It’s time to mark your calendars for Mount Olivet’s Fall Clean-Up Day on Saturday morning, October 26. We’ll be doing our usual variety of outdoor activities, including pruning trees and bushes, weeding, and raking leaves, as well as re-mulching our walkways. We’ll also have non-yard work fix-ups, as well as indoor projects. It’s fun for the family and exhilarating to have our church family spruce up Mount Olivet inside and out. Contact Ann Speicher for more information.
Every common act we do, we may do as a sacred act unto the Lord. Every breath, thought, or action moved by a sincere faith, seeking justice for all, is fragrant worship that God warmly receives. The Racial Equity Team encourages everyone to recognize that voting is a sacred act - - one that many of us have the liberty to exercise – for ourselves, our families, our neighbors, and all people, both near and far, who bear the image of God. The rights of suffrage have been hard-fought by untold numbers since the founding of America, and we continue in this fight for all those who bear unequal opportunity to freely exercise their full, God-given voice in our society.
Mount Olivet has taken an aspirational pledge that 100% of our eligible voters make their voices heard in this year’s election! In taking this pledge, we join congregations and faith communities across Virginia, in collaboration with the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy virginiainterfaithcenter.org
Early voting in Virginia has already started. Check your registration status here: vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation/Lookup/status
Voting is a sacred act. Make a plan to vote!
Important dates:
September 20 – First day of early voting
October 15 – Last day to register to vote, or update voter registration
October 25 – Last day to request absentee ballot
November 2 – Last day of early voting
November 5 – Election day
(Note: Virginia has same-day voter registration through election day, but registering early allows you to vote on a regular ballot, rather than a provisional ballot)
Looking for unbiased political information go to The Virginia Public Access Project at vpap.org
Follow the link below to the Arlington County website which provides information about the bond referenda, sample ballot, and information about ranked choice voting which is unique to Arlington County. vote.arlingtonva.gov/Elections.
Relevant information for those living in Fairfax County and Falls Church may be found here:
Voting While Christian | vaumc.org/votingwhilechristian
More than 735 million people faced hunger in 2023, with nearly 2.3 billion experiencing moderate to severe food insecurity. Hunger disproportionately affects children, contributing to 45% of deaths in children under five. Even in the DMV area, hunger is a hidden crisis, with food insecurity rates of nearly 11 percent in Washington, D.C., 10 percent in Maryland, and 9 percent in Virginia, affecting health, education, and quality of life. In affluent Arlington County, food insecurity is revealed by the large numbers of people served each week at the Arlington Food Assistance Center – about 3,464 families each week. In response to this urgent need, Mount Olivet’s Community Outreach Team (COT) is launching a theme for the year: tackling food insecurity. To better serve our mission, the COT has decided to adopt a theme each year to focus our efforts and resources on a vital need, improve our effectiveness, and make our call to service and mission clearer and more engaging to the congregation.
Rooted in powerful biblical teachings – from God providing manna to sustain the Israelites in the wilderness to Jesus feeding the 5,000 with loaves and fishes food represents not just physical nourishment but is a divine calling. Jesus commands us to love our neighbors and serve “the least of these” (Mathew 25:35-40), making the act of feeding the hungry a profound expression of community, faith, and compassion.
This year, the COT is planning or supporting the following activities at Mount Olivet and would welcome engagement from all Mt. Olivet members in any of these endeavors:
Together, we can make a powerful impact, both locally and globally!
Don’t throw away that pumpkin! Cut it into smaller pieces for deer, rabbits, mice, squirrels, and chipmunks to munch on—non-painted pumpkins only. Or harvest the seeds, dry them, and put them in a bird feeder. Or feed the microbes in your soil because you composted instead of trashing it.
If you were to name FDR's major accomplishments, they would most likely be the numerous programs that comprised the New Deal. You might be surprised to learn that the architect of those programs was his Secretary of Labor, Frances Perkins, generally relegated to history books as the first woman Cabinet member. She brought a wealth of experience in worker safety and rights with her, along with a list of programs she wanted enacted on the Federal level before she would accept FDR's offer of the position of Secretary.
Mount Olivet Preschool is now accepting applications for January 2025 enrollment. Space is available for all ages. For more information, please contact Alexis Joyce at 571-562-0803.
The Northern Virginia District gets to send 123 Members-At-Large to Annual Conference in Roanoke from June 12-14, 2025. These folks will have the opportunity to vote on several constitutional amendments coming out of General Conference. It is REALLY important that we fill all 123 spots because every Virginia vote counts. At this time we only have 70 nominations. If you would like to participate, register using the link.
Thanks to all who made or helped make flood buckets for UMCOR in response to hurricane relief. You can still make a financial donation using the form below.
November 12 and 13 | 6-9 PM | Youth Area
The 2024-2025 Youth Mission Play season is upon us! Each year our amazing youth and dedicated volunteers produce a stage production to raise money for mission work. All 6th-12th graders are welcome to audition on November 12 and 13 and there are various roles off-stage for those interested. If you are interested in acting, helping in the light/sound crew, or helping backstage, please complete the form at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdTG739EdfESPvSZDPxjFbZlW62SeNEpX9Pga3XPD6DIHVteQ/viewform There is a link to a SignupGenius at the end where you can sign up for an audition spot.
The play is a serious time-commitment (especially for our actors) and there are certain dates and elements that are required but we will make every effort to plan around schedules as much as possible.
If you have a youth in grades 6-12 and haven’t received an email from Evan and would like to be included in his weekly emails regarding all things youth, please email him at ehannah@mtolivet-umc.org or sign up on the clipboards in the preschool lobby and fellowship hall lobby on Sunday.
October 20 & 27 | New Structure and Time:
Small group discussion for the month of October is: faith
Giving:
If your child regularly attends the gatherings on Sunday evenings, we would love to have you donate to our youth group dinner fund! The suggested donation is $125 per child for the year. If your child wants to attend occasionally, it's a suggested donation of $10 per child per week.
https://www.mountolivetumc.com/giving
Can you volunteer to help with set-up/clean-up, cooking, music? Contact Evan Hannah for more information.
Join us in study and reflection on the Christian practice of praying with the four elements. Based on the teachings of St. Francis of Assisi, we will explore ways in which the elements of water, wind, earth and fire can enliven Christian spiritual life. Wednesday evenings from 7-8 PM, October 30 – November 20 via Zoom. For more information and to register, contact Pastor Stephanie.
Mount Olivet’s Phoenix Taskforce has a long-awaited update on our fire restoration efforts! This week we secured our building permit from Arlington County! Our general contractor, Jenkins Restoration, is now in the process of scheduling subcontractors and is expecting repair work to begin in mid-October. Repairs to the roof will be scheduled first. Jenkins will install a chain link fence around the section of the building where the roof is being repaired for safety. The fence will not interfere with the pathway on Glebe Road, which is used to access the church for services and for pre-school.
In addition to the fire restoration project, we are also working to improve the life safety of our entire building. We have secured a permit from Arlington County for a new smoke detection system in the non-fire side and the work has begun.
In the meantime, the church continues to operate with a reduced footprint. We are limited to the sanctuary, pre-school, 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 recovery and restoration process and are so grateful for your continued support and prayers!