Announcements

It’s time to volunteer for Community Assistance! Please volunteer to help our neighbors in need receive some much-needed help with food and gift cards. Slots to volunteer are available from 8 AM through 12:45 PM. We are averaging over 500 guests each month, so if you know anyone that might want to volunteer, please pass along the link or contact Tina! Sign up on the SignupGenius.

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You can make a financial contribution to Community Assistance, at mountolivetumc.com/giving and indicate Community Assistance. Thanks for your continued support of our Community Assistance Ministry.

Join our Spirit and Nature walk group on Sunday, October 11, 2 PM at Scott’s Run Park in McLean. Please contact Jaydee Hanson to register, 703-231-5956.

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Walk To End Hunger. Join the Mount Olivet - Walker Chapel Team, or sponsor one of our intrepid Walkers. Funds raised support AFAC and global food programs supported through Church World Service.

What: Arlington CROP Hunger Walk (ACHW).

When: Saturday, October 17. Check-In Starts: 8:00 am, Walk: 9:00 am. Rain or shine.  

Where: First Presbyterian Church, 601 N. Vermont St., Arlington, 22203.
Who: For Walkers of all ages; register and raise funds online to fight hunger.
Contacts: Lauren Demeter, Kenn Speicher.

Go To the Team Page here.

Register for the team. See who’s walking. Make a donation. https://events.crophungerwalk.org/chw/event/arlingtonva to learn more about the event.

Why We Walk. 1 in 11 people in the world go hungry, in war-torn places like Sudan, Gaza, and Yemen. Half of all child deaths (2 million annually) are caused by malnutrition. Sadly, U.S. aid cuts have put lives at risk. Food insecurity affects families even in affluent Arlington. About 4,200 families rely on AFAC groceries each week. And two weeks ago, Community Assistance at Mount Olivet provided food to more than 500 families, up from 400 a year ago. Cuts in federal food programs have increased need.

We Can Make A Difference! So let’s Get Walking! Enjoy the fall foliage. Get a little exercise. And help feed hungry people.

The Ritter family invites you to join them in celebrating Jessye’s 100th birthday on October 17 from 2-4 PM in the Mount Olivet Fellowship Hall. No Gifts! RSVP to Rick Ritter by October 11.

Better Together is a group of Mount Olivet folks who are concerned for our democracy and the civil rights of all. We meet occasionally after church and share information on ways to contribute to the cause. If you are interested, contact Holly Fletcher at 703-855-2547 or email holly_berkley@yahoo.com. 

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This week's protests/activist events: ‍

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THIS IS THE LAST SUNDAY for Postcard Packets: The last tranche of postcards to voters packets will be available in common areas of both services this Sunday! We have 50 more packets to distribute so please take as many as you are able to do and mail no later than October 22. These are non-partisan reminders for low participation voters to vote in the mid-terms. Everything you need--10 postcards, stamps, addresses, script--are included. A very easy thing you can do to make a difference!  

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‍SAVE THE DATE: October 17 is No Kings AND Crop Walk! You can do both! There will be multiple No Kings events in Arlington and DC that day https://www.nokings.org/#map 

Crop Walk Registration https://events.crophungerwalk.org/chw/event/arlingtonva ‍

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Ongoing: 

The Trump administration has cancelled Temporary Protective Status for Haitian and other refugees, changing their status to undocumented overnight, denying them the ability to legally work, and making them subject to deportation to countries that are still dangerous to and to which they may have no enduring ties. Please contact your Senators and Representative to demand the White House restore TPS. 

• An easy way to email all your representatives at once is at https://democracy.io/

Freedom Vigil: Chantilly ICE Processing Center, Sundays, 4-5 pm. ICE’s Washington Field Office

14797 Murdock St, Chantilly. 

Bridge Brigades, weekly protests on overpasses. 

• Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4-5:30 pm, 1644 N Lincoln St, Arlington

• Wednesdays, 12-1:30 pm. 1006 N George Mason Dr, Arlington 

• Sundays, 3-4:30 pm. 2100 21st St N, Arlington 

Indivisible weekly zoom, Fridays, noon. 

Indivisible Arlington, weekly rally, Saturdays, 2-4 pm, 2710 S Glebe Rd., Arlington

Freedom Vigil: Sundays, 4-5 pm. ICE’s Washington Field Office, 14797 Murdock St, Chantilly. 

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If you want to support partisan campaigns, there are plenty of opportunities on http://www.mobilize.us and at campaign websites. You can also sign up to write postcards to voters here: https://postcardstovoters.org/ or https://www.signsofjustice.com

Arlington’s Fall E-CARE collection is October 17 on Quincy Street across from Washington-Liberty High School. Here is a way to dispose of used electronic devices, household hazardous waste, and small metal items. While you are there you can donate used Halloween costumes for eventual swapping and bikes. To see what things are acceptable, check here: E-CARE – Official Website of Arlington County Virginia Government

Rev. Daisy Machado was the first Latina ordained in the Disciples of Christ. Although a Cuban-American New Yorker, the time she has spent in Texas and especially at the border, has been fundamental in her teaching, writing, and preaching. 

Last week we made a donation of clothing from the youth group clothes drive to Arlington Clothesline. Thank you for your donations!

Every month, we have guests at Community Assistance who arrive in need of a reuseable bag or two to help carry produce. Beginning in November, we’d like to start making available reusable grocery bags to guests in need of them. This is a great excuse to clean out closets and kitchen drawers. Please put donated bags in the designated bins in the Gathering Space, Fellowship Hall lobby and on the 16^th Street porch on Sundays starting on October 11.

Mark your calendars for Mount Olivet’s Fall Clean-up Day on Saturday morning, October 24. We'll be raking leaves, pulling weeds, pruning bushes, and generally sprucing up the grounds in advance of the holidays. Everyone is welcome. For more information, contact Ann Speicher or Amy Ruth Cole.

Time to dust it off and wear it Sunday! Don't have one yet or misplaced yours? Just make a request on the attendance card (indicate any desired pronouns). We look forward to greeting you by name!

It is hardly a secret that the last few years at Mount Olivet have brought many opportunities for resilience. We have recovered from a fire. We have made many changes and upgrades to our property. We have rejuvenated Community Assistance. Our clergy team and staff have seen changes, bidding farewell to some and welcoming new.

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Our UMC denomination has weathered the sorrow of schism, while Mount Olivet has remained a place of inclusivity and welcome.

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Throughout these shifts, our Mount Olivet community has responded with grace, hospitality, creativity, and flexibility.

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It is time to refresh our strategic plan which was completed in 2017.

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We begin our next season together with a time of dreaming, visioning, and planning that will allow us all to be proactive rather than reactive. And to be all God is calling us to be.

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With Council approval, a small team: Rudy Barnes, Jim Coates, Cindy Huber, Pastor Sara Keeling, Didi Kumalo, Kevin Togashi is in consultation with Rev. Dr. Jason Stanley of the Virginia Conference office on discerning a visioning and strategic planning process. We will begin this work late summer and through the fall to help focus our ministry and mission for the next few years.

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While there will be ample opportunities for congregational feedback and participation, our first step is very simple. We are beginning this process not with our own opinions and ideas and hopes, but by listening to God.

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We will begin with prayer.

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We are inviting all of the congregation to find a time each day for the month of July to pray the prayer that you’ll find below. This is a prayer that we have crafted inviting us to listen, to center down, to welcome God’s Spirit.

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Holy Spirit, quiet our hearts

   to hear Your voice.

Hold us in Your love,

   so that all are welcomed and valued.

Guide our discernment

   and shape our plans with compassion and courage.

Light a fire within us

   that renews and unites our church for joyful service.

Send us out in the light of Christ 

   to follow faithfully wherever You lead.

Amen.

As a reminder, Mount Olivet is a secure building and the building is locked at all times. Church office hours (when you can meet with staff/clergy or need access to the building) are Tuesday-Friday from 9 AM – 2 PM, no office hours on Monday. Staff/clergy will continue to work flexible hours and have other meetings and appointments, so it is best to make an appointment as needed. You can email an individual staff member or clergy or call the church office at 571-447-3619.

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.

Clothesline is an organization that takes donations of “cool” school-ready clothes for kids and teenagers whose families are struggling. This is a great opportunity to donate like-new clothes your kids have grown out of, and they especially need coats, pants, shoes, and pajamas. Adult sized clothes are also welcome. Twice a year Clothesline has a free store where kids can shop in a retail environment. You can drop off your donations on Sundays in the Youth Area through the summer.

During these difficult times, we are helping the families at Glebe Elementary School 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 16^th 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.