A More Light Church on Minnieville Road
On the corner of Minnieville and Cardinal Road in Woodbridge, Virginia, First United Presbyterian Church of Dale City has spent more than five decades building a community that describes itself in three phrases: Welcoming All, Growing Together, and Serving with Joy. The motto on the congregation's heart is even shorter: Passion for Christ, Compassion for Others.
First United is a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA) within the National Capital Presbytery. It is also a More Light Presbyterian Church, a Certified Earth Care Congregation, and, since 2019, a Matthew 25 church. Those three affiliations say what the congregation cares about most: full inclusion of LGBTQ people, stewardship of creation, and active service to people who are hungry, oppressed, imprisoned, or poor.
From a Living Room in Dale City
The church began in September 1970 when the Rev. William N. Clark and his wife Jane opened their Dale City home to a handful of neighbors. The population was booming south of Washington along the I-95 corridor, and representatives of two Presbyteries - Washington City (UPUSA) and Potomac (PCUS) - had decided to plant a new congregation together. That joint origin is the reason the name includes the word United.
The congregation was officially chartered on April 16, 1972, with members drawn from 26 states plus England and Scotland, 14 professions of faith, and 26 reaffirmations of faith. For its first years the church met in schools - Dale City Elementary, then Godwin (now Hampton) Middle School - hauling in Bibles, hymnals, Sunday school materials, and coffee each Sunday.
A six-acre site along Minnieville Road was chosen in the summer of 1975. Ground was broken in January 1977 and the first building was dedicated that December. In 1986 the Session authorized a building committee to double the Christian Education space and add offices; ground was broken in April 1989 and the new wing was occupied in the spring of 1990.
The land carries an older story. A frame house called Pilgrims' Rest, built about 1820 on the old Dumfries-Occoquan Road, once stood on the property, offering hospitality to travelers and to soldiers on both sides of the Civil War. The Session of 2007 wrote that the church's ministry of care flows naturally from that legacy: "It is no coincidence that love of, and caring for others continues here in the ministry we carry out in the name of Jesus Christ."
Three Pastors, Two Worship Styles
Rev. Clark guided the church from 1970 until his retirement in 1992. After a period of interim ministry, the Rev. John G. McFayden was called as senior pastor in October 1993; during his tenure the church added a third worship service and, in September 1994, opened Little Hands Preschool. The Rev. Dr. Robert A. Edmunds was called in July 1999, bringing a strong emphasis on mission that began with the first of many journeys to work alongside the Mayan people of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The Rev. Jeri A. Fields served as interim pastor beginning in 2015, and the Rev. Adam C. Bowling is the current pastor.
In the early 2000s the congregation added a contemporary service at 11:00 a.m. anchored by a praise band called Notes of Salvation, alongside the Chancel Choir that led the traditional 8:30 service. The church has since returned to a single combined service, but the blended character of the music has remained.
First United marked its 50th anniversary in September 2022 with a service, picnic, and a "fit together" challenge for the whole church family.
Sunday Morning at FUPCDC
Christian Education Hour begins at 8:45 a.m. with small-group classes for adults and the 252 Kids program for children in kindergarten through sixth grade. Nursery care is available for infants through age five. Parents are welcome to relax with coffee or tea at Cafe 631 while their children are in class.
Worship follows at 10:00 a.m. The service blends cherished hymns with vibrant praise songs, guided by reformed liturgy and a sermon from the pastor. Children in kindergarten through sixth grade are invited forward for a brief Time for Children with the pastor, then either head to 252 Kids or return to their families for the rest of the service. The Lord's Supper is celebrated on the first Sunday of every month, and all who are present are welcomed at the table.
Dress is whatever feels right; the church embraces both Sunday best and jeans. Worship is livestreamed on YouTube, with previous services archived for anyone who cannot attend in person. For visitors, the front door is actually at the back of the building - look for the welcome banner and the electronic sign out front.
Children from Birth Through Fifth Grade
First United takes the safety of its children seriously. The nursery serves infants through age five. During the school year, Kids Church opens at 9:45 a.m. and again at 11:15 a.m. for late-three-year-olds through fifth graders, with age-appropriate classrooms and a check-in / check-out system that prints numbered name tags and matching parent pick-up slips. Kids Church takes a break during July and August, when the summer schedule combines worship at 10:00 a.m.
During the summer schedule, 252 Kids takes over, gathering kindergarten through sixth graders for a Bible lesson, songs, and games in their own space. The annual Mission Camp brings children and youth together for a week of worship, music, crafts, games, mission projects, and fellowship, with the theme of learning to love neighbors near and far. Danielle Boucher serves as Interim Children's Ministry Director and Erin Garcia as Nursery Supervisor. All adult volunteers working with children and youth are background-checked and trained.
Youth on Five Pillars
The student ministry at FUPCDC includes middle schoolers, high schoolers, and a circle of adult advisors. The program is built on five pillars: Service, Worship, Study, Fellowship, and Family. Youth gather regularly for Bible study, retreats, and fellowship, share their gifts in worship, and serve on local, regional, and international mission trips - including a journey to Charleston, South Carolina and ongoing work with the Doppenberg family in Guatemala. Youth Director Shannon Williams coordinates the program, and adult volunteers are background-checked and trained before working with students.
Adults Growing in Faith
Adult Christian Education at FUPCDC takes several shapes. On Sundays at 8:45 a.m., an Adult Bible Study gathers in Room 14. On Mondays at 9:30 a.m., the Horizons Bible Study meets from September through June in Room 22, working through a year's worth of scripture with a recent focus on the stewardship of the planet. On Monday evenings at 7:00 p.m., Bible Buddies meets on Zoom for a closer look at a single book. Recent studies have included works on Colossians, a study called Let Justice Roll Down, and Lysa TerKeurst's Forgiving What You Can't Forget. The church also makes the Confronting Christian Nationalism curriculum from Vote Common Good available for members to work through at their own pace.
Music: Heart, Hands, and Voices
Music has been central at First United since the early days, when adult, youth, and children's choirs flourished alongside Sunday school. Today the Chancel Choir anchors the traditional service, the praise band Notes of Salvation leads contemporary music, Jubliation rings as the handbell choir, and the Children's Choir brings younger voices into worship. Dr. Nadezhda "Nadia" Christova Carmichael serves as pianist and organist; Carolyn M. Mitchell is Director of Music; and Daniel L. Scearce is the Provisional Praise Team Leader.
Small Groups for Every Season
For adults looking for connection beyond Sunday morning, FUPCDC hosts a number of recurring small groups. The Men's Breakfast and Men's Group meet on a regular schedule. The Women's Group gathers regularly and once a year for a Women's Retreat. Holy Fitness meets Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall and on Zoom - an exercise program designed for adults 55 and older that focuses on strength, endurance, coordination, and balance. Dinner with Friends gets together monthly over a meal at a restaurant or in someone's home. The Fellowship Ministry Team also organizes Wednesday Night Alive dinners, the church picnic, movie nights, group trips, and the Fall Festival.
Serving Neighbors Close to Home
First United takes seriously the Matthew 25 call to serve people who are hungry, oppressed, imprisoned, or poor.
- The Food Pantry collects canned and boxed goods for ACTS (Action in the Community Through Service), whose pantry distributes more than 50,000 pounds of food each month in Prince William County. Healthier items - no-salt-added vegetables, protein-enriched pastas, cooking oil, paper towels, dish and laundry detergent, napkins, toilet paper, full-size shampoo, and toothpaste - are especially needed.
- Spread the Bread is a weekly ministry to people experiencing homelessness that has been running since 2009. Volunteers prepare sandwiches, transport them, and share them with unhoused neighbors on Sundays.
- Spread the Warmth gathers knitters and crocheters who make hats and scarves for neighbors in need during the cold months, and hats for people going through cancer treatment.
- The Souper Bowl of Caring each winter rallies the congregation to bring non-perishable food for the community.
- A long-running partnership with Dale City Elementary School gives the congregation regular ways to support students, teachers, and families throughout the school year.
- The annual Rise Against Hunger event packages meals for families in need around the world; in one recent year the congregation packed more than 10,000 bags in a single day.
The Doppenbergs and the Mountains of Guatemala
On February 27, 2025, the Session voted to make the Doppenberg family and their ministry, Dream Invest Grow (D.I.G.), First United's primary international mission partners. The Doppenbergs work among Indigenous Mayan communities in Guatemala, where Pastor Adam Bowling and a team from First United joined them in February 2025. Together they installed smokeless stoves for families, delivered solar-powered Bibles that broadcast scripture throughout the mountains, partnered in health clinics and screenings, and installed water filtration systems for families without clean drinking water.
The Doppenbergs' ministry combines innovation, compassion, and faith - offering practical help while proclaiming God's love. The congregation forms mission teams regularly to join them, with travel, building, and health-screening activities scheduled for each trip.
Caring for God's Creation
First United has been a Certified Earth Care Congregation for more than six years. The Earth Care Team has installed a solar array on the church property, placed Helpsy collection bins in the parking lot for textiles and shoes, collected recyclables for nonprofits including Medical Missionaries and Soles4Souls, gathered prom dresses and formal attire for donation to Hope for Appalachia, and published monthly articles to help members live more sustainably at home. The team's mission statement is plain: "to promote more sustainable living, practice environmental stewardship, and by our actions, be witnesses to the need to lovingly care for our beautiful Earth so that future generations may enjoy the bounty that God has provided for us."
Kairos, Scouts, and Community Groups
Through Kairos Prison Ministry, FUPCDC members bake cookies, pray, and serve inside correctional facilities to share the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ with incarcerated men, women, and youth. The church also sponsors three Scout units - Cub Scout Pack 289, Boy Scout Troop 964, and Girl Scout Troop 226 - serving young people from age 5 through 17, with monthly outdoor activities and a week-long summer camp.
The building also opens its doors to outside community groups throughout the week, including Alcoholics Anonymous for Beginners, the American Sewing Guild Woodbridge Group, Bel Air Woman's Club, Bereaved Parents of USA, Bull Run Troubadours, Emmaus, Iglesia Pentecostal de Restauracion (a Spanish-speaking church), Postpartum Support Virginia, SAAD (Support After Addiction Death), TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), and the Woodbridge Christian Women's Connection.
Joining the Congregation
Anyone can attend worship and Sunday school at First United. Those who want to make the connection official are invited to a Discover First United lunch, held after worship on selected Sundays, where newcomers meet church leaders, learn about the Presbyterian tradition, and hear about the many ways to get involved. Lunch and childcare are free, and the program wraps up by 1:00 p.m. People may join by Profession of Faith and Baptism, by Reaffirmation of Faith, by Transfer of Church Letter from another church, or as a Friend of the Church - a category for those who want an official connection but are not ready for full membership. Membership vows center on trusting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, intending to be his disciple, and committing to the life of this particular congregation.
Leadership, Stewardship, and the Road Ahead
The Rev. Adam C. Bowling serves as pastor and moderates the Session. The Session is led by Clerk Sara Porter and includes ruling elders organized into three classes ending in 2027, 2028, and 2029. The Board of Deacons carries out a ministry of compassion and care, with members in similar three-year classes. Twelve Ministry Team Leaders organize the day-to-day work of the church, from Administration and Fellowship to Growing in Faith, Mission, Property, Stewardship and Finance, and Worship.
The annual Stewardship Campaign ties to the vision of welcoming all, growing together, and serving with joy, with a recent theme of "Guided by Christ's Light." A separate Capital Campaign, "Restoring Our Home, Renewing Our Faith," runs through 2027 and aims to replace the HVAC systems, update the sanctuary flooring, and complete the solar array installation. The Session emphasizes that the capital campaign is over and above regular giving, and 100 percent of donations go directly to the projects. Annual reports going back to 2016 are available, and a weekly Thursday News email keeps the congregation informed.