Next year starts, very appropriately, on a Sunday. The
last time January 1 fell on a Sunday was in 2012, and yes, we did worship that
day, just as we will next year. In fact, our Worship & Music Ministry Team
has already begun talking about that service, because not only will it mark the
beginning of the new year, that day will also mark the beginning of our
church’s 150th anniversary year.
Our church traces its roots back to 1867; our congregation
rose out of the ashes of the Civil War. The building that was our church home
from the 1870s until 1977 still stands in Old Town Manassas, now home to the
popular Malone’s restaurant. It was 40 years ago that we built our present
building on what was, back in the 1970s, farmland. Can you imagine our
neighborhood as a mixture of farms and woodland?
Ours is a proud and rich history and we should celebrate
it. We are planning to spread our observances over the year so we can commemorate
in different ways – with special music, guest preachers, fellowship gatherings,
and other activities. We want everyone to be involved!
2017 will mark another
special anniversary as well: the 500th anniversary of the beginning
of the Protestant Reformation. It was in 1517 that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church in
Wittenburg Germany, protesting the corruption of the institutional church,
summed up in #34: “Any true Christian, whether
living or dead, participates in all the blessings of Christ and the church; and
this is granted him by God, even without indulgence letters.” Melissa Kirkpatrick is already excitedly at work on ideas to help us learn
more about our roots in the Reformed Tradition.
Our Book of Order tells us that central to the Reformed
Tradition is the affirmation of “the
majesty, holiness and providence of God who in Christ and by the power of the
Spirit creates, sustains, rules and redeems the world in the freedom of
sovereign righteousness and love”. As children of God we are called to “work for the transformation of society by
seeking justice and living in obedience to the Word of God.” These are
words that have guided us and will continue to guide us as the “Church
Reformed, yet always Reforming” through our 150th year and on into
God’s future.
We plan, of course, to create a special committee to organize
and lead our celebrations -- we are Presbyterians, after all! But if you have
ideas and suggestions for things you think we should do to mark 150 years as
the Body of Christ called Manassas Presbyterian Church, let me know.
We are eager to make 2017 a banner year for our church, a
year that will be a highlight of our proud history, but even more important, a
year that will continue to build and strengthen our foundation for the years to
come.
“The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoice!”
Grace & peace,
Pastor Skip
