A Hilltop Congregation With 150 Years of History
Manassas Presbyterian Church sits on a hilltop site on Ashton Avenue in the City of Manassas, Virginia, where it has been rooted since 1977. The red-brick building looks out across Prince William County and houses a congregation whose story stretches all the way back to a summer Sunday in 1867. The church is part of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and a member of the National Capital Presbytery within the Synod of the Mid-Atlantic, and its members describe themselves as a diverse group who take great pride in their long history while eagerly embracing the next chapter of ministry.
The congregation is known for traditional Presbyterian worship paired with an active music program, deep attention to children and youth, a thriving preschool, and a mission outlook that reaches from Manassas neighborhoods to Reynosa, Mexico. Visitors encounter a sanctuary that still holds two of the original building's most prized possessions: a historic bell and Tiffany stained-glass windows that made the move from the first sanctuary on Main Street.
From Catherine Hornbaker's Parlor to a Hilltop Sanctuary
On July 7, 1867, four men and ten women gathered in the home of Catherine Hornbaker to organize a new Presbyterian community. Led by the Rev. J. E. Nourse of the Presbytery of the District of Columbia (the "New School" branch), the small group began meeting in members' homes for worship. Within a few years they had purchased a lot at the corner of Main and Church Streets, where a vacant government building was pressed into service as their first church for eight years.
In 1875 the congregation built its first permanent sanctuary from locally quarried red sandstone. That iconic building served as MPC's home for more than a century, with an education wing added in 1961 and the first kindergarten in Prince William County opening inside it in 1964. That kindergarten became the Early Learning Center, a ministry of the church that still welcomes children of all backgrounds today.
By the 1970s the growing congregation had outgrown its original downtown location. The Presbytery purchased the Ashton Avenue hilltop, and in 1977 the church moved into its present building. Members were careful to preserve the heritage of the old sanctuary: the church bell and a set of Tiffany stained-glass windows were moved to the new home, where they remain treasured fixtures of worship.
Sunday Morning at 10
Worship is the heart of life at MPC. The single Sunday service begins at 10:00 a.m. in the sanctuary, and most Sundays end by 11:15 a.m. Services are also livestreamed on YouTube, and a video archive of recent services is available on the church's YouTube channel.
The liturgy is grounded in the PC(USA) hymnal Glory to God and follows a traditional pattern. The order includes Bible readings, prayers, congregational hymns, anthems from the music ministry, a sermon, a children's message, and on the first Sunday of each month (as well as certain seasons of the church year) the celebration of Holy Communion. Worshippers are invited to greet one another with a Passing of the Peace after the Prayer of Confession, and visitors are warmly welcomed but never asked to stand or be singled out.
Communion is offered to all who come to the table, regardless of age or denominational background. Worshippers come forward by row, receive a piece of bread from a server wearing gloves, take a cup from a tray, and return to their seats where an usher collects the empty cup.
A designated seating section on the right side of the sanctuary is reserved for those who wish to worship around others wearing masks; anyone sitting in that section is asked to wear one. Visitors who choose to mask but do not need to be seated with other maskers may sit anywhere in the sanctuary.
Beliefs and Denominational Life
Manassas Presbyterian Church is part of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and follows the Reformed tradition, but the congregation likes to point out that Presbyterians are far more diverse in their beliefs than the stereotypes suggest. The one teaching everyone agrees on is belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
The church points newcomers toward two denominational resources: the Presbyterian Mission Agency's Presbyterian 101: A General Guide to Facts about the Presbyterian Church (USA), and Theocademy videos on Reformed theology and faith formation. For members who hold doubts, the congregation is explicit that questioning is part of faith: "You don't have to believe everything - or anything - we talk about and teach to be part of MPC."
Around that shared confession of faith, the congregation has articulated four ministry priorities that shape its program: Worshipping as a community of diverse ages, backgrounds, and cultures; engaging the whole congregation in fellowship, learning, service, and outreach; serving by caring for one another and reaching out to the world God loves; and growing as individuals, families, and a community as members continue to discover who they are in Jesus Christ.
Children, Youth, and the Early Learning Center
Family ministry is a flagship of the congregation, led by the Associate Pastor of Family Ministries. From September through May, families with young children find a full Sunday morning in place:
- At 10:00 a.m., nursery care is provided for newborns through age 2 in room 39, and Children's Church is offered for ages 3 to 5 following the children's message.
- At 11:00 a.m., children in elementary, middle, and high school gather for Discipleship Time.
- Adult Sunday School meets at 8:45 a.m. in room 5.
Older children can also take part in choirs and in Bible Bits, a Sunday morning class for kindergarteners through sixth graders that meets in conjunction with children's choir rehearsal.
Confirmation is offered to eighth through twelfth graders every other year, beginning with a retreat at Massanetta Springs Camp and Conference Center where students draft their own faith statements. After the retreat, those who wish to join the church share their statement with the Session, are welcomed into membership, and are paired with a confirmation mentor. A spring curriculum covering biblical knowledge, interfaith awareness, mission, worship leadership, and confessional statements is offered to all sixth through twelfth graders.
The Early Learning Center, founded as the first kindergarten in Prince William County in 1964, now serves children ages 2½ through pre-kindergarten. It is a separately organized ministry of MPC, housed on the church campus, and welcomes children of all ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. A scholarship program extends the ELC's reach into families who would otherwise struggle to afford preschool.
A Music Program That Lifts the Building
Music has long been a point of pride at MPC. The Minister of Music oversees choirs for children, youth, and adults, as well as a handbell choir open to youth and adults. The congregation sings from Glory to God: The Presbyterian Hymnal, with organ, piano, and instrumental music woven into worship.
Recent Sunday services have included hymn arrangements by Timothy Albrecht and Robert J. Powell, organ works from Early American Folk Hymns, transcriptions of Bach, choral pieces by Craig Courtney and Dan Forrest, and pieces from the hymnals Lift Up Your Hearts and Simply Beautiful. Music licensing is handled through ONE LICENSE and CCLI, allowing services to be recorded, livestreamed, and shared online.
Acolytes, typically older elementary and youth, ring the tower bell five minutes before worship, light the candles, and carry the light back out at the close of the service. Worship liturgists - lay members who lead prayers, litanies, and scripture readings - round out the team that prepares each week's service alongside the pastors.
Presbyterian Women and the Men's Fellowship
Every woman who joins MPC is automatically a member of Presbyterian Women, the national PC(USA) women's organization. The local chapter organizes its work around PW's four-fold purpose: nurturing faith through prayer and Bible study, supporting the church's worldwide mission, working for justice and peace, and building an inclusive caring community of women.
Bible study happens in three Circles that meet September through June: Martha Circle on the first Tuesday of the month at 10 a.m., Alpha-Agape Circle on the third Tuesday at noon, and Covenant Renewal Circle on the fourth Tuesday at 7 p.m. The groups typically work from the Horizons Bible study produced by Presbyterian Women.
Mission projects include the Loving Hands Prayer Shawl Ministry (knitted and crocheted shawls for people experiencing loss, illness, or major life events), Women Helping Women, Untrim-a-Tree for seniors and children, Together in Service projects such as pillowcases for Puerto Rico, meal preparation for a community lunch program at a local church, and the Weekend Food for Kids program that provides backpacks of food each week to more than 100 local school children. A Christmas Tea the first Thursday in December brings the whole group together for fellowship.
Men of the church have been meeting for breakfast together since 1995, currently gathering every Saturday morning at 7:00 a.m. at the Ashton Family Restaurant. The retired men's group (known as ROMEOs) meets at Bob Evans at the corner of Balls Ford and Sudley Roads at 12:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month. The men's ministry has adopted the Property Ministry Team as its adopted ministry and helps keep the campus in shape.
MPC Cares: Deacons and Stephen Ministry
Congregational care is organized through MPC Cares, which brings together the Board of Deacons and the Stephen Ministry. The Deacons are elected by the congregation to three-year terms and are charged with a ministry of sympathy, witness, and service after the example of Jesus Christ. They send care packages to college students and those serving in the military, visit the ill and homebound, organize meals during times of need, provide rides to and from Sunday worship, and reach out to anyone who needs prayer or help.
Stephen Ministry is a lay-caring program that equips members to provide one-to-one Christian care to people in the congregation who are navigating difficult seasons. Stephen Ministers complete 60 hours of initial training, are matched with a care receiver, and meet regularly for supervision and continuing education. Anyone in the congregation can request a Stephen Minister by reaching out to Stephen Leaders Kathy Massie or Gene Barndt, or to the pastor.
The pastors also assist families in planning a Service of Witness to the Resurrection - MPC's name for a funeral service - described as a moment of joy, dignity, remembrance, and reverence for a loved one's life.
Mission Outreach in the Neighborhood and Around the World
Mission is a major commitment at MPC, organized into three overlapping themes: feeding the community, connecting people, and building bridges.
Feeding efforts include an annual Rise Against Hunger meal-packing event that has produced more than 10,000 meals in a single day since 2014; the Weekend Food for Kids packing program, which assembles weekend food backpacks for students in Prince William County Schools; a monthly Neighbor Picnic on the church grounds; and support for the grocery program at First Baptist Church Manassas.
Connection partnerships include Gainesville United Methodist Church's Serving Our Friends program, ACTS (Action in Community Through Service) for the Greater Prince William area, Capital Caring for hospice support, the Center for Pastoral Counseling of Virginia, Massanetta Springs Camp and Conference Center, Montreat Conference Center, and a tithe of MPC's mission budget to the unified mission efforts of the National Capital Presbytery.
Bridge-building projects take the congregation further afield. The Early Learning Center serves as a preschool and a scholarship fund. MPC provides classrooms and volunteer instructors for BEACON for English Language and Literacy, an adult ESOL program serving low-income immigrants in Greater Prince William. The Prince William County Social Services mobile unit visits the campus. MPC supports Kairos Prison Ministry of Virginia, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and Faith Ministry in Reynosa and Miguel Alemán, Mexico, where an annual volunteer team builds houses, sponsors children, and supports medical and spiritual needs. Each year the church also hosts Un-Trim-a-Tree with Volunteer Prince William, sponsoring gifts for children in Prince William County elementary schools.
Special Offerings and Year-Round Giving
MPC receives four denominational special offerings in addition to its regular budget. The Per Capita Offering, gathered each January, supports the work of the National Capital Presbytery. The MPC Congregational Ministry with Children and Youth Offering funds scholarships, conferences, lunches, and learning opportunities. One Great Hour of Sharing is received on Palm Sunday and supports Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the Presbyterian Hunger Program, and the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People. The Christmas Joy Offering, gathered on Christmas Eve, has been a Presbyterian tradition since the 1930s and benefits the Assistance Program of the Board of Pensions and Presbyterian-related schools and colleges equipping communities of color.
A free-will offering for the Pastor's Discretionary Fund is received on Maundy Thursday, giving the pastor flexibility to respond to needs as they arise. A Faith Ministry offering supports the Reynosa mission experience. Rise Against Hunger donations help fund the annual meal-packing event.
Online giving is available through a secure portal managed by ACS Technologies and Vanco Payment Solutions, by texting MPCVA to 73256, or by dropping a gift in the plates during worship or mailing it to the church office.
The Campus and Accessibility
The Ashton Avenue campus is fully handicap accessible. Automatic doors at the main sanctuary and office entrance make the building easy to enter, and there is ample parking both in front of and behind the building, including designated accessible spaces. The rear entrance has a covered awning for drop-offs and pick-up, though it is locked during worship for safety.
Inside the sanctuary, hearing assistance devices, wall screens displaying the service text, handicap-equipped bathrooms, individual bathrooms, and a layout free of stairs all make participation easier for people with mobility, hearing, or other needs. Chairs in the sanctuary can be moved to accommodate wheelchairs.
An historic graveyard sits behind the church, open for visitation during daylight hours. The building's spaces can also be rented for outside events and special services.
Joining MPC
Anyone interested in membership is invited to meet with a pastor at the front of the sanctuary after worship on the third Sunday of any month. The Session Clerk and a Ruling Elder will also be present. The only requirement for membership is a profession of belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
People can join in one of three ways: by reaffirmation of faith (for baptized Christians), by transfer from another PC(USA) church or another denomination, or by baptism if they have not already been baptized. On the fourth Sunday of each month, the congregation welcomes new members during worship and pairs each one with a new-member sponsor.
What to Expect on a First Visit
Most visitors arrive a few minutes before 10:00 a.m., park in front of or behind the building, and are greeted by a volunteer at the door. Greeters offer a smile and directions, and worship bags with crayons, modeling clay, and coloring sheets are available outside the sanctuary for any child who needs something to keep their hands busy during the service.
Dress is whatever feels appropriate. Many members wear business casual; others dress more formally. There are no expectations about giving; visitors are welcome to simply worship. After the service, members typically linger over coffee and conversation. Communion is offered on the first Sunday of each month and at special seasons in Advent, Lent, and Christmas Eve.
The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and visitors who want to talk with a pastor can fill out a Connection Card online or speak to a pastor after worship.