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Welcome!
This is my commandment, that ye love one
another,
as I have loved you. ~ John 15:12
"We Gather to Worship;
We Go Forth to Serve"
Pastor's Welcome...
We warmly welcome you to come to the Church
for any and all services. We focus on study of the Word of God in the
Holy Bible, prayer, worship and praise, and continually learning and
growing in the Lord's teachings, guidance, and Will.
We are committed to living a life of
holiness and purity in keeping with the Word of God, and of loving
service to one another and the community at large through ministries
such as "In Jesus' Name" ministry for the homeless, nursing care
facility ministry and services, youth programs, and senior citizen
ministries.
History of the Congregation
In August of 1961 the Community Church of God had its beginning with a
two week Bible School at 5740 Kirby Road, Falls Church, Virginia, the
home at the time of our Pastors Emeritus Jennings Byron and Gail Wood.
The average attendance was thirty-five. The first worship service was
held at the conclusion of that Bible School. Major William and Mrs. Ann
Webb were among the thirty-three in attendance. The Webbs faithfully
supported this work from that time forth, Brother Bill to the time of
his passing into the presence of the Lord in December of 2003 and Sister
Ann Webb to the present. In the intervening years Bible
School has been an integral part of the ministry here with attendance as
high as 240. Our record Sunday School attendance is 340.
From December 1961 to 1966 our congregation held Sunday morning worship
services in the Dunn Loring Elementary School. Evening services Sundays
and Wednesdays were held at the home of Brother and Sister Wood and
later at the Barcroft Community Center in Arlington. In 1967 the church
building and property at 2438 Gallows Road was secured from the Dunn
Loring Methodist Church. We met at this location until 1988. During
those early years Sunday afternoon services were held at the Iliff
Nursing Home and a ministry was begun in the home of Edward and Vietta
Johnson on Cedar Lane where Worship Services each Sunday afternoon,
Bible Schools, and Revivals were held for two and one-half years.
Our congregation was officially named “Community Church of God” in
October 1962.
In February of 1963 Pastor Gail Wood made the first missionary trip to
Jamaica. In November of 1973 Pastor Gail Wood and Sister Myrtice Morris
made the first trip to Haiti, a fifteen day adventure for the Lord!
The congregation acquired our present property here at 2500 Gallows Road
on October 14, 1981. The parsonage next door at 2520 Gallows Road was
purchased on June 25, 1986.
In September 1984 Sister Wood’s childhood vision was realized when she
and Brother Wood and Sisters Cynthia Cash and Allena Wood traveled for
three and one-half weeks with Pastor Ralph and Sister Gertie Farmer to
Tanzania, East Africa.
From March 1987 to May 20, 1988, many dedicated, faithful people
contributed to the erection of our new building. Our dear deacon at the
time, Brother Harold Hunsberger, provided invaluable assistance, drawing
from his construction expertise. The late Kenneth Farthing, a local
businessman and friend of the church, also served as a key figure in the
building project.
May 21, l988, was a highlight in the history of this congregation when
the first service was held in our new building dedicated “To The Glory
of God!”
In February 1989 Pastors Jennings B. and Gail Wood and Brother John
Bailey joined our Haitian missionaries, Brother Nathan and Sister Wanda
Bailey Dieudonne, on a border-crossing mission trip from Haiti to the
Dominican Republic.
In April 1991 Pastors Jennings B. and Gail Wood, Pastors Claude Overbay
(North Carolina) and Hoyt Runion (Tennessee) and Brother Wiley Cash
embarked upon a three week mission trip to T. P. Gudur, Andra Pradesh,
South India. This trip laid the groundwork for our congregation’s most
ambitious missionary outreach to date, a vibrant work in the ancient
land of India.
Since the beginning of this congregation, well over
one hundred mission trips have been made involving over more than one
hundred Gospel workers. As of this date our mission outreach includes
Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Tanzania, Dominican Republic, India, Nigeria,
Guatemala, and the Philippines.
Home-mission outreach includes our annual Summer Bible School; the
Lighthouse Bible Institute; conventions; Camp Crossroads youth camp; the
Burnside, Pennsylvania family camp meeting; and the “In Jesus Name”
ministry to the homeless.
Ministers of the Gospel who were trained in this congregation include
Edward Beck, Brian Bridges, John Cain, Nancy Orr Cain, Peter Canciglia,
Wiley Cash, Glenn Dryden, Allen Fletcher, Jack Reedy, Lennox Smith, Gary
Williams, Garry Wood, and Allena Wood.
It is our prayer that God will bless each one who has shared in this
ministry and outreach down through the years.
HISTORICAL NOTE REGARDING PROPERTY AT 2438 GALLOWS ROAD
In 1887, a small group of first settlers of Dunn Loring felt the need
for religious services in the community. Thomas Tudor Taylor, one of the
first residents of Dunn Loring, encouraged Pastor O. C. Bell of Andrew
Chapel Methodist Church to come to Dunn Loring on Sunday afternoons to
conduct services. Pastor Bell preached in a grove near what is now
Sandburg Street and the W&OD bike trail. Soon it became apparent that a
church building was needed to shelter the Lord's flock. General William
McKee Dunn and Dr. George B. Loring were co-owners and developers of the
Dunn Loring subdivision in the late 1800s. General Dunn announced that
he would donate some of his land if the people would erect a building.
Thomas Tudor Taylor was responsible for erecting the building and for
soliciting contributions of cash, labor, and materials. This building
located at 2438 Gallows Road was known as the "Little White Church" and
was home to our congregation from 1967 until we moved into our present
location on May 21, 1988.
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