November 3, 2026

Happy Election Day! I hope you remembered to exercise your right to vote! Voting in our country’s elections is another form of good Stewardship, our October theme.

 

Staff, finance, committees, and Council spent about two to three weeks reviewing this year’s status, discussing and presenting 2027 budget requests based on ministries and yes, overhead. Our aging but strong, stable building has a number of requirements to maintain our Church growth and Missions Center goals with our community partners. The Annual Membership Meeting last Sunday was well attended, and September’s status was reported upon with no major concerns from financial management. Linda presented the Council approved 2027 Budget Guidelines as is our practice, so more review and discussion was encouraged before the 2027 Budget Guidelines were approved unanimously. You may call the office for a Membership Meeting Packet with the budget if you are a member who was not able to be present. You may also go to our website, www.theunitedbaptchurch.org to read my September/October sermon series on Offerings, Tithing, Stewardship, Generosity, Physical and Spiritual Harvests, and God’s Promises and Blessings.

 

One of our many blessings has been “partnering” with George Mason Friends of the Library. I shared move-in photos last month, but the highlight was October 19th with a grand opening and donation bin ribbon-cutting ceremony! This fills a mission dimension that is near and dear to my heart - supporting libraries! (My grandmother, Helen Moyer, was a young widow in the early 1960’s, who found a job at the new Thomas Jefferson Library, only 1 block from her apartment! She learned, studied, and worked her way up to help expand the Herndon Fortnightly Library.) So, I’ve loved books and reading all my life because of her! We learned of the Friends' need for space  from one of our Mission Center participants, Yoko Thakur, and were delighted to answer the call, working with both Boards and the Friends to make it happen! So far, it's been a great partnership and transition to the old NorthStar space. The volunteers and leaders are creative, smart, and solutions-oriented, and we look forward to supporting their efforts. In your personal circles, please help folks know where to find the donations bin; we look forward to hosting a successful spring book sale! Thank you to Mason District Supervisor Jimenez who donated the first books and encouraged Amerikids children to read! Stay tuned for more to come. Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving!

​

October 6, 2026

Happy Fall! And no, I am not really ready for it! I’m squeezing out every ounce of summer and sun I can. In the past, Fall was my favorite time of year; I grew up near Skyline Drive, so the leaves started turning orange and red now and school starting back up gave me joy to see my friends and study. At UVA, my alma mater, Charlottesville was always most beautiful in the fall with the colored leaves on Brown’s Mountain (now called Montalto) rising above Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s home (which means “little mountain”). I spent many weekend afternoons reading and studying there on the lawns. This September before the temps changed, I went over to Sugarloaf Mountain and Thurmont. Our Young at Hearts Gadabouts group goes annually for a meal and peaches and the Catoctin Orchard. I wanted to see Cunningham Falls and discovered the State Park’s Aviary with rescued Red Shoulder Hawks and an Eagle! I bought some apples of course at the orchard; it was a lovely short hike in nature to rest and refresh on my staycation. I hope you’ll make some quiet time to spend in God’s creation this fall, admiring the colors and breathing the fresh cool air.

 

We hosted Kohaku’s Annual Recital last Saturday, and it was the best attended so far! The music was outstanding, inspiring, and you could see the members’ joy in singing and performing. Their director performed exquisite solos as well.

 

Our newest MC Partner, George Mason Friends of the Library (GMF) moved in September 28th, and all is going well. You may see a lockbox on our front entrance door for their use only. Their volunteers will be coming and going M-Sat, 9-5 and some evenings. We are also vision-casting and preparing our 2027 budget, so if you have any ideas or questions before the November 1st meeting, please call me. Have a happy Fall!

​

September 1, 2026

Do we trust our trapeze “Caller” (i.e. God) in everything we do or only in the spiritual realms of our lives? Last month’s article was a good foundation for the July air conditioning crisis; it was a crisis only because we had 5 big events scheduled with 200-300 people, plus the normal activities of the Food Mission and Missions Center groups, plus 3 weekly church services. Building & Grounds and many others put our heads together to research multiple options. After prayer, proposals, and analysis, we broke the problem down into “short term” and “long term.” We called a church membership meeting to discuss any questions and all voted yes to install a temporary chiller for two months until the heating changeover occurs mid to late October. The unit sits on a 15-foot trailer with a protective fence around it just outside our Boiler Room. It only takes up 1½ parking spaces and is working much better than our 1972 chiller that needs replacing in the spring. Thank you for your recent prayers; the equipment installation and the first big event all went well, praise God for bringing all things together! We have another NBMBC large event in the Sanctuary this Sunday, so please pray for our Missions Center (MC) partners, fall activities, events, our church, your pastor, and the team.

​

By dramatic contrast, this below was happening inside! A beautiful, comfortable wedding and reception took place (son of Linh Lam, VGBC Trustee), thanks to this temporary solution. In August, we adjusted our worship to the Choir Suite and Bible Study to the Conference Room as needed for everyone’s health and safety during those 100+ degree temperatures. Our MC groups remained flexible too, and are very happy with our short term solution. We completed the Jeremiah and Romans study over the summer and are back into the 2026 theme, “Roots and Branches.” Hope to see you some Sunday at 11 am or 9:45 am for Bible Study. We are trusting Christ in all things here at United Baptist! ​

​

August 4, 2026

Thank you! for all the beautiful birthday cards, messages, meals, and gifts this August! I am truly grateful you are thinking of me and praying for me. We have had a crazy couple of weeks, so your support is appreciated.

 

I promised last month to share my response to the trapeze article, and it is perfect timing in my birthday month. So let me ask you if you’ve had a trapeze moment? The trapeze moment for me is May 2023 when I faced mitral valve heart repair surgery with no time to prepare my church or myself for an invasive surgery with 8 to 10-weeks to recover. I was treated for asthma by mistake when what I had was a failing childhood heart murmur with fluid filling my lungs and heart. The ER treatment and care I received was outstanding at Inova Fairfax Heart and Vascular Institute. My pastor friends, staff, and church all came to support me, yet the unexpected meditation was about life and death: was I ready to meet Jesus? Would I meet Jesus? “But Lord, I have so much more work to do here!” I felt not ready but not fearful either. He had also called the medical team into service, gifting them with skills I required. I felt a renewed calling to survive and to share my faith with anyone close by. And I did; nurses and techs found out I was a “Preacher” and they came in for pastoral counseling! I saw more “potential congregants” in those 2 weeks than in my own church over 2 Sundays. Going into the surgery itself was a trapeze moment of trusting the Caller, and then taking whatever action was required next. For me, that was trusting God’s plan, helping the church to carry on (short-term interim), and following instructions to heal and get my strength back.

 

Lisa Rodriguez-Watson’s trapeze article rang true for a medical emergency, especially for a solo pastor of a small church: “First, the strength of the swing depends on the commitment of the leap. A hesitant jump doesn't generate enough momentum for what comes next. Second, and this one stopped me, the caller is the catcher. The one who calls you to jump, to release, to stretch out for the catch is the very one waiting to receive you. Listening to that voice calling for the jump and release brings a new level of awareness that the call and the catch are not two distinct things; they are one act of trust.”

 

I had to commit to my future and trust my creator, the one who gifted me with leadership. I also had to do the physical and mental exercise to get back to God’s work, whatever that may look like. I never thought of being a pastor like this before. For the trapeze artist, or any Christian or Artist, it takes courage as well as trust to make that leap of faith into the hands of the catcher (God, viewer, reader, listener, or patron); what a beautiful metaphor! Facing my surgery did not feel amazing at the time, but when I read her words about her missional work, I realized that my courage was strengthened because of that “Trapeze Moment”. My trust is stronger than ever before. So, am I willing to release the safety bar and let go? Are we? Do we trust our Caller?​​​​​​​​