Care Team is ready to receive your gifts of mercy so that these gifts may help others. St. Gabriel's Prayer and Healing Workshop Have you ever wondered why you see people kneeling off to one side every 4th Sunday? Healing - do I have gifts of healing? What about those people that gather in the corner, stage-right, after services? Hum - I pray, but does it help? The St. Gabriel Prayer and Healing Team would like to offer a workshop on prayer and healing for those interested in exploring these ministries. Prayer is the strongest gift God gives us. Healing is an act of compassion as, on behalf of others, we open ourselves to be conduits for the healing powers of Christ. You may feel called to this aspect of God's work already. If so, please read below. Wanted: St. Gabriel's' Prayer and Healing Warriors Come see, learn, and be part of St. Gabriel's Intercessory Prayer and Healing ministry. We believe that our reverent trust for healing is not in our prayers or actions, but rather in the healing power of Jesus Christ, our Creator and Redeemer. St. Gabriel's Prayer and Healing Rail is offered on the fourth Sunday of the month. If you believe this is your calling to do God's work we welcome you to come and be part of this team. If you are interested in any aspects) of these ministry opportunities described above, please contact: Faye Wenger - fwenger@us.ibm.com - 703-669-3386 or Dana Buchanan - ohmrsb@yahoo.com Compassionate Outreach   Reminder--Interfaith Food Collection   For the past few years, Saint Gabriel's has been collecting food on the first Sunday each month for Interfaith Relief in Leesburg.  There is a real need for assistance with food, toiletries and paper products for many families in our area.    Please bring non-perishable food items for collection.  The Top 10 items always needed are: Cereal, Peanut Butter, Macaroni & Cheese, 100% Fruit Juice, Canned Fruit, Corn & Green Beans, Tuna, Canned Ravioli and Spaghetti, and Spaghetti Sauce.   If you would be interested in helping with this ministry, by stapling lists of suggested items to empty grocery bags, handing out the bags the last Sunday of the month, or transporting the food to Interfaith Relief, please contact Sarah Newland at 703-729-2489 or email to: newlandfamily@comcast.net     Spiritual Support Group for Families with Special Needs Saint Gabriel's continues to sustain the families of special children with the spiritual group.   Led by Sharon Boivin,  family members have an opportunity to share their experiences, resources, and frustrations.   For more information, please contact Sharon Boivin at sharonboivin@aol.com.     Friends of A New Beginning Is a organization that helps parish community members that are in recovery. They are currently looking for items for their Clothes Closet. Here are some of the items they need: ♦ Winter coats for men & women ♦ Men's shoes of any type and size ♦ Women's tennis shoes & flats (no sandals) ♦ Sweaters for men & women ♦ Long-sleeve shirts/blouses for women ♦ Pants for women in sizes 6, 8, 10 or 12. If you are able to help by donating items please contact: Lise Klerekoper, (703) 304-0476 or email at liseklerkoper@aol.com....       Youth Items   SPRING KIDZONE "All You Need is Love!" "All You Need Is Love!" The Beatles were right . . . hmmm, were Jesus' words the inspiration for this tune? Jesus explained in Matthew 22:34-40 that ALL the commandments can be summed up by the word LOVE. In KidZone, our children will learn the Two Great Commandments: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" and "Love your neighbor as yourself".The children will learn that these commandments guide the actions of our lives. Come join us for a Love-Fest as we ways of loving and worshipping God and we the meaning of loving neighbors and serving others. We are looking for volunteers to help teach and/or shepherd the children. You serve one Sunday or as many as you like. For information, contact Lisa Cusack at 703-669-9760 or at lilo0607@aol.com. 11:10 am-12:00 pm Sundays for all kids ages 4-11! Cafeteria     Children's Chapel Volunteers Please prayerfully consider if you could shepherd once every six weeks (join the children and help keep the children focused during the sermon.)   If you cannot commit to the six-week rotation, would you consider being a substitute? You do not need to be a parent of a young child to participate!   If you have any questions, please see Lisa Cusack      Especially for Teens     St. Gabriel's / St. James' Youth   These groups will meet Sunday night.   Middle School: 4:30-6:00 p.m. at St. James'.   Contact Pastor Mary at St. James' for more info. mary@stjamesleesburg.org  PWAP = Pizza with a Purpose, Wednesdays 6:30-8:00 at St. James' Pizza and faith discussion. Led by Pastors Jeunée and Mary. Middle School in the St. James' Parish Hall. For more info contact Pastor Jeunée.         Adult Activities Adults Dining Out   Our next Adults Dining Out experience will be scheduled shortly.  Each of these Adults Dining Out activities is usually scheduled between two and three months apart.  Look for the next schedule to be in the July time frame. Our goal is to rotate the dining events to various locales in our general area, including Leesburg, Lansdowne, Ashburn, Sterling, Potomac Falls, and other locations as we hear of other interesting dining places.   We are considering restaurants such as Macaroni Grill at Dulles Town Center, The Bonefish in Ashburn, the Green Tree Restaurant in Old Town Leesburg, Emilio’s Brick Oven in Lansdowne, Vintage 50 in Leesburg, and other restaurants around the area. For suggestions or recommendations, send an email to harveyhodges@verizon.net or to charhodges@verizon.net and let us know your ideas.       Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Men of St. Gabriel's Join in the fun and camaraderie of the other men of St. Gabe's, referred to as "The G-Men". Minimum requirement: you guessed it, must be male and adult (loosely followed requirement-Ahem) male. What you will gain: new friends, spiritual growth, support, and a lot of laughs. Also receive a complimentary, free of charge, daily scripture verse and saying via email. Hopefully they will assist you in the daily toils of life at home and at work. If interested, please email Rob Buchanan: rob_d_buchanan@yahoo.com or call his cell 703 220-0515. Other Newss     Help the Music Ministry by Online Purchases The music ministry of Saint Gabriel's is pleased to be partnering with iGive.com!  Sign up is free.  Shop at any of the more than 650 stores and a percentage of your purchase goes to St. Gabriel's. Some of the great stores include expedia.com, Landsend and The Home Depot.. http://www.igive.com/stgabesmusicministry There's more!  Tell a friend about iGive.com and St. Gabriel's gets $5.00! Its easy, send your friends your personalized Tell-a-Friend link (included below) and the pre-selected cause will be St. Gabriel's. http://www.igive.com/html/refer.cfm?memberid=499641&causeid=40412   EMAIL ADDRESS CHANGES: If you have changed your email address please send me your new address so I can update our database. Send it to  carol @saintgabriels.net OFFICE HOURS: Carol DuPuis' is in the office on Mondays 9-12:00, Thursdays 9am-1pm & Fridays 9am-1pm. She does check her from home on Tuesday &Wednesday.   In the Wider Community

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