Disciples from all over the Washington, DC metropolitan area joined together in a combined service in Northern Virginia with almost 1600 in attendance.
The Northern Virginia Church of Christ hosted the service, which was held November 15, 2009 at Oakton High School in Vienna, Virginia. Participating churches included the District of Columbia Regional Christian Church (dccoc.org), Montgomery County Church of Christ (montgomerycountychurchofchrist.org), Greater Frederick Church of Christ, Northern Virginia Church of Christ (nvcoc.org), Greater Baltimore Church of Christ (gbcoc.net), and the Potomac Valley Church of Christ (pvcoc.net). The planning by the evangelists from all the churches led to an awesome worship and praise to God. The service demonstrated the incredible unity and diversity of the churches from the singing, sharing, preaching, and the fellowship.
The gathering resembled a huge family reunion, as all of these churches trace their roots back to the Washington, DC Church of Christ which was planted in June of 1989 from the Boston Church of Christ. Twenty years later, disciples span more than 60 miles in every direction surrounding DC – from Annapolis, the Eastern Shore, and Southern Maryland in the east to Leesburg, Gainesville, and King George in the west; from Fredericksburg in the South to Hagerstown, Frederick, and Lutherville in the north. The reunion served as an incredible opportunity to re-connect with disciples who have labored together for years in spreading the gospel throughout the DC area as well as an opportunity to meet many new Christians.
Each of the lead evangelists from the local churches contributed to the sharing, encouraging the disciples with stories of faith from around the metropolitan area and reminding many of the depth of connection we feel across the churches. Doug and Jennifer Lambert, evangelist and women’s ministry leader from the Baltimore Church, welcomed the happy gathering of disciples reporting the combined efforts of the churches of over 140 baptisms and restorations so far in 2009. Daryl Reed, evangelist for the DC Regional Church, brought us to God in prayer. Ruben Marbury, evangelist for the Montgomery County Church, brought the disciples to the cross during his communion message. Behzad Fathi, evangelist for the Potomac Valley Church, moved our hearts to cheerful and sacrificial giving. Randy McKean, evangelist and elder for the Northern Virginia Church of Christ, preached the word, inspiring the disciples to “Fortify and Glorify.” Steve and Martha Pugh, evangelist and women's ministry leader for the Frederick Church, closed us out with a reminder of our joy and unity in Christ.
Tony Martin, who leads the Artistic Worship and Encouragement (AWE) ministry in the Baltimore Church, assembled a choir and band from all the churches for the song service which included gospel versions of “Rejoice” and “I Hear God Singing to Me,” contemporary songs such as “Open the Eyes of My Heart,” a cappella standards such as “Jesus is Lord,” and a calypso version of “Be With Me Lord.” Carlos Scott, worship minister for the DC Regional Church, added his special touch with a solo and the choir rocked an upbeat version of “Prayer for Boldness.”
The service appropriately closed out with a baptism—a new brother from the campus ministry in Northern Virginia! Many left with renewed vision and unity as we look forward to more combined services in the future!