Last day of November already!? It’s hard to believe how quickly time has gone by since I know we vividly remember showing up in July. Washington D.C. was full of excitement and mystery, learning our way around seemed hopeless, and discovering our new responsibilities at McLean Bible Church felt like drinking from a fire hose. We felt overwhelmed, yet confident that God placed us here to serve Him and use our strengths throughout the church.
As a Future Leader this year, I’ve had the opportunity to learn from some of the best leaders at McLean Bible Church. This summer I started at the Tysons campus in men’s ministry and joined several Bible studies, including First Light and an 8 week small group, and created a leaf raking service project for the campus, of which Natalie Boone and I named Wake & Rake! But God used those experiences to prepare me for the work here our Loudoun campus. For over a month I’ve been filling a role that involves one of my biggest passions: small group discipleship. I love small groups because they are biblical and strategic. They provide a fantastic biblical community and strategically impact our culture on one of its deepest levels: relationships. The Bible is rooted in the concept of God’s relationship to mankind, and we are naturally wired to crave interaction with God and others. Thus, small groups always have rich fruit as I see God working in lives, and I’ve had a lot of fun being involved with Loudoun’s small groups so far. Plus, our leaders are amazing men and women; I’ve learned so much from them already.
So I praise the Lord that I get to work in an area that is highly motivating for however long I may be here. Taking the words of Paul in 1 Timothy “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service.”

A group of MBC Loudoun women has been meeting on a weekly basis this summer to go through Stormie Omartian’s book “The Power of a Praying Wife” and study guide. The goal of the group is for each woman to serve as a minister of reconciliation, peace and healing in her marriage and family. With the Bible as our ultimate guide, the group has talked about different areas of their husbands’ lives and prayed for them as well as each other.

Praise the Lord for a fantastic summer of growing closer to the Lord through studying his word and being in biblical community with other women!

On Saturday, March 13, one of our Ashburn – Leesburg couples groups (Levin, Venegas, Anthony, George, Ferrara, Turner plus 3 infants!) constructed homes to help re-build the lives of homeless Haitians and to show Christ’s love in practical ways. The small group partnered with Christ in Action who is building 1,000 homes which cost only $600, last 7-10 years and sleep up to eight people. Once the walls are constructed, they are stacked, banded, trucked to the Port of Miami and then shipped on the Friend Ships fleet. Upon arrival in Haiti, they are erected on site within two hours. This small group plans to continue building. If you feel you or your small group may be interested in donating your time or money to this effort please visit – https://www.christinaction.com/index.cfm/pageid/823/index.html.

For the quarter of a million Muslims who live in the Washington metropolitan area, there is no assurance of salvation. Muslims may try to please God through emulating Muhammad’s example and by trying to obey the laws in their holy books, but their efforts to win God’s favor through their good deeds outweighing the bad will never succeed in producing the righteousness God requires. By contrast, God offers all peoples including Muslims salvation freely through faith in Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) God’s Word was not sent just to become a book of laws as Islam claims, but God’s Word became a Savior to take away our sins.

These are some of the truths members of the MBC Loudoun campus were discussing at the first Bridges small group meeting this week. They were encouraged not to ask God if they should share the gospel with their Muslim friends and acquaintances, but to ask God to open doors to share Jesus. Look around Loudoun County and you will see many Muslims who live and work among us. Perhaps the reason God has brought them here is so that we can develop loving relationships with them and hence gain opportunities to share the good news of Jesus. Don’t be afraid to reach out and get to know your Muslim neighbors. Maybe God wants to use you in their lives in “unexpected” ways. The Unexpected Adventure didn’t have to end after you finished Day 42—it can continue every day!

Do you know that there are about 250,000 Muslims in the Washington, D.C. area? Are you aware that Loudoun County has 19% foreign-born residents, and that a language other than English is spoken in 24% of its homes? God is bringing many new people to our neighborhoods, including families from countries which have little or no access to the gospel. Living in the Washington area affords us a strategic opportunity to reach out to a host of different ethnic groups, including internationals from a Muslim background.

Do you have a heart to befriend and share Jesus with your Muslim neighbors and acquaintances but don’t know where to start? If so, you may be interested in a six-session group study called “Bridges” which will begin soon. The program is designed to help Christians connect with Muslims and gain understanding that will help build “bridges” to start friendships and share the gospel. Each of the six sessions is made up of prayer, discussion, video content, group response, and action assignments. The study will start the third week of January 2010. For more information, email Jeff at makehimfamous@gmail.com and feel free to visit the Bridges website for additional information.