Epiphany Lutheran Church is an ELCA congregation in historic Mount Vernon in Fairfax County, Virginia.
We are a welcoming and affirming Christian community that lives with a daring confidence in God’s gracious love for all people.
Come Worship with Us
In Person or Online
Sundays at 9:30 a.m.
UPDATED NOVEMBER 21, 2025
This Sunday, November 23, 2025, is Reign of Christ (or Christ the King) Sunday. Our Sunday service will be at the usual time of 9:30 a.m.
On-site: Come join us in the sanctuary for the full service.
On-line: The service will also be livestreamed on our YouTube channel and also through our usual Epiphany Zoom connection. To join us on Zoom, just click on this link or follow the instructions below.
The readings are Jeremiah 23:1-6; Psalm 46; Colossians 1:11-20; and Luke 23:33-43.
For those joining the service online, you can download a PDF copy of the bulletin (including music, readings, and prayers) by clicking here.
We will have a time of fellowship following the service, both in person and on Zoom.
Calendar of Events
Sun Nov. 23 - Sunday School, 10:45 a.m.
Tue Nov. 25 - Office/sanctuary drop-in hours, 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Wed Nov. 26 - Bible Reading Group, 10:00 a.m. on Zoom
Thu Nov. 27 - Thanksgiving Day - Happy Thanksgiving!
Sun Nov. 30 - First Sunday of Advent
Mon Dec. 1 - Fort Belvoir Reading Group, 10:00 a.m. at Starbucks, 12th St.
Wed Dec. 3 - Epiphany serves at VIC Hypothermia Shelter
Thu Dec. 4 - Book Reading Group, 2:00 p.m., church office or Zoom
Sun Dec. 14 - Congregation Council, 10:45 a.m.
Wed Dec. 17 - Epiphany serves at VIC Hypothermia Shelter
Wed Dec. 24 - Christmas Service, 4:00 p.m.
Hypothermia Shelter
Epiphany — along with many other congregations in our area — supports our regional hypothermia shelter each winter hosted by Rising Hope United Methodist Church. This supplemental shelter provides meals and a warm place to sleep for people experiencing homelessness along Richmond Highway.
Epiphany is scheduled to provide and serve the meals on four dates this winter: Wednesdays December 3 and 17, and Tuesdays February 3 and 17. We’ll need volunteers to take on some or all of these tasks: donate food to be prepared, cook at home, bring it to Rising Hope around 6:30 p.m., serve dinner and clean up from 7-9 p.m., and stay and visit with guests until lights-out at 11 p.m.
If you are interested in participating either or both December nights, please contact Jessie McManus before or after Sunday’s service.
Reading and Discussion Groups
The next session of our Fort Belvoir faith discussion group will be on Monday, December 1, at 10:00 a.m. at the Starbucks at 5976 12th Street on Fort Belvoir.
Our book reading group will meet next on Thursday, December 4, at 2:00 p.m. We’ll discuss Axiom 7 in Sternke & Tebbe, Having the Mind of Christ: Eight Axioms to Cultivate a Robust Faith, pages 118-134.
Our evening faith discussion group will meet next on Wednesday, December 10, at 6:30 p.m. at the Panera Bread in the Beacon Center, 6670 Richmond Highway.
Drop-In Office Hours
The church office is open every Tuesday from 2-6 p.m. You can just drop by to check in, chat with Pastor David, or take some quiet time in the sanctuary.
Pastor David is also available at other times during the week … feel free to contact him by e-mail pastor@epiphanylutheran.org to set up a time.
EWS Update
Thanks to everyone who participated in the EWS fall food drive!
EWS will be closed starting Wednesday, November 26 for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Calendar of Commemorations
The ELCA remembers saints and reformers of many Christian traditions on specific days throughout the year. Upcoming commemorations include:
Clement, Bishop of Rome, died around 100 (Sun Nov. 23)
Clement was the third bishop of Rome. He is best remembered for a letter he wrote to the congregation in Corinth, still struggling with the same problems that led to Paul's letters to them. As did Paul, he focused on the need for love among Christians.
Miguel Agustín Pro, martyr, died 1927 (Sun Nov. 23)
Pro grew up in a time when the Mexican revolutionaries accused the church of siding with the wealthy. He became a Jesuit priest, and worked on behalf of the poor and homeless. Falsely accused of throwing a bomb at a government official, he was executed, but not before crying out "Long live Christ the King!"
Justus Falckner, died 1723; Jehu Jones, died 1852; William Passavant, died 1894; pastors in North America (Mon Nov. 24)
Not only was Falckner the first Lutheran ordained in North America, but he published a catechism which was the first Lutheran book published on the continent. Jones was the Lutheran church's first African American pastor and carried out missionary work in Philadelphia which led to the formation there of the first African American Lutheran congregation (St. Paul's). William Passavant helped to establish hospitals and orphanages in a number of cities and was the first to introduce deaconesses to the work of hospitals in the United States.
Isaac Watts, hymnwriter, died 1748 (Tue Nov. 25)
Thought by many to be the greatest hymnwriter in the English language, Watts as a youth was critical of the quality of the metrical psalter of the time. He wrote about 600 hymns—many based on the psalms, but others that are not.
Connection Details
You can join our services or other events on Zoom from anywhere in the world you may be. If you’ve never used Zoom before, you may need to download some software first (it’s free and only takes a minute).
To join, click on this link: https://zoom.us/j/2886238502?pwd=RU9ZZjk1TTdKREd5YmpBN1A2dWlsZz09
or open the Zoom app and use meeting number 288 623 8502 and password 971936;
or (for audio only) call (646) 558-8656 or (301) 715-8592 – When asked for the meeting ID, press 288 623 8502 and then the # key. When asked for the password, press 971 936 and then the # key.
In addition, the service is available on our YouTube channel. If you cannot participate live at 9:30 a.m., the videos will remain available so you can participate at whatever time you can.
United Community
United Community’s “Choice Food Pantry” is located at 7511 Fordson Road. UC serves 65 households daily during its open hours of Monday 10-1, Tuesday 12-3, Wednesday 2-5, and Thursday 12-3. For more information about the food pantry, connecting with other available services (including rental and utilities assistance), or for how to volunteer with United Community, visit their web site here.
Connecting With Us
If anyone is sick or in the hospital or otherwise in need, we are ready to help out and to support one another. Please let us know! The easiest way to reach Pastor David quickly is by sending an e-mail to pastor@epiphanylutheran.org.
Financial Support for Epiphany
If you are not able to join us in-person for worship and are able to continue to support Epiphany, we regularly monitor mail deliveries and so you can continue to send checks by mail. In addition, there is a “Donate” button on the web site www.epiphanylutheran.org (just scroll all the way down to the bottom) and you can make a contribution electronically using Paypal or a debit or credit card. We do pay a small service charge for online contributions, but this may be the most convenient option for many.