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
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
VIDEO: Weekend Logistics Update
Thank you for your patience in cooperating with all of us assisting in the parking lot each week. We still have some tweaking to do and we can always use more helpers in our rotation (email hostteam@restonbible.org to express your interest!)
If you arrive for the second service somewhere close to 10:55, the parking lots will be full. You can drop your family off at the main entrance, but you will have to drive back to the overflow parking at the bottom of the hill to park.
Also, when leaving the property after services, please note that there is a Yield sign – not a Stop sign – at the bottom of our driveway. A volunteer will be posted there to remind people they don’t have to stop, which backs up traffic. We hope this knowledge will save you some time on Sunday mornings.
In addition, we have an imbalance in the number of children attending Quest during the first and second services. If you are a family with elementary school-aged children and attend the 10:45 and it is not a hindrance to your family, please consider attending the 9:00am service.
New Staff Announcement
Here’s a short video from Pastor Mike announcing some staff changes here at RBC.