Annual Report 2016
“I will remember the deeds of the LORD… I will ponder all Your work and meditate on Your mighty deeds.” – Psalm 77:11-12
As 2016 comes to a close, we hope you’ll take some time to remember, reflect and give thanks for many things our God has done in and through the body here at RBC over the past year. Our annual report is a way of doing just that. It is not a list to highlight our accomplishments, but a way of “remembering the deeds of the LORD…”
In the annual report, you’ll find brief overviews of many things God has done as we sought to know Christ and to make Him known in 2016. Of course, He has done far more over the past year than we can put here – “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:25) But our prayer is that this report will give you a brief glimpse of some of His mighty deeds, a taste of what He has done. Taste and see that the Lord is good! (Psalm 34:8)
As you read through and remember the goodness of God, we pray that you would rejoice in the glory of His grace and give thanks for the beauty of His gospel as it goes forth in so many ways in Northern Virginia and around the world.
Christmas Devotional from Pastor Mike
Words mean something.
In this short devotional, my desire is to look at some of our favorite words that we sing at this time of year and reflect on their meaning. You might be in for a surprise.
Preparing for Christmas Eve
SONGS WE’LL BE SINGING TOGETHER
Light of the World | [listen + lyrics]
by: Paul Mabury, Paul Duncan, Lauren Daigle
John 8:12
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel | [listen + lyrics]
by: John Mason Neale, Henry Sloane Coffin, Andy Melvin
Isaiah 7:14
O Little Town Of Bethlehem | [listen]
by: Phillips Brooks
Micah 5:2-3
Come and Stand Amazed | [listen]
by: Dustin Kensrue, Klaas Hart, Zach Bolen
O Come All Ye Faithful | [listen]
by: John F. Wade (1743)
Luke 2:15-16
Angels We Have Heard On High | [listen]
by: Hymn possibly from the 18th century; translated by James Chadwick (1862)
Luke 2:9
All Creation Sing (Joy To The World) | [listen]
by: Isaac Watts (1719), Steve Fee
Luke 2:10
Revelation Song | [listen]
by: Jennie Lee Riddle
Revelation 5:12
How Great Thou Art | [listen]
by: Stuart K. Hine, Carl Boberg
Psalm 145:3
Silent Night | [listen]
by: Franz Xaver Gruber, Joseph Mohr, John Young
Luke 2:1-20
SERMON TEXT
Isaiah 9:2
Luke 2:11
John 14:3
Preparing for Sunday | December 18
SONGS WE’LL BE SINGING TOGETHER
Angels We Have Heard On High | [listen]
by: Hymn possibly from the 18th century; translated by James Chadwick (1862)
Luke 2:9
Silent Night | [listen]
by: Franz Xaver Gruber, Joseph Mohr, John Young
Luke 2:1-20
All Creation Sing (Joy To The World) | [listen]
by: Isaac Watts (1719), Steve Fee
Luke 2:10
O Little Town Of Bethlehem | [listen]
by: Phillips Brooks
Micah 5:2-3
SERMON TEXT
Micah 5:1-2
Celebrating Generosity: Guilford Thanksgiving
Over Thanksgiving, RBC partnered with the staff of Guilford Elementary School to host a Thanksgiving dinner for the students and their families. Over 700 people enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving meal, many for the first time. Every person left full, happy, and grateful. We are so thankful for your generosity and your faithfulness. The staff at Guilford sends their thanks for your continued amazing support! Thank you for being a generous church.
Preparing for Sunday | December 11
SONGS WE’LL BE SINGING TOGETHER
Great Things | [listen]
by: Mack Brock, Chris Brown, Wade Joye
Psalm 126:3
All Creation Sing (Joy To The World) | [listen]
by: Isaac Watts (1719), Steve Fee
Luke 2:10
Angels We Have Heard On High | [listen]
by: Hymn possibly from the 18th century; translated by James Chadwick (1862)
Luke 2:9
O Come All Ye Faithful | [listen]
by: John F. Wade (1743)
Luke 2:15-16
I Will Look Up | [listen + lyrics]
by: Mack Brock, Chris Brown, Wade Joye, Matt Redman
Psalm 121:1
SERMON TEXT
Isaiah 7:14
Isaiah 9:1-6
The Marriage You Want
The Bible starts with a marriage and ends with a marriage. We are God’s image bearers – male and female – we were designed to become one. Even though the culture has changed, God’s design has not.
Michael Easley
Maybe you’d like to turn a good marriage into a great marriage. Or maybe you’re in a struggling marriage and need help, hope and direction. Or perhaps you’re just about to begin the journey of marriage and want to set out in the right direction.
Wherever you are in the journey of marriage, we invite you to join us the weekend of January 27-28, 2017 for our annual marriage conference. Author and speaker Dr. Michael Easley will help us review the biblical basis of God’s specific design for marriage and share how we can re-align our expectations toward His ideas. Michael is husband to Cindy, dad to four, pastor to Fellowship Bible Church in Nashville, and host of the podcast, Michael Easley inContext.
We invite you to join Michael and his wife Cindy on this journey of The Marriage you Have vs. the Marriage you Want! Renew, realign and re-calibrate your relationship into a new set of expectations that are both realistic and biblical. In addition to the conference itself, we would also like to encourage you to take the opportunity to stay overnight at the beautiful Hilton Doubletree at our discounted rate. You can choose to stay in-between the Friday night and Saturday morning conference sessions or for the entire weekend. It’s a great opportunity to disconnect and relax without the travel.
The cost of the Marriage Conference is only $45 per couple. Register here by Christmas Day to receive a $10 discount. Hotel accommodations for one or both nights can be made through this Conference Registration as well. We hope to see you there!
– RBC Marriage Ministry Team
Celebrating Generosity: First Fruits
Because of the generosity of over 800 volunteers who did 150 jobs, our First Fruits project raised over $41,000! Food and gift cards were personally delivered to 35 families and another 35 will receive food cards in the next few days. Excess funds will be used to provide several scholarships to local high school students and bless the staff of several area high schools. Thanks to all who donated directly, provided jobs and participated that day to bring joy (and food) to many hurting families in our community. Thank you for being a generous church!
Preparing for Sunday | December 4
SONGS WE’LL BE SINGING TOGETHER
Cornerstone | [listen]
by: Eric Liljero, Reuben Morgan, Edward Mote, and Jonas Myrin
Ephesians 2:20
All Creation Sing (Joy To The World) | [listen]
by: Isaac Watts (1719), Steve Fee
Luke 2:10
O Come All Ye Faithful | [listen + lyrics]
by: John F. Wade (1743)
Luke 2:15-16
This Is Amazing Grace | [listen + lyrics]
by: Josh Farro, Phil Wickham, Jeremy Riddle
Revelation 5:12
SERMON TEXT
Genesis 12:1-3
Celebrating Generosity: Solid Ground
Because of your generosity, Reston Bible Church can host classes like Solid Ground, where many can explore the firm foundations of the Christian faith. Thank you for being a generous church.