On Sunday, Clarence announced that he will be leaving AUMC for a new pastoring assignment beginning July 1. Under the United Methodist Church’s itineracy system, pastors are appointed (or reappointed) annually by the bishop and cabinet. We have been blessed to have Clarence as our senior pastor, friend and spiritual leader for 10 years. We love him and will miss him, but we also wish the best for him in his new role as senior pastor at St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Yorktown. And we look forward to our new senior pastor, Jason Micheli, arriving in July. Our Staff Parish Committee will be planning some farewell activities for Clarence and Jaie. So stay tuned…

AUMC is hosting the Bishop's Convocation on Race and Reconciliation on April 14. Learn more in this video from Bishop Lewis. The convocation will begin with a continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and end with communion at 3:45 p.m. Lunch is included. The convocation is designed to empower participants to conduct the difficult conversations we all need to have related to issues of racial division, justice and God's call to ministries of reconciliation and peace. Romal Tune will be the keynote speaker. The cost is $10 per person, and registration is required. The deadline to register is April 6 or until full (300 participants). To find out more and register, follow this link: https://www.vaumc.org/Events?cid=3&ceid=1613&cerid=0&cdt=4%2f14%2f2018.

Come celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on Easter morning! Join us for one of three worship services: a sunrise service at 6:30 a.m. in the atrium, our contemporary service at 8:32 and our traditional service at 11 a.m. During the 11 a.m. service, we'll sing the Hallelejuh Chorus. After services, you can place flowers on the cross.

Come celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on Easter morning! Join us for one of three worship services: a sunrise service at 6:30 a.m. in the atrium, our contemporary service at 8:32 and our traditional service at 11 a.m. During the 11 a.m. service, we'll sing the Hallelejuh Chorus. After services, you can place flowers on the cross.

Come celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on Easter morning! Join us for one of three worship services: a sunrise service at 6:30 a.m. in the atrium, our contemporary service at 8:32 and our traditional service at 11 a.m. During the 11 a.m. service, we'll sing the Hallelejuh Chorus. After services, you can place flowers on the cross.

Our Seven Last Words worship service will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the sanctuary. This moving Tenebrae service remembers the death of Jesus and recalls his seven last words on the cross. Lights are gradually extinguished, accompanied by prayers, music and scripture readings. The sanctuary and the Little White Church will be open for prayers from noon to 3 p.m.

Join us for this special worship service in remembrance of the Last Supper. We will celebrate communion and have a foot-washing ceremony. All are invited!

IT'S HOLY WEEK! Events this busy week include: Tuesday, Mar. 27: Join us for our final Lifetree Café conversation at 7 p.m. in Room 209. Lifetree Café is an hour-long “conversation café” designed to bring together people from all walks of life. The March 27 conversation will be “Do Good Dogs Go to Heaven?” More information about Lifetree Café is at www.lifetreecafe.com. Thursday, Mar. 29: Maundy Thursday service at 7:30 p.m., which will include Communion and foot washing, celebrating the Last Supper. Everyone is welcome. Friday, Mar. 30: Good Friday. The sanctuary and Little White Church will be open for prayers from noon to 3 p.m. The Seven Last Words worship service will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the sanctuary. This moving Tenebrae service remembers the death of Jesus and recalls his seven last words on the cross. Lights are gradually extinguished, accompanied by prayers, music and scripture readings. Sunday, April 1: Happy Easter! A sunrise worship service will be held at 6:30 a.m. in the atrium. A contemporary worship service will be held at 8:32 a.m. in the sanctuary. A celebration worship service will be at 11 a.m. Rev. Dr. Brown will preach at all services. As is our tradition at AUMC, anyone interested is invited to join the adult choir in singing the “Hallelujah Chorus” during Easter Sunday worship. So, if you have ever sung the “Hallelujah Chorus” before, we invite you to come up during the singing of our final hymn on Easter at the 11 a.m. service, and we will “raise our voices” in singing this timeless classic as one great, massed choir in honor of our risen Savior! Children’s activities on Easter will be at 9:45 a.m., meeting first in Hughes Hall. There will be an Easter egg hunt, games, singing, the telling of the Easter story and an outdoor labyrinth. Easter Adult Sunday School will meet at 9:45 a.m. in the sanctuary. Sunday, April 1: Easter Communion Servers Sought. Easter Sunday communion allows us to feel a special closeness with our Lord Jesus as we honor his sacrifice and celebrate his resurrection. This Easter Sunday you can help others experience that closeness by serving communion to fellow worshipers in the 11:00 a.m. service. Contact Mike Moser at 703-591-1210 or mmoser@annandale-umc.org to get involved. Sunday, April 1: Donations for Kairos due. The Kairos Prison Ministry Team is preparing to share God’s love with the men at Greensville Correctional Center, April 12-15. A cookie sign-up sheet, prison-approved cookie recipes and instructions are on the table in the atrium. Sugar-free and gluten-free cookies are especially needed. If you cannot bake cookies but want to make a donation for baking supplies, make a check payable to AUMC (with Kairos Cookies in the note line) by April 1. Cookies must be baked by April 8. Also, if you are willing to pray for the team and weekend participants, please add your name to the sign-up sheet in the atrium. Contact Bill Iwig at 301-365-7532 for more information.

PALM SUNDAY AT AUMC: Today marks the beginning of Holy Week in the United Methodist Church. This morning, we have our traditional palming procession at the 11 a.m. service. Join us we celebrate and remember Christ's journey to Jerusalem. Rev. Kwon will preach.

PALM SUNDAY IS THIS SUNDAY! Join us at 8:32 or 11 a.m. to celebrate the beginning of Holy Week with a palm processional. Peter will be leading the services, reading from Luke 19:28-40 and contemplating "The Ride to Jerusalem." At 8:32 a.m., we'll sing contemporary arrangements of classic hymns, including "In Christ Alone" and "Come to the Cross." At 11, there will be performances by the Adult Choir and our Combined Children's Choirs. We hope to see you there!

Have you downloaded our latest Witness newsletter? The March issue is available at http://www.annandale-umc.org/filerequest/3996. This month's Witness includes a Clergy Corner from Rev. Kwon, an article on our Haiti mission trip, a profile of Jack and Jane Underhill, an update on our Lenten Missions Projects, a Holy Week schedule and information about the Kairos prison ministry. We also list our weekly volunteers and committee meetings. Next month's Witness has a deadline of April 6 and a publication date of April 17.

Church activities for this evening have been canceled due to the weather. This includes Wednesday Night Together and our Lenten Communion Service. Drive safely and stay warm!