You are invited to save the date for our Spring Jazz on the Steps, one of MVP's major outreach opportunities to meet and fellowship with our neighbors! Jeff Antoniuk and his fellow jazz musicians will be performing. Bring a friend and come join the fun! Contact Minister Lee for more information.
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, April 2 from 7:00-8:15pm in space created for open and honest dialogue on All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks Please email Lee for more information.
Please make plans to join our community following worship on March 31 for the Annual MVP Easter Potluck and Children's Easter Egg Hunt!
The Children's Easter Egg Hunt will begin at 1:00pm and Children are invited to bring a basket or bag in which to place their gathered eggs. Volunteers are needed to hide our Easter Eggs at 12:45pm and to supervise the experience.
The potluck will commence following worship. MVP will provide fried chicken, drinks, and fun for all ages! You are invited to bring a side dish and/or desserts to share.
Easter our biggest celebration of the year, and we are eager to welcome you and your friends as we proclaim how Christ is risen, paving the way for a new life in which despair, fear, temptation, injustice, shame, and even death have lost their power.
Make plans to join us in the sanctuary at 11:00am or online through any of these platforms:
Our Unhoused Neighbors and those in need of a shower are invited to MVP’s NEW Shower Ministry on Sunday Mornings from 8:00-10:00am which will include showers, socks and underwear distribution, and hospitality space for our program participants that includes coffee, tea, water and snacks. Capacity is limited. First come, first served.
MVP’s NEW Shower Ministry launched on Sunday, February 4 and the guest experience includes showers, socks and underwear distribution for program participants, and hospitality space for our program participants that includes coffee, tea, water and snacks.
Are you interested in SERVING with this ministry? Please complete the Volunteer Interest Form and one of our leaders will be in touch to ensure that you are trained and equipped to serve with this ministry.
Good Friday takes us to the cross where we believe Jesus was crucified.
Our community will then gather at 6:45pm in our sanctuary where we will reflect on the Stations of the Cross and what they have to teach us today.
Validated parking is available in the garage starting at 6:30pm.
As you feel led, you are also invited to worship with our neighbors at Asbury UMC for their Annual Seven Last Words of Christ Worship Service from 12:00-3:00pm on Friday, March 29.
On Maundy Thursday we remember Jesus and his disciples in the upper room where they shared the Last Supper and Jesus washed the feet of the disciples. Our worship this Thursday evening will include the sacrament of communion and the option to have your feet or hands washed as an act of remembrance and blessing.
Validated parking is available in the garage starting at 6:30pm.
Holy Week begins this Sunday as we remember Jesus arriving in the city of Jerusalem, the place where he has told his disciples he will be mocked, flogged, and crucified. While "the crowds" cheered him on, "the entire city" was in turmoil as people inquired about the person who came riding in on the back of a donkey and a colt. The entrance is what Stanley Hauerwas calls "an unmistakable political act." The entrance symbolizes the clash of two very different kinds of power. One is marked by humility, non-violence, and compassion for all. The other is marked by dominance, weapons, and wealth for a select few. What side would you have chosen if you were in Jerusalem that day? What side have you chosen today? While it might be easy to shout "Hosanna" at the start of the week, are we willing to pay the price that comes with following Jesus all the way to the cross?
Worship will include the distribution of palms and our children participating in a Palm Parade around the sanctuary during the opening hymn.
Our Unhoused Neighbors and those in need of a shower are invited to MVP’s NEW Shower Ministry on Sunday Mornings from 8:00-10:00am which will include showers, socks and underwear distribution, and hospitality space for our program participants that includes coffee, tea, water and snacks. Capacity is limited. First come, first served.
MVP’s NEW Shower Ministry launched on Sunday, February 4 and the guest experience includes showers, socks and underwear distribution for program participants, and hospitality space for our program participants that includes coffee, tea, water and snacks.
Are you interested in SERVING with this ministry? Please complete the Volunteer Interest Form and one of our leaders will be in touch to ensure that you are trained and equipped to serve with this ministry.
Following worship on Sunday, March 17, you are invited to join Minister Lee and other MVPers for a neighborhood walk where we will seek to experience God with our bodies, imagining how God can be felt in the sturdy ground beneath our feet, in the breaths of wind on our face, and in the ways that our bodies encounter the world around us. Contact Minister Lee to RSVP or for more information.
Our Unhoused Neighbors and those in need of a shower are invited to MVP’s NEW Shower Ministry on Sunday Mornings from 8:00-10:00am which will include showers, socks and underwear distribution, and hospitality space for our program participants that includes coffee, tea, water and snacks. Capacity is limited. First come, first served.
MVP’s NEW Shower Ministry launched on Sunday, February 4 and the guest experience includes showers, socks and underwear distribution for program participants, and hospitality space for our program participants that includes coffee, tea, water and snacks.
Are you interested in SERVING with this ministry? Please complete the Volunteer Interest Form and one of our leaders will be in touch to ensure that you are trained and equipped to serve with this ministry.
You are invited to join other MVPers for a most original game of fragrance bingo! Follow Your Nose includes 30 distinct aroma diffusers and invites players to match the smell with a corresponding image on game boards. The experience will begin with a light shared lunch and continue with the joy of smell. Please RSVP to Pastor Donna before noon on Thursday, March 7 so plans can be made for your participation.
Our Unhoused Neighbors and those in need of a shower are invited to MVP’s NEW Shower Ministry on Sunday Mornings from 8:00-10:00am which will include showers, socks and underwear distribution, and hospitality space for our program participants that includes coffee, tea, water and snacks. Capacity is limited. First come, first served.
MVP’s NEW Shower Ministry launched on Sunday, February 4 and the guest experience includes showers, socks and underwear distribution for program participants, and hospitality space for our program participants that includes coffee, tea, water and snacks.
Are you interested in SERVING with this ministry? Please complete the Volunteer Interest Form and one of our leaders will be in touch to ensure that you are trained and equipped to serve with this ministry.
During Lent this year IN Series Opera is creating a fully immersive arts and faith experience that blends music and poetry from four centuries of creative latina voices from Mexico (including Chavela Vargas, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Gloria Alzandua, Maria Grever, and Frida Kahlo) with a 12th century chant drama telling the story of the Holy Family's journey fleeing violence to safety in a foreign, all in an experience with projected images, sculptural installation, and choirs of adult and children's voices. The piece meditates particularly on the experience of migrant women and children at the border, and includes artistic contributions from more than a dozen local female artists. This is a spiritual arts experience to awaken meaning and contemplation in all the senses. On March 7th at 7:00pm, a dress rehearsal will be open for MVPers to be the first to take part in the experience, at the Dupont Underground located at 19 Dupont Cr. The experience lasts approximately one hour. While space is limited, there is room for all that would like to attend. Contact Timothy, MVP Music Director, for more information.
Beyond the Book is an opportunity to gather with other MVPers for an online conversation on a variety of different books. The group is currently reading The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. You're invited to obtain a copy of the book, read it on your own, and plan to join the conversation in March. Email Pastor Donna for the Zoom link or to RSVP.
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, March 3. Join us to sample chili, vote for your favorites, and experience community! Sign-up to bring chili HERE.
Our Unhoused Neighbors and those in need of a shower are invited to MVP’s NEW Shower Ministry on Sunday Mornings from 8:00-10:00am which will include showers, socks and underwear distribution, and hospitality space for our program participants that includes coffee, tea, water and snacks. Capacity is limited. First come, first served.
MVP’s NEW Shower Ministry launched on Sunday, February 4 and the guest experience includes showers, socks and underwear distribution for program participants, and hospitality space for our program participants that includes coffee, tea, water and snacks.
Are you interested in SERVING with this ministry? Please complete the Volunteer Interest Form and one of our leaders will be in touch to ensure that you are trained and equipped to serve with this ministry.
You are invited to join Pastor Donna and MVPers for “Meditation & Music Medicine - Sound Healing Journey” at the nearby Eaton Hotel, doors open at 6:30pm and the event begins at 6:45pm.
From the event website: “Experience the soul-soothing vibrations of an intuitively improvised soundscape with Artis Moon, using live instrumentation & sound healing tools to clear the energy field and gently guide you on a journey home to your Self. Lay down, allow yourself some time to relax, BE, soak in the good vibes. Release anything that's not serving you in your life & plant seeds of transformation in the fertile field of your consciousness.
Doors open at 6:30pm with a brief introductory talk. The meditation begins promptly at 6:45pm. You are guided to recline in savasana, slow everything down, and surrender to the moment. When the journey is over, we close with brief integration time in seated meditation. Then participants are invited to share their experiences and ask any questions they may have. Sharing is optional, but this time also lets you fully ground back into your body and process your experience before you walk out the door.”
The first 8 people to RSVP to Pastor Donna before February 18 will have the cost of the event paid for through the generosity of a grant. You can find out more about this event HERE.
Our Unhoused Neighbors and those in need of a shower are invited to MVP’s NEW Shower Ministry on Sunday Mornings from 8:00-10:00am which will include showers, socks and underwear distribution, and hospitality space for our program participants that includes coffee, tea, water and snacks. Capacity is limited. First come, first served.
MVP’s NEW Shower Ministry launched on Sunday, February 4 and the guest experience includes showers, socks and underwear distribution for program participants, and hospitality space for our program participants that includes coffee, tea, water and snacks.
Are you interested in SERVING with this ministry? Please complete the Volunteer Interest Form and one of our leaders will be in touch to ensure that you are trained and equipped to serve with this ministry.
Starting on Monday, February 19, you are invited to join the Monday Night Bible Study for an online, 6-week study exploring Love is the Way by Bishop Michael Curry. This study is designed to help us understand the way of love and it’s essential role in addressing the seemingly insurmountable challenges facing the world today: poverty, racism, selfishness, deep ideological divisions, competing claims to speak for God and to help us discover the gifts we need in order to live the way of love: deep reservoirs of hope and resilience, simple wisdom, the discipline of nonviolence, and unshakable regard for human dignity. Contact Minister Lee for more information.
You are invited to join MVPers to experience looking for God with other MVPers by joining a journey to the National Portrait Gallery. Together, participants of all ages will view the portraits, explore how our faces and our faith remind us that we are made in the image of God, and seek to see God in the faces of others. Please bring a brown bag lunch to eat right after worship and then depart as a group from the Fellowship Hall. Contact Minister Lee to RSVP or for more information.
Our Unhoused Neighbors and those in need of a shower are invited to MVP’s NEW Shower Ministry on Sunday Mornings from 8:00-10:00am which will include showers, socks and underwear distribution, and hospitality space for our program participants that includes coffee, tea, water and snacks. Capacity is limited. First come, first served.
MVP’s NEW Shower Ministry launched on Sunday, February 4 and the guest experience includes showers, socks and underwear distribution for program participants, and hospitality space for our program participants that includes coffee, tea, water and snacks.
Are you interested in SERVING with this ministry? Please complete the Volunteer Interest Form and one of our leaders will be in touch to ensure that you are trained and equipped to serve with this ministry.
The season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on February 14. You are invited to worship with us at 6:45pm in the sanctuary or online.
This season, that leads to Easter, beckons us to relinquish some of the sins we have grown to love, embrace a more faithful journey of discipleship, and deepen our relationship with God through intentionally practicing spiritual disciplines.
Ash Wednesday worship will include the imposition of ashes, a time of silent and corporate confession, and an invitation to ponder how we might experience transformation in this sacred season.
Our Unhoused Neighbors and those in need of a shower are invited to MVP’s NEW Shower Ministry on Sunday Mornings from 8:00-10:00am which will include showers, socks and underwear distribution, and hospitality space for our program participants that includes coffee, tea, water and snacks. Capacity is limited. First come, first served.
MVP’s NEW Shower Ministry launched on Sunday, February 4 and the guest experience includes showers, socks and underwear distribution for program participants, and hospitality space for our program participants that includes coffee, tea, water and snacks.
Are you interested in SERVING with this ministry? Please complete the Volunteer Interest Form and one of our leaders will be in touch to ensure that you are trained and equipped to serve with this ministry.
Beyond the Book is an opportunity to gather with other MVPers for an online conversation on a variety of different books. The group is currently reading The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. You can learn more about the book in this eight-minute conversation on NPR. Please then obtain a copy of the book, read it on your own, and plan to join the conversation in December. Email Pastor Donna for the Zoom link or to RSVP.
All Young Adults (20s and 30s) are invited to join other young adults from the MVP community for Young Adult Happy Hour on Thursday, January 18 from 6:30-8:30pm at Wundergarten in NoMa for a time of connection and community. Please contact Minister Lee for more information.
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, January 16 from 7:00-8:15pm in space created for open and honest dialogue on Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey Please email Minister Lee for more information and the Zoom link.
All Young Adults (20s and 30s) are invited to join other young adults from the MVP community for Young Adult Brunch at the Nearby Potbelly on Sunday, January 14 following worship for a shared meal and a time of connection and community. Please contact Minister Lee for more information.
Do you have a longing to connect more deeply to God and others in our faith community? Would you like to grow in your knowledge and understanding of scripture? Do you have a desire to dive into the toughest questions about the Bible and address them with curiosity and faithfulness? Are you pondering adding a new discipline around spending more time reading Scripture in the new year? If your answer is “yes” to any of these questions, you are invited to prayerfully consider participating in MVP's 10-Week New Year Reading Challenge through the Gospels and Acts using The Bible Year by Magrey daVega.
This ONLINE study group will encourage participants to read the Gospels and Acts together, in their entirety, hopefully, and regularly over the course of 10 weeks. Starting on January 1, participants will read a few chapters of scripture each day, record their reflections in a journal, and then come together for a weekly online group on Zoom on Wednesdays from 7:00-7:45pm. The devotional workbook includes the entire Bible, but this study will be limited to just the Gospel and Acts portion and is available on Amazon and Cokesbury. Please prayerfully consider this opportunity to be transformed in community and let Minister Lee know if you plan to participate.
Starting on Monday, January 8, you are invited to join the Monday Night Bible Study for an online, 6-week study exploring prayer. This 6-week study will in part be based on The Wesley Prayer Challenge by Chris Folmsbee and will explore prayer in the Wesleyan tradition, The Wesley Covenant Prayer, and other forms of prayer practices. This study will also include a 21-day prayer challenge from January 9 through January 29. Contact Minister Lee for more information.
