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 MARCH 20, 2026
This Sunday’s Service
This Sunday, March 22, 2026, is the Fifth Sunday in Lent. Our Sunday service will be at the usual time of 9:30 a.m.
On-site: Join us in the sanctuary at 9:30 a.m.
On-line: Join us live at 9:30 through our usual Epiphany Zoom connection. In addition, the service will be available on our YouTube channel both live at 9:30 a.m. and as a recording afterwards.
The readings will be Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 130; Romans 8:6-11; and John 11:1-53.
For those joining the service online, you can download a PDF of the Sunday bulletin containing the music, readings, and prayers for the service by clicking here.
We will have a time of fellowship immediately after the service, both in person and on Zoom.
Calendar of Events
Sun Mar. 22 - Sunday School, 10:45 a.m.
Sun Mar. 22 - Handbell choir rehearsal, 10:45 a.m.
Mon Mar. 23 - Fort Belvoir discussion group, 10:00 a.m., Starbucks, 5976 12th St.
Tue Mar. 24 - Office/sanctuary drop-in hours, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Wed Mar. 25 - Bible Reading Group, 10:00 a.m. in person or on Zoom
Wed Mar. 25 - Evening Faith discussion group, Panera Bread, 6670 Richmond Hwy.
Sun Mar. 29 - Palm/Passion Sunday, regular service at 9:30 a.m.
Thu Apr. 2 - Maundy Thursday, service at 7:00 p.m.
Fri Apr. 3 - Good Friday, service at 12 noon and 7:00 p.m.
Sun Apr. 5 Easter Sunday, regular service at 9:30 a.m.
In Memoriam
We learned this week that Bonnie Jourdan, a longtime member of Epiphany, passed away in North Carolina on February 23, two weeks after turning 102. Bonnie moved to Winston-Salem to live with her daughter Catherine in 2020. You can read her obituary by clicking here.
Bonnie’s family is planning a memorial celebration for all her Northern Virginia friends to be held here at Epiphany on Saturday, May 23. More details will be available soon.
Epiphany 65th Anniversary Celebration
It was 65 years ago this month that the first services were held at the newly formed congregation of Epiphany Lutheran Church of Mount Vernon. Since we didn’t missed out on a “proper” celebration of our 60th anniversary during the pandemic, we’ve decided to go all out for our 65th! Please keep open the date of Saturday, September 12 for a very special celebration of our congregation, its history, and its call to continue to serve God and our community. More details to come!
Holy Week Schedule
Next Sunday, March 29 is the Sunday of the Palms and the Passion of the Lord. Our regular 9:30 a.m. service will begin outdoors, weather permitting, with a blessing of palms, after which we’ll proceed into the church.
We’ll begin our observance of the Three Days with a service on Maundy Thursday, April 2, at 7:00 p.m. In this service we (1) bring Lent to a close with a special rite of confession and absolution, (2) recall Jesus’s washing of his disciples’ feet at the Last Supper, and (3) recall the gift of the Eucharist, also made at the Last Supper.
On Good Friday, we will gather at 12:00 p.m. in the sanctuary for the service of the Lord’s Passion. For those unable to join us during the day, we will repeat the service at 7:00 p.m. in the downstairs Fellowship Hall, as our friends at Revival International will be using the sanctuary at that time for their own service.
Finally, our Easter Sunday morning service will be at the usual time of 9:30 a.m. During the service we will celebrate the baptism of Ernie Lwangu. We’ll have a potluck breakfast following the service in the downstairs Fellowship Hall - please bring a dish to share if you are able!
Vacation Bible School - Registration Is Open!
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 is now open - please use this link. We also have flyers that will be available in church on Sunday - please distribute widely! Lots of parents are already making summer plans and we’d like everyone to know they are welcome at VBS!
All kids old enough to be out of diapers up through rising 6th graders are invited to participate. VBS runs from 12 noon to 3 p.m. each day Monday through Friday. There’s a recommended donation of $10/child or $20/family, but we don’t want finances to prevent anyone from taking part.
Rise Against Hunger at Nativity Lutheran
Our neighbors at Nativity Lutheran Church (1300 Collingwood Road) will be hosting another Rise Against Hunger food-packing event on Saturday, March 21. Volunteers are needed for setup (8:30-10:00 a.m.), packing (10 a.m.-12 noon), and cleanup (12-12:30 p.m.). Students looking for volunteer hours are welcome to participate, but elementary-school-aged children should come with adult volunteers, given the need for coordination. The effort will involve preparing and packing around 10,000 meals in the course of the morning.
Nativity is inviting anyone who wishes to volunteer on the day of the event, to contribute donations to help pay for the food, or both, to participate in this event. To register and/or donate, you can click here.
EWS Update
This week we continue to celebrate the beginning of Spring, in this final week of school before spring break.
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. Alternatively, please feel free to meet in the office and we’ll connect via Zoom with those who will be participating online.
Discussion Groups
Our Fort Belvoir discussion group will continue on Monday, March 23. We meet alternate Mondays at the Starbucks on post (5976 12th Street) at 10:00 a.m. Our Wednesday evening faith discussion group will meet next on Wednesday, April 8. We meet alternate Wednesdays, usually at the Panera Bread at Beacon Center (6670 Richmond Highway) at 6:30 p.m.
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. (but due to an unavoidable conflict, this week only we will be open only from 4-6 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.
Calendar of Commemorations
The ELCA remembers saints and reformers of many Christian traditions on specific days throughout the year. Upcoming commemorations include:
Jonathan Edwards, teacher, missionary to American Indians, died 1758 (Sun Mar. 22)
A Puritan minister in Connecticut, Edwards is remembered as being a great preacher. Though his most famous sermon talks at length about hell, he was more concerned with God's love. He served both as missionary to the Housatonic people in Massachusetts, and as president of the future Princeton University.
Oscar Arnulfo Romero, Bishop of San Salvador, martyr, died 1980 (Tue Mar. 24)
Romero was deeply concerned with injustices evident toward the poor and powerless in El Salvador, and worked forthrightly against political repression. He was assassinated while presiding at the eucharist in a chapel near the cathedral in San Salvador.
Annunciation of Our Lord (Wed Mar. 25)
Nine months before Christmas we celebrate the annunciation, in which the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would give birth to the Son of God. The ancient church believed that this was also the date of the world's creation and of Jesus' death on the cross.
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.