Announcements

We will join our friends at Walker Chapel for the Blessing of the Animals this Sunday, October 5 at 2 PM on the green behind the parking lot. We gather as we remember St. Francis of Assisi, a friend and protector of all animals, for a brief service of word and prayer, including a blessing for our beloved pets. If your pet does not travel well, please bring a picture of them to be blessed.

Join us on Wednesday, October 8 from 6-7 PM for Supper and Service in the Youth Area. We will begin with supper followed by a service activity (packing kits for Community Assistance). Our Community Assistance numbers have increased, so we need lots of help to pack kits. Contact Linnea with any questions.

It’s time to volunteer for Community Assistance. Our next event will be on October 11. 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. Sign up on the SignupGenius.

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In September, thanks to our volunteers and the generosity of financial contributions, we were able to help:

422 guests

81 first time guests

1,302 total number of individuals in households

120 children age 0-5  

150 children age 6-11  

110 children age 12-17  

337 people age 60+  

25 veterans

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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.

Sign Up today for the Mount Olivet / Walker Chapel CROP Walk team. 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 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).

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Have questions? Contact Kenn Speicher.

A family event for children ahead of Halloween with kid-friendly activities, a Halloween costume giveaway, Take Action Fair, and a marketplace for people to shop and support refugee artisans/vendors. Hosted by the refugee ministries of Mount Olivet & Saint Georges. Volunteer to help: 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.

Mount Olivet’s refugee ministry is collecting gently used or new Halloween costumes of all sizes (for kids and teens) to give away to refugees and in-need children in the local community. We will be giving away the costumes at the "Fall Is for Friends" community event on SunDay October 19, and are expecting 75-100 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.

The National Retail Federation has estimated that we will spend $13 billion on Halloween this year and all that buying results in literal tons of waste. This might be a good opportunity to embrace a zero waste Halloween, which might save some money and will definitely be better for the environment.

Between late 1960 and 1962, the United States welcomed 14,000 unaccompanied minors from Cuba in an airlift that became known as Operacion Pedro Pan. Most of them were ultimately reunited with their parents, although in many cases the separations were much longer than originally anticipated. Looking back as adults they generally appreciate the sacrifice their parents made to permit them to grow up in a free country.

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.