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Courageously living and sharing God's unconditional love every day, with everyone, everywhere. WELLNESS PROGRAM Aldersgate United Methodist Church offers wellness program opportunities to the congregation and to our community. Regular Weekly Classes Gentle Yoga Gently relax and sooth your stress, renew and restore with this calming and rejuvenating class. The practice will focus on deep breathing, slow movement, gentle stretching and strengthening postures, as well as restorative postures and relaxation. Mondays 9:00am - 10:00am Wesley Hall Thursdays 11:00am - 12:00pm Wesley Hall Senior Strength & Stretch Have fun and move to the music through a variety of exercises designed to increase muscular strength, range of motion and activities for daily living. Handheld weights are offered for resistance. A chair is used for seated and/or standing support. This class is geared for healthy seniors as well as those with joint, mobility and/or balance issues. Mondays 10:30am - 11:15am Wesley Hall Wednesdays 4:00pm - 4:45pm Wesley Hall If you have questions about the classes, please contact Judy at 703-765-6555, ext. 626 or judy@aldersgate.net . Also, please print out the required ASSUMPTION OF RISK AND WAIVER OF LIABILITY and bring it with you. The classes are ongoing, and they are a gift from the church to you and the community. All are welcome to join class as long as their physician has given approval. Classes are taught by Judy Jurkowski, Aldersgate UMC Wellness Coordinator. Judy is a Certified Exercise Instructor through Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA), Les Mills International (LMI), and Silver Sneakers (Healthways, Inc). She has been teaching a wide variety of fitness classes at local gyms since 1987. Ft. Hunt Yoga Classes at Aldersgate UMC In partnership with local yoga instructor, Sara Jefferies, we will be offering to Aldersgate members and those who attend regularly free Vinyasa yoga classes on Tuesdays (January - April). The classes will be held at Aldersgate in Founders Hall from 6:30pm - 7:15pm. Please be sure to bring your yoga mat and water bottle and enter through Door 8. For others in the community attending there will be a $10 charge at the door, please use the signup so that Sara knows you are with Aldersgate. Sign-Up for Ft. Hunt Yoga Classes Vinyasa style yoga offers a full body stretch. If you'd like to learn more about Sara and the other classes she offers in the area, please check out her private Facebook group called Fort Hunt Yoga . Aldersgate United Methodist Church offers support groups to the congregation and to our community. Learn About Our Support Groups

Courageously living and sharing God's unconditional love every day, with everyone, everywhere. Advent & Christmas Eve 2024 Christmas Eve Advent Events Advent Giving Christmas Eve Candlelight Services Tuesday, December 24th Volunteer for Christmas Eve Worship Order Poinsettias for Christmas Eve Altar 3pm | Contemporary Worship + Pop-Up Children's Pageant Candlelight Worship Service with Communion (nursery available for 3 & under) Pop-Up Children's Pageant open to all children in worship - no rehearsal required! 5pm | Contemporary Worship Candlelight Worship Service with Communion (nursery available for 3 & under) 7:30pm | Traditional Worship Candleligh t Worship Service with Communion (no nursery available) Livestream will be available for 5pm & 7:30pm services (CLICK HERE ) Live nativity animals from 3:30pm - 7:30pm on the Front Lawn Special Advent & Christmas Events 1 2 3 4 5 1 ... 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 ... 100 Giving this Advent & Christmas Season Alternative Giving Epiphany Tree Alternative Christmas Giving Welcome to Aldersgate United Methodist Church’s 22nd annual Alternative Christmas Giving to benefit the missions and the United Methodist Church in Cambodia. We sponsor this event during Advent to give folks an opportunity to honor Jesus’s birth by giving gifts of love to serve the poor as we seek to carry out Christ's commandment to “go and make disciples.” Shoppers make contributions to mission projects in Cambodia in the name of loved ones as an alternative to buying material goods. This ministry was established and lovingly run for over two decades by Juanita Csontos. We continue this annual ministry in memory of Juanita and her passion for serving others. Alternative Giving 2024 Catalog Alternative Giving 2024 Shopping List Alternative Giving Gift Card Alternative Giving Volunteers will be at a table in Wesley Hall during Fellowship Time on December 1st, 8th, 15th, and 22nd to accept your gifts for the Cambodian Christians. You may purchase online, or you may fill out the shopping list and either turn it in at the Alternative Giving table or mail it to the church at: 1301 Collingwood Rd, Alexandria, VA 22308. Please make checks out to Aldersgate UMC and indicate "Alternative Giving" on the memo line. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Julie Pfister . Ephiphany Tree You may have noticed that the Christmas tree in the Welcome Center outside of the sanctuary (by door #1) does not have any ornaments on it. This is our Epiphany Tree. Epiphany is the day Christians remember the coming of the Magi to visit Jesus, bringing their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It occurs on January 6th every year and marks the end of the Christmas season. The word "epiphany," from the Greek word epiphania , means appearance or manifestation. The arrival of these visitors was a sign that the incarnation of God in Christ had been made known and was recognized by the heavens to the whole world, so that even Gentile wise men from the East came to pay him homage. This is an observance of great majesty, solemnity, and awe. Just as the Magi brought gifts to Jesus, we invite you to bring a gift for a baby or toddler . You can place these donations (unwrapped) in the box under the Epiphany Tree. We will collect baby and toddler gifts throughout Advent and Christmastide, all the way up to Epiphany Sunday. In January, we will donate the gifted items to local charities that support children. In this season of giving, we also invite you to bring an ornament from home to hang on this Epiphany Tree so that it has a little bit of each of us. Donate one that has meaning to you and your family - maybe one that you make together this year especially for this tree - and be a part of decking our church halls with the joy of Christmas! If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Molly Johnson . Thank you for being a blessing to others less fortunate. Merry Christmas! Christmas Eve Services Christmas Eve & New Year's Eve Special Advent Events Advent Giving Christmas Eve Candlelight Services Sunday, December 24th 3pm | Contemporary Worship + Pop-Up Children's Pageant Candlelight Worship Service with Communion (nursery available for 3 & under) Pop-Up Children's Pageant open to all children in worship - no rehearsal required! 5pm | Contemporary Worship Candlelight Worship Service with Communion (nursery available for 3 & under) 7pm & 9pm | Traditional Worship Candleligh t Worship Service with Communion (no nursery available) Live stream will be available for 5pm & 7pm services (CLICK HERE ) Live nativity animals from 3:30pm - 7:00pm on the Front Lawn Come see Chewy the Camel!

Courageously living and sharing God's unconditional love every day, with everyone, everywhere. SOCIAL JUSTICE "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Mark 12:31 The United Methodist Church has a long history of advocating for social justice. During university, John & Charles Wesley and their Oxford 'Holy Club' visited the local prison and tutored neighborhood children. The early Methodists expressed their opposition to societal ills such as slavery, smuggling, inhumane prison conditions, alcohol abuse, and child labor. Today United Methodists work, march and pray for racial justice, environmental care, and fair treatment for everyone. Learn how we continue in ministries of justice today and find places where you can serve. "The United Methodist Church believes God's love for the world is an active and engaged love, a love seeking justice and liberty. We cannot just be observers. So we care enough about people's lives to risk interpreting God's love, to take a stand, to call each of us into a response, no matter how controversial or complex. The church helps us think and act out of a faith perspective, not just respond to all the other 'mind-makers-up' that exist in our society." Excerpt from The Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church 2020/2024. Copyright © 2024 by The United Methodist Publishing House. First adopted by the 1972 General Conference, the Social Principles document stands in the Wesleyan tradition of forthright moral witness and ethical action. The Social Principles articulate our ethical aspirations for the common good in our public policies and personal commitments. Through them, we seek to love God with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength and to desire for our neighbors what we desire for ourselves. Social Principles of the United Methodist Church As Adopted by General Conference Charlotte, 2024 The Social Principles reflect the United Methodist response to today's most pressing social issues. UMC Social Principles Faith in Action: All Other Ground is Sinking Sand Justice Takes Courage, Edition 5 An article from Bishop Julius C. Trimble General Board of Church and Society | January 24, 2025 All Other Ground is Sinking Sand What Do We Mean by "Social Justice"? Learn what "social justice" means in the United Methodist Church and how we as a church participate in social justice. What do we mean by social justice? Dear President Trump: Letter from United Methodist Council of Bishops A letter to the Honorable President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, from the Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church. Council of Bishops Letter to President Trump Bishop, Appointive Cabinet Share Pastoral Letter to Federal Workers A Pastoral Letter to Federal Workers Summarily Dismissed from their Jobs Pastoral Letter to Federal Employees "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Mark 12:31 The Social Justice Team works towards living into our Strategic Priorities of Missional Outreach and Social Justice. To help educate, disciple, and model ways to transform for the better those people and causes we seek to serve locally, nationally, and internationally. Currently we partner with Woodlawn Faith UMC in worship and missional exchanges, as well as opportunities that you can find in our weekly newsletter (click the "Subscribe" button, below, to receive our weekly newsletter). We have a Social Justice section in our church library where you can check out books. We are offering tips for Creation Care in our weekly newsletter. Click on the tabs, below, to learn more about the different social justice focus areas at Aldersgate UMC. Learn more about the Social Principals of the United Methodist Church . The Social Justice Team comes together every 8-10 weeks to share what we are working on and plan for other ways to engage in our church and community. If you wish to know more, be part of a book and /or Bible study, or to actively participate in one of the above areas, please contact socialjustice@aldersgate.net . Woodlawn-Faith UMC Partnership Aldersgate UMC is currently partnering with Woodlawn-Faith UMC in worship and missional exchanges, as well as other events you can learn about here and under Upcoming Events . There are also opportunities to serve with Woodlawn-Faith UMC, such as Food Distribution on Fordson Road and to serve at the Community Gardens at the Grist Mill Park. Woodlawn-Faith UMC is an African-American congregation in our area. This partnership came out of our work on our Focus 2025 Strategic Priorities. We heard you as our congregation wanting to be more diverse in worship and in engaging with our community. Upcoming Partnership Events 1 2 3 4 5 1 ... 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 ... 100 Woodlawn-Faith Partnership Be the Bridge Book Club Creation Care Woodlawn-Faith UMC Partnership Aldersgate UMC is currently partnering with Woodlawn-Faith UMC in worship and missional exchanges, as well as other events you can learn about here and under Upcoming Events . There are also opportunities to serve with Woodlawn-Faith UMC, such as Food Distribution on Fordson Road and to serve at the Community Gardens at the Grist Mill Park. Woodlawn-Faith UMC is an African-American congregation in our area. This partnership came out of our work on our Focus 2025 Strategic Priorities. We heard you as our congregation wanting to be more diverse in worship and in engaging with our community. Upcoming Partnership Events 1 2 3 4 5 1 ... 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 ... 100