Thank You, Marsha & Sue!
We’d like to thank Bruce and Mike for their kind words and for our gifts. (I, Marsha, am pretty stoked about my pink umbrella. I recently lost my old umbrella, so this is the perfect gift. And I, Sue, am thrilled with my chocolate bars because, well, I’m always thrilled by chocolate.)
During this time of transition as we head into retirement, we look back on our years of being on staff at RBC and find that we have much to be thankful for.
First, we are thankful that God put us together. Our personalities and gifting are quite different and some people thought we wouldn’t work well together. But God knew that we would balance one another, be stronger together and become great friends.
Second, we are thankful for the staff at RBC. They have supported us in so many ways. They are truly a team that works together and wants everyone to succeed. We’ve been able to see up close their love for people, their strong faith, and their servant hearts.
Third, we are thankful for the many volunteers who make Women’s Ministry run smoothly. These women have given of their time and talents faithfully, in joyful service, and we couldn’t have done it without them.
Last, but not least, we are thankful for each woman who has participated in Women’s Ministry. We have been privileged to see women grow in their faith, find community and serve one another.
We are grateful for all the experiences over these past years. Whether they’ve brought us joy and laughter or challenge and growth, God has used each of them in our lives. Now as we step down, we look forward. We are excited to see what God has planned next for the women of RBC.
Love,
Marsha and Sue
Check-In Survey
The pastors and elders of RBC are prayerfully considering how and when to begin gathering together again as a church body.
You can help us in this process by using the form below to let us know your thoughts about our eventual return to worship services in the building.
The survey questions do not represent “the finalized plan” for meeting again on Sunday mornings. We are still considering the best and wisest course of action that is tied to our live streaming capability being installed and tested. We are thankful for your feedback—please pray along with us as we seeks the Lord’s wisdom.
The survey is now closed. Thank you for your participation!
VIDEO: Quick Note from Pastor Mike
CELEBRATING GENEROSITY: Annual Report & Succession Update
RBC ANNUAL REPORT 2018: From Sunday, December 9, here’s Executive Pastor Bruce Campbell giving an end-of-year financial update. You can find this information and much, much more by reading through the 2018 Annual Report. It is a joy to look back and remember the great things God has done, and the Annual Report allows us an opportunity to do that in the context of our church. May this year-in-review be an encouragement to deeper worship and more profound trust as we look back and are reminded of the good God has done among us for the glory of His name.
SUCCESSION UPDATE: The video above also includes a brief update from the chairman of the RBC elders, Eric Smith, regarding where we are as we trust the Lord to raise up Pastor Mike’s successor. The text of Eric’s announcement is also included below.
Since it has been some time since we have addressed the subject concerning the status of Mike Minter’s succession, the elders wanted to provide you with an update: To be clear up front, we are not announcing Mike’s imminent departure or replacement.
It has been said that every pastor is an interim pastor. God provides a pastor so that he might teach & shepherd the flock until the time that he hands off the baton to the next pastor, also provided by God. National statistics tell us that the average tenure of a senior pastor is less than 8 years. We are glad that Mike never got the memo, as he has persevered more than 40 years the senior teaching pastor of RBC. We are tremendously blessed to have Mike stand in this pulpit for all these years and although he remains youthful, we are all aware that Mike is not eternal (at least not in his present flesh).
You might not be aware of this, but as a result of Mike’s humility, he began engaging in dialog with the elders almost 15 years ago, about what a healthy succession plan might look like. Mike has demonstrated great faith in the Lord and willingness to “step out of the way” at anytime, should it be deemed best for RBC. I want it to be clear that no one in leadership is looking forward to his departure and there is no imminent concern for his replacement. At the same time, we desire to be diligent and thoughtful about the future. Our hope is that the Lord would grant us the opportunity to identify Mike’s eventual replacement, perhaps even years prior to Mike’s departure. We are also excited as we look to the Lord to see who He will provide as Mike’s successor. Understand, Mike is in excellent health and enjoying the opportunity to serve RBC with his preaching and teaching gifts.
The elders have for many years been prayerfully considering what a healthy transition looks like. We have been revisiting the position description and continue dialog regarding a succession plan. At some point in the near future, we will, Lord willing, invite the pastors, staff and all of you to consider your network of relationships in order to harvest potential names for consideration as we conduct a soft search. We will not be advertising or retaining a search firm at this time.
Although the future is not certain, we are confident that He who has begun a good work in the Saints at RBC will be faithful to complete it. He who has raised up Pastor Mike so profoundly, will He not care for His church?
We invite you to continue joining us as we earnestly pray and seek both His timing and His choice. It is our sincere purpose and hope that this transition will honor the LORD, honor you, and honor Mike & Kay, servants through whom much fruit has been born.
Thanks for co-laboring with us.
Steve Terry Memorial Service – Monday, Oct. 22
Dear Friends,
Many of you have contacted the RBC office to ask when Steve’s memorial service will be held. We have now finalized plans and wanted to let you know the details so you could plan accordingly.
Steve Terry Memorial Service
Monday, October 22
1:00 pm here at RBC
Reception to follow
Please be in prayer for Steve’s mom Jean, sister Lori and brothers Wayne and Brian as they grieve their loss (but heaven’s gain). Steve’s immediate family is so very grateful for the unique ways many of you have shown kindness and love to him and for the outpouring of your prayers.
Introducing Equipping the Saints
In response to Christ’s command to be disciples and make disciples, fulfilling the mission of RBC, “to know Christ and make Him known,” we have created a ministry called Equipping the Saints (EtS).
EtS was created to provide systematic teaching for the entire church body on the essentials of being and making disciples. The core courses below are set in an environment of mutual edification, exhortation, and spiritual growth that will benefit every follower of Jesus, and draw the body at RBC together in unity.
Courses are mostly done in 4 sessions, and are held on Sunday mornings, so that everyone in the body can participate. Registration for the Fall semester is open. The desire of the Pastors and Elders is that everyone who calls RBC home, would work their way through all six of the core courses.
One Body, Many Parts: Where Do I Fit?
Sundays, 10:45 AM – September 9 – 30
Lead Teacher: Pastor Mike Meyers
This broad orientation to the “church” and to RBC’s history, beliefs, and ministries will cover what it means to be a part of the body of Christ at RBC and help you answer questions like, “Who am I?” “How has God fitted me for His service?” “Where do I go from here?” We will explore things like personality, spiritual gifts, and passions to help you understand how God has uniquely created you for growth and fruitfulness in His kingdom.
Firm Foundation: Essential Christian Beliefs
Sundays, 10:45 AM – October 14 – November 18
Lead Teachers: Pastors Jason VanDorsten and Evan Snyder
This course will help you understand our core Christian beliefs regarding the nature of God, the nature of sin and the gospel, Christ’s work in making us holy (spiritually whole and set apart for God), the eternal security of the believer, the inerrancy of Scripture, and the Church, and more. In the course, you will develop your ability to explain these to others.
Engaging the Living Word
Sunday, 9:00 AM – September 9 – 30
Lead Teacher: Pastor Jim Supp
Covering the importance and power of the Word of God in the life of the believer, this course provides an overview of the Bible (structure, literary styles, history, big picture storyline), basic tools and techniques for Bible reading, interpretation, and Scripture engagement, and plans for Bible reading.
World Mission Survey
Sundays, 9:00 AM – October 28 and November 4
Lead Teacher: Pastor Tony Pedroni
This two-session class is held annually in the fall, and covers the biblical basis for world missions, a survey of the history of missions, RBC’s place in that history, and how individuals in the body can engage. Students will have an opportunity to learn more about RBC’s missions committee, missions internship program, short-term missions opportunities, and ways to “adopt” a national or international missionary as a family or Shepherd Group. This class is recommended for everyone at RBC that has a heart for reaching the world with the good news of Jesus.
You can read more about EtS and see the full list of courses at the EtS web page.
Daniel Pfaff Memorial Service
Many of you know by now that Jesus welcomed Daniel Pfaff into His peaceful presence last Saturday afternoon. We are grateful for your continued prayers for his family and wanted to let you know that the arrangements for the memorial service have been finalized.
The Celebration of Life Service for Daniel Pfaff will be held at Reston Bible Church (45650 Oakbrook Court, Dulles, VA 20166) this Saturday, July 7.
- 9:30 – 11:00am – Visitation with the family in the sanctuary
- 11:00am -12:00pm – Celebration of Life Service
- 1:00pm – The family will leave for a small graveside service
If you would like to do something in Daniel’s honor, in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in his name to either of the following:
Dubois County Community Foundation/Daniel Pfaff Endowment
600 McCrillus St. P.O. Box 269 Jasper, IN 47547-0269
This endowment fund will carry on Daniel’s life mission by giving youth the opportunity to get to know Jesus through Young Life summer camps.
WGTS 91.9 / WGTS919.com
Daniel loved listening to music, and this was his favorite radio station. It served as a constant source of encouragement and worship for Daniel and his family and is completely supported by listeners. On their website, you’ll find a small red icon that says “Give Now” which you can click to make a donation.
…For I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1:19-21
New Elders Ordained
RBC is an elder-led church. Our council of elders are responsible for the care, oversight, leadership, and shepherding of the spiritual condition and fiscal well-being of the church. These are men who have been examined and meet the biblical qualifications as set forth in 1 Timothy 5:17, Titus 1:9, 1 Peter 5:1-3, Acts 20:28, and Mark 10:42-45. Along with our pastors, deacons and staff, they serve, lead, pray for, and minister to our congregation in word and in deed.
After a long period of examination and feedback, we were pleased to recognize three new elders during our time of worship last weekend: Dan Lowen, Ed Lee and Jason VanDorsten. Pray for these men as they join our existing elders in caring for our church. Click here to “meet” our elders and read bios on each of them.
For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sounddoctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. – Titus 1:7-9
Announcing Our New Elder Candidates
This past year, we’ve had three elder candidates sitting in on our elder council meetings. That year is now up, and we are pleased to present them to the RBC congregation for the next two weeks.
The candidates to join our elder council are Ed Lee, Dan Lowen, and Jason VanDorsten. If there is anything that you know about these men that we don’t know, please let the elders know at elders@restonbible.org. We would love your feedback on anything that might disqualify any of these men from being an elder, or if there are any positive things that you would love for us to hear about them.
We believe that they are very well qualified, and we are eager to introduce them to you following this period of consideration.
Celebrating Generosity: Annual Report 2017
Like everything else we do at Reston Bible Church, our giving is about worship, about declaring God’s worth, about knowing Christ, and about making Him known.
Again this year in our Annual Report, we are celebrating generosity. We celebrate the generosity of the RBC body, who give of their resources so faithfully each week, allowing us to do ministry that reaches hearts and lives in Northern Virginia and every corner of the globe. Even more so, we celebrate the generosity of a Father who gave His Son to make sinners His treasure, and who uses our treasures to make His Son known.
God loves a cheerful giver, and God is a cheerful Giver. That’s worth celebrating.
Watch the video above for a brief glance at how God used your generosity throughout 2017 and check out annualreport.restonbible.org for a more stories of how the Lord worked within and beyond our walls.
VIDEO: Youth Summer Camp Invite
Jr. & Sr. High students, join us July 23-29 for our 2017 Youth Summer Camp! Get details and register at www.restonbible.org/summercamp.
Introducing Our New Pastor of Fellowship Groups
This past Sunday, Jim Supp was introduced as the new RBC Pastor of Fellowship Groups, a position that will oversee the Shepherd Group, Men’s, and Women’s ministries.
Jim will officially begin in this role on June 4. If you weren’t able to attend services on Sunday, you can watch the announcement at the video below. Please welcome Jim as you see him around the RBC campus!
Update on Dr. John Brewer’s Reinstatement
Many weeks ago, we made an announcement that Dr. John Brewer and been recommended for termination as principal of Dominion High School. By now, many of you know that the Loudoun County School Board concluded their discussions last Monday and voted 6-3 to reinstate John as principal beginning April 17.
On behalf of John, his wife Rachel and their daughters, they wanted us to pass on their deepest gratitude for the outpouring of support and prayers you showed them during the time of uncertainty. The LORD Jesus answered our prayers by having the School Board reinstate John as principal, and so we rejoice with the entire Dominion community that he will be back serving there soon.
While we care about John returning to his position as principal, we care even more for the reputation of his character when it is maligned. The incomplete facts found in newspapers, web sites and uttered elsewhere is partially due to not having access to all the facts. So much of what has been written and said could easily leave people suspicious of John’s basic character and integrity on a number of fronts.
A few things to bring to your attention: Several weeks ago, an independent hearing officer chosen by the Loudoun County School System heard two days of testimony from the Superintendent, school attorney, John and his attorney. The testimony centered on eight specific charges on why John should be terminated as principal. The hearing officer concluded that none of the specific eight charges – considered either individually or collectively – warranted termination. In summary, the hearing officer ruled 8-0 in favor of John as it pertains to termination. Nevertheless, the hearing officer did recommend some form of probation.
In order to place John on any form of probation, legal technicalities required that his current contract first be terminated so a new contract with terms of probation could be offered. That is the reason the board first voted 9-0 to terminate John. The first vote was not to agree with the Superintendent’s recommendation to terminate, but to satisfy legal requirements regarding his current contract. If this technical procedure had not been required, then the School Board would have voted once with six members voting to reinstate John and three voting to terminate him.
John acknowledges that there are some process and procedural matters that he should be more cognizant and alert to. Keep in mind that in his many years in the Loudoun County School System, there is no pattern of problems, even in those areas that he will be more attentive to. Furthermore, he has never ignored or treated lightly any allegations of misconduct by any teacher or student, and he has never coerced or manipulated any student to ever attend Reston Bible Church. It is also noteworthy that the teacher who was the catalyst for all this applied to multiple school systems around the country including the one in Florida. Each of them, except Florida, contacted either LCPS or John to further inquire why the band teacher abruptly resigned. After hearing a fuller explanation, all of them declined to extend an offer. Again, only the school system in Florida did not perform the due diligence all the other school systems did.
This does not constitute our full opinion on this saga or address other important issues, but we hope as you think of John and Rachel in the future please continue to pray for them, the Dominion High School community and everyone involved in LCPS administration according to each one’s need. John and Rachel have been an excellent example of the admonishment in 1 Peter 2:12-23, which we hope you’ll take some time to read.
Parking Update for the 10:45 Service
Starting this Sunday (March 5), we will be opening up a few extra parking spaces during the second service to help ease congestion and make sure everyone has a place to park.
These spots are in the grass area behind the side parking lot (to the right of the main entrance). You can watch the video below to see how to access them.
Thank you for your patience as we continue to think and pray about ways to improve the parking experience.
In Support of Dr. John Brewer
I have a very important announcement regarding the recent recommended termination of Dr. John Brewer from his position as principal of Dominion High School in Sterling.
In addition to his fifteen-year tenure as principal, John and his family have also faithfully attended and served here at Reston Bible Church for many years. John has a long-term proven record of outstanding character as he has consistently lived in the grace of God as a husband, father, teacher and principal.
Some specifics include:
- Dr. Brewer was Commended by the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and named by the Loudoun Times Mirror in 2008 as “Citizen of the Year” because of exemplifying kindness, competency, professionalism, and reliability and how those qualities positively impacted students and teachers.
- In 2010 John was recognized by the Washington Post as the Distinguished Educational Leader for Loudoun County because “he goes beyond the day-to-day demands of his position to create an exceptional educational environment.”
- John was also named the 2010 Loudoun County Principal of the Year.
- Dr. Brewer visits the home of every incoming freshman to meet them and their family, demonstrating initiative and humility.
- John writes a personal letter to every graduating student evidencing his sincerity and care.
Dr. Brewer was notified of the recommendation for termination a few days before Christmas. After much prayer and counsel with our youth pastor Bob Shull, his attorney, and other educational leaders experienced in these matters, John has decided to appeal his termination before the Loudoun County School Board. Because of John’s faithfulness as a brother in Christ, his impact for the sake of the gospel, and the clear injustice of his termination, the leadership of RBC desires to support him in his appeal.
Naturally, in a church our size, many of you may not know Dr. Brewer on a personal level. Without a more complete knowledge of him or the facts surrounding his recommended termination, it is understandable that many of you would be reluctant to e-mail a note to school board members, sign a petition or make a call in support of John’s reinstatement. However, I want to assure you that the details surrounding this matter, John’s role in it, and his character have all been seriously considered by both pastoral staff and the Elder Council. Based on our knowledge of the situation and of Dr. Brewer himself, the leadership at RBC believes the recommendation for termination is extreme, unwarranted, and unjust. As can happen in any situation like this, some of what is stated in various newspapers is not accurate. Loudoun County Public School representatives are not accusing John of a violation of policy, insubordination, or of violating any civil or criminal law.
Consequently, although you may lack details, we are asking you to trust our collective judgement, pray for John, his family and the School board, and for you who are lead, to please attend the Loudoun County School Board Meeting in Ashburn on Tuesday, January 10, in support of John’s reinstatement as principal at Dominion. This is one of those circumstances when having a lot of people simply show up can have a great impact, so your presence matters.
Additional information on the specific location, and time of the meeting as well as recommended actions you can take are listed below. In a case like this of clear injustice, we want to do for one what we wish we could do for everyone.
If you have questions, please contact me at brucecampbell@restonbible.org or call me at 703-404-5011.
Bruce Campbell
Executive Pastor, Reston Bible Church
Recommended Actions:
- Pray for each LCSB member to vote to reinstate Dr. Brewer as Principal at Dominion High School.
- Pray for peace and wisdom for Dr. Brewer, his wife Rachel, and his daughters Belle & Abby during this time of uncertainty and waiting.
- Attend the upcoming Loudoun County School Board Meeting on Tuesday, January 10. Numbers matter. Your presence – even for 1 hour – is important. Even if you can’t get into the auditorium because of the crowds, being in the hallway or on the front lawn even for half an hour will be part of the impact.
- When: Tuesday, January 10, at 6:30pm. If possible, arrive no later than 6:00pm.
- Where: 21000 Education Court, Ashburn, VA 20148 ( Next to Clyde’s Willow Creek.)
- Sign the petition to reinstate Dr. Brewer at the following link: https://www.change.org/p/loudoun-county-school-board-support-dr-brewer
- Call or e-mail Loudoun County School Board Members. Individual and group contact information is located here: https://www.lcps.org/Page/1629
- Sign up to speak on behalf of Dr. Brewer’s character, the story of Dominion High School and his record of excellence there by calling 571-252-1020 or by emailing clerk@lcps.org.
- A fund has been established to help Dr. Brewer defray the significant legal costs resulting from the LCPS hearing process. You can help or find additional information at the GoFundMe page.
Links to Additional Articles of Interest:
- Commendation of Dr. Brewer for 2008 “Citizen of the Year”
- Cedarville University article on John’s positive impact as a principal & educator
- Washington Post article on Dr. Brewer’s energizing effect at DHS
- Washington Post article on Dr. Brewer’s positive impact on students
- Loudoun Times-Mirror article on John as Principal of the Year
- Connection article on the “community of caring” John developed at DHS
- Support Dr. Brewer Facebook page