July 1, 2025

Early Happy Independence Day! This Friday the country will celebrate our freedom and the 249th anniversary of our national independence from Great Britain in 1776. On Sunday, we will recognize these freedoms as a country, individuals, and as Christ followers. We hope you will have a meaningful holiday, honoring the courage of our nation’s founding fathers, the victory of the Revolutionary War, and the writing of the Declaration of Independence. It is a fact that citizens cannot all agree on how to run the country, yet I am grateful to live here with freedom to worship and to vote with an informed choice. This Sunday, July 6th, we will sing patriotic hymns and following Communion, end singing The Lord’s Prayer. Even so, I am grateful that we practice separation of church and state, observe all religious liberties, and as Baptists maintain church autonomy and equality.

 

I cannot say the same thing about the June 10-11 Southern Baptist Convention in Dallas. More than 10,500 “messengers” attended. The Law Amendment adding new language to Article 3 of the SBC Constitution, defining cooperating churches as those that affirm, appoint or employ “only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture” was presented again and required a 2/3 majority vote at two consecutive annual meetings. Both times, the language was defeated: in 2024, they had 61.45% of the vote and in 2025 had 60.74% in favor. Another issue of financial transparency was defeated, while $3 million was committed for lawsuits and defense (several sexual abuse cases are ongoing). The United Baptist Church for many years has not been a part of the SBC. Thanks to centuries of independent religious thinkers, scholars, philosophers, students, congregants, and committed, qualified preachers and teachers, our religious liberty has held its ground. Walter Shurden’s book, The Baptist Identity: The Four Fragile Freedoms, describes four distinctives of what it means to be Baptist: Soul Freedom, Bible Freedom, Church Freedom, and Religious Freedom.

 

Last Sunday, we learned about the miraculous freedom that came after God broke the chains of the Apostle Paul and Silas who were thrown into prison for exorcising a demon out of a young slave-girl in Acts 16:20-31. They cost the owner a huge amount of business, so were arrested. Their faith, however, sustained them in prayer and singing before God used his miracles to transform the jailer and his household into believers. This Sunday, we will study Spiritual Freedom through salvation, faith, and ministry. Hope you can join us! “1 For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery . . . 13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters, only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become enslaved to one another. 14 For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 15 If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.” Share Christ!

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June 3, 2025

Happy Father’s Day! And Congratulations to the graduates connected to our church family (page 1). Well done to the Graduates listed. We are praying for their next steps in life. Celebrations from May’s month of Mothers’, Nurses’, and Teachers’ continues into June with Graduations, Voice Recitals, vacations, and Father’s Day on June 15th. I hope you will be with us on Father’s Day to be recognized. We appeciate all father-figures and men who faithfully lead others to Christ and mentor life skills.

 

It was an honor May 31st to welcome the Washington University of Virginia, a non-profit, religious institution whose mission is to develop men and women of character and leadership through quality Christian education (Bachelors, Masters & Doctorates), right here in Annandale. They have used our Sanctuary, Gym, and Parlor for several years to accommodate between 100-200 graduates and their families for their ceremonies.

 

It was also our pleasure as the Mission Center on May 17th to host this year’s Sopranessence Benefit concert for Homestretch, “Empowering Families in Crisis to Rebuild Lives,” a Falls Church, VA non-profit organization whose mission is to address root causes of homelessness for each family and to reverse it. They raised over $800 from the concert through a raffle and extra donations. It was a moving program of professional vocal music oriented to home, health, and happiness. Thank you to those who supported both groups! The stories of success were inspiring.

 

Have you ever felt parched? Either physically or spiritually? One sermon last month addressed “spiritual bypassing,” the tactic of giving a trite response to someone who is in real pain or despair. Please don’t say “it’ll all be fine if you just pray about it.” While that may be true, it is not helpful to the struggling person. Rather than offering real support like transportation, advocacy, or food, it is a judgmental bypass of the situation. Sometimes being thirsty (Isaiah 55:1-5) just needs a sip of water or a quick Bible verse, but other times, it demands intervention, both physically and spiritually. We try to do that with the New United Gospel Food Mission, which is going strong and in need of more volunteers. The gratitude of our guests is amazing! So thank you if you support that mission. My closing prayer after the Sopranessence/Homestretch concert, presentation, and sermon follows:    

        Dear Lord, we thank you for sending your son, Jesus, to quench our thirst and restore us to eternal life. Forgive our sins of gluttony and greed, so that by our redemption in you, we may share this good news with others. Help us to be good hosts when we can be and good advocates of groups that help others receive what they need. Let our unity and fellowship grow us and refresh us. It is in your name, we pray, Amen. Please think about these things . . . 

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May 6, 2025

Praises! It is a month of celebrations! Thank you for your service and skills, nurses and teachers! This is National Nurses Week 2025, May 6-May 12, and 2025 Teacher Appreciation Week May 5-May 9. Thank you (too many to name here) for your calling into these fields, your education, training, commitment and generosity to do more than the job requires, and your experience. I think it is fitting that both coincide with Mother’s Day, since many women who are mothers, grandmothers, aunts, great grandmothers, step-moms, and most women have the same “non-professional” gifts of nurturer and trainer. We will recognize all on Sunday. Please join us.

 

Speaking of competent women, it was my pleasure to be invited and participate in Worship and a “Ministry Lab” at the annual Virginia Baptist Women in Ministry conference, called FEAST, in Richmond last Friday with 77 present. I also serve on their Board of Directors, but the Lab was a panel discussion with a moderator and 5 qualified, creative women in different pastoral and chaplaincy contexts. We shared what “Uncovering the Sacred,” our theme, meant to us in our contexts, how we cultivate the sacred as we pastor diverse congregations, what leadership areas reveal the sacred in the mundane, and what personal spiritual practices we use. Hearing others wrestle with this topic, yet also creating a “show and tell” table with my Israel prayer shawl, helpful books, photos of our church activities, one of our Taizé music books, a candle we used on Good Friday, and seashells representing personal time helped me realize and share that we are having a lot of sacred or Kairos moments right here! I may not use those words “holy” or “sacred,” yet through our UBC and extended relationships, missions, resources, studies, prayer, hospitality, fellowship, and so much more, we are beginning to uncover more sacred and Kairos moments among us, even during the mundane tasks of building repairs and maintenance. God’s presence is felt in those quiet moments of service and thought! Sacred spaces are anywhere two or more are gathered in His name and focus is yielded toward Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

 

Thanks to our creative and talented Worship Team, we had lovely Palm Sunday and Easter services this year with special music and guest instrumentalists. Even though they rehearse and I preach, the Holy Spirit does the work through each person participating, I find the services so inspiring and refreshing, remembering Christ’s forgiveness and love for us, that I look forward to it every year. Thank you to Roudaina, Charles, David and Beth for their Good Friday “Disciples’ Lunch” and special service music; and to Roudaina, David, Charles, Sonia, Melissa, Jeff, Bob, Elmer, Bill, and Debbie for their musical, choral, and sound talents, as well as those who set things up and welcomed everyone on Easter Sunday. The Pastor’s role is understood, but cannot be accomplished without church laity and many helpers! So thank you again.

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April 1, 2025

Happy Snow Day! April Fools! Temps did drop 30 degrees, but when I got in this morning, an April Fools phone failure was no joke! Until we resolve the issue, please use my cell 571-278-7115 or email me for a few days at pmoyer@unitedbaptchurch.org. Our Admin. Assistant is on well-deserved vacation, so I’m glad I could cope. Pastors develop unusual skills serving in church, like plumbing, HVAC, basic electrical, simple IT, custodial, finance, landscaping, mental health, etc.--none of which is taught at Seminary! No complaints here, because the life skills developed in most “jobs” exceed professional skills. For that I am most grateful. These little “jokes on us” remind me that you and I are not in charge. God is and always will be. 

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There are so many epic prayer concerns in our world right now that a small admin or facility repair seem minor and manageable. I do hope you are spending this Lent in prayer, and perhaps using a Lectio Divina practice reading Scripture. If you’ve missed Sundays, contact me to send you the bulletin inserts with instructions. This Lenten prayer practice will deepen your study, prayer life, and life with Jesus. As a church, we are praying for the devastating losses in Myanmar and Thailand as well as for healing, surgical preparation, grief, resources, and strength for our own congregants, extended family, friends, disaster response teams, and government leaders. Please pray with us as you can. 

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Will you be with us during Holy Week? Palm Sunday is April 13th, with special music and palms; on Good Friday at noon, April 18th, will be our now familiar “Disciples’ Lunch”, shared Communion, and reflective Worship of Scripture, Singing, and Prayer in the Fellowship Hall. Then Sunday, April 20th at 9:30 am is our normal hymn sing, Bible Study/Sunday School and at 11:00 am will be Resurrection Sunday Worship with special music and flowers adorning the Sanctuary. Please bring a friend or family member with you to reconnect with us and your faith story. 

Then, true to our theme, Vital Hospitality, get ready for May/June events and recitals. Page 1 has details of monthly opportunities. This is gentle evangelism. Thank you to Kohaku vocal ensemble for a beautiful, inspiring recital/concert with reception last Saturday. Blessed, we hope to see you soon! ​​​​​​​​