Announcements

Sign Up today for the Mount Olivet / Walker Chapel CROP Walk team. Or make a donation to support the team or one of our walkers. This is the first year we will have a joint team, so a new era begins!

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The 6K fundraiser starts and ends at nearby First Presbyterian Church, 601 N. Vermont St., Arlington, VA. Sign-in starts 8-8:30 AM, and the Walk begins at 9 AM, rain or shine. Walkers follow a 6K route around Arlington’s Ballston and Virginia Square areas. Route maps are available, and there are refreshments and rest rooms at the half-way point (Saint George’s Episcopal).

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Organized by Church World Service (CWS), this is a fundraising event to help fight hunger globally and here in Arlington. Like similar events, walkers are asked to seek friends, family, employers, and associates to sponsor their walks with donations. 75% of funds raised support food relief and sustainable agriculture programs worldwide; 25% goes to Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC), which now provides groceries each month to an average of 3,850 families facing food insecurity. One-third of those served are children, and 12% are seniors.

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To register, go to our team page https://events.crophungerwalk.org/crophungerwalks/team/mount-olivet-and-walker-chapel-umcs and scroll down to the Join The Team button and follow the instructions. You will receive a personal webpage where your sponsors can make donations. Online donations are highly encouraged, but you can have a CWS envelope for donations of checks or cash (which are turned in to the team captain or when you check in).

Have questions? Contact Kenn Speicher.

The refugee ministries of Mount Olivet and Saint George’s Episcopal invite you to a fun Fall gathering. Join us in sharing joy, magic, and community with our friends in Greater Arlington and the local refugee community. Being held at Saint George’s (915 N. Oakland St.), there’s something for everyone. For kids: Magician shows * Moon bounce * Face & pumpkin painting * and a Halloween costume giveaway. For adults: a marketplace with food, crafts and art by refugee chefs and artisans, plus a Take Acton Fair with service organizations.

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There is also an opportunity to volunteer to help with the celebration as you learn more about our refugee ministry.

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 For details, contact Kenn Speicher.

Mark your calendar for Mount Olivet’s Fall Clean-up Day on Saturday morning, October 25. We’ll have lots of outside projects around our property – raking leaves, weeding, pruning bushes and trees, and generally sprucing up our grounds—and maybe some projects in the newly renovated wing of the church. We’ll work from 8 AM – noon. No experience necessary and kids are welcome. For more information, contact Ann Speicher.

Save the Date - Mount Olivet Foundation is hosting a celebration event on Saturday, November 1 from 2:30 to 4 PM in the Fellowship Hall. The event will recognize several outstanding members of the Foundation's board as emeritus members. In addition, several of the recipients of the Foundation's grants have been invited to join us. Plan to come and learn more about the work of the Foundation, which was established in 1967 to support education with scholarships and loans as well as worthy non-profit organizations. Refreshments served. RSVP by October 25 to Tina Marcus.

For some of us, our knowledge of the War of 1812 can be summarized as follows: Dolly Madison saved the portrait of George Washington; the British burned the White House; Americans fought off the British at Fort McHenry resulting in Francis Scott Key writing the Star Spangled Banner; and the flag is on display at the Smithsonian. Who contributed to the British successes in the mid-Atlantic? Escaped slaves who became the Corps of Colonial Marines and were resettled after the war.

Looking for a way to get your leftover Halloween candy out of your house? If you have an abundance of individually wrapped sweets and snacks, the Community Assistance program welcomes donations to support our November event. Drop your treats in the collection bin in the preschool lobby through November 5th.  

Mount Olivet’s refugee ministry is collecting gently used or new Halloween costumes of all sizes (for kids 12 and under) to give away to refugees and in-need children. We will give away the costumes at the "Fall Is for Friends" community gathering this Sunday, October 19, and are expecting 50-75 children to take part! Please drop off at Mount Olivet or the Speicher house (1524 N. Ivanhoe St). Happy Halloween and thanks for helping refugee children celebrate this fun holiday! For details, contact Kenn Speicher.

From Creation Justice Ministries: Ours is a faith of resurrection, renewal, regeneration. Our lives are a call to live that faith. Creation care gives us down-to-earth opportunities… some food-waste issues are systemic, but many come down to things individuals and families can do: Plan meals, buy local, buy less, buy in-season, buy organic, store appropriately, use the freezer, reduce meat consumption, grow veggies, eat leftovers, make soup and smoothies, compost peelings and ends, share with others. Eat happily, knowing you are helping us all.

Plot Against Hunger, a local non-profit program that collects fresh produce at local farms to donate to our neighbors in need, will have a special opportunity for Mount Olivet to glean apples from an orchard in Kearneysville, WV and bring them back to Arlington for our Community Assistance food distribution on November 8. The gleaning day would be Friday, November 7. If you are interested, please contact Tina for more information.

As a reminder, Mount Olivet pastors, staff or congregation members will never ask individuals for financial assistance, gift cards or any kind of personal information through email. Always look at the actual email address of any email you receive regarding these issues. Pastor and staff emails will always come from the mtolivet-umc.org exchange. If you have any question about an email you receive that you think is questionable, always reach out to us. Contact Tina Marcus.