Announcements

Looking for an easy service project? Join us for Supper and Service on Wednesday, September 9 at 6 PM in the Phoenix Room on the third floor. A light supper is served followed by a service activity. Dinner and the activity last one hour, from 6-7 pm.

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.

Mark your calendars for Sunday, September 13 for our Fall Kickoff from 10 AM – 1 PM. Fun activities plus treat yourself to coffee and a donut at the Good Company donut truck!

Walker Chapel will be hosting a Rise Against Hunger (RAH) event on Sunday, September 13 at 10:30 AM to pack 10,000 meals. Please register to participate in the event.

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 cause. If you are interested, contact Holly Fletcher via 703-855-2547 or email holly_berkley@yahoo.com. 

Upcoming ways to get involved: 

Events:

Faith-Based Campaigns for Democracy with RAC, NETWORK, and Sojourners, Wednesday,  September 9, 7-8 pm. Online, register for link.  ‍

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Craftivism: Get Ready for GOTV + No Kings, Thursday, September 10, 2-4 pm, Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library, 4701 Seminary Rd Suite 104, Alexandria, VA  ‍

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Next after church lunch/meeting: Sunday, September 13. We will be writing postcards to Senators urging action to restore TPS and/or postcards to voters in swing states. Materials and food will be provided, bring your own drink. 

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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 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. 

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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 

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Indivisible weekly zoom, Fridays, noon 

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

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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

From Creation Justice Ministries: Don’t discount the “small” things you can do. Commit to picking up at least 3 pieces of litter a day and in a year you will have disposed of more than 1,000! Invite your children to participate in the challenge too. You’ll be teaching the next generation by showing that you care.

It is Labor Day weekend and a good time to reflect on the history of organized labor. Learn more about the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, which went beyond wages and hours into social unionism providing health care, housing, education, and cultural opportunities, including a musical on Broadway and later commercials that were sung by members of the ILGWU chorus.

Can You Donate A Sewing Machine for Refugee Women? More than 100 refugee women have been helped by the We Do Together sewing class that Mount Olivet’s refugee ministry helped start. The class is a place for these women to learn sewing skills … to make new friends … and to help them succeed in their new community. 

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Our Latest Class Graduates Soon - And We Need Your Help. As in the past, each graduate receives a new sewing machine donated by supporters like you (details below). This is the fifth class of students in this initiative, which was started and led by former Afghan refugees and supported by Mount Olivet UMC, Fairlington UMC (which hosts the classes), and the refugee ministry of Christ Church Episcopal.

Whether you have donated before or this is your first time, the sewing machine you donate is a wonderful way to support newcomers in our area.

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About This Innovative Program. Now U.S. citizens, Forozan and Attaulhaq Mirwais founded We Do Together to assist others who, like them, came to the U.S. as refugees. The class teaches women from Afghanistan and other countries sewing skills they can use to find employment and make extra income for their families.

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The items they sew are also offered online on the We Do Together website and in its Pop-Up Shop which has appeared in area farmer’s markets, holiday bazaars, church gatherings, and local store events. These items are sold under their own brand name and logo: Afghan Threads.

Suggested Donation Details. To donate a new machine, here is an affordable choice: Brother XM3700 Machine. 37 Built-in Stitches, 5 Included Sewing Feet, 17.5 x 7.6 x 14.25 inches. White. Amazon has an affordable one here. Or, you can send a check for the cost of the machine. The class can also use donations of gift cards to obtain sewing supplies, such as threads, needles, etc. Direct donations of fabric are especially welcome. ‍

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We Do Together is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and all donations are tax deductible. The initiative and its supporting organizations are also exploring grant opportunities to help the initiative become self-sustaining.

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Send online purchases or checks and gift cards to: We Do Together, 1524 N. Ivanhoe St. Arlington, VA 22205. Have questions? Email Kenn Speicher for more information.

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.