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. 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.

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:

Saturday, August 8, 11-12:30 pm--Unite & Rise for Voting Rights - League of Women Voters Arlington and Alexandria City, R.E.A.D, 4238 Wilson Blvd Suite 2245, Arlington, VA

Tuesday, August 11--Singing Resistance DMV, Second Tuesday Sing-ins. 7-8:30 pm, 2455 Gallows Rd, Dunn Loring. 

Save the Date: National Action Network March on Washington, August 28, The Lincoln Memorial. marchonwashington2026.com

Ongoing: 

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 

This is the time of year where people are moving–maybe to college, to a new apartment, to a new house. Instead of the typical trip to buy cardboard boxes and tape and then recycling the boxes after unpacking, see whether renting moving boxes would work for you. Companies such as Borrow a Bin, Bungo Box, Stack Moves, and U-Haul might meet your needs while being a greener alternative to traditional materials.

Going to the State Fair is an annual rite for many but it was not necessarily a rite that all could enjoy. Learn about the history of segregated and alternative State Fairs.

Hospitality is one of the simplest ways we live out Christ's love, and it starts at our door. Mount Olivet needs greeters to help extend a warm welcome to everyone who joins us on Sunday, and it only requires 20 minutes a month! It's a simple way to serve that makes a big difference!

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.

Please join us for Coffee Fellowship in the Gathering Space (exit the doors on the right of the Sanctuary towards 16th Street) on Sunday mornings after Traditional worship. Enjoy our new space, coffee, snacks and fellowship.

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.