January 24: Items of the week needed for Western Fairfax Christian Ministries to distribute to the needy in our area:
Chunky Soups
46 oz. bottles of oil, fruit juices, plastic bags and egg cartons are always needed and welcome too!
Donations can be left in the blue grocery cart in the coat rack section.
January 24: The Pender Podcast is available in the iTunes Podcast series. There is no charge to subscribe or listen to past sermons. There are currently 260 sermons available. More information
January 24: Pender is Closed Due to the Inclement Weather, More information
“Good King Wenceslas” is a popular Christmas carol that tells a story of Good King Wenceslas braving harsh winter weather to give alms to a poor peasant on the Feast of Stephen (the second day of Christmas, December 26). During the journey, his page is about to give up the struggle against the cold weather, but is enabled to continue by following the king’s footprints, step for step, through the deep snow. The legend is based on the life of the historical Saint Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia or Svatý Václav in Czech (907–935).
In 1853, English hymnwriter John Mason Neale wrote the “Wenceslas” lyrics, in collaboration with his music editor Thomas Helmore, and the carol first appeared in Carols for Christmas-Tide, 1853. Neales’ lyrics were set to a tune based on a 13th century spring carol “Tempus adest floridum” (“The time is near for flowering”) first published in the 1582 Finnish song collection Piae Cantiones.
Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath’ring winter fuel
“Hither, page, and stand by me
If thou know’st it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?”
“Sire, he lives a good league hence
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes’ fountain.”
“Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear him thither.”
Page and monarch forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind’s wild lament
And the bitter weather
“Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how,
I can go no longer.”
“Mark my foteps, my good page
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter’s rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly.”
In his master’s steps he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing
Around a foot of snow has fallen across the county, so snow lovers are happy! It will continue to snow for a few more hours, but many of you will spend the day removing snow.
Shoveling snow can by physically demanding and can lead to injuries such as sprains and strains, but even more serious heart attacks. Please follow these safety tips when you go out in today’s wintry weather:
If you or someone you are with begins to have chest discomfort, especially with one or more of the other signs of a heart attack, call 9-1-1 right away.
If you have a history of heart disease do not shovel without your doctor’s okay.
Shovel small amounts of snow at a time.
Push the snow instead of lifting where possible. If you have a driveway, move snow to the opposite side of where a plow will…
Medical personnel in Fairfax County needing a ride to the hospital today should call our non-emergency number, 703-691-2131, TTY 711, to arrange transportation.
This service is only for Fairfax County residents/medical personnel that need to get to their hospital shifts.
Transportation is being provided by volunteers through Volunteer Fairfax.
All activities for this afternoon and evening are cancelled due to the inclement weather. This includes the Carols, Cookies and Coffee Handbell concert, rehearsals, Youth Group and other meetings.
Carols, Cookies and Coffee Concert is Postponed Until Next Sunday
Due to the inclement weather, the Carols, Cookies and Coffee Concert will be postponed one week until December 15 at 4:30pm.
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