Bob’s thoughts:
We were in the area so we revisited Centreville. I realized that we knew this church before they built this building, so our response was not as a first time visitor, and what I noticed today was the lack of directional signage. There is a portable signpost in the Narthex and signs could be added there for the restrooms and nursery.
The multi-purpose room they are using for worship has a massive-looking wood cross, which makes a great focal point. The keyboard was playing while the Associate Pastor was speaking and made her words hard to hear/understand.
A major positive change since we visited last was the Praise Team. Seemed to be thrice as many people with good female and youth participation. Two of the girls had a great duet during the Offertory.
The sermon was delivered well and the bulletin included an outline sheet. The core thought of “How do we achieve godliness?” was presented to make us delve deeper into developing godliness ourselves.
Jan’s thoughts:
We had a fantastic visit with our children and grandchildren in Virginia this weekend. J
Centreville is a terrific church. We’ve been there many times over the years and are always very warmly welcomed. There are always exciting things going on at this church.
We knew they had instituted a second contemporary service, giving them 8:30 and 9:45 contemporary services and an 11:15 traditional, and the Session has recently made the decision to forego the traditional service altogether and go back to two services, both contemporary. I’ve not seen this done before, so I’m interested to watch how they do it, albeit from a distance. From what I heard today, they have a plan to listen to the congregation and they are working to honor the past as well as look to the future. This church is so vital and active, reaching out in countless ways, locally, nationally, and internationally, it truly is one of the most exciting churches I know.
A pastor from Nepal spoke briefly about how Centreville’s support is helping spread the Good News in his country. They are doing impressive work, and I was moved to see photos of people being baptized there.
The music was stirring…the praise band has about quadrupled in size and they sounded just awesome.
The message was based on I Timothy 4:7-16, and is part of the “Doing Church God’s Way” series entitled “Lead by Example.” Rob is a terrific preacher, full of enthusiasm and passion. He spoke about godliness, it doesn’t just happen (1 Timothy 4:7, Ephesians 4:17, Hebrews 5:11-14, Colossians 2:6-7), its definition (“having the character and attitude of God”), and how God’s character is reflected through our speech, the way we love, the way we trust in Him, and how we show His purity (I Timothy 4:12). He pointed out that godliness is the only thing that lasts, it will cost you something, and it starts with a daily decision. The bottom line is that to be godly one must practice godliness. To live a godly life one must be godly in the small, everyday moments. One must practice, practice, practice, moment by moment, day by day.
Not easy, but more than worth the effort…just to hear God say those words we all long to hear from Him: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
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