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 JANUARY 16, 2026
This Sunday, January 18, 2026, is the Second Sunday After Epiphany. 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 will be Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 40:1-11, 17; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; and John 1:29-42.
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
Mon Jan. 19 - Martin Luther King Day holiday (EWS is closed)
Tue Jan. 20 - Office/sanctuary drop-in hours, 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Wed Jan. 21 - Bible Reading Group, 10:00 a.m. on Zoom
Wed Jan. 21 - Evening Faith Discussion Group, 6:30 p.m. at Panera Bread
Sun Jan. 25 - Annual Congregational Meeting, 10:30 a.m.
Mon Jan. 26 - Fort Belvoir Discussion Group, 10:00 a.m. at 12th St. Starbucks
Sun Feb. 1 - Sunday School, 10:45 a.m.
Tue Feb. 3 - Epiphany night to serve at Hypothermia Shelter.
Sun Feb. 8 – Congregation Council, 10:45 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.
EWS Update
EWS will be closed on Monday for the Martin Luther King day holiday. The theme for the rest of the week will be friendship and kindness.
Congregation Meeting and Council
Our annual congregational meeting will take place immediately following the service next Sunday, January 29, 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 so members 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, January 21. We meet alternate Wednesdays at the Panera Bread at Beacon Center (6670 Richmond Highway) at 6:30 p.m. This week, we will start to discuss a 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, January 26. 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 Churchwide News
The presiding bishops of the ELCA, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark, have issued a joint statement in support of the Church of Greenland and the people of Greenland (where Lutherans are the largest denomination). You can read it by clicking here.
In addition, shortly after our newsletter went out last Friday, our ELCA presiding bishop, Rev. Yehiel Curry, made a public statement on the situation in Minneapolis. His statement is available 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:
Antony of Egypt, renewer of the church, died around 356 (Sat Jan. 17)
One of the earliest of the Egyptian desert fathers, Antony gave away his sizeable inheritance and became a hermit. Later he became leader of a group of monks who devoted themselves to prayer, worship, and labor.
Pachomius, renewer of the church, died 346 (Sat Jan. 17)
Born in Egypt, Pachomius became a Christian while a soldier. He became a hermit (a solitary monk) and organized others into a religious community. His rule for monasteries influenced later ones in both the Eastern and Western churches.
Confession of Peter (Sun Jan. 18)
Today the church remembers the apostle Peter's great acknowledgement of Jesus as "the Christ, the Son of the living God." This festival serves as a fitting beginning to the week in which we particularly pray that all Christians might be united in faith and witness.
Henry, Bishop of Uppsala, martyr, died 1156 (Mon Jan. 19)
When Erik, King of Sweden, determined to invade Finland for the purpose of converting the people there to Christianity, Henry went with him. Henry is recognized as the patron saint of Finland.
Agnes, martyr, died around 304 (Wed Jan. 21)
Agnes was a girl of about thirteen living in Rome. The details of her martyrdom are not clear, but she gave witness to her faith and was put to death as a result, most likely by the sword. The church has honored her as one of the chief martyrs of her time.
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.