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< Back Jesse St Clair Smith Director of Children's Ministries Email: children@aldersgate.net Phone: (703) 765-6555 x616

< Back Bailey Johnson Co-Director of Student Ministries Email: youth@aldersgate.net Phone:

Courageously living and sharing God's unconditional love every day, with everyone, everywhere. GIVE TO ALDERSGATE UMC Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7 We consider it a privilege to give back to God what has been graciously given to us. We are committed to generosity because we know first-hand the change God can bring through our sacrificial giving. Thank you for prioritizing Aldersgate UMC in your generous giving. Your consistency provides stability, strength, and support to our ministry. METHODS OF GIVING In Person or by Mail 1301 Collingwood Road Alexandria, VA 22308 Online Make a tax deductible donation‏. Click to Give By Text Text "ALDERSGATE" to 73256. Online giving takes place on Aldersgate’s Realm site. Click on the buttons, below, to learn how to setup a Realm account and how to give online. How to Setup Realm Account How to Give Online in Realm ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF GIVING Qualified Charitable Distribution Publicly Traded Securities Legacy Giving CURRENT CAMPAIGNS Select a campaign to learn more 2025 Stewardship Campaign Shepherd Hall Debt Reduction 2024 Stewardship Campaign Select a campaign to learn more Stewardship Campaign Capital Campaign Abundantly Far More Stewardship Campaign 2022 "Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." ~Ephesians 3:20-21 NRSV Our stewardship theme for 2022 is Abundantly Far More. The image of the grapes reminds us of God's abundance and how we are called to bear fruit for God. Our membership vows, professed before God and the church family, include support through five areas – our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness. We encourage you to be part of God's abundance and helping Aldersgate to bear fruit for God through your time, talents, and resources. A tangible way to bear fruit for God is to complete the online 2022 Commitment Card and 2022 Time and Talent Card . For more information, please contact connect@aldersgate.net . Thank you for your contribution and commitment to Aldersgate UMC!

Courageously living and sharing God's unconditional love every day, with everyone, everywhere. GIVE TO ALDERSGATE UMC Legacy Giving to Aldersgate UMC For where your heart is, there your treasure will be also. Matthew 6:21 Honor the generations that have built Aldersgate UMC and bless the generations to come by including the church in your estate plan. How Can I Make a Legacy Gift? Include Aldersgate United Methodist Church in your will. ~~~ Name Aldersgate United Methodist Church as a beneficiary of all or a portion of your retirement assets, donor-advised fund, or life insurance policy. ~~~ Consider gifts that provide income for you for the rest of your that will ultimately support the ministry of the church. Your financial advisor can tell you about income-producing gifts for Aldersgate UMC. ~~~ Consider making your gift unrestricted so that the church can use your gift where it is most needed at the time it is received. ~~~ You may designate your gift for unrestricted endowment, in which case only the interest will be expended in the future and that interest may be used wherever the need is greatest at the time as determined by the trustees. ~~~ Donate assets from an IRA to Aldersgate United Methodist Church. If retirement assets are given to Aldersgate United Methodist Church, the assets are not subject to payment of taxes and the entire asset would go to the church. Retirement funds designated for your heirs may be subject to income tax if the funds were not taxed previously and only a portion of the assets would go to your heirs. Designating assets other than retirement funds to heirs and designating IRA funds to Aldersgate UMC are both ways to maximize your giving to both the church and your heirs. Disclaimer Aldersgate United Methodist Church does not provide financial or tax advice. You should consult with your personal financial advisor before making any gift of this type. Legacy Gift Intent Form Suggested Wording for Bequest Informing the Endowment Committee, the Trustees, or one of the pastors of such a Legacy Gift intent would be appreciated so that you can be thanked during your lifetime, and so that any restrictions or questions about your gift may be addressed to make sure your gift will be used as you intended it. You may choose to be anonymous, or you may decide to allow Aldersgate United Methodist Church to list you as a member of the Legacy Circle. By acknowledging your intent to give, you may be encouraging others to follow your example and make a provision for Aldersgate in their will or estate plan.

Help students in your area receive healthy food. MISSION INFORMATION < Previous Back to Local Missions Next > Food for Neighbors Would you like to help students in your area receive the healthy food they need to succeed in school? Even in a county as wealthy as ours, one in four kids in our area are struggling with hunger. Through the Food for Neighbors Red Bag Program , you'll make a difference in a local student's life just by adding a few extra items to your shopping cart five times a year. And the best part - our students will immediately benefit from your generosity! Food for Neighbors has asked Aldersgate UMC to help them get the word out into the community and increase the number of donors. For more information about this organization, and to sign up to donate food and/or assist in donation pick up, please visit their website or you may contact Laura Wainwright , Area Manager for Fort Hunt. < Previous Next >

Courageously living and sharing God's unconditional love every day, with everyone, everywhere. SCOUTS AT ALDERSGATE UMC BSA TROOP 996 Troop 996 is an active Scouts BSA Troop with over 40 Scouts. Troop 996 was chartered in 1961 by the Aldersgate United Methodist Church and has been providing boys with opportunities to learn and grow for over 60 years. We're always happy to welcome new members at any level of Scouting and at any time during the year. For more information about Troop 996, visit https://sites.google.com/view/t996website or contact BSA Troop 996 at troop996.info@gmail.com . “A week of camp life is worth six months of theoretical teaching in the meeting room.” Lord Robert Baden-Powell, Founder of Scouting Troop 996 Spring Mulch Sale Submit online orders through Sunday, March 30th. Multiple kinds of mulch available in 2 cu ft and 3 cu ft bags Pick-up at Aldersgate UMC on Saturday, April 5th Orders of 5+ mulch bags include free delivery on April 5th to the following zip codes: 22306, 22307, 22308, 22309, 22310 Bulk mulch available with a minimum purchase of 7 yards ($24 and $34 per yd plus $105 delivery fee) Order Mulch Online Troop 996 Holiday Wreath and Evergreen Gifts Sale HAPPY HOLIDAYS! ***The last day to order is December 6th*** Troop 996's annual wreath and evergreen gift sale is underway, and we're hoping you can support us! Help by purchasing a beautiful fresh wreath, centerpiece, and/or tabletop Christmas tree. $8.00 is donated to our troop per item sold! The holiday evergreens you purchase for yourself, family, and friends will be delivered via FedEx in a festive carton with your personalized message. The quality of the products is amazing, and shipping to any location in the continental United States is included. Thank you in advance for your help supporting Troop 996. We hope you have a great holiday season! Order Greens Online Troop 996 Calendar of Events Troop 996 meets weekly on Sunday nights at 7:00PM and also has a monthly event based on the annual plan developed in August by the scouts, the Senior Patrol Leader, and input from the Scoutmaster. Troop 996 participates in monthly events that include Leadership Training, local Camporees, Scouting for Food, our Annual Flag Retirement Ceremony at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, Antietam National Battlefield Memorial Illumination, and Wreaths Across America at the Alexandria National Cemetery. Troop 996 also participates in summer activities including high adventure camps such as Philmont, Northern Tier, and Sea Base, and closer to home camps including Goshen, Virginia, Camp Rodney, Maryland, and Summit, West Virginia. On a few occasions, the troop has also ventured to locations like Norfolk, West Point, and New York City.

Courageously living and sharing God's unconditional love every day, with everyone, everywhere. COMPREHENSIVE CAMPAIGN 2023 Shepherding for the Future Comprehensive Campaign 2023 "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." Psalm 23:1 Rather than ask you twice within several months to give to two separate efforts, we are asking you once to support these efforts and to consider a gift for the future through a single Comprehensive Campaign for 2023. The Comprehensive Campaign 2023 has three parts - Stewardship, Shepherd Hall, and Legacy Giving. More information on each is below . We ask you to consider each part carefully. We encourage you to be a shepherd for the future through your giving. Campaign Pledge Form Campaign Testimonial Videos Time & Talent Form Time & Talent Testimonial Videos Campaign Progress Campaign Supporters of 2023 Campaign Information Packet FAQs Campaign Presentation Thank you for your contribution and commitment to Aldersgate UMC! Stewardship 2023 Shepherd Hall Campaign 2023 Stewardship Campaign Operating Budget The priority or first component for giving is your support of the annual expenses - the operating budget - of the church. The operating budget is the cost of the church's programs every day of the year. The total operating budget for 2023 is projected to be $1.6 million. This will be paid through pledged commitments (62.5%), non-pledge donations (28.2%), and other revenue (9.3%). Our goal is to receive pledged commitments for a total of $1 million. Included in the operating budget are the apportionments which we pay to support the ministries of the United Methodist Church denomination. Apportionments is a method of giving that proportionally allocates the denomination-wide budget to conferences and local churches. For example, the apportionment dollars that Aldersgate gives toward Global Missions and other organizations within the United Methodist Church help those in need in Ukraine. The operating budget includes apportionments, staff salaries, church administration expenses, missions, and the cost of maintaining the church properties (main church and two parsonages). Click Here for Note on Mission Expenses You are asked each Fall to make a commitment through the "Stewardship Campaign" for the following year. You are asked to renew your current commitment to support the annual operating budget and to consider increasing your pledge by 10% for 2023. If you do not have a current commitment, please consider making one. The amount you give is a personal matter. When deciding on how much to give, remember that scripture indicates that tithing is the standard and that giving one-tenth of our income to the church is the norm. Tithing is a spiritual goal for many Christians and for members of the Jewish faith, as well. Legacy Giving Anchor 1

Courageously living and sharing God's unconditional love every day, with everyone, everywhere. L ent & E aster 2025 ORDERS MUST BE PLACED BY THURSDAY, APRIL 10TH. Shrove Tuesday Ash Wednesday Holy Week Easter Sunday Lent Resources Tuesday, March 4th Shrove Tuesday Pancakes N' More Dinner | 6:00pm in Wesley Hall It's almost that time of year. The time where we mindfully set aside our shared indulgent nature and ponder Christ's great gift of salvation. However, before we humbly walk that path, I have a question. To paraphrase the character Donkey from Shrek, you know what everybody likes? Pancakes! On Shrove Tuesday, we invite you to satisfy your inner donkey and get some amazing breakfast for dinner, prepared and served by Team Aldersgate Youth. While you are dining on the finest carbs in the DMV, you can feel great knowing your generous donations will benefit both your immediate church family and our greater community. And did I mention the eggs and sausage? You just can't lose! So, please tell a friend, locate your stretchy pants, and mark your calendars for Tuesday, March 4 in Wesley Hall at 6:00. It's going to be a hoot--we'll save you a seat! SIGN UP TO ATTEND Please RSVP by March 2nd so we know how many folks will be joining us for dinner. There is no set cost to attend this dinner. Rather, we will be taking Love Offerings that will go towards supporting the youth's chosen missions, including Alice's House, Christ House, Provision Kitchen, our various mission projects, and a much-needed Youth Room renovation! Contributions can be made by check (payable to Aldersgate UMC with "Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner" in the note) or by cash on the evening of the event. For more information, please contact Bailey Johnson and Andreas Barrett at youth@aldersgate.net . Wednesday, March 5th Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday Wor ship Services at 9am & 7pm Imposition of Ashes will be offered at both Services (No nursery available ) 7pm service will be livestreamed Volunteer for Ash Wednesday Services Ash Wednesday Bulletin (7pm Service) Holy Week at Alde r sgate Sunday, April 13th - Saturday, April 19th We invite you to join us for worship throughout Holy Week. Volunteer for Worship During Holy Week palm sunday Sunday, April 13th 9:30am | Contemporary Worship 11:00am | Traditional Worship Nursery Availa ble (3 & under) Livestream Available for Both Services maundy thursday Thursday, April 17th 7:00pm Worship Service with Communion No Nursery Available Livestream Available good friday Friday, April 18th 7:00pm Worship Service No Nursery Available Livestream Available Sunday, April 20th Easter Sunday We invite you to join us for worship throughout Holy Week. Volunteer for Worship on Easter Sunday Livestream Easter Worship Services 6:30am | Sunrise Service on the Front Lawn No nursery availa ble 9:30am | Contemp or ary Worship (Sanctuary + Live Stream) Worship Service with Communion (nursery available for kids 3 & under) 11:00am | Traditional Worship (Sanctuary + Live Stream) Worship Service with Communion (nursery available for kids 3 & under) Easter Egg Hunt | 10:30am | Front Lawn Livestream will be available for the 9:30am & 11am services. There will be no Sunday School on Easter Sunday 2025 Lent Resources Lenten Sermon Series Book Creation Care Lenten Devotional Kids Lenten Calendar This Season of Lent, our sermon series will follow the book Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge by Mark Batterson. Do you pray as often and as bravely as you want to? Are you looking to strengthen your relationship with God and experience a deeper, more intentional prayer life? Our sermon sermon series this Lenten season will focus on how to be more intentional in our prayer lives daily. We'll look at some key prayers offered in scripture from David, Esther, Daniel, and Jesus. We'll talk about circling our children (and grandchildren) in prayer. We'll consider prayers we offer that say "God, I really need help on this now!" and those prayers we offer up in which persistence is needed. We'll also consider the ripple effects of our prayers. God loves to answer our prayers, and the Lenten season offers us a great opportunity to grow in our prayer lives and, therefore, our relationship with God. We invite you as an individual or as part of a group to purchase and read the book as we move through this sermon series. The book is available online at all major book retailers. If you would like to start your own group for this Lenten study, please contact our Equip Team (equip@aldersgate.net ). 2025 Creation Care Lenten Devotional For many, Lent is a season of denial and sacrifice—a time to give things up and do without. Too often, we associate it with feeling miserable, as if that's what God wants from us. But that's not what Lent is about! Lent is about making space in our lives for God—clearing away the clutter so we can focus on what truly matters. And we should take note of the season in which Lent happens. Just as spring reminds us that some things must fall away to make room for new life, Lent invites us to do the same. This 2025 Lenten Devotional is provided by the Creation Justice Ministries . It is a daily devotional, using Scripture, reflection, and prayer, that is designed to help you sweep away the decaying things in your heart and make room for the blooming of love and justice in the world. 2025 Creation Care Lenten Devotional We encourage you to download the Lenten Devotional Guide and to use this resource as a way to deepen your spiritual practice during the Lenten season and to commit to taking meaningful actions to care for God's creation. Additional Creation Care Resources: Aldersgate UMC Creation Care Team United Methodist Creation Justice Movement 2025 Kids Lenten Calendar This 2025 Kids Lenten Calendar offers children a fun way to participate in the season of Lent through a daily practice of giving, praying, and fasting that is active and contemplative. 2025 Kids Lenten Calendar We encourage you to download the calendar and to use this resource with your children throughout this Lenten season. Shrove Tuesday Ash Wednesday Holy Week Easter Sunday Lent Resources Lenten Giving Shrove Tuesday Tuesday, March 4th Pancakes N' More Dinner | 6:00pm in Wesley Hall As we look ahead to Lent, the Pancakes N’ More dinner promises to be a fun-filled evening of food and fellowship, strengthening the ties within our community, and reminding us of what matters most. The Aldersgate youth routinely reach into the world to provide love and support for those in need, and on February 13th we have another opportunity to stand up, reach out, and say yes to God’s call. This Shrove Tuesday, come be part of an evening that will last well beyond the last bite taken. SIGN UP TO ATTEND Please RSVP by February 11th so we know how many folks will be joining us for dinner. There is no set cost to attend this dinner. Rather, we will be taking donations that will go to support our friends at Provision Church. Here’s who they are and why our partnership is so vital: [At Provision Church, our mission is] a culinary entrepreneurship training program for individuals experiencing generational poverty in Northern Virginia. We believe in dreams and we believe in supporting the dreams of people whose dreams have been for too long deferred and unheard. We believe that we are called to a table that excludes no one and that, at that table, what happens is more than a meal. It's a movement. Contributions can be made online through the Provision Church portal (www.provisionchurchnova.org/support) , via Realm , by check, or in the form of cash. Donations can be made on the 13th, but also in advance. However you choose to give, please mark your payment as a gift to Provision Church, if appropriate (checks, envelopes stuffed with cash, Realm). For more information, please contact Andreas Barrett .

Bible Study Group EVENT INFORMATION < Previous Event Back to Upcoming Events Back Next Event > Wednesday Night Zoom Bible Study The Awe of God Will meet every Wednesday evening at 7:30pm-9:30pm Do you long for an intimate relationship with your Creator but He seems elusive? Perhaps it's because something essential is missing in your life—the fear of the Lord. Don't let this frighten you. Fearing God is very different than being afraid of God. It's the key to everything. Holy Fear is not a topic you'll hear much about these days, but if you want to build a faith that stands strong through troubled times, you cannot afford to ignore it. In this six-session video Bible study , bestselling author John Bevere explores more than forty promises in Scripture given to those who embrace holy fear—rewards such as holiness, wisdom, legacy, confidence, happiness, and security. He invites you to take a fresh look at what it means to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. And he shows how approaching God in this way allows you to discover the deeper relationship with the Lord that your soul longs for and that He desires to have with you. For more information, or to receive the zoom link, please email Shari Van Buren at shari_van_buren@hotmail.com . Do you long for an intimate relationship with your Creator but He seems elusive? Perhaps it's because something essential is missing in your life—the fear of the Lord. Don't let this frighten you. Fearing God is very different than being afraid of God. It's the key to everything. Holy Fear is not a topic you'll hear much about these days, but if you want to build a faith that stands strong through troubled times, you cannot afford to ignore it. In this six-session video Bible study , bestselling author John Bevere explores more than forty promises in Scripture given to those who embrace holy fear—rewards such as holiness, wisdom, legacy, confidence, happiness, and security. He invites you to take a fresh look at what it means to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. And he shows how approaching God in this way allows you to discover the deeper relationship with the Lord that your soul longs for and that He desires to have with you. For more information, or to receive the zoom link, please email Shari Van Buren at shari_van_buren@hotmail.com . < Previous Event Next Event >

Donate food and drinks for Sunday Lunch at Rising Hope. EVENT INFORMATION < Previous Event Back to Upcoming Events Back Next Event > Sunday Lunch at Rising Hope UMC LOCAL MISSIONS & OUTREACH Donation Drop-Off by Friday, December 12th. Lunch Served on Sunday, December 14th. Drop-Off Donations at Door #3 Aldersgate provides lunch to the 50 or so worshippers at Rising Hope Mission Church on the 2nd Sunday of each month. We need your help! Volunteers are needed to donate food and drinks as indicated on the sign-up and drop them off at the church at Door 3 by the Friday before our Sunday Lunch date. CLICK HERE to learn more about this ministry. If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Julie Pfister . Aldersgate provides lunch to the 50 or so worshippers at Rising Hope Mission Church on the 2nd Sunday of each month. We need your help! Volunteers are needed to donate food and drinks as indicated on the sign-up and drop them off at the church at Door 3 by the Friday before our Sunday Lunch date. For more information on Sunday Lunch and other local missions and outreach, please visit the Local Missions and Outreach page on our website. < Previous Event Next Event >

Help build relationships and share a meal with Rising Hope UMC. MISSION INFORMATION < Previous Back to Local Missions Next > Sunday Lunch at Rising Hope Aldersgate provides lunch to the 50 or so worshippers at Rising Hope Mission Church on the 2nd Sunday of each month. Volunteers are needed to donate food and drinks that will be used to prepare a hardy lunch. Purchased food and drinks would need to be brought to the church the week before our assigned Sunday and dropped off at door 3. Volunteers can also sign up to make the vegetable soup (we have a recipe you can use or you can use your own) the Saturday before our second Sunday Lunch service. CLICK HERE to visit the Sign-Up Genius to see what items are needed. You can select as as many as you are able to purchase to donate. Purchased supplies can be dropped off by Door #3 at the week prior to our assigned Sunday. If you have questions or would like more information on this ministry opportunity, please contact Julie Pfister . < Previous Next >

Courageously living and sharing God's unconditional love every day, with everyone, everywhere. INTERCESSORY PRAYER TEAM Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. James 5:16 Aldersgate has an Intercessory Prayer Group serving you and your loved ones quietly behind the scenes. Though discreet and low-key, it has a powerful and essential mandate. Our group is dedicated to praying for others within our congregation and worldwide who have spiritual, medical, and relationship needs. Accident victims, deployed military, persons caught up in natural disasters, hunger, domestic and community violence, homelessness or human trafficking are on our lists, as are a multitude of other circumstances. All of our discussions are confidential and every prayer request is honored. We are apolitical and do not judge need by class, color, sexual or political orientation, geography, or any other factor. Anyone can request prayers by calling the church office (703-765-6555), or sending an email to prayers@aldersgate.net .