IMPACT

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We are excited to send out our first MBC Loudoun Missions Team! The team will be serving with ORPHANetwork in Bluefields, Nicaragua, from July 3 – 11. As commanded by Scripture, the team will be visiting orphans and serving the poor in the name of Christ. The team members and general trip itinerary are below. Please use each day this week to pray for the team as they represent Christ to the people of Nicaragua.

Team leaders: Dave and Lauren Payne

Team Members: Joel, LeAnne, Kylene, and Brianna Smart; Melina Mays; Robbin Marvin; Greg Lilly; Eddie Batten; and Graig and Jen Bantle

We covet your prayers daily:

• Friday, July 3 – arrival and orientation
• Saturday, July 4 – taking food and clothes via boat to a remote church in need
• Sunday, July 5 – worship God and fellowship with the believers in Bluefields
• Monday, July 6 – work to finish a concrete flooring project and visit the rock quarry where the children work
• Tuesday, July 7 – visit the children at the city dump and put on a VBS program
• Wednesday, July 8 – lead another VBS program and take the children for an outing
• Thursday, July 9 – work on a construction project and spend time with the children
• Friday, July 10 – debrief and prepare for departure
• Saturday, July 11 – departure trip home

Pray that the Lord will bless and multiply the team’s effort as they serve Him through ORPHANetwork.

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by Brandon Buckner, Internet Campus Director @ MBC

God has been doing something amazing in the lives of three people at our McLean Bible Church campuses.

Katie, a single grade school teacher in PW County, attends three MBC services each week. Saturday night she attends the Tysons Campus. She enjoys the worship and teaching so much that she attends again Sunday morning via the Internet Campus from her home in Manassas. On Sunday nights, she also attends Frontline via the Internet Campus, where she is one of the most engaged members of the online community.

Three weeks ago, Katie was in a head-on collision with a drunk driver. Katherine, her best friend and a non-believer, came to visit her shortly after the accident. Seeing Katie laying there in the hospital, she made a promise to God. She told Him that if He got her friend through the accident, she would begin going to church. By God’s grace, Katie was out of bed the following day and scheduled to go home with only minor injuries. That very day, Katherine finally did something Katie had been trying to get her to do for months―she logged onto the Internet Campus. That morning, after Lon presented the Gospel, Katherine prayed to accept Christ. But the Lord had even bigger plans in mind, as the following week Katherine brought her younger brother to the Tysons Campus, where he too accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior.

Now, Katherine and her brother are regular attendees of the Tysons and Internet Campuses, with plans to attend the upcoming Christianity 101. Katie and Katherine express excitement on a weekly basis for the upcoming Prince William Campus, where they both hope to get plugged in as volunteers.

I believe this is an amazing example of how God is using our church to impact secular Washington for Christ and it is so cool to see so many different campuses and ministries come together in impacting the lives of Katie and her friends.

by Justin Pearson

This week is my last week on staff as a pastor at McLean Bible Church. I have been on staff for about 5 ½ years serving in our young adult ministry, Frontline, and at the MBC Loudoun campus. I am now entering a new season. My wife, Amy, and I are moving to Louisville, KY so that I can become a full-time student at Southern Seminary in order to finish my Master of Divinity degree. It has been a pleasure to serve here. Don’t get me wrong, there have been many frustrating circumstances and seasons, but overall it has been a joy working with so many wonderful people who have a desire to see the gospel proclaimed and lives changed.

As readers of this blog I assume you are an attendee at the Loudoun campus. For a final blog, I want to encourage you and challenge you with two simple things.

First, fix your eyes on Jesus. We cannot be true followers of Christ if we allow our eyes to wander to other pleasantries that the world tries to offer to us. We must have laser focus on our Lord and Savior and seek to follow him in every area of our lives. Jesus is the boss. You are not. Keep it that way.

Second, do all things to the glory of God. This is a big challenge. No matter what you do, whether it is being a husband, wife, father, mother, friend, employee, small group leader, usher, or worship leader God has called you to live a life that reflects his glory. Daily ask God to show you where you are falling short of this. Ask him for his grace to sustain you in living a life that is worthy of your calling. Do not settle for mediocrity in your life. Seek to make much of him and little of yourself.

This life is short. Don’t waste it. Seek to maximize every moment of your life to bring God the glory that he deserves.

I look forward to hearing how God continues to work in your midst. My prayer is that the Loudoun campus will grow to become a local gathering of passionate followers of Christ who daily strive to preach the gospel and follow Jesus in reverent fear and radical obedience.

Thank you for allowing me to serve you and to serve with you.

My aim in this life is to do as Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf so simply stated: “Preach the gospel, die and be forgotten.”

I hope that you will consider doing the same.

Grace and peace to you.
Justin

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by Justin Pearson, Director of Adult Ministries @ MBC Loudoun

As part of my regular Scripture intake I am reading through the Psalms. I should note that this is supplemental to reading other passages in Scripture. I think the Psalms are important to study and read, but too often I find that people spend all of their daily reading in the Psalms and Proverbs and then wonder why they do not know much about Jesus, the gospel, or the life of obedience that God has called them to, but I digress.

I am in Psalm 119 right now. It is one of my favorites. It is divided up into sections of eight verses that correspond with each of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Psalm 119:9-16 is especially challenging.

9How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
10With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not wander from your commandments!
11I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
12Blessed are you, O LORD;
teach me your statutes!
13With my lips I declare
all the rules of your mouth.
14In the way of your testimonies I delight
as much as in all riches.
15I will meditate on your precepts
and fix my eyes on your ways.
16I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.

I wanted to share this with you today because it lays out the clear answer and solution for how you and I can live a holy and God-glorifying life. We must guard our way according to God’s word. We must store God’s word in our hearts (memorize Scripture). We must meditate on his word day and night and find delight in this.

For many of us, we want to overcome temptation and sin. We want to get out of a depressive state and have joy in our lives and we look for solutions and answers in all of the wrong places. Go to Scripture. When we study Scripture in-depth we learn that God is all satisfying. The delight of our heart is changed and we are filled with joy as we come to know our immutable God more intimately.

Open up his words. Read them. Soak them up. See God revealed in them. You will not be disappointed.

by Philip Bryan Penner

His concern is not that I am popular or likable.
Noah was the laughingstock of the community when he was building the ark.

His concern is not with my health.
He took away Job’s and gave it back when he saw fit.

His concern is not to keep me at home.
He asked Abraham to leave for the unknown.

His concern is not that I understand his plan.
Against all logic, Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son, the long awaited fulfillment of God’s promise.

His concern is not that my life be “fair.”
Joseph was thrown in a well, sold to slavery, and then imprisoned for a false accusation.

His concern is not with my abilities and talents.
He used a scared man with a speech impediment to be His spokesman to Egypt.

His concern is not that I feel good about myself or see the fruit of my labor.
Moses never saw the promise land.

His concern is not with my interests.
Jonah was sent to do what he didn’t want to do in a place he didn’t want to go.

His concern is not that I have friends.
David felt as though all his friends had betrayed him.

His concern is not my dignity.
Jeremiah had to run around naked.

His concern is not first for my family.
Ezekiel’s wife was taken from him.

His concern is not for my comfort.
He had Jeremiah lie on his side for over a year.

His concern is not that I become wealthy.
Jesus asked the rich man to give it all up.

His concern is not with my plans and schedule.
Lazarus was not healed when his family asked, but Jesus let him die to raise him later.

His concern is not for me to have a restful retirement.
Paul spent his last years in prison.

His concern is not for my safety.
Stephen among others was killed.

His concern is not that I have an easy life.
Paul was stoned, shipwrecked, hungry, sleepless, beaten and imprisoned.

God loves us and really does care about every aspect of our lives,
But He has one main concern.

His concern is that we glorify Him as God and give him His rightful place in our lives.
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever!

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On Wednesday, June 24, McLean Bible Church (MBC) officially unveiled a new corporate logo to the congregation. This new logo is a result of efforts to be more intentional with our visual identity and to better represent our multi-campus strategy from a visual perspective. It will take some time to incorporate the new logo into all of our communications; but in the meantime, we thought it was appropriate to take this opportunity to share this news with our church family.

The primary objective was to create a logo that clearly indicates that MBC is “one church in multiple locations” as well as allow each campus to build its own unique visual identity easily recognizable in the current and future communities where MBC has a campus presence.

The inspiration behind the design is the “diamond” shape of the District of Columbia. The MBC mission is to make an impact on secular Washington, DC with the message of Jesus Christ and Pastor Lon has often referenced our multi-campus strategy as creating a “spiritual beltway” around the District of Columbia. This logo mark is intended to be symbolic of that mission with the shape of the District as the starting point.

The three separate sections of the logo mark point “out” and “up” from the center of the image symbolizing that our focus is not only on the actual District but also the entire DC-metropolitan area. Each piece of the logo mark is a different shape and color, symbolizing that our campuses are “fraternal” twins as opposed to “identical” twins, meaning that while the core MBC DNA for each campus is the same, each campus will have its own unique flavor or personality.

The space at the center of the mark creates a “cross”, a subtle indication that Christ is at the center of who we are and everything we do in this city.

The color scheme is designed to be current and colorful, yet not too colorful, as to stick with colors that work well together and are pleasing to the eye for both males and females. We also have the challenge of choosing a color scheme that prints well and looks nice on a computer screen. We believe we have accomplished this in the new logo color scheme.

Each campus will have their own campus specific logo for campus specific communications and related materials. The logo will be a variation of the primary MBC logo, with minor changes including one accent color and the addition of the campus location under the church name.

As with any major rebranding campaign, the roll-out of the new logo will be systematic, occurring in phases over the summer. To be good stewards of the resources God has given us, we plan to “grandfather in” the new logo as materials need to be reprinted to avoid unnecessary waste. However, the new logo will become the most visibly noticeable this fall as we launch a brand new web presence, new bulletin, and other corporate documents.

We are very excited to mark this new chapter in MBC history and pray that God will use this new visual identity to connect more people in the DC metro area to the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.

If you have any question or feedback regarding the new logo, please email the communications team at fyi@mcleanbible.org

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by Summer Whiting, June’s KIDstuff worship leader @ MBC Loudoun

I had the privilege of working with the KIDstuff team at the beginning of June. A lot of amazing things took place but the one I’m going to share with you occurred in a very unsuspecting place.

I’d been listening to the KIDstuff rehearsal CD repeatedly throughout the past several weeks; in the car, in my home, wherever I had access to a CD player. My 2 ½ - year old daughter began picking up on the words and motions and soon began requesting to hear the “Jesus music.” Of course I happily obliged. Occasionally while listening to the music I would engage her in little bits of conversation about the meaning behind the words. Just the other day, it was her turn to initiate a talk with me. While listening to one of the songs, she asked, “Does Jesus live in my heart just like He lives in yours?” I was blown away! I knew then that her little heart had begun to process the lyrics and she was internalizing it as best she could. And what a message she picked up! This opened the door to a lovely conversation about how Jesus certainly could live in our hearts if we ask Him to and what it means to love Him.

I had been preparing for this ministry opportunity for several weeks, all the while thinking and praying for the children who would be in attendance. Never did I think about how it might impact my own child. Just because she is young doesn’t mean God can’t begin a work in her heart. I was humbled and reminded that His plan is so much bigger and greater than anything I could ever imagine.

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. (Jeremiah 33:3)

Consequently, that Sunday’s lesson was all about faith and I am reminded about a verse found in Matthew:

He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:2-4)

Here’s to having a childlike faith and belief in a God so big our most remarkable thoughts and ideas do not even compare to what He is capable of and what He will do for His children. I was reminded of this while listening to “Jesus music” with a little girl who is learning what it means to love Him.

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by Justin Pearson, Director of Adult Minsitries @ MBC Loudoun

I am not a big fan of most marriage books. In fact, my criteria for even considering a book about marriage is that it must not be pink or purple and it can’t have any hearts anywhere on the book. I think most guys would agree with me (whether they would tell their wives that or not). Unfortunately, marriage books are often high on the cheese-meter for me.

However, there are two great marriage books that I would highly recommend for you to read on your own or to study in your small group. I wanted to share them with you so that you can continue to grow in your understanding of how God has designed marriage and how you should live that out in your own relationship.

Sacred Marriage, by Gary Thomas
The main premise of this book is the following question: “What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?” Thomas talks about sin, forgiveness, sex, character, perseverance, joy, prayer, love, and respect. It is a great small group study as there are group discussion questions in the back of the book for each chapter.

My small group studied it and really learned a lot. You can click on the link below or the picture to purchase the book online.

Buy Sacred Marriage

This Momentary Marriage, by John Piper
Pastor John Piper shares some of his deep insights into marriage as God designed from his study of scripture and his own forty years of marriage. This book seeks to unpack the biblical vision of marriage and its implications for our married lives. In the book, Piper makes this statement, “Most foundationally, marriage is the doing of God. And ultimately, marriage is the display of God. It displays the covenant-keeping love between Christ and his people to the world in a way that no other event or institution does. Marriage, therefore, is not mainly about being in love. It’s mainly about telling the truth with our lives. And staying married is not about staying in love. It is about keeping covenant and putting the glory of Christ’s covenant-keeping love on display.”

I would highly recommend this book as it is by a godly man and deals with an important topic with depth and biblical backing. You can click on the link below or the picture to purchase the book online.

Buy This Momentary Marriage

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by Mike Reed, Director of Student Ministries @ MBC Loudoun

Hey Loudoun,
I have some awesome news. Just got the final report today for SH summer camp as we have 341 students going between Tyson’s, Loudoun and Prince William Campus, the most attendance we’ve ever had at Summer Camp! Can I ask you to please petition the Lord this week that God would do mighty things in His name through camp this year? That discipline issues would be minimal, that distractions would be taken away, that the volunteers and leaders and staff would be filled with an extra measure of grace this week and that he would speak to hearts and give a desire for holy living? A great verse to meditate on and pray through for these students and for ourselves is Psalm 85:6-8 “will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love O Lord, and grant us your salvation. I will listen to what God the Lord will say, who promises peace to his people, his saints, but let them not return to folly.”

Sr. High Beach Week is from June 24th throughJune 28th

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by Greg Lilly, team lead for the Connect Room @ MBC Loudoun

My mom always told me, “I don’t care where you go to church, as long as you go, as long as truth is being taught there and as long as your soul is being fed.”

I believe MBC Loudoun is a place where those things are true.

This month, we’re reconfiguring our newcomer meeting to help others be sure to choose a church where my mom’s advice rings true. Our meeting is now called “What to Look for When Choosing a Church.” We highlight the following:

1. Look for a church that has a heart for the things for which God has a heart.
2. Look for a church that believes that the ultimate abundant life, which includes passion and risk, is by following God wholeheartedly.
3. Look for a church that has a standard of truth – the Bible.
4. Look for a church that is well-rounded in living out the things of Scripture.
5. Look for a church whose staff’s goal is to equip you to become a fully devoted follower of Christ.
6. Look for a church whose kids’ programming is not just fun, but is purposeful in teaching your children to become Christ followers.
7. Look for a church where the Gospel is preached clearly.

I believe MBC Loudoun is a church community that honors God… and I believe my choice to attend here honors my mother!