Latest News
What's new at St. Alban's? Read on for Vestry updates and other news from the St. Alban's community.
From SXSW in Austin to the St. Alban’s 2023 Memorial Lecture Program – “Faith and Food: A Christian Ethical Response to Food Injustice” – Saturday, April 22, 2023, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m

Adult Forum "Growing Young at St. Alban's"

We Care

Young Adult Program

Help Bake Communion Bread

Prayer List

Who is Doing What?
Emily Griffin will supervise all staff. She will also be the clergy liaison for the WSA and oversee outreach, as well as share pastoral care and some adult formation responsibilities. She will keep coordinating our children's ministries, overseeing our worship guilds, working with the Treasurer and the Finance Committee, assisting with follow-up on the Annual Appeal, and meeting weekly with the Executive Committee.
Yoimel González Hernández will take over the weekly prayer list and coordination of the Sunday Morning Bible Study and Leadership Roundtable, share pastoral care duties, and lead our ministry with newcomers. He will continue to oversee our ministry with youth and young adults and be the primary point of contact for parishioners who speak Spanish.
We are also blessed to have friends of the parish who are clergy. John McDuffie will lead the Wednesday Morning Bible Study. He, Luis Leon, Leslie Chadwick, and Diana Gustafson will assist liturgically and preach occasionally over the next couple of months. Mildred Reyes and Anne Marie Jeffrey from the Diocese will help out in the Spanish service as well.
Thank you for your support and encouragement during this full season of our parish’s life.
Lenten All-Parish Suppers and Conversations about the Cross - Wednesdays, March 1, 8, 22 & 29 - Supper from 6 to 7 p.m. in Trenbath Assembly, Discussion to Follow

St. Alban’s Directory Update

It is noteworthy that if we haven’t heard from you by April 2nd (Palm Sunday), we’ll assume that the contact information we have on file is accurate. You’ll be automatically opted-in to our digital directory.
Right now, we’re looking for volunteers to help us with this task after our 8 am, 9 am, and 11:15 am services. If you are interested, feel free to sign up here: https://bit.ly/STADirectoryUpdate. If you have any questions, please get in touch with our Director of Operations, Charles Porter, at , or our Communications Manager, Mery Montenegro, at .
For more information about Realm and our Directory update process click here.
Let’s Help Those in Need in Turkey and Syria

Reception for Jim Quigley

2023 Parish Elections - Final Results

Congratulations as well to the parishioners who have been elected to three-year terms of Vestry membership: Gloria Manzo, Anton Vanterpool, Melanie Williams, and Katie Wilson. The exceptionally strong slate of Vestry candidates recommended by the Nominating Committee also included Dustin Schade, Armis Sadri, and Amie Vandersluis. We are grateful to all the candidates for offering themselves in service to the parish.
Thanks also to everyone who participated in the Annual Meeting, whether in person or via the internet. The bilingual service that followed the meeting was an inspiring way to mark the beginning of a new year in our common life. God blesses our parish greatly through those who give faithfully and generously of their talents, energies, and resources. We all benefit from their efforts, and we are all invited to join in the work of our parish in a spirit of joyful service to God, to one another, and to the broader community.
Ted Swett - Senior Warden
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper

Please, signup on Sundays at the Narthex if you are interested in supporting this event. If you have any questions, please, email the Rev’d Yoimel Gonzalez Hernandez
Ash Wednesday is on February 22

We will have a service at Noon, an All Ages service at 6:00 p.m., and two services at 7:30 p.m. (one in English in the Nave and one in Spanish in Nourse Hall.) Our 6:00 p.m. All Ages service – shortened for younger attention spans, featuring more simplified language and music leadership by our Choristers – as well as the 7:30 p.m. Spanish service will be live-streamed.
Growing Young Assessment

Before completing, please keep in mind the following:
1. Take the assessment as soon as possible.
2 It is designed to be completed in 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Your responses will be incorporated into a larger report and will remain confidential.
You can complete the assessment using this link: https://bit.ly/GrowingYoungAssesment
Thanks for your support. If you have questions, you can email the Rev'd Yoimel González Hernández.
Four-Part Pre-Lenten Forum on “Loving our Neighbors: The Intersection of Faith, Human Wellbeing, and Our Relationships with Animals” – 10:15-11:00 am on Sundays, February 5, 12, 19, and 26

2023 Vestry Election Candidate Forum - Sunday, January 15, 10:15am

On Sunday, January 15, commencing at 10:15 a.m., we will hold a forum where each candidate will make a brief statement. The forum will take place in person in Nourse Hall and will also be live-streamed on our Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2023CandidatesForum
We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to see and hear the folks who are offering themselves for service at this crucial time in our common life at St. Alban’s.
Important Reminder: If you believe that you are eligible to vote (guidelines can be found here in English and here in Spanish), don't forget to check the corrected eligible voter list, available here, to make certain that your name appears. If your name does not appear, email Charles Porter. Also, look to make certain that "NO EMAIL ON FILE" does not appear next to your name. If it does, email Charles Porter or call him at 202-363-8286, ext. 207, with an email address for you or to let us know that you do not use email, in which case, we will explore an alternate means for you to vote.
Vestry News - December 2022

The Treasurer’s monthly report revealed that pledge income fell sharply below budget for the month of November and is running 5% below budget for the year to date. On the other hand, operating expenses for the first 11 months of 2022 have come in 4% below budget. It is hoped that December pledge income will be strong, in keeping with the historical pattern. At November 30, the endowment stood at $5.25 million, having recovered modestly in line with the market from this year’s low point.
Work proceeds on the 2023 operating budget, a task that necessarily continues into January and sometimes beyond. After accepting the Treasurer’s report as submitted, the Vestry passed a resolution extending authorization for continued spending at levels approved for operations in 2022 until the 2023 budget has been finalized and approved. The Vestry also approved housing allowances elected by the Associate Rectors so as to make available to them tax benefits provided by the Internal Revenue Code.
Matt Cunningham, Co-Chair of the annual stewardship campaign, reported that as of December 14 we had raised $953,438 in 173 pledges for 2023, including 11 from first-time pledgers. These numbers compare to our goals of reaching $1,350,000 with 260 pledges and 20 new pledging households. It will take a robust response from parishioners in the closing days of the campaign to reach these goals. To that end, Vestry members were assigned parishioners to contact again from a list of past pledgers who have not yet responded to the current canvass.
The Nominating Committee, led by Rachel Colson and Lisa Garnett, recommended Katie Wilson and Anton Vanterpool be nominated to run for Vestry membership in the January 29, 2023 election along with those previously recommended – Gloria Manzo, Armis Sadri, Dustin Shade, Melanie Williams, and Amie Vandersluis. The Vestry unanimously approved these nominations and complemented the committee on the strength of the slate it has mustered. Also on the committee’s recommendation, the Vestry formalized the addition of Amanda Gilman to the Memorial Lecture Committee.
Gloria Manzo presented a written report that she and Yoimel González Hernández prepared on our Latino ministry. The Latino group within our parish includes members from many different Latin American countries. This community benefits from formation classes offered in Spanish during particular seasons of the year and has enjoyed volunteering for parish events such as the farewell celebration for Geoffrey Hoare and the Thanksgiving community dinner. Leaders of the Latino congregation are considering potential strategies for increasing the number of its participants.
Ted Cage reported on preliminary efforts undertaken by the working group charged by the Buildings and Grounds Committee with thinking through alternatives for rehabilitating the Rectory. In addition to Ted, the working group includes Stephanie Curcuru, Bob Pinkard, and Lucy Cage. The possibilities include rededicating the building for occupancy by a rector or offering it for rent to other institutions on the Close so as to generate an income stream for servicing a mortgage and funding maintenance costs. The next step is to formulate a proposed budget for the Vestry’s consideration to fund the initial professional consultations and research that would be necessary to scope out design alternatives and estimate a range of construction costs accordingly. As Ted wrote, “The committee believes that prudently spending relatively modest amounts, especially during the preconstruction phase, will allow for more informed and smarter decision-making throughout the process, will ultimately be the most cost-effective approach, and will save money in the long run.” The Vestry was favorably impressed by the report and awaits the proposed budget for planning expenses. This complex project will proceed step by step with careful deliberation and oversight at every stage.
Our Associate Rectors each updated the Vestry on their respective areas of primary responsibility. Especially notable was Jim Quigley’s observation that in this season of Advent, emotions of happiness and loneliness are both intensified and that, as a corollary, the church’s phones and emails “are filled with messages from happy people who want to volunteer and sad people seeking help.” Many pastoral visits are underway, the staff responds to emergency calls virtually every day (nearly always from non-parishioners), the WeCare network is busy serving parishioners in need, and our Stephen’s Ministry is being bolstered by three new lay ministers who have completed training, namely, Amanda Gilman, Virginia Schofield and Linda Vitella. The reopened OpShop is doing brisk business under manager Courtney Cunningham, a most welcome addition to the church staff.
In my own monthly report, I reminded Vestry members that the January 2023 Vestry and Junior Warden election will be conducted digitally. It is important, therefore, to let Charles Porter, Mery Montenegro, or me know of any parishioners who lack computer access or do not use email, so that we can make alternative arrangements for such persons to vote.
I noted that, in the course of the work upgrading the HVAC system in Satterlee Hall, it became clear several months ago that work outside of the approved budget for capital projects needed to be undertaken (1) to address mold and other damage from past water infiltration, and also certain lighting issues, in the Satterlee basement, and (2) to install new wiring and lighting fixtures in the OpShop so as to put that space in good condition for reopening. With qualified contractors already on the scene for the HVAC work, and given the need to resume OpShop operations as soon as possible, management considered the circumstances exigent and decided to issue change orders for the work and request Vestry ratification in arrears. Upon motion of the Executive Committee, the Vestry ratified the spending of $16,134 for the first of the above-mentioned categories of work and $13,889 for the second category. The Vestry also authorized charging the sum total of these expenses to the Reserve Fund, but directed the Treasurer to discuss with the president of Workers of St. Alban’s (WSA) and other representatives of WSA and clergy, as appropriate, the question of whether the Reserve Fund should recoup the amounts spent for improvements to the OpShop out of future profits of that operation.
Respectfully submitted,
Ted Swett
Senior Warden
Sunday School and Youth Program Schedules Will Resume on January 8

If you haven’t registered your child or teen yet, it’s not too late. Register in person at the start of class or go online (www.stalbansdc.org – under the “Learn” tab.)
Questions? For

An Important Note about End-of-Year Contributions and Pledge Envelopes for 2023

Join Us for Christmas Services
December Grace Notes
Thanks to each of you and thanks to the many other volunteers who support the work of Parish Life at St. Alban’s.
Join us for Reverse Advent 2022

Here’s the invitation:
- Gather 4 plain brown grocery bags (one for each week of Advent.)
- Cut apart the 4 Reverse Advent signs (found HERE) and attach one to each bag. (You'll collect things like non-perishable food, warm clothes, basic toiletries and baby items.)
- Decide when and how you will practice this spiritual discipline. You may choose to fill your bags all at once, add one item each day, etc. The choice is yours.
- Each Sunday morning in Advent (November 27, December 4, 11 and 18), bring your bag to church and place it by the manger in the Narthex. (We’ll keep collecting over the 12 Days of Christmas.)
For more information about why we celebrate Advent, click HERE.
Congratulations Anton!

Tolle Lege: The Sunday Morning Bible Study, 10:15 - 11:00 a.m. in Room 203, Satterlee Hall

Stewardship Campaign 2023
We invite you to consider participating in this year’s annual stewardship campaign and approach 2023 determined to BE JUST, BE KIND, and BE HUMBLE. And, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit, let us also commit ourselves to BE GENEROUS.
- Fill out the pledge card you received in the mail or can find in the church lobby and mail it to Giving 2023, St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, 3001 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20016.
- Visit www.stalbansdc.org/give/
- Contact Director of Finance Doug Dykstra at (202) 363-8286x209 to arrange a direct debit, Required Minimum Distribution (RMD), or donation of appreciated stock.
- Text (202) 831-2993 with the keyword PLEDGE and amount.
Questions? Please contact Stewardship Chair Matt Cunningham or Director of Finance Doug Dykstra at (202) 363-8286x209.