Announcements
Worship
Christmas Eve Worship
Join us for Christmas Eve at Mount Olivet!
Family Worship at 3:30 pm and 5:00 pm in the Sanctuary
No need to worry about wiggle worms here! These are interactive family-friendly services that are sure to engage all ages.
Traditional Worship at 6:30 in the Sanctuary
A classic Christmas Eve service complete with the Mount Olivet Choir, Silent Night by candlelight, and communion.
The Way Modern Worship at 8:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall
A modern, laid-back Christmas Eve service with incredible music and a cozy atmosphere. This is a family-friendly service that will engage all ages!
Advent & Christmas
Advent Offerings 2025
Make a difference for neighbors in need with a generous donation to the Mount Olivet Advent Offering. This year, three recipient organizations have been selected by the Outreach Committee that serve immigrant newcomers during these challenging times.
Just Neighbors
Just Neighbors is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving and supporting the immigrant community of D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. They provide high-quality immigration legal services to low-income immigrants, asylees and refugees and build community among clients, staff, volunteers and the larger society through education, advocacy, and volunteerism. Learn More
Arlington Free Clinic
Established in 1994, Arlington Free Clinic (AFC) continues to be Arlington’s only provider of comprehensive healthcare services for adults living with a low income and without health insurance. Every year, with the help of over 300 volunteers and 45 full/part-time staff, AFC provides access to comprehensive patient-centered services to over 1,600 of our community’s most vulnerable residents. Learn More
NOVA Friends of Refugees (NFOR)
NFOR is the joint refugee ministry of Mount Olivet and St. George’s Episcopal Church. Now a network of over 1,520 members across the DMV and beyond, NFOR has established an emergency fund to help meet urgent needs of recently arriving refugees and asylees when other sources of aid have ended. Your support of the Advent Offering may help them pay for next month’s rent, groceries, a car repair, driving to English classes, school supplies or a doctor visit. Recently, we organized volunteers to drive a young Afghan widow to her chemo appointments. NFOR’s focus:
- Daily Essentials and Transportation Assistance
- Pathways for Integration
- Community Building and Advocacy
Cupcakes for Jesus
Our tradition at Mount Olivet is to give each child a cupcake to take home after the Christmas Eve family services, so they can sing happy birthday to Jesus! Please provide individually wrapped cupcakes with a small candle included. We have available freezer space if you would like to make them in advance.
Staff Love Gift
Your Gifts for Their Gifts! One of the easiest and most meaningful items on your Christmas Shopping list is the “Love Gift” for our Mount Olivet pastors and staff. Each year we express appreciation for their gifts, talents and tireless service by making financial contributions during Advent for this special fund. It is given to show that we recognize all that they do throughout the year for our community. So, give generously and note on your check that this is for the 2025 Love Gift. You can use the offering envelopes in the pew rack on Sundays or give online at mountolivetumc.com/giving.
Live Nativity (Not on Christmas Eve)
Invite family, friends, and neighbors for the Live Nativity on the Green with live animals – including a camel! Start your Christmas week with the Christmas story and hear about the true meaning of Christmas at this beloved tradition. Join the angels singing on high during interactive carol singing. Hot chocolate makes this event great for children and families of all ages. Rain or shine. ALL are welcome!
Community
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Supper and Service
Looking for an easy service project? Join us for Supper and Service on Wednesday, January 7 at 6 PM. A light supper is served followed by a service activity. Dinner and the activity last one hour, from 6-7 PM.
Racial Equity Resources
Land grant colleges were established by the Morrill Act in 1862 and historically Black land grant colleges were established by the Second Morrill Act in 1890. It was more than a century later that Tribal Colleges achieved land grant status. Learn more about the founding of tribal colleges and universities, their mission, and their challenges.
Caretakers of God's Creation
A reflection from the Executive Director of the Creation Justice Ministries:
Advent is a season that teaches us how to live in the tension between what is and what could be. It invites us into the quiet, expectant posture of creation itself: the way the earth grows still while life below the surface gathers strength for renewal.
In winter, the mycelial networks beneath the forest floor quietly expand. The earthworms move deeper into the soil, slowing their metabolism. The dormant seeds of wildflowers lie in wait, needing the cold to prepare them for growth. None of this looks dramatic. But it is holy work, the slow, faithful preparation that allows life to rise again.
This year, I’ve been holding close the truth that Advent offers: stillness does not mean stagnation. Waiting is not the absence of work. Hope is not naïve; it is preparatory.
Stewardship 2026
As we look ahead to a new year, we invite you to prayerfully consider what "Why Church" means to you. Please consider how you can financially support our church and submit your Pledge card for 2026. You can place your pledge card in the offering plate on Sundays, mail it to the church or submit online.
Food Drive
During this difficult time for many of our neighbors, help put food on their tables by donating canned goods. Place your items in the basket in the Preschool Lobby on Sunday or leave in the bin on the 16th Street porch (entrance door #1). The following low sugar and low sodium items are needed:
- Canned fruits
- Canned tuna
- Canned soups
- Canned vegetables
- Canned tomatoes
- Peanut butter (in plastic jars)
- Cereal
Contact Linnea Carlson with any questions.
Adults
Children & Families
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Potluck and Playdate
Join us on Friday, January 2 at 5:30 PM for Potluck and Playdate. We have a potluck supper at a church member's home and enjoy some relaxing conversation. Everyone is welcome. Be prepared, there are lots of kids running around!
Youth
Fire
Fire Update
Progress continues toward finalizing our fire side restoration. We are working closely with our contractor to schedule our last remaining county inspections and work through our punch list. We have encountered a delay with additional modifications needed to our fire alarm system, which is being addressed.
Installation of office furniture and Gathering Space furniture is complete (sneak peek in pics below) and other furnishings are expected to be delivered and installed in the next several weeks.
As a reminder, until the restoration project is finished, we continue to be limited to the sanctuary, preschool, youth area, fellowship hall and L-8 and L-9. Staff continue to work at home. We thank you for your patience as we move through the restoration and remain grateful for your continued support and prayers.
