Paul, in effect, told his critics in Corinth, "I'm only human." For them, that was a liability. But, for Paul, these words were an affirmation of God's purpose for his life--and for ours. We are only human, but God uses human people like us to shine the very face of Jesus Christ into the world.
Closing the Distance: Guest Preacher, Yemi Okunogbe
Yemi Okunogbe is a minister of the gospel of Christ and a teacher of the Word of God. He leads Fullness, a ministry dedicated to equipping believers to grow in intimacy with Jesus and to walk in the fullness of their purpose in Christ. He is married to the love of his life, Oyebola, and they have 2 amazing children. They live in Alexandria VA and attend The District Church (TDC), where he recently served as the Chair of the Executive Board
The Word Became Flesh and Dwelt Among Us: Joy-Filled
The third week of Advent is often dedicated to joy. And that is precisely what we want to talk about today. The heavenly joy that erupts when Jesus is born is connected to the heavenly joy that erupts when the lost sheep is found. This joy is essential to Jesus’s character, and he is a revelation of the divine character. This kind of joy is everywhere this time of year if we have eyes to see and ears to hear.
The Next Day
Rev. W. Michael Bradley has served as a pastor in Northern Virginia and the surrounding area for 40 years. He is currently serving as the Associate Executive Director of NorthStar Church Network which serves over 170 churches by equipping, resourcing and encouraging churches to faithfully carry out the commission of Jesus to make disciples of all nations. He is passionate about expanding the Kingdom and making an eternal impact in Northern Virginia. Together, he and his wife Lois have raised 4 children and been married 41 years.
God's Plan for His Church
Dee Whitten retired as Executive Director of NorthStar at the end of 2022. He is a visionary leader who often recognizes trends before others do. He strives to initiate new and innovative ministries to help the local church and reach the unchurched in our communities. Dee's strengths are in coaching, mentoring and relationship building, and his enthusiasm is contagious. Prior to coming to NorthStar, Dee served as the Sr Pastor of Fairview at River Club as well as Director of Missions of Hermon Baptist Association in Caroline County, VA. Dee has also served as the Northern Region Field Strategist for the Virginia Baptist Mission Board and as pastor of numerous other churches, including Mount Ararat Baptist Church in Stafford, VA, and Emmanuel Baptist Church in Alexandria, VA. Dee and his wife, Jane, have two grown children and six grandchildren.
A World of Pressure, Jim Weaver
Everybody faces pressure in life--time pressure, and financial pressure, and work pressure, and maybe most of all, people pressure, the pressure that results from our interactions and relationships with other people. It’s been noted that the story we find in Mark 6:14-29 can be read as a case study in people pressure. Perhaps it can give us some insight today into the way that people pressure works in our lives and how we can live in a world of pressure."
Living Up to the Gospel
Dr. Carey Froelich has served churches in many roles, primarily in discipleship and administration. He moved to Northern Virginia in April 2021 from near Houston, TX. He has just completed a term as Interim Pastor of Emmanuel Baptist in Alexandria, and he helped them develop a successful partnership with a group who were starting a new church. A widower, Carey has a daughter and two sons, who with their spouses have given him 7 grandchildren.
Paul's Charge to the Church
Dee Whitten began serving as the Executive Director of the NorthStar Church Network in November 2013. This is an association of over 170 Baptist churches in northern Virginia. The primary purpose of NorthStar is to energize churches to carry out their God-given mission.
Prior to beginning his ministry with NorthStar, Dee launched a new church in Fredericksburg called River Club Church. Dee also served for five years as the Team Leader for the Empowering Leaders Team of the Baptist General Association of Virginia, and he served for sixteen years as the pastor of Mount Ararat Baptist Church in Stafford, Virginia.
Dee’s wife is Jane and they have two married daughters with five grandsons and one granddaughter.
Seeking Him: The Inward Purpose of the Heart
Dr. Ken Pruitt serves as President of The John Leland Center for Theological Studies.
Prior to Leland, Dr. Pruitt served in full time pastoral ministry for over 30 years, with fruitful ministries in South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia.
Ken earned his Doctor of Ministry (D. Min.) at Baylor University’s Truett Seminary in Waco, Texas, specializing in Preaching and Theology. His M.Div. with Biblical Languages was earned at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth Texas. He also studied for one year in the School of Religious Education at Southwestern Seminary with a concentration in Marriage and Family Counseling.
Ken has also ministered extensively in India, where he regularly serves as a keynote speaker in conferences and graduations for the RUSA Theological Seminary and Research Center.
Ken is married to his high school sweetheart Terry, and they have three beautiful daughters, Nichole (25) - married last week; Bethany (22), and Sarah Joy (10). Each daughter is adopted, and each adoption expresses a unique story of God’s grace and love for a broken and hurting world.
Keeling Over in Church
Integrity involves honesty and truthfulness, but the concept of integrity is much broader than this. "Integrity" comes from a root word that means "whole," or "intact," or "complete." Integrity means that what a person believes, and says, and does all come together in a whole. Ananias and Sapphira weren't people of integrity; and the truth is, it's possible for us to be like Ananias and Sapphira, maybe more than we would like to admit. But God is always full of grace.
Matthew 28:16-20- The Great Commission
Psalm 139: The Terrifying and Comforting Knowledge of God
The Working of God: Values and Conflict
Imitation Christianity
Dee Whitten began serving as the Executive Director of the NorthStar Church Network in November 2013. This is an association of over 170 Baptist churches in northern Virginia. The primary purpose of NorthStar is to energize churches to carry out their God-given mission.
Prior to beginning his ministry with NorthStar, Dee launched a new church in Fredericksburg called River Club Church. Dee also served for five years as the Team Leader for the Empowering Leaders Team of the Baptist General Association of Virginia, and he served for sixteen years as the pastor of Mount Ararat Baptist Church in Stafford, Virginia.
Dee’s wife is Jane and they have two married daughters with five grandsons and one granddaughter.
Palm Sunday-What Do We Know? David Perdue-Guest Preacher
David was born in Ft. Worth, TX and moved to Va. Beach when he was very young. He came to Northern Virginia in 1990 to attend George Mason University from which he graduated with a degree in English in ‘94. That same year he married his Australian sweetheart whom he met a few years earlier through an on-campus Christian ministry (The Baptist Student Union). They have since had four kids: India, Elissa, Shayna, and Kieran.
David has served as an associate pastor, led a “church within a church” at FBC Clarendon, led a couple of church plants, and is now leading a small neighborhood based “Zoom” church. David has a Masters of Theological Studies from the John Leland Center.
Dwelling in Unity
The Psalmist tells us that unity is “good and pleasant,” but the experience of unity and harmony and peace seems so elusive, maybe even an illusion or fantasy. In a world like ours, should we just give up on the vision of unity? Not if we are followers of Jesus Christ! The Gospel of John records that on the night before he gave his life for us on the cross Jesus prayed that we might be one, not just for his sake, or for our sake, but for the sake of the world.
Living Carefully
Maybe there is something theologically appropriate about the way Christmas and New Year’s Day are linked together as bookends for the week in which the calendar turns. What happened at Christmas needs to make all of the difference in what we do with every day God gives us in every new year. Paul tells us we need to live carefully, and he gives us some guidance about the way for us to live in light of the fact that Jesus has come into our world.
"Jesus said, 'I Will Give You Rest'"
Dr. William H. Smith is President of the John Leland Center for Theological Studies. He taught—as an adjunct professor of Old Testament—the first class at Leland. He has been a pastor in San Francisco, Wash., D. C. and Arlington, Virginia.
Can You Imagine?
Guest Preacher Daniel Cotter
Dan and his wife Laura enjoy serving the Lord together in church planting in Arlington, VA and in Clarksburg, MD, through missions work with students and professionals in Chiapas and Puebla, Mexico for a number of years, and currently with in a unique kind of outreach small groups ministry for the spiritually curious. Dan was ordained by First Baptist Church of Alexandria.