Centreville Presbyterian Church

Today we worshiped at Centreville Presbyterian Church, 15450 Lee Highway, Centreville, VA 20120, www.centrevillepres.com.


Bob’s thoughts:

We were welcomed by greeters when we entered and by worshipers during the passing of the peace. There were a lot of comments on my T-shirt (“My baby is having a baby”).

We attended a contemporary worship service with probably around 400 (since there were very few empty seats). There was a healthy mix of age groups and ethnic diversity.

The worship services are conducted in the social/fellowship hall, which has surprisingly good acoustics for block walls. Some of the wall area is sculpted and there is a high dropped ceiling. The seating is very comfortable, and with projection on two screens it’s easy to see. The stage/chancel has a large cross in the center with great banners on each side.

All the workings of the church were built with plans to build the Sanctuary next. They have some of the very best sound deadening dividers I have ever seen (heard?).

The praise group is all male which, although very good, loses something with no female and only one youth. The message was right on theologically and well delivered with one exception: when the pastor emphasized a point, the volume of his voice dropped and I couldn’t hear (we were near the rear). A point I particularly liked: many Christians confuse being a witness with being a judge. The offering was taken in response to the Word.

It’s always an enjoyable experience to worship at Centreville. I perceive a genuine friendliness among the congregation.


Jan’s thoughts:

This has been a special weekend for our family because today, January 11, would have been Dan’s 26th birthday. So yesterday our family traveled to the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico to see the brick we donated in Dan’s memory. It was a moving experience, and it’s hard to believe he’s been gone for 2½ years. It was a wonderful visit though, a great opportunity to see the grandchildren (Luke, 3, and Leah, 1) and see how big Brandy’s getting, as she’s due to give birth in the next month or so.

Whenever we’re in northern Virginia (2-4 times per year) we worship at Jill & Scott’s church, Centreville Presbyterian. Both the church and the building are fairly large, and in spite of not knowing many people, it feels smaller. I was ruminating on this following the service as I observed the people chatting and visiting with each other, and noticed how comfortable everyone seemed. Some people spoke with us but I’ve come to realize that part of the feeling one has as a visitor at a church involves the comfort level among the members. If the atmosphere is filled with stress, there is a negative ambiance. Strangely, I’ve only come to realize this consciously after so much visiting, but I now believe that if a church wants to attract new members, it should make sure it is providing growth and fellowship opportunities to the current members.

The building is new, clean, well laid out, and welcoming. The people are friendly and warm. Upon entering the building, there’s someone to greet you immediately, as well as someone at the welcome desk. Today there were approximately 400 people from small children to much older than I attending an 8:30 a.m. contemporary service.

The music is well done, the sermons are God-honoring, and the pastors, who have a definite chemistry, are concerned with mission and Biblical teaching. There’s a genuine feeling of love and caring.

The building is about 5 years old, and the congregation has been growing. Pastor Rob’s sermons always leave me with something important to think about and I enjoy the emotion he exhibits while preaching. He’s very real and very enthusiastic.

This year Centreville is also focusing on creating small groups, which is a great idea in a church this size. They have 13 hosts lined up for the “Growth Groups” and will meet once a week for 8 week periods with 3 “semesters” per year for fellowship and Bible study.

I did chuckle when Pastor Rob announced that next week the Rev. Don Dawson from Pittsburgh Presbytery would be preaching. Unfortunately we’ll miss Don, but Jill & Scott plan to attend.