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 OCTOBER 30, 2026
This Sunday’s Service
This Sunday, November 1, 2026, is All Saints Day. Our service will begin at the usual time of 9:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (don’t forget to change your clocks!)
For those joining us online, you can find a PDF of the bulletin containing the music, readings, and prayers for the service by clicking here.
All Saints Day is the day to remember our communion with all the saints and sinners of every time and place, including those who have gone before us and completed their baptismal journey. Everyone will have an opportunity during the service to put forward the names of family members and friends who have died that we will especially remember during the service. If you’ll be participating online or otherwise won’t be able to be in the sanctuary for the service but would like us to include any names in our remembrance, please let us know before the service! You can send any names you’d like us to include to office@epiphanylutheran.org.
On-line: Join us live at 9:30 a.m. Sunday through our usual Epiphany Zoom connection. In addition, all our services are available on our YouTube channel both live and as recordings afterwards.
On Sunday, we will have a time of fellowship immediately after the service.
Calendar of Events
Mon Nov. 2 - VIC Food Bank organizational meeting,
Tue Nov. 3 - Office/sanctuary open hours, 2-6 p.m.
Wed Nov. 4 - Bible reading group, 10 a.m. (in person or on Zoom)
Wed Nov. 4 - VIC General Meeting, 11:30 a.m. (at Heritage Presbyterian)
Sun Nov. 8 - Handbell Choir practice, 10:45 a.m.
Sun Nov. 8 - Sunday School, 10:45 a.m.
Sun Nov. 15 - Congregation Council., 10:45 a.m.
Sunday School
Our Sunday School meets on alternate Sundays immediately after the service. Upcoming dates include November 8 and 22, and December 6.. All kids are welcome! For more information, contact Dulcie Davis in the church office.
Handbell Choir Rehearsals
We’ll be starting handbell choir practices for the Christmas season next Sunday, November 8, at 10:45 a.m. in the sanctuary. No experience necessary! We expect to play at the Christmas Carol Sing-a-long at Nativity Lutheran Church on Saturday, December 12, as well as at our Christmas Eve service on December 24. Practices will be on Sundays, November 8, 15, and 29 and December 6. Contact Christine Hilbert with any questions you may have.
EWS Update
From November 4 to November 17, EWS will be collecting canned goods and nonperishable food items for Rising Hope’s food bank, to help make this Thanksgiving a plentiful one for families in need of help. Cash donations are also welcome and will be used to purchase gift cards to Walmart or Aldi’s. Members of the congregation are also invited to participate; contributions can be brought to the service on Sundays or to the EWS office during the week.
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.
Ventures in Community
Epiphany participates in Ventures in Community, which brings together faith communities and nonprofit organizations working along the Richmond Highway corridor to advocate for and serve those in need. Our next general meeting will be on Wednesday, November 4, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at Heritage Presbyterian Church, 8503 Fort Hunt Rd., Alexandria VA 22308. The topic will be Fairfax County’s proposed policy regarding ending homelessness and promoting affordable housing, and how faith communities can advocate regarding these proposals. Everyone is welcome to participate; a light lunch will be served.
VIC is also preparing to host a “mobile mart” in conjunction with the Capital Area Food Bank to distribute food to people in need once a month on Richmond Highway. CAFB will provide the food and faith communities in the area will be invited to contribute volunteers to staff the distribution. A few of us from Epiphany will be meeting to start some of the organizational work to get this project off the ground on Monday, November 2, at 2:00 p.m. in the Epiphany church office. Come join us if you are able!
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.
Calendar of Commemorations
The ELCA remembers saints and reformers of many Christian traditions on specific days throughout the year. This week’s commemorations include:
Reformation Day (Sat Oct. 31)
By the end of the seventeenth century, many Lutheran churches celebrated a festival commemorating Martin Luther's posting of the Ninety-five Theses, a summary of abuses in the church of his time. At the heart of the reform movement was the gospel, the good news that it is by grace through faith that we are justified and set free.
All Saints Day (Sun Nov. 1)
The custom of commemorating all of the saints of the church on a single day goes back at least to the third century. All Saints Day celebrates the baptized people of God, living and dead, who make up the body of Christ. On this day or the following Sunday, many congregations will remember the faithful who have died during the past year.
Daniel Payne, teacher, pastor, 1893 (Mon Nov. 2)
Educator Daniel Payne organized a school for African Americans in Charleston, South Carolina, that eventually became the largest school in Charleston. In 1835 the school was closed when the General Assembly of South Carolina passed a law preventing free African Americans and slaves from operating schools. Payne eventually enrolled in Gettysburg Seminary and was ordained by the Franckean Synod of Upper New York. No call was available to him in the Lutheran church, so he served a Presbyterian congregation in East Troy, New York. He went on to found Wilberforce College in Ohio.
Martín de Porres, renewer of society, died 1639 (Tue Nov. 3)
Martín was the son of a Spanish knight and a freed Black woman from Panama. As a lay brother in the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), he engaged in many charitable works in Lima, Peru. He founded an orphanage, a hospital, and a clinic for cats and dogs.
John Christian Frederick Heyer, died 1873; Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg, died 1719; Ludwig Nommensen, died 1918; missionaries (Sat Nov. 7)
Heyer was the first missionary sent out by American Lutherans. After teaching at Gettysburg College and Seminary he was assigned to the Andhra region of India. A worker among the Tamil people on the southeast coast of India, Ziegenbalg was opposed both by local Hindus and by Danish authorities who favored a different missionary style. He was known for caring about the welfare of the whole person. Nommensen was born in northern Germany and was sent to Sumatra as a Lutheran missionary. Working among the Batak people, he translated the scriptures into their language, and honored their native culture.
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.