MVP's Shower Ministry invites all current volunteers, those who want to get back into serving, or those who are interested in serving for the first time to join the Shower Ministry Reorientation Training on Sunday, March 16 from 12:30-3:00pm.

This reorientation is designed to help standardize the experience for guests week to week through sharing what we have learned over the past year of operation, to offer updates on the ministry and changes that have been made, and to continue to equip volunteers to serve by being trained in best practices and policies for service with this ministry.

An RSVP is required for the provided lunch portion of the training. Please RSVP no later than Wednesday, March 12 with Shower Ministry Co-Coordinators Sarah & Anna.

Starting on Monday, March 10, you are invited to join the Monday Night Bible Study for an online, 6-week study exploring Entering the Passion of Jesus: A Beginner's Guide to Holy Week by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine. Rooted in the notion that Jesus’ final days were full of risk—where every move he made was filled with anticipation, danger, and the potential for great loss or great reward, this study explores the biblical texts surrounding the Passion story, inviting participants to ponder the ethical and spiritual questions raised within these stories. Exploring Jesus' risks to reputation, of righteous anger, of challenge, of rejection, of loss of friends, and of temptation—participants will be provoked to ponder how faithfulness often calls us to lean into risk, rather than shirk away from it. Please contact Minister Lee for more information or the Zoom link.

Join MVPers in serving dinner at Christ House, a healthcare facility in Adams Morgan for unhoused men, on Sunday, March 9 from 5:30-7:00pm. This service opportunity includes setting up for dinner, serving the food that Christ House has prepared, sharing conversation with the men during dinner, and cleaning up afterwards. Please SIGN-UP to serve today.

All Young Adults (20s and 30s) are invited to join Pastor Donna and other young adults from the MVP community for brunch and a time of connection this Sunday, March 9. The group will depart from the church together and walk to For Five at 12:30pm. Please contact Pastor Donna to RSVP. Through a grant for Young Adult ministry, MVP will provide lunch for first time guests and invites others to purchase their meal.

Children between the ages of 4 and 10 are invited to join the Children's Choir to continue rehearsing music that they will sing in worship on Easter Sunday. If the children in your household would like to participate in the Children’s Choir, please have them come to the Children's Ministry area by 10:30am each Sunday morning. To learn more about this opportunity please contact Minister Lee for more information.

Using the companion Lenten devotional for our Lenten worship series, Everything In Between: Meeting God in the Midst of Extremes, this study will engage with poetry, art, scripture, and theological reflection as participants seek to deepen their faith. Starting on Sunday, March 9 (from 10:00-10:45am) and continuing through the Sundays in Lent, you are invited to join this in-person study in the Office Suite Conference Room and journey through Lent in community. Please contact Minister Lee to RSVP or for more information.

The season of Lent often begins with Christians contemplating what they might give up for Lent. Some people are then led to give up food or drink with coffee, soda, alcohol, chocolate, and fast food topping the lists of most popular items to let go of in this sacred season. Others seek to give up things that zap resources that could be more faithfully invested as shopping is swapped with wearing what you have and screen time exchanged for more prayer. While these efforts can be significant, more people testify to the power of taking on a new spiritual discipline, literally practicing our faith. Please join us on Ash Wednesday as we intentionally return to God and begin to ponder how we might see, hear, taste, feel, and touch God in our everyday lives. 

You are invited to be on the lookout for a special Lenten email with more information about Lenten services and activities next week and to make a plan to join us for Ash Wednesday Worship on Wednesday, March 5 at 6:45pm, in-person or online: (Facebook Live; Live Stream; YouTube)

Mark your calendars for a pancake brunch following worship on Sunday, March 2—the final Sunday before the season of Lent begins! You are invited to bring toppings of your choice to share, such as syrup, fruit, whipped cream, butter, or other creative toppings. This pancake brunch is being hosted by MVP's Ministry Table and will give you the opportunity to meet Ministry Table members and learn about various Ministry Table teams. If you are willing to help cook and serve pancakes, lend a griddle, or support this opportunity to create authentic and inclusive community, please contact Pastor Donna by Thursday, February 20.

The 175th Anniversary Planning Committee is delighted to welcome Rev. Laura Kigweba, Director of Grassroots Organizing at the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church, as our preacher and workshop leader next Sunday, February 23. During the workshop, starting at 12:30pm, you will have the opportunity to explore the transformative power of authentic relationships in creating meaningful change. Through collaborative tools like storytelling and relational meeting, participants will deepen connections and be inspired by shared values and faith to build trust, unity, and collective action to address some of the pressing challenges of the day. Please contact Pastor Donna to RSVP no later than Friday, February 21 to be included in the count for a simple lunch.

Whether you have read a dozen books about race and racism or none before, you are invited to join the MVP Racial Justice Reading Group. The group will gather next on Tuesday, February 11 from 7:00-8:15pm in space created for open and honest dialogue on How to End Christian Nationalism by Amanda Tyler. Please contact the Church Office for more information and the Zoom link.

Do you have a favorite chili recipe that is ready for competition? Do you want to sample many delicious soups in one convenient location? Do you want to meet new people or laugh with old friends? Start making plans to share your best chili recipe with the MVP community and invite your neighbors and join us for MVP's Annual Chili Cook-Off in the Fellowship Hall on Sunday, January 26 following worship. Join us to sample chili, vote for your favorites, and experience community! Watch for more information in the new year!

Designed for Young Adults (20s and 30s) seeking inclusive and authentic community this group takes time to decompress before the work week, explores scripture, and includes a time of prayer. The Young Adult Small Group will resume its regular meeting schedule on Sunday, January 19. Contact Minister Lee for more information.

Due to tomorrow's winter weather forecast for Washington, DC and the surrounding area, MVP will be hosting a modified service of worship with time to pray, experience authentic community, and reflect on Jesus' "inaugural address", found in Luke 4, and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail.

If you are able to safely walk to the church building or use public transportation, please join us in the Fellowship Hall. If you are driving, please exercise caution and allow for extra travel time as our building is inside the local traffic zone for the Inaugural activities. You may also participate in worship online through Facebook Live OR YouTube.

We look forward to welcoming Bishop Easterling as our guest preacher at a future date as we continue to celebrate our 175th Anniversary Year.

All Young Adults (20s and 30s) are invited to join the MVP Young Adult Community on Sunday, January 12 at 5:00pm for a Young Adult New Year Kick Off Game Night with pizza and cold drinks! You are invited to bring your favorite board game or card game. Please RSVP by Thursday, January 10 to Minister Lee. This event will be in lieu of the second Sunday brunch.

All those who identify as women are invited to this group for a time of learning with and from one another, sharing in prayer, and community. Please contact Minister Lee for more information and the Zoom link.

Join MVPers near and far for this weekly morning Bible Study, sharing and prayer. This study typically engages with the scriptures that will be used in the upcoming worship service. Please contact Pastor Donna for more information and the Zoom link.

This study is grounded in scripture, sharing, and prayer and using various resources explores different themes over the course of the year. Please email Minister Lee for more information and the Zoom link.

One definition of joy is “an act of resistance against the forces of despair.” Such joy is a gift all of us need, especially in times of uncertainty. You are invited to help us share this joy in tangible ways on Monday, January 6 by joining Pastor Donna and Minister Lee outside the church building where we will give away MVP branded stress balls, chocolate, and other goodies as people go to work, leave their hotel, walk their dogs, or move about in the morning and during the lunch hour. Please contact Minister Lee to sign up for one of the shifts.

If you would like to receive our daily Epiphany Devotional delivered directly to your inbox each morning from January 6 through January 31, you are invited to sign-up HERE. To be sure to receive all 26 devotions sign-up to receive the devotions NO LATER than Sunday, January 5. If you need any assistance signing-up or want to ensure you are already on the distribution list please contact Minister Lee.

Christmas Eve Worship in the Fellowship Hall || Tuesday, December 24

You are invited to make plans to join MVP for worship on Christmas Eve!

Children's Christmas Eve || 4:00pm

The 4:00pm service is designed with the eyes and hearts of children at the forefront.

Candlelight Christmas Eve Worship with Communion || 7:00pm

The 7:00pm service is a traditional candlelight service. The sacrament of holy communion will be celebrated at both services. We hope you will join us to celebrate the birth of Christ and ponder the power of making room as one of the ways a weary world rejoices.

The parking garage will be open and tickets can be validated for both the 4:00pm and the 7:00pm service.

You may worship with us in person or online through:

• Facebook Live

• YouTube or

• Our Live Stream

Special Christmas Organ Concert with David Yoder || 6:00-6:30pm

Come and join MVP's Organist, David Yoder, for a special Christmas Eve musical celebration in the Sanctuary on Tuesday, December 24 from 6:00-6:30pm. You may also join this musical presentation online.

Christmas Cookies & Hot Drinks in the Fellowship Hall || 6:30-7:00pm

Starting at 6:30pm on Christmas Eve—Tuesday, December 24—Christmas cookies and hot drinks will be available along with a time for community and connection before our Traditional Christmas Eve worship service in the Fellowship Hall.

For those who have experienced loss, the joy of the holiday season can often feel elusive and out of reach. As a result, MVP has regularly hosted a “Blue Christmas”' service during the Advent season to provide space for prayer, reflection, and remembrance amidst the holiday cheer. This year, we are offering a “Service for the Weary,” inspired by our Advent theme. This service will follow four movements: Gathering, The Word, Response, and Sending. Bring your grief. Bring your weariness. Bring your fatigue. And allow yourself a quiet space to reflect and draw near to God in community. The service will conclude with a simple soup supper. Please contact Pastor Donna for more information or to RSVP for soup.

Join our community for an evening filled with live jazz from Jeff Antoniuk and his students, holiday refreshments, and a warm, welcoming atmosphere. This event is all about getting into the holiday spirit, enjoying Christmas music and seasonal treats, and building connections within our wonderful neighborhood. So bring your family, friends, and neighbors to our second annual Jazz & Jingles!

MVPers will also be outside the Atrium on Massachusetts Avenue handing out hot cocoa, greeting neighbors, inviting them in, and spreading Christmas joy. Contact Minister Lee for more information.

The parking garage will be open for validation as long as cars enter between 6:30 and 7:00pm.

You are invited to join MVPers in serving dinner at Christ House, a healthcare facility in Adams Morgan for unhoused men, on Sunday, December 8. This service opportunity includes setting up for dinner, serving the food that Christ House has prepared, having conversation with the men during dinner, and cleaning up afterwards. Please contact Minister Lee to sign up to serve or to receive more information on this service opportunity.

All Young Adults (20s and 30s) are invited to join the MVP Young Adult Community on Sunday, December 8 at 5:00pm for a Young Adult Christmas Celebration with food, Christmas cheer, fun, and community. Please RSVP by Thursday, December 4 to Minister Lee. This event will be in lieu of the second-Sunday brunch.

Monday Evenings || Starting December 2 || 7:00-8:15pm

As MVP leans into a season of exploring preparation and readiness this Advent, you are invited to join the Monday Night Bible Study for an online, 4-week study based on Heaven and Earth: Advent and the Incarnation. This study will invite participants to exploreGod as one who is bringing heaven to earth and changing everything through the earth-shaking, life-transforming good news that God is coming to us. Contact Minister Lee for more information and the Zoom link.

Sunday Evenings || 6:00pm || December 1 through December 22 On Zoom

You are invited to join a special Advent small group that will explore themes related to “Feeling Through Advent.” The group will examine the mixed emotions of those who have come before us in Scripture while holding space for our own emotions during the Advent season. How can our emotions offer us deeper relationship with God, our community, and ourselves? You are invited to come as you are and lean into the ways you can use your heart to faithfully respond. For more information or the Zoom link, please contact Minister Lee.

Designed for Young Adults (20s and 30s) seeking inclusive and authentic community this group takes time to decompress before the work week, explores scripture, and includes a time of prayer. This one-week study will meet in person on Sunday, December 1 and focus on art and themes included in our 2024 Advent worship series using the spiritual practice of Visio Divina. Contact Minister Lee for more information.

Reindeer Need Snacks, Too and MVP Kids are invited to participate in a fun activity at the start of the Advent Season following worship this upcoming Sunday! Santa’s reindeer have a long night ahead of them on Christmas Eve - they will fly over 3,529 miles from the North Pole to Washington, D.C.! Help them fuel their deliveries by creating and sharing reindeer food. Gather with MVPers during coffee and conversation on December 1, 2024 at our “build your own” reindeer food bar. On Christmas Eve, leave out the food (made of with your choice of oats, carrots, chocolate, peppermints, and glitter) - Rudolph and his buddies will definitely appreciate it! Contact Minister Lee for more information.

You are invited to join the MVP community for our annual Thanksgiving celebration of blessings following worship on this Sunday, November 19. The church will provide fried chicken and drinks. You are invited to bring a large dish or two to share with the community.

The meal will take place in the Fellowship Hall after a quick reset following worship. There are opportunities to help set up and receive food before worship, serve fried chicken during the meal, and help clean up following the meal.

Are you an avid or occasional reader who enjoys discussing a book once you have read it? If so, please consider joining other MVPers who will gather on Zoom to discuss Richard Powers’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Overstory, on Tuesday, November 19 at 7:00pm. The Overstory is described on the author’s website as “a sweeping, impassioned work of activism and resistance that is also a stunning evocation of―and paean to―the natural world. From the roots to the crown and back to the seeds, Richard Powers’s twelfth novel unfolds in concentric rings of interlocking fables that range from antebellum New York to the late twentieth-century Timber Wars of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. There is a world alongside ours―vast, slow, interconnected, resourceful, magnificently inventive, and almost invisible to us. This is the story of a handful of people who learn how to see that world and who are drawn up into its unfolding catastrophe.” Check out, purchase, or borrow a copy of the book, start reading, and RSVP to Pastor Donna for the Zoom link.