Search Results

Courageously living and sharing God's unconditional love every day, with everyone, everywhere. GIVE TO ALDERSGATE UMC Do All the Good You Can Stewardship Campaign 2024 "They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share." 1 Timothy 6:18 (NRSV) Our theme for this year's Stewardship Campaign 2024 is based on one of John Wesley's guiding principles to "Do All the Good You Can". This message is reinforced in scripture where, in 1 Timothy 6:18, Paul asks Timothy to instruct the people of Ephesus to "do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share". In the spirit of "do all the good you can", we need to use this Stewardship season to prayerfully renew our commitment to the Aldersgate mission of "courageously living God's unconditional love". Stewardship is not just about the finances we commit to the church. It is also about using our God-given gifts to serve the church and others. As we continue our Stewardship theme of, "Do All the Good You Can" we invite you to make a commitment of your time and talents for 2024. Consider making a new commitment this year, and please make sure to renew your commitment in an area you wish to continue using your gifts. These Time and Talent cards are vital for the health and growth of the church as we seek to do all the good that we can in our church and community. Drop off your Time and Talent card in the offering plate on Sunday morning, bring it to the church office, or email it to office@aldersgate.net by Sunday, January 21st. Time & Talent Card Time & Talent Video Campaign Testimonial Videos Time & Talent Testimonial Videos Watch our video highlighting the ministries of Aldersgate UMC Doing All the Good We Can Prayer Calendar As we enter 2024, we take the time to consider where we have been this past year, to express gratitude in the present, and to celebrate in the hope for the future. We invite you to prayerfully consider making a commitment to our 2024 Stewardship Campaign by providing the financial resources needed to support the facilities, staff, missions, wellness classes, children and youth ministries, music ministries, and more. Please know that all gifts of all amounts matter. We look forward with great anticipation to the tomorrows that begin today as we strive to do all the good that we can. Campaign Financial Pledge Form Campaign Progress 187 Pledges Received as of March 27th, 2024 Goal: $950,000 $948,299 Thank you for your contribution and commitment to Aldersgate UMC! Our Operating Budget The reason for making a pledged commitment is to support the annual expenses for the operating budget for the church. The operating budget is the cost of all the expenses of the church to include programs, missions, apportionments, salaries, overhead, etc. The total operating budget for 2024 is projected to be $1.5 million. We rely on pledged commitments, non-pledge donations, and other revenue to meet these expenses. Our goal is to receive pledged commitments for a total of $950,000. Note on Mission Funding in the Operating Budget The 5% for mission expenses does not include support from the UMM and UWF support of missions. Apportionments also support missions, and there are restricted funds designated for missions. Many members of the church support missions directly. You are asked each fall to make a commitment through the "Stewardship Campaign" for the upcoming year so that we can appropriately plan which missions we will be able to support, events we can plan to have, repairs we can expect to be able to make, etc. 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 or a goal to attain.

Volunteer to make and deliver sack meals to the people sheltered in local motels. EVENT INFORMATION < Previous Event Back to Upcoming Events Back Next Event > Phoenix Rising Sandwich Making LOCAL MISSIONS & OUTREACH Thursday, December 11th | 5:00pm - 7:00pm Aldersgate UMC (Wesley Hall) Phoenix Rising meal packing happens once each month, on the Thursday before the second Friday (not always the second Thursday). We pack meals at 5:00 p.m. in Wesley Hall. For more information about Phoenix Rising or to be added to the volunteer email list, please email Jean Vita ( jeanvita@hotmail.com ) and Georgia Harlow ( gharlow383@hotmail.com ). For more information on Phoenix Rising and other local missions and outreach, please visit the Local Missions and Outreach page on our website. Phoenix Rising meal packing happens once each month, on the Thursday before the second Friday (not always the second Thursday). We pack meals at 5:00 p.m. in Wesley Hall. For more information about Phoenix Rising or to be added to the volunteer email list, please email Jean Vita ( jeanvita@hotmail.com ) and Georgia Harlow ( gharlow383@hotmail.com ). For more information on Phoenix Rising and other local missions and outreach, please visit the Local Missions and Outreach page on our website. < Previous Event Next Event >

< Back Doug VanDenBerg Organist Email: organist@aldersgate.net Phone:

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 .

The Rising Hope Food Market provides much-needed food to individuals and families in need along the Route 1 corridor. MISSION INFORMATION < Previous Back to Local Missions Next > Rising Hope Food Market Aldersgate UMC is proud to support the Food Market mission at Rising Hope Mission Church . What is the Rising Hope Food Market? The Rising Hope Food Market provides groceries to food insecure individuals and families in the community. Throughout the year, Aldersgate UMC collects food donations and delivers those goods to Rising Hope Mission Church. Rising Hope Mission Church then distributes the food donations to individuals and families in need on Wednesday from 1:30-3:30pm, and on Thursday from 10am-12pm and 1:30-5:30pm. Why is this outreach program important? Many individuals in our community do not get a sufficient quantity of nutritious, affordable food. The donations that we provide and the work that we are doing with Rising Hope Mission Church help serve those in need along the Route 1 corridor by providing them with quality, reliable food assistance every week. How can I help? Donate non-perishable food items. Donated food items may be dropped off in the bin by Door 3 any time. Make a monetary donation to the Rising Hope Food Market. Monetary donations can be made with cash or check and brought to the church office or dropped in the offering plate on Sunday morning. Please make checks payable to Aldersgate UMC and indicate "Rising Hope Food Market" in the note. Donations may also be made online - CLICK HERE . Please select "Missions" from the drop-down and enter "Rising Hope Food Market" in the note. You can also sign up to be a driver, where you pick up the food donations at Aldersgate UMC and deliver them to Rising Hope Mission Church once a week (on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday mornings from 10am-12pm). Who can I contact to volunteer or for more information? For volunteer-related questions, please contact Dave Halladay . If you'd like to contact a representative of Rising Hope Mission Church to gain more information about the Food Pantry mission, please contact Heather Marshall . < Previous Next >

Providing humanitarian relief at the national and global levels. MISSION INFORMATION < Previous Back to National & International Missions Next > United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) As the humanitarian relief and development arm of The United Methodist Church, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) assists United Methodists and churches to become involved globally in direct ministry to persons in need. UMCOR comes alongside those who suffer from natural or human-caused disasters – famine, hurricane, war, flood, fire or other events – to alleviate suffering and serve as a source of help and hope for the vulnerable. UMCOR provides relief, response and long-term recovery grants when events overwhelm a community’s ability to recover on their own. UMCOR also provides technical support and training for partners to address emerging and ongoing issues related to disaster relief, recovery, and long-term health and development. UMCOR currently has response efforts in place to provide aid and assistance to the people of Ukraine; to alleviate suffering caused by hurricanes and other natural disasters within the United States and its territories; and to provide support to displaced persons as well as refugees fleeing disasters (both natural and human-caused) around the globe. Ways to Give: Visit https://umcmission.org/ways-to-give/ to learn about the many ways in which you can give to UMCOR. Here is some information on three primary ways in which you can give. Online at https://umcmission.org/ways-to-give By toll-free telephone call: 1-888-252-6174 By check made payable to "Advance GCFA" with the name of the missionary or project and the Advance number on the memo line of the check. Mail to Global Ministries/UMCOR, GPO, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY, 10087-9068 If you have any questions about donating, please email donationhelp@umcmission.org . < Previous Next >

< Back Pastor Sherry Hietpas Associate Pastor Email: shietpas@aldersgate.net Phone: (703) 765-6555 x601 Pastor Sherry Hietpas is a graduate of Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC, with a Master of Divinity and is currently a Provisional Elder in the Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. She received her call to vocational ministry in 2017 while serving as the Director of Family Ministries at First United Methodist Church in Pacific Grove, CA. She has previously served Andrew Chapel UMC in Vienna, VA, as their Associate Pastor. Sherry has a passion for building community as an expression of faith in Jesus Christ and believes many relationships are formed around a table, usually over good food and discussion. She finds that relationship building leads to a strong sense of belonging, which can spur personal and communal transformation. Sherry has also developed a passion for digital ministry, which was cultivated while living overseas. Sherry is married to an active-duty Marine and is a mother to three daughters. She is excited to be part of the incredible ministries of Aldersgate UMC, as they serve the community of Alexandria.

Join Woodlawn-Faith UMC at St. John's Baptist Church on Fordson Road to pack food boxes for folks in our community to collect. MISSION INFORMATION < Previous Back to Local Missions Next > Woodlawn- Faith Food Distribution Woodlawn-Faith UMC buys canned goods and produce from the Capital Area Food Bank , which the Food Bank delivers to St. John’s Baptist Church on Fordson Road. Produce comes in bulk and has to be bagged for distribution. Another person collects bread and pastry products from Costco and local grocery stores to be added to the boxes. Cars line up around the parking lot on a first-come/first-serve basis. Food boxes (canned goods, bread, and pastries) and bags (produce) are loaded into the cars as they drive by. The only record kept is on the number of people benefiting from the food. No other questions asked. Fresh produce is also donated to Mondloch House. The upcoming dates and times are: Friday, July 11th | 9:30am-12pm Come any time on these dates. No reservation or sign-up required! Drop by any time and stay for as long as you can! Students can earn community service hours. For questions, please contact Karen Latta . < Previous Next >

EVENT INFORMATION < Previous Event Back to Upcoming Events Back Next Event > Potpourri Class - Questions Jesus Asked Questions Jesus Asked Sundays | 9:30 | Room 208 Many of us have questions we would like to ask Jesus, but have you ever thought about the questions Jesus posed to others? In this 6-week study by Magrey DeVega , we will explore some of these questions and discover what they reveal about Jesus and what he wants to know about us. Starting October 19th: You are invited to join the Potpourri Sunday School class for a study of Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers , in which we will look at the spiritual convictions and inspiration of some of the world’s greatest composers, including Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and others. We will learn how their sincere faith informed their musical creations. If you attend the traditional service, you will have heard our organist perform some of their works. This two-session study begins Oct. 19th in room 208 at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays. You do not need to purchase the book. Many of us have questions we would like to ask Jesus, but have you ever thought about the questions Jesus posed to others? In this 6-week study by Magrey DeVega , we will explore some of these questions and discover what they reveal about Jesus and what he wants to know about us. Starting October 19th: You are invited to join the Potpourri Sunday School class for a study of Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers , in which we will look at the spiritual convictions and inspiration of some of the world’s greatest composers, including Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and others. We will learn how their sincere faith informed their musical creations. If you attend the traditional service, you will have heard our organist perform some of their works. This two-session study begins Oct. 19th in room 208 at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays. You do not need to purchase the book. < Previous Event Next Event >

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. GIVE TO ALDERSGATE UMC Shepherd Hall 2023-2026 Campaign Repayment of Debt for Construction of Shepherd Hall "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." Psalm 23:1 The Shepherd Hall project included building Shepherd Hall; renovating existing classrooms; installation of new and higher capacity boilers and air conditioning for the entire church complex; and environmental site requirements, including the parking lot expansion and the installation of drainage sand filler. Total costs were approximately $4.6 million. The need for Shepherd Hall came because of an increase in the number of families in the community. Space was needed for the growing Sunday School attendance and the expansion of the Aldersgate Day School. The primary purpose was to support Christian education. Another use for the new building was much-needed storage. At that time, the church was overflowing with materials and equipment to support church activities. The third floor of Shepherd Hall was designed to provide sufficient storage. Shepherd Hall Testimonial Videos Campaign Commitments Campaign Information Packet FAQs Campaign Presentation Thank you for your contribution and commitment to Aldersgate UMC! The map of the church (above) shows the first two floors of Shepherd Hall at the bottom, inside the red box. The third floor, which is not shown, is used for storage. Shepherd Hall is a three-story addition to the church building that includes approximately 15,000 square feet of meeting and storage space. The addition is about 30% of the overall church building's space. Shepherd Hall includes the church library, where books on a variety of topics are available and where meetings of many church and community groups are held, Sunday School classes for children, youth, and adults, along with storage for the church, Aldersgate Day School, and the Aldersgate Church Community Theater. Our church community has been very generous and has given through several campaigns to support Shepherd Hall. As of October 21, 2025, the remaining debt is $783,476.31. *Updated October 2025* History of Giving Progress Report Current Status History of Giving Towards Shepherd Hall From 2010-2016, a total of $1,395,885.86 was given toward the Shepherd Hall project. The most recent campaigns (Building Lives Campaign in 2016-2019 - $857,829.94 and Growing Lives for the Future Campaign in 2023-2026 - $525,079.48) have brought in $1,156,561. In addition to this, $61,909 was contributed in "Mortgage May" in May 2022 against a goal of $10,000. The total paid from these campaigns of $2,775,795 reflects a significant amount of interest that has been paid over the lifetime of the loan. During that time, the principal has been reduced by a far smaller amount. We still have a long way to go.

Courageously living and sharing God's unconditional love every day, with everyone, everywhere. MONTHLY MISSION FOCUS December 2025 Alternative Christmas Giving 2025 Serving our neighbors in Cambodia Point of Contact Julie Pfister (julie.pfister@gmail.com) Welcome to Aldersgate United Methodist Church’s 23rd 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’ 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 Catalog Alternative Giving Shopping List Alternative Giving Gift Card Alternative Giving Volunteers will be at a table in Wesley Hall during Fellowship Time on December 7th, 14th, and 21st 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 questions or would like more information, please contact Julie Pfister . Thank you for being a blessing to others less fortunate. Merry Christmas! December 2025 Alternative Giving Epiphany Tree Mission Focus for Helvetica Light is an easy-to-read font, with tall and narrow letters, that works well on almost every site. Point of Contact POC Name I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy. Epiphany Tree Just as the Magi brought gifts to Jesus, we invite you to bring a gift for a baby or toddler, and bring an ornament to hang on our Epiphany Tree. Point of Contact Molly Johnson (txmollina@gmail.com) 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, toddler, or new mother. You can place these donations (unwrapped) in the box under the Epiphany Tree. We will collect these 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. 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!