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 FEBRUARY 6, 2026
This Sunday’s Service
This Sunday, February 8, 2026, is the Fifth Sunday After Epiphany. 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. All of our walkways are now clear of snow and ice so please feel free to come and join us if you can get here safely.
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 Isaiah 58:1-12; Psalm 112; 1 Corinthians 2:1-10; and Matthew 5:13-20.
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.
Our annual congregational meeting will immediately follow the service, both in-person and 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
Sun Feb. 8 - Annual Congregational Meeting, 10:30 a.m.
Mon Feb. 9 - Fort Belvoir Discussion Group, 10:00 a.m. at 12th St. Starbucks
Tue Feb. 10 - Office/sanctuary drop-in hours, 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Wed Feb. 11 - Bible Reading Group, 10:00 a.m. on Zoom
Wed Feb. 11 - Evening Faith DIscussion Group, 6:30 p.m. on Zoom
Sat Feb. 14 - Memorial Service for Jack Bondurant, 2:00 p.m. at Paul Springs
Sun Feb. 15 - Sunday of the Transfiguration service, 9:30 a.m.
Sun Feb. 15 - Sunday School, 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.
Congregation Meeting and Council
As noted above, our rescheduled annual congregational meeting will take place immediately following the service this Sunday, February 8, 2026. The packet of materials for the meeting is now available and can be found by clicking here - we’ll also hand out paper copies of these materials at the meeting, but please use the link if you want to review them in advance.
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.
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. More details are coming soon, but registration is now open - please use this link.
EWS Update
As we normally do when Fairfax County Schools have a delayed opening, EWS was in session from 10-1 Tuesday through Friday this past week, and it was good to be back in school after a snow week! Next week we’ll be learning about George Washington and Mount Vernon as well as gearing up for Valentine’s Day!
Lent and Holy Week
At the service and congregational meeting this Sunday, we’ll be doing a short survey to determine the best times for our Lent and Holy Week services.
Ash Wednesday is a week from next Wednesday, February 18. We have typically had a service of the Word with ashes at 9:15 a.m. (good for those who are free at that time and sometimes for EWS families right after school dropoff, not so good for folks who are working) but we can add an additional time if there is interest.
For the Holy Week and Easter “Triduum” (three days) - the liturgy for the Three Days envisions three extra and unique services — an evening commemoration of the Lord’s Supper and the Washing of Feet on Maundy Thursday evening, a commemoration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday (afternoon or evening), and an Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday evening after sunset. Of these services, in recent years we have gathered only for a noon Good Friday service and skipped the other two, but we could certainly do more this year if there was interest. So please take a moment to fill out one of the surveys this Sunday.
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 Fort Belvoir discussion group will continue on Monday, February 9. 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.
Our Wednesday evening faith discussion group will continue on Wednesday, February 11. We meet alternate Wednesdays, usually at the Panera Bread at Beacon Center (6670 Richmond Highway) at 6:30 p.m., although this week we’ll meet on Zoom as snow-related transportation issues continue 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).
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.
Calendar of Commemorations
The ELCA remembers saints and reformers of many Christian traditions on specific days throughout the year. Upcoming commemorations include:
Cyril, monk, died 869; Methodius, bishop, died 885; missionaries to the Slavs (Sat Feb. 14)
These two brothers from Thessalonika, Greece, were monks and were sent to bring Christianity to the Slavic people. In the course of their work they created a written language, inventing the Cyrillic alphabet for it, and translated the Bible and the liturgy.
Calendar of Commemorations
The ELCA remembers saints and reformers of many Christian traditions on specific days throughout the year. Upcoming commemorations include:
Presentation of Our Lord (Mon Feb. 2)
Forty days after the birth of Jesus we mark the day Mary and Joseph presented him in the temple in accordance with Jewish law. There they were greeted by Simeon, an aged priest who offered the song "Lord, now you let your servant depart in peace," as well as by the prophet Anna, who spoke of the redemption of Israel.
Ansgar, Bishop of Hamburg, missionary to Denmark and Sweden, died 865 (Tue Feb. 3)
A monk who helped bring Christianity to Scandinavia, Ansgar returned to Germany where he was named bishop of Hamburg. He is remembered for his love for poor people.
The Martyrs of Japan, died 1597 (Thu Feb. 5)
Christianity was brought to Japan in the sixteenth century by Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries. The religion was suppressed, however, and in 1597 twenty-six missionaries and converts were crucified. Nevertheless, Christianity survived and later prospered.
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.