Greetings all!
Still staying close to home as summer winds down; this Sunday I was with Village Presbyterian Church, in Richmond, Virginia. Village is east of downtown Richmond, in a part of Richmond I am unfamiliar with.
Village dates back to the early 1960s, as seen in the building’s architecture. Their lot is large and spacious, and it is not until you have parked that you see their building is rather large. Two other faith communities also use this space: FISH (a nationwide organization located at Village since 2001) and Meals-on-Wheels.
When you enter, you will go down a long hallway with bulletin boards and art that point to the past and present of this congregation. When you reach the end, you can turn right towards the fellowship hall or turn left and head towards the sanctuary.
Once in the narthex, the pastor’s office is on the right and the sanctuary on the left. This is a spacious place for worship, with the exterior wall completely made of windows! The pulpit area and choir loft are open and inviting. I did learn later that the POJ had met there at least once; perhaps this could happen again!
This congregation is friendly and welcoming, and I was greeted by just about everyone. The pastor invited me to speak briefly as the service began, and I offered thanks to them on behalf of the POJ for their ministry.
The worship format had a lay leader who carried us through the initial portion of worship, and then when the time for the Word arose, the pastor’s role began. Their worship format was familiar to me, with hymns, prayers, responsive readings, and of course, the Word. This was a communion Sunday, and so I was able to share time at the Table with these wonderful believers. The attentiveness and level of participation in the service was the equal of all my past visits to other congregations.
I do not mention names in my articles, but I do want to share that the Word brought this morning engaged and challenged me a bit on a personal level. I left knowing God was still at work in my life!
I offer the standard “if you are close by on a Sunday, do stop in!” knowing that many just will not ever be close by. The offer is there, but if you never expect to be in the neighborhood, do be sure to offer up a prayer for our sister congregation every so often.
Till my next travels,
Kerry
PS: After worship, it was shared that one of Village’s members, a new elder on their session, was in Seattle, Washington, on business for their employer. The return flight took him through Dallas-Fort Worth, where he was detained by ICE (and is still in custody). Village Presbyterian asked for prayers for their friend and church member. The hope is that, since he has been in the process with Immigration for some time now, all necessary documents will catch up to him, and he will be able to return to Richmond to be with his family and church.
