Send notes to the Connection at south@connectionnewspapers.com or call 703-917-6459. Deadline is Friday. Dated announcements should be submitted at least two weeks prior to the event.
Springfield Church of Christ Appleseed Kids. Saturday, Sept. 20, from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Ages 4-12. Bible-based activities showing the progress of faith, Bible lessons, games, crafts and songs. Lunch provided. Springfield Church of Christ, 7512 Old Keene Mill Road, Springfield. 703-451-4011 or visit springfieldchurch@yahoo.com.
The Catholic Diocese of Arlington's Cursillo offers opportunities to learn about this lay movement on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m., at St. Raymond of Penafort Parish, 8750 Pohick Road, Springfield; and Saturday, Sept. 27 at 7:30 p.m., St. John Neumann Parish, 11900 Lawyers Road, Reston. Visit www.arlingtoncursillo.org or call 703-863-3940.
Jubilee Christian Center "Back to School Kid's BLAST" on Sunday, Sept. 21, during the 8:45 a.m., 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. services for kids ages 3 through 6th grade. Children's evangelist Steve Gambrill, Sr., with puppets, illusions, and balloon artistry, "M&M the Clown," and a 9-foot Goliath made out of balloons. Free ice cream sundaes at the 6 p.m. service only. Prizes, games, and a balloon class. Free. Jubilee Christian Center, 4650 Shirley Gate Road, Fairfax. 703-383-1170, or www.jccag.org.
Calvary Road Church Community Day, Sunday, Sept. 21 from 4-7 p.m. Free family fun event, with hotdogs, sodas, cotton candy, snow cones, popcorn, pony rides, moon bounce, kiddie train, rock wall, jumpshot basketball, gladiator joust and games for pre-schoolers. Free raffle to give away gift cards and electronics. Calvary Road Church is located at 6811 Beulah St., Alexandria. 703-922-6700 or jason.rhodenhizer@crbc.org.
Messiah United Methodist Church is located at 6215 Rolling Road, Springfield. Call 703-569-9862 or visit www.messiahumc.org.
* A Community of Contagious Joy. Sunday worship: 8:15 a.m. (with Holy Communion every Sunday), 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. (Holy Communion on the first Sunday of the month)
* Heartline: An interactive praise and worship service, Sunday evenings at 7 p.m.
* CSI: Christian Singles Inspirit is a singles group generally composed of babies of the 1950s and 1960s, but all singles are welcome. Meeting every Sunday at 11 a.m. beginning September 21.
* Sunday, Sept. 21: Youth Red Carpet Kick-off and Potluck. Open to the entire family. Bring a favorite dinner or dessert. Meeting in the Fellowship Hall from 5-7 p.m. Contact Rev. Ralph Rowley at rrowley@messiahhumc.org.
Ravensworth Baptist Church fall dinner and discussion series, The Church in the Public Square. Wednesday, Sept. 24 will feature a "town hall meeting" on Politics in the Pulpit and in the Pew; Oct. 8, Theological Basis of the Church in the Public Square, led by Dr. Sondra Wheeler, professor of Christian ethics at Wesley Theological Seminary; and Oct. 15, The Church in the Public Square in Practice, led by Dr. Robert Maddox, pastor of Briggs Memorial Baptist Church, Bethesda. All events begin at 6:30 p.m. following dinner at 5:45 p.m. Cost for dinner is $6. The church is at 5100 Ravensworth Road, Annandale. 703-941-4113.
St. George's United Methodist Church and Preschool Kids Stuff Sale, Saturday, Sept. 27, 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Children's clothing, books, toys, furniture and other baby and kid gear. Cash only. Chicken barbeque available for purchase starting at 11:30 a.m. The church is located at 4910 Ox Road in Fairfax.
Congregation Adat Reyim Men's Club meeting Sunday, Sept. 28, 9:30 a.m. Guests will be Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerry Connolly (D-At-large) and Keith Fimian (R). Both candidates are running for the 11th District Congressional seat. Reserve at berko@cox.net.
Eckankar, Virginia Satsang Society. An interactive presentation on ways to shed light on fear. Thursday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 5 at 2 p.m. Free. Pohick Regional Library, 6450 Sydenstricker Road, Burke. 703-916-0515.
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church offers a Pet Blessing service on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 4:30 p.m. All pets from ant farms to wolfhounds are welcome to attend and receive a blessing. St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church is located at 6509 Sydenstricker Road, Burke. 703-455-2500.
Harvest Church Community Days. Saturday, Oct. 4 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. includes a rock wall, inflatables, pony rides, face painting, drawings and free food. Sunday, Oct. 5 begins with a one-hour community service at 10:30 a.m. highlighting Harvest kids, Harvest choir and drama by IGNITE. Grand prizes will be given away on Sunday. You must be present to win. Free. Harvest Church, 7401 Beulah St., in the Kingstowne area of Alexandria. 703-971-7070 or www.harvestchurchag.org
Burke Presbyterian Church will present a sermon series, Faith for Tough Times, based on the stories from the book of Exodus. Through Oct. 12. Worship times, Saturdays at 5:30 p.m. and Sundays at 8:30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. Burke Presbyterian, 5690 Oak Leather Drive, Burke. 703-764-0456 or www.BurkePresChurch.org.
The Cranford United Methodist Women will host a Fall Ham and Oyster Dinner on Oct. 18, from 4-7 p.m., to benefit Women and Children Missions. Cranford United Methodist Church, 9912 Old Colchester Road, Lorton. 703-339-5382. Church hours are Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Divorce Recovery Workshop, a nine-week program on Wednesday evenings through Nov. 12, at 7:30 p.m. The program is free; book (used) is $12. Messiah United Methodist Church, 6215 Rolling Road, Springfield. Contact Mary Stedman at 703-569-9862, ext. 213, or mstedman@messiahumc.org.
The Jewish Social Services Agency offers a variety of programs and support groups meeting at 3018 Javier Road, Fairfax. Call 703-204-9100 for more information.
* An Anxiety Management Group for children ages 8-10. Children learn to manage anxiety through discussion, games, and role-play.
* Teen Talk: An Adolescent Adoption Series, for adoptees ages 13-18. Searching for birth parents; integrating dual identities; and coping with minimal background information.
* Understanding Your Adopted Teen. A psycho-educational four session series for parents raising adopted teens.
* Support Group for Parents of Young Adults with Asperger's Syndrome and Related Disorders.
* Social Club for Young Adults with Asperger's Syndrome
JSSA and the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia (JCCNV) present a social club for young adults diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome or related disorders.
* Get Connected: Adult Social Skills, for men and women ages 19-35 who may have Asperger's syndrome and are having difficulty transitioning into successful young adulthood.
* You and Your Aging Parents. Discussion topics include coping with illness, managing difficult emotions, identifying appropriate resources to support an aging parent and develop a care plan.
Metropolitan Community Church of Northern Virginia, located on 10383 Democracy Lane, Fairfax, presents worship services on Sundays at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. and choir practice (open to all) on Tuesdays at 7:15 p.m. Visit www.mccnova.com or call 703-691-0930.
Church of the Nativity offers a free general bereavement support group open to all adults on the first and third Thursday of each month 7:30-9 p.m. The church is located at 6400 Nativity Lane, Burke. Call 703-455-2400, ext. 17.
The Catholic Diocese of Arlington offers the USDA Special Milk Program to eligible children at St. Leo the Great School in Fairfax and St. Bernadette School in Springfield.
Arabic Bible Baptist Church is located at 5424 Ox Road in Fairfax Station. Pastor: Tony Ghareeb. Call 703-273-5599 or e-mail to Tghareeb@wmconnect.com.
The Fairfax Church of Christ sponsors a 16-week Divorce Recovery support group every Monday at 7 p.m. at the church. Call 703-631-2100 or visit www.fxcc.org. The Fairfax Church of Christ is located at 3901Rubgy Road, Fairfax.
A new casual worship service with a praise band is at 9:45 a.m. at Sydenstricker United Methodist Church, 8508 Hooes Road in Springfield. Visit www.sumcdisciples.org or call 703-451-8223.
St. Matthew's United Methodist Church offers Crossroads, a new 'come as you are' worship service each Saturday evening at 5 p.m. at 8617 Little River Turnpike, Annandale. Visit www.stmatthewsumc.org or call 703-978-3500.
Truro Church MOPS would like to invite all mothers of preschool-aged children to join MOPS for relevant speakers, small group time with other moms and food. The group meets the second Thursday of every month, at Truro Church, located at 10520 Main St., Fairfax, in the church fellowship hall on the lower level. Call Amanda Qreitem at 703-222-2332 or e-mail amandazubi@hotmail.com.
All are welcome to join the Fresh Fire congregation every Sunday for a service at 10:30 a.m. Pastor Sackey and his congregation invite all to participate in preaching and teaching, praise and worship, in a Christ-centered ministry. Fresh Fire International Center meets at the Chinese Martial Arts Building, 8426-B Lee Highway, Fairfax, opposite the BMW Fairfax; entrance is in the back. Call 703-815-8950.
Faith Communities in Action meets the first Wednesday of every other month from 2-4 p.m. at the Fairfax County Government Center, Conference Rooms 2 and 3, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax.
The Baha'i of Fairfax County Southwest offers "Interfaith Devotions: World Peace and Unity" for the general public on Saturdays. These free devotional gatherings meet at the Pohick Regional Library, Room #1, located at 6450 Sydenstricker Road, Burke, 22015.
International Calvary Church is a Christ, Bible and Spirit- centered church. Sunday services are as follows: English services at 9:45 a.m., Korean services at 11:30 a.m. and youth services at 11:30 a.m. Sunday School is as follows: English classes at 11:30 a.m. and children's classes at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday Bible study and Youth Meeting are at 8 p.m. and Friday Prayer and Youth Meeting take place at 8:30 p.m. For more information, call 703-569-1918. The International Calvary Church is located at 5700 Hanover Ave., Springfield.
Jubilee Christian Center is offering free English classes as a second language during its Sunday School time, 10:10-10:50 a.m. on Sundays at 4650 Shirley Gate Road, Fairfax. 703-383-1170.
St. Leo the Great in Fairfax hosts “Night of Praise” the first Saturday of each month, featuring praise music and Eucharist adoration at 7 p.m. Located at 3704 Old Lee Highway in Fairfax.
The Immanuel Bible Church MOPS group meets every Monday 7-9 p.m., at Immanuel Bible Church, 6911 Braddock Road, Springfield. MOPS is a group for pregnant or parenting mothers of children from infancy to kindergarten. For more, call Michelle Wright at 703-922-4295 or visit www.MOPS.org.
The Church of the Nativity in Burke offers a Grief Support Group for all who have suffered the death of a loved one and are in need of the comfort that sharing can bring. Meetings are at 7:30 p.m. on the first and third Thursday of each month, in the school building, 6400 Nativity Lane, Burke, and are open to all adults at no charge. For more, call Carol Mack at 703 533-2951.
The Shalem Institute is offering free monthly prayer opportunities in Fairfax. The time together will be devoted to relaxation, the presentation of different prayer practices, silence, journal keeping and small group sharing. No experience is required and participants may attend regularly or drop in. Donations are accepted. Meetings take place the third Monday of the month from 7:30-9 p.m. at the Providence Presbyterian Church, 9019 Little River Turnpike, Fairfax. Ann Kulp, Kathy Spaar and Tad Wicker lead the meetings. To register for these events or for more information, visit www.shalem.org or call 301-897-7334.
The following is a list of various events taking place at Mount Calvary Baptist Church, 4325 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax:
* Bible study and Prayer Service every Tuesday starting at 7 p.m.
* Sunday School at 9:30-10:45 a.m., except for the fourth Sunday of the month, when Sunday School is offered 9-10 a.m.
* Sunday morning service at 11 a.m.
* Commonwealth Care Center ministry every first and third Thursday night. Call 703-273-1455.