6 Facts of National Importance

1. The District of Columbia isn't part of any state, though it was created on land donated by Virginia and Maryland. (Virginia's land was returned to it by Congress in 1846, largely with regard to slavery in the District). Almost 700,000 people live in D.C., not counting the over 300,000 additional people who commute there to work.

2. A locally-elected mayor and thirteen member council govern Washington D.C., but Congress has supreme authority and may overturn local laws. Residents elect a non-voting delegate to the House of Representatives, but have no representative in the Senate. The 23rd Amendment to the Constitution gave the District three electoral votes.

3. After the assasination of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr., rioting on the U Street, 14th Street, 7th Street, and H Street corridors ended after three days through the intervention of federal troops.

4. By law, the skyline is low and sprawling--no building may be taller than the width of the adjacent street (plus 20 feet). The Ronald Reagam building is the largest Washington, with an area of approximately 3.1 million square feet. 19% of the District's total area is parkland.

5. By 1870, though nearly 132,000 people lived in Washington D.C., dirt roads were common and basic sanitation was lacking. On the other hand, Washington was the first city in the nation to pursue urban renewal in the early 1900's.

6. Columbia, used as the name for the federal district established in the Constitution, was a poetic name for America in common use in the late 1700's.

Time for Virginia churches!

One way and another, we were in Virginia longer than any other state so far. This wasn't intentional, but we sure saw a lot of churches...so many that one had to photobomb another in order to make it into a picture (Do you happen to know which church it is?)

Four pretty churches in the countryside:

West View United Methodist Church, Swoope

Unknown church

Smith Mountain Lake Seventh Day Adventist Church

Galilee Baptist Church, Kent's Store

Six brick churches:

Don't know this church's name, but like the message: Trust in God

Bethesda Presbyterian Church, Rockbridge Baths

Roanoke with photobomb

Gordonsville Presbyterian Church

Battlefield Baptist Church, Gainesville

Our Lady of Hope, Sterling

 A big, bold church:

Faith Fellowship, near Rocky Mount

And the shy lighthouse that's practically across the street:

Lighthouse Church of the Brethren, near Rocky Mount

Finally, something we should have tried:

What makes it "preacher" cookie ice cream?

Saint Matthew's Episcopal Church, Sterling, Virginia

Our timing was a bit off, so we're missing out on the fire.

In the announcements during the weekend services we attended at St. Matthew's, Trevor the youth pastor urged people to wear red the next weekend for Pentecost Sunday -- and perhaps bring a fire extinguisher, because he and Father Rob would be doing one of their favorite things: playing with fire in church.

For better or worse, Rob just used words and no Mr. Science for the weekend message while we visited. In the sanctuary ceiling, you can still see the hook used to swing a bowling bowl on a cable. There are no visible signs of the mousetrap gantlet that was set on another Sunday, but I hear rumors about the incident still circulate in Episcopal seminary halls ("What are they doing at St. Matthew's in Virginia?").

Mindy and I attended the Saturday night (contemporary) service and the 8:00 am liturgical service. She also attended the 9:30 contemporary service and the 11:00 am traditional worship, but I was more in and out since I attended a children's Sunday School class and helped with coffee and snack prep (women had the day off). The opening song for the Saturday night service was Cyndi Lauper's True Colors, and I greatly enjoyed singing along. Such songs are not new for this worship team; they've taken weekends to sing pop hits of the Beatles, the eighties, nineties, etc., and Rob tied the songs to his message and prayers. But the rest of the songs in this particular service are ones more typically heard on contemporary Christian radio.  

Rob did manage pretty well, though, with just words for this weekend's message. It was Mother's Day, which might go a long way toward explaining not blowing anything up. (Also, because it was Mother's Day, cards for mothers were available in the men's rest room -- just in case anyone forgot about the holiday.) The Gospel reading was from John 17 (the "High Priestly Prayer"), in which Jesus prays with such hope for his disciples who, from a human perspective, often seemed hopeless. Rob said that a mother's love and hope for a child often echoes God's love and hope for us. He told about his own struggles with athletics as a child, which brought him great discouragement. And yet his mother would tell him stories about a little boy named Ricky that, quite surprisingly, paralleled the life of young Robbie. Hope, in the "Little Ricky" stories, brought hope to young Rob. In the same way, God sees hope for us all.

We wanted to visit St. Matthew's because of Rob. Mindy and I knew Rob and his wife, Linda, back in our seminary days, and we've meaning to get together for a few years now (actually, frighteningly, for a few decades now.  One of the many things we love about this church and bar in every state tour is finally getting to see family and friends we've had good intentions of visiting for a long time.)

One advantage of staying at Rob and Linda's home was the opportunity to ask the questions we ask in a bar. Whenever we visit a bar we ask, "What makes for a good bar?" and "What makes for a good church?" Sometimes people ask us in bars, "Do you ask priests those questions?" Frankly, we usually don't. We certainly don't ask Baptist pastors we've just met those questions. But since I know drinking real wine (not Welch's grape juice) is part of Rob's job description, I asked him.

Sadly, Rob's attempt to answer my "What makes for a good bar" question was pretty much a fail. The problem is that Rob has never gone to bars, so he asked how others answered the question and echoed their answers.

To be fair, Virginia isn't much of a bar state. There aren't real bars here, just bars in restaurants. And Rob, though not a teetotaler, is pretty much a one drink and done guy. He hasn't given a lot of thought to the issue of what makes for a good bar.

On the other hand, he has given thought to what makes for a good church. Rob mentioned that this area, located so close to Washington D.C., was a difficult place to make friends. Many people leave for their jobs at 5:00 am and don't come home until after 8:00 pm, which leaves little time for socializing. But the church provides an opportunity for people to get to know each other.

I asked him what might be attractive to professionals in the life of the church. He said people see others who have the life they'd like; a life with healthy relationships and balance. He said church life offers mentors. He believes the Episcopal Church has an advantage over many Evangelical Churches because it doesn't promote a false sense of adequacy; the church takes Scripture seriously, but with an eye toward wholeness rather than as a rulebook for proper behavior.

Rob stressed that a good church should be welcoming, with an authentic spiritual life. Not everyone has to be on the same page, as long as they're moving in the same direction. People should be learning to live sacrificially, and the church should provide people with a sense of accountability. A good church should have a real impact on the community and the world (not just by writing checks, but through authentic relationships).

The final thing Rob mentioned was that a church should be fun, that people should be having fun together. This weekend, as he made announcements, Trevor told about learning to drive in a Honda Civic with manual transmission. He constantly stalled, making the car shake and rattle (but not roll). This led his father to earnest instruction. It led his mother to laugh uncontrollably. Later, Rob spoke with approval about this story and the importance of learning to laugh at ourselves as individuals and as a church.  

I spoke to a number of people during the weekend who affirmed that St. Matt's was living up to many of Rob's ideals for a good church. On Saturday morning I hung out with Trevor and youth group members outside a local Safeway as part of a food drive. Meredith, a high school freshman, said that over the last couple of years her family has gone through rough times, but there was always someone there for her at the church when she needed them. Another young woman, Hannah, said she came to the church with her family. Her folks had moved on to a Baptist Church because they felt more comfortable there, but Hannah loved St. Matt's, particularly the community focus, so she stayed.

When I talked with a man named Fred during the coffee hour, he affirmed Rob's hope for a place where people are kind even when they don't agree on everything. He said there are people at the church who view Scripture in a much more conservative fashion than he does, and there are even a couple of atheists in attendance, yet everyone treats each other with love and respect.

I talked with a group of ladies enjoying each other's company at a table in the fellowship hall. I asked what drew them to the church, and they said, "This." It was after noon, and several had been at church since the 8:00 am worship, but they were happy to be together.

We were quite happy, after years of anticipation, to join a weekend at St. Matt's. Even without the pyrotechnic teaching props.

Statistics

Saturday evening

5:00 pm (contemporary Eucharist)

Service Length: 59 minutes

Sermon Length: 16 minutes

Visitor Treatment: Rob introduced us at the end of the service and several people stopped to chat with us. The offering envelopes also have a place for visitor information (but we didn't turn one in until Sunday morning). During the "Peace" portion of each of the worship services, people seemed to try to greet people throughout the sanctuary, not just the one or two people around them.

Our Rough Count: 50

Probable Ushers' Count: 60

Snacks: none

Musicians: vocals (man, 2 women), electric guitar (man), electric bass (man), acoustic guitar (man), piano (woman) drums (man)

Songs: True Colors

The River

My Lighthouse
Holy

If I Stand

Impossible

Sunday morning

8:00 am (Rite I Eucharist)

Service Length: 55 minutes

Sermon Length: 15 minutes

Our Rough Count: 22

Probable Ushers' Count: 25

Snacks: donuts, muffins, cookies, fruit, lemonade, water, coffee, hot water for decaf or tea

Musicians: none

Songs: none

9:30 am (contemporary Eucharist)

Service Length: 1 hour 8 minutes

Sermon Length: 18 minutes

Our Rough Count: 135

Probable Ushers' Count: 150

Snacks: muffins, fruit, cookies, fruit hedgehogs and hummingbirds, chocolate dipped strawberries, coffee, hot water for decaf or tea, lemonade, water

Musicians: electric guitar (man), vocals (2 women, 1 man), piano (woman), acoustic guitar (man), electric bass (man), drums (man)

Songs: True Colors, The River, My Lighthouse, Holy, If I Stand, With Every Act of Love, Impossible

11:00 am (Rite II Eucharist)

Service Length: 1 hour 5 minutes

Sermon Length: 15 minutes

Followup by Tuesday Morning: none (unless you count constant loving care by Linda and Rob as we stayed at their house. We count that) We also got a personal email from the church's amazing office manager, Miriam, about a week later. 

Our Rough Count: 67

Probable Ushers' Count: 75

Snacks: same as above, with the addition of pita chips and hummus

Musicians: piano, choir (about 15 people)

Songs: Forever Praise (choir alone)

Thy Strong Word did Cleave the Darkness

Glory to God

Ticket to the Promised Land (choir alone)

Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow

Sanctus

Open the Eyes of my Heart (choir alone)

Abide with me

Stand up, Stand up for Jesus

Miles to church: 4 miles

Miles from start: 13,338

Total 2016 Miles: 13,081

Church website: http://www.stmtts.org/

Bonus Kids Say the Darnedest  Things

I was glad to sit in on the 4th-5th grade Sunday School class, taught by a man named Pete who obviously cares for the baker's dozen of students that were in attendance. I noted some wonderful things the students said, comments on the story of Paul and Silas in jail from Acts 16. About the slave girl with a spirit of divination, a young girl said, "I like to think I have a super power." In answer to the question of what Paul and Silas might have done when they were freed from their chains at midnight, "Did they become nocturnal?" And another kid misread the jailer's plea, "How can I be saved?" as "How can I be a slave?"

If all you know is that Virginia is for lovers, you need to read these 6 additional facts

1. Virginia is nicknamed "Mother of Presidents" because eight United States Presidents were born in the state (more than in any other US state). The Virginia General Assembly is the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western hemisphere.

2. The state has an average of 35-45 days of thunderstorm activity with an average of 42.7 inches of precipitation a year, and forests cover 65% of the land.

3. By 1676, as much as 80% of the population were or had been indentured servants. In 1860, more than 30% of the population was enslaved. However, in 1989, Douglas Wilder became the first African American governor elected in the United States.

4. More Civil War battles were fought in Virginia than anywhere else.

5. The state's Hispanic population rose by 92% between 2000 and 2010.

6. Agriculture, though significantly less important over the past fifty years than it was formerly, is still the largest single industry in the state. Tomatoes are the most profitable crop. Virginia is also the largest producer of seafood on the East Coast.

A living tree in Virginia

Tree of Life Ministries

I'm not much of a clothes shopper. I'll put off buying clothes as long as possible, and when I go I'll spend as little time in Walmart or Target as possible. But on this Saturday, I was taking time lingering over the shirts for two-month old boys. I found a shirt with a motorcycle and another with a tie (not a real tie, but darn cute). It helps to shop when you don't pay for the clothes.

Our friend, Danita, who is expecting a little boy in August, told us about this shopping day at a Baptist church in Purcellville, Virginia. Once a year, they put on this free shopping event. In the parking lot, a large selection of furniture is available. Inside, in the church's large meeting room, table after table and rack upon rack is loaded with free clothes. And a big breakfast is served after the shopping is done.

To keep things orderly, there is a first come, first served line. While standing in the line, volunteers serve coffee, water bottles, and donuts. Other volunteers ask those waiting in line about specific needs, in order to offer them Tree of Life services. They also take prayer requests. Groups of one hundred people at a time are seated in a tent, babysitting is offered for small children, and guests are told, in Spanish and English, about how to begin a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Then they're given bags for their shopping.

Each group of a hundred is given a half an hour to look through and fill their bags from a large variety of clothing (if they want, guests are welcome to shop again, but they have to wait in the line each time). A woman played keyboards and sang worship songs while guests shopped.

When their time is up, they're invited to a breakfast of donuts, fruit, biscuits, sausage and eggs is offered in a room set up to inform guests of other service offered by Tree of Life. It's a non-profit organization that began at Purcellville Baptist Church but now is supported by sixteen other area churches as well.

Tree of Life offers help through five different "Branches:" Food (food pantry, community kitchen, community garden), Life Skills (Job counseling, English classes, financial counseling), Shelter (Housing, home repairs, clothes & furniture), Healthcare (Health education, medical vouchers, urgent care, dental & optical help) and Relief (helping special needs families, care for the elderly, emergency services).

I had an opportunity to talk with Paul Smith, who helped found the organization. After Hurricane Katrina, Paul had gone with a group of volunteers from his church to help in Mississippi. On the bus ride back, Paul was thinking, "I'm going the wrong way. I should be staying and helping people." He was thinking there weren't needs in Purcellville. After all, the city is located in Loudoun County, Virginia, which (judged by median average family income) is the richest county in the nation. But God seemed to tell Paul, "Open your eyes and you'll see the need." Paul began to look around and saw that even though there was great wealth; there were still people in need.

He went to the leadership of Purcellville Baptist and asked them to set aside ten percent of their budget for the poor in the area. This didn't seem to make much sense, because the church had just completed a large building project and had a good deal of debt, but the church took up the challenge and Tree of Life Ministries eventually grew from that challenge. Smith is now looking to expand the program into other cities -- he just needs people for leadership.

I appreciated that so many of their services (such as job and financial coaching) are intended to fulfil the organization's slogan, "A Hand Up, Not a Handout," and that a primary of principle of the group is that the purpose of giving is to show the love of Christ. We definitely saw that in action while we were there.

As we left (with maternity and baby clothes in tow), Mindy heard a volunteer say to a young mother, "Sweetheart, we want you to have something to eat. Do you want to take a meal home?" From what we saw, each guest who came to that Saturday morning clothing grab was treated with the same concern for their physical and spiritual well-being, with attention paid to what they really needed.

6 wild (but not necessarily wonderful) facts about West Virginia

1. West Virginia is ranked 49th for median household income (Mississippi is ranked 50th). Overall personl inome growth over the past 30 years has been only 1/3 of the national average. It's also the only state where the death rate is higher than the birth rate. For five years, West Virginians ranked themselves as more miserable than people in any other state

2. The state reptile is the timber rattler. The motto is Montani semper liberi ("Mountaineers are always free").

3. West Virginia was created after delegates from unionist counties of northwest Virginia decided to break away from the confederacy. A number of secessionist counties were included. West Virginia was admitted to the Union in 1863. However, many voters in the pro-secessionist counties were fighting in the Confederate army when the vote was taken, and they refused to acknowledge the area as a separate state. After the war, West Virginia and Virginia disagreed about who should pay Virginia's prewar debt.

4. Harpers Ferry changed hands twelve times during the Civil War.

5. Due to the building of many new railroads following the war, coal mining became practical on a large scale. Currently, almost all of the state's energy is created by burning coal.

6. Many of the state's churches are small, independent and un-affiliated churches which don't fit into the categories listed on surveys, leading to statistics which seem to show many areas as unchurched.