Did you know that marriage was the first institution established in all of creation? God established the marriage relationship (Gen. 2:24) prior to establishing the institutions of the church, governments or any other institution we have today. Marriage is the foundational institution of social order. The Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote that the covenant of marriage should emulate Jesus Christ’s own love and relationship with his church, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25).

As by evidence presented above, God values the marriage relationship above all other relationships that exist, this includes our relationships with parents, friends and our children. Since God places such a high value on the marriage relationship, we should take an opportunity like the Marriage Conference to invest in our marriages. Whether you are just starting out in your marriage or have been married for decades, it is always good to spend time strengthening and deepening your relationship with your spouse.

Gary Chapman, who is the key-note speaker, says you should attend the conference for the following reasons:

First, to keep your own marriage growing. Marriages either get better or they get worse. They never stand still. Most people prefer a growing marriage. Secondly, to equip you to minister to other couples who turn to you for help. In the church and in the work place, people turn to friends long before they go to a counselor.

Finally, it will be a great time to reconnect with your spouse. If your spouse has the love language of “quality time” or “receiving gifts” then surprise them with tickets for the conference.  You could even make the conference into a staycation by spending the night out.  So what are you waiting for?  Sign-up now before the event sells out. You can get the group rate information by CLICKING HERE.

Some of the topics this years marriage conference will cover are Communication, How to Share Things that Bug You, and Making Sex a Mutual Joy. This conference is for all ages of marriages and the key note speaker will be Dr. Gary Chapman. You may of heard of his award winning book The Five Love Languages.

We expect this conference to sell out quickly so please don’t wait to the last minute to register. Below are instructions to register as a LOUDOUN Group, which will save you a few bucks.

• To register in the LOUDOUN Group, go to www.mcleanbible.org/marriageconference
• On the right side of the page, you will see Registration Information. Click on the blue box that says “Register With A Group”.  
• You will need to log into Fellowship One to continue with registration. (If you do not have a fellowship one account, you will need to create one to complete your registration.)
• Once logged in, you will need to select an individual to register. The Marriage You’ve Always Wanted Registration Form will pop up. You will be asked to answer a couple a questions followed by information regarding group registration.

              For name of organization, please enter “LOUDOUN”
              For contact person, please enter “Brian Walters”

• Then click “continue” at the bottom of the page.
• If you would like to register your spouse, click on “register another person” BEFORE filling out your payment information. Then you will need to select your spouse and repeat the process.  When you click continue, both of your names should appear on the checkout page. After filling in your payment information, please review and make sure all information is correct before clicking submit. 

If you have any additional questions on the registration or the conference itself, you can email marriageconference@mcleanbible.org.

For September’s Second Saturday Event, the mission team that returned from Nicaragua in July shared about their experience in Bluefields. It was so great to see their pictures and to hear their stories. Team members shared stories of personal encounters with Jesus while serving the kids at the feeding center. They also shared about the spiritual changes happening in themselves as they were challenged by what they saw and experienced. Joel, one of the team leaders, shared pictures of the changes in Verbo church and the feeding center from when the first team went down in 2009 to this July. The changes were incredible! New benches to allow more kids to come and eat at the feeding center. New murals covered the walls of Verbo church and the feeding center. Church services packed with new faces. And MEN! Yes, men. Women are often left to raise the kids while the men are off elsewhere looking for work or employed on the cruise ships, so to see father figures return home and be reunited with their families is truly progress. Special guest, Cole Bingham, of ORPHANetwork, shared about how our partnership with ORPHANetwork is helping the church and feeding center in Bluefields. With our help, the feeding center can now feed 120 children a nutritious meal once a day. That’s DOUBLE what we could previously do!

It was inspiring to hear about all the things God is doing in Nicaragua and the ways that He allows His people to participate in His master plan. There are many things on the horizon with our partnership with ORPHANetwork –stay tuned as they continue to unfold throughout the year.

If you missed September’s Second Saturday Event, be sure not to miss October’s event! We’re celebrating one year of Second Saturday Events by going back to how it all started –with SUNDAE Saturday! Come and build a mouth-watering sundae and put on your thinking cap to help come up with ideas for another year of fellowship. Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday, October 9 in the Café after the Saturday evening service.

For many public schools in the DC area, today was the first day of classes. But before this weekend, many of the more than 150 public school facilities in DC were not prepared for students to arrive today. So on the morning of Saturday August 21st, nearly 500 McLean Bible Church and Frontline volunteers from all of our campuses – including 28 Loudoun attendees – served at more than 40 of the most in-need public schools across Washington, DC. Some planted flowers and trees, while others painted doors and walls, and still others helped teachers organize books and classrooms.

But the DC Schools Project was about more than improving school conditions. It was all about impacting our city with the gospel message of Jesus Christ. McLean Bible Church and Frontline volunteers came prepared to preach the gospel to the community members serving alongside them. Plus, they handed out hundreds of invitation cards that list all of our services at each of our campuses.

Here are just a few of the comments we’ve received so far:

“I spoke to a man about the tragedy and anger folks have, along with the reason that sin drives folks to do such things. I was able to pray with him and gave him an invitation card. I was able to talk about my life change story with Jesus!”

“I gave an invitation card to a student from Maine who is new to the area but had not yet found a church.”

“I got to share the gospel with a little boy from the neighborhood who came by to help us plant flowers at our school.”

And here is an article from The Georgetown Dish and a local blog post on McLean Bible Church’s involvement:

http://www.thegeorgetowndish.com/thedish/mclean-volunteers-recruited-hardy-beautification-day

http://frozentropics.blogspot.com/2010/08/volunteer-locally-your-services-are.html

We want to thank everyone from our multiple campuses and ministry areas for getting the word out, and for helping to make this year’s DC Schools Project a success. This event is not only a great way for our church to impact DC, but also to engage and equip our church family to live out the gospel every day!

In Christ,

Josh Cahan and Samantha Cave

Frontline Tysons Local Impact

This summer the ROCK took 217 students (31 from the Loudoun campus) down to the Dominican Republic for a week-long mission trip. On Saturday, August 14th prior to the service we had a group of ROCK students and volunteers share about the trip. It was truly amazing hearing the stories of the lives they impacted, as well about how their lives were impacted –all in a week! The students spoke about the boldness God gave them to share about Jesus and the strength to get out of their comfort zones. They shared stories of praying with shop keepers in the local market, about leading a boy to Christ outside a bathroom, and, in less than an hour, raising enough money to sponsor nearly 2 operations for a teen who has been in a wheelchair all his life. The teen will need 4 operations in hope that he may one day walk. It was so inspiring to hear their faith –and a challenging reminder to all of us to put our faith into action here at home.

Special thanks to Mike Reed and Rich Duquette, Kyle Cox, Chris Densmore, Nathan Man, Mitch Braumann, Ryan Braumann, Grace Dreyer, Dominica Williams, Matt Lunsford, James Lunsford, Alex Sutherland and Lee Sutherland for sharing with us!

Don’t miss the upcoming 2nd Saturday in September! Our mission team will be sharing about their July trip to Bluefields, Nicaragua. Saturday, September, 11 at 4:30pm in the ROCK. Pizza will be provided.

Weekend Host Teams gathered together for a series of BBQs this summer. 82 people gathered together across four different weekends to hang out and fellowship together. Our goal was to help increase the feeling of community and the team environment, and the Lord was faithful in meeting that goal. Some people got to meet the others on their teams for the first time. Others experienced an increased feeling of community. As one woman said upon leaving this past Sunday, “Now I feel like this is my church. I know people, and I have a sense of community.”

Thank you to each person who came. Your desire to fellowship with others and get to know them was a blessing to them and to us. My husband and I were grateful for the opportunity to know you better.

May God bless you!
Dave & Susie

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you missed April’s Second Saturday Event, it was a powerful one. Campus Pastor Jim Supp shared the story of the transforming power for Jesus Christ in his life –and ultimately the lives of his family members. I don’t want to give too much away, but his story is a great reminder about how a simple outreach –and invitation- can be used to bring someone into a relationship with Christ.

For those who wondered about the Boston Crème donuts and their connection to his story, well, it’s as simple as this: they’re Jim’s favorite. No deep, spiritual meaning, but they were quite tasty!

If you missed Jim share his story and want to hear it, you are in luck. Jim is working on recording his story and making it available on CD and online to anyone who wants it. An announcement will be made when it is available.

The next Second Saturday Event is May 8th, and you certainly won’t want to miss it! We will be having a BBQ on the back patio BEFORE the Saturday service. Come at 5:30pm for some barbequed goodies and fellowship!

The crock pots are empty, the votes are in and the count was close. But the winner is…..Jill Atchison’s “Some Like it Hot” (or #2) Chili! If you see Jill, please congratulate her on her win! Special thanks to all who contributed their delicious homemade chili for October’s Second Saturday Event. Jill was kind enough to share her winning recipe below. Thanks Jill!

Be sure to mark your calendars for Nov 14th for our next Second Saturday Event. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Operation Kindness will be providing cards for people to write a message of thanks to our troops who are serving our country. Hot apple cider and fall goodies will be provided.

My super simple chili recipe:
1lb browned hamburger
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
1 can Bush’s chili beans
1 envelope chili seasoning (found in the spice aisle of most grocery stores)

Combine all ingredients and place in either a crock pot for approx. 5 hrs or in a large saucepan for about an hour (stirring frequently).