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. - This Sunday (Jan. 25) online only due to snow
UPDATED JANUARY 23, 2026
SNOW UPDATE
The weather forecast for this coming Sunday, January 25, is looking dire. In the interests of everyone’s staying safe and warm during the snow and ice ….
Unless there is a dramatic change in the forecast, we will not have our Sunday service in the sanctuary. Instead, we’ll simply gather using Zoom at 9:30 a.m. - use our usual meeting number 288 623 8502 and password 971936, or go to this link. We may pre-record part of the service and that recording will also be available on our YouTube channel as usual.
We will postpone our annual congregational meeting to Sunday, February 8, at 10:30 a.m. (immediately following the regular service).
We’ll cancel our scheduled Fort Belvoir discussion meeting on Monday, January 26; our next meeting will be on February 9.
This Sunday’s Service
This Sunday, January 25, 2026, is the Third Sunday After Epiphany. Our Sunday service will be at the usual time of 9:30 a.m.
On-site: Not this Sunday … stay safe with the snow!
On-line: Join us live at 9:30 through our usual Epiphany Zoom connection. In addition, the pre-recorded portion of the service will be available on our YouTube channel.
The readings will be Isaiah 9:1-4; Psalm 27:1, 4-9; 1 Corinthians 1:10-18; and Matthew 4:12-23.
We will have a time of fellowship following the service on Zoom.
Memorial Service for Jack Bondurant
The family of Jack Bondurant will be holding a memorial service and reception for Jack on Saturday, February 14, from 2-3 p.m., at the Paul Springs Retirement Community, 7116 Fort Hunt Road, Alexandria VA 22307. Everyone from Epiphany is welcome to attend and participate.
Calendar of Events
Tue Jan. 27 - Office/sanctuary drop-in hours, 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Wed Jan. 28 - Bible Reading Group, 10:00 a.m. on Zoom
Sun Feb. 1 - Sunday School, 10:45 a.m.
Tue Feb. 3 - Epiphany night to serve at Hypothermia Shelter
Wed Feb. 4 - VIC General Meeting, 11:30 a.m. at Washington Farm UMC, 3921 Old Mill Road
Wed Feb. 4 - Evening Faith Discussion Group, 6:30 p.m. at Panera Bread
Sun Feb. 8 - Annual Congregational Meeting, 10:30 a.m.
Sun Feb. 9 - Fort Belvoir Discussion Group, 10:00 a.m. at 12th St. Starbucks
Sun Feb. 15 - Sunday of the Transfiguration service, 9:30 a.m.
Tue Feb. 17 - Epiphany night to serve at Hypothermia Shelter.
Wed Feb. 18 - Ash Wednesday, service of the Word with ashes 9:15 a.m.
Vacation Bible School - Save the Date!
We’ll be holding Vacation Bible School again next summer the week of July 13-17, in partnership with Abiding Presence Lutheran Church in Burke. Registration information will be available soon.
EWS Update
EWS will follow the Fairfax County Public Schools schedule for snow closings. When open, we’ll be celebrating National Puzzle Week and hold our annual Pajama Day this week as well.
Congregation Meeting and Council
As noted above, our rescheduled annual congregational meeting will take place immediately following the service on Sunday, February 8, 2026. As part of this meeting, we will be electing new members of our Congregation Council and members to serve as voting members of the Metro DC Synod Assembly, which will meet on Saturday, June 6, 2026 in Gaithersburg. All members are invited to prayerfully consider serving in one or both of these roles.
We expect to be posting a draft agenda for the meeting and the proposed budgets for the coming year shortly, so everyone can review them before the congregational meeting.
The Metro DC Synod will be hosting a Congregation Council Training session on Saturday, February 7 for newly elected and returning congregational council members. Topics include church leadership best practices, constitution & bylaw processes, and questions/answers. The event will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is hosted by Lord of Life Lutheran Church, 5114 Twinbrook Rd, Fairfax, VA 22032. There is no charge. For more information or to register, please click here.
In addition, the Synod’s Stewardship and Mission Support Team will host a Zoom meeting for pastors, council presidents, treasurers, and others interested in cultivating the financial resources of the church. The meeting will be on Tuesday, January 27 from 7-8 p.m. and repeated on Wednesday, January 28 from 1-2 p.m. To receive the Zoom link, e-mail the team at this link.
Bible Reading Group
Our weekly Bible Reading Group meets at 10 a.m. on Zoom for an hour each week; everyone is welcome to participate. Use our regular Epiphany Zoom connection.
Discussion Groups
Our Wednesday evening faith discussion group will continue on Wednesday, February 4. We meet alternate Wednesdays at the Panera Bread at Beacon Center (6670 Richmond Highway) at 6:30 p.m. We are discussing the book by Ched Myers et al., Say to This Mountain - a contemporary interpretation of Mark’s gospel from a social movement perspective. All are welcome to join us (we can provide copies of the book for those interested, but come even if you haven’t read any of it).
Our Fort Belvoir discussion group will continue on Monday, February 8. We meet alternate Mondays at the Starbucks on post (5976 12th Street) at 10:00 a.m. We’ll look at a short piece by the Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber, an ELCA pastor in Denver, about the celebration of All Saints Day at her congregation and the meaning of the Beatitudes (the gospel reading for that day). You can find the article here.
These discussion groups are being held in “public” places to make it easier for people who aren’t connected with Epiphany to drop in and participate. If you know people who would like to learn more about our congregation, ask questions, or simply share in an open discussion about faith from a nonjudgmental perspective, please share the invitation to these groups widely!
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.
Synod and ELCA Churchwide News
Our synod bishop, Rev. Phil Hirsch, was one of the speakers last Monday, January 19, at the gathering in advance of the Martin Luther King Day parade in Washington. You can read his remarks by clicking here.
Calendar of Commemorations
The ELCA remembers saints and reformers of many Christian traditions on specific days throughout the year. Upcoming commemorations include:
Conversion of Paul (Sun Jan. 25)
The week of prayer begun by the remembrance of Peter's confession now comes to an end as we recall the pivotal moment in the life of the other pillar of the early church, the apostle Paul. His encounter with the risen Christ turned him from persecutor of the followers of Christ to one of their leaders.
Timothy, Titus, and Silas, missionaries (Mon Jan. 26)
These three early Christian men were missionary companions of the apostle Paul. Timothy became bishop of Ephesus, Titus bishop of Crete, and Silas was imprisoned with Paul at Philippi until they were delivered by an earthquake.
Lydia, Dorcas, and Phoebe, witnesses to the faith (Tue Jan. 27)
Women as well as men were important Christian leaders from the beginning, as demonstrated by these coworkers of the apostle Paul. Lydia, a seller of purple goods, lent her home for a church; Dorcas was known for charitable works; and Phoebe was a deacon in the church at Cenchrae.
Thomas Aquinas, teacher, died 1274 (Wed Jan. 28)
One of the most brilliant and creative theologians in the church's history, Aquinas worked to bring together scripture and the philosophy of Aristotle. A member of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), Aquinas was also a hymnwriter.
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 local residents in need during its open hours of Monday 1-4 and Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 10-12. Food is also distributed from 4-5 on the first Monday of each month at Mount Vernon Woods Elementary School, 4015 Fielding Street. 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.