“If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” – Isaiah 58:10
Prince William County, Virginia shines a little more brightly after the success of the Great Banquet Easter service hosted by the Potomac Valley Church. It is our conviction that Jesus’ church is a place for all people and that he calls us to be ALL IN to fulfill that vision. This ALL-IN vision for a world transformed can only be realized by imperfect people imitating his heart. We believe he would want an Easter service that demonstrated his commitment to service even to the point of offering his life as a ransom. Convinced of this, we set out to feed, clothe, and serve everyone who would show up on Sunday.
It is amazing how once we decided to adopt Jesus’ vision, God brought the crowds we were hoping for—not for our sake, but for the sake of meeting their physical and spiritual needs, all while giving glory to God. On a cloudy day with a temperature just below 60 degrees, we saw over 675 people come out to hear the word of God, worship together, and break bread with one another. Our dream as a church of 200 was to reach 1,000 people, and with another 340 who live-streamed and watched our service online, that dream was accomplished.
Today, the impact continues to grow. The Gainesville/Prince William Times (our regional newspaper) and NBC 4 (Washington) stopped by to cover the banquet, and a number of our visitors are set up to study the Bible. Many of our friends and family donned Potomac Valley t-Shirts and helped sort clothes. They even went behind the counters and served food. Before we knew it, we could barely distinguish between who was a member and who was visiting. With two baptisms to top it off, it truly was a modern-day depiction of Acts 2:42-47.
So, what is next for the Potomac Valley Church? We understand that nothing will be quite the same now that we have opened our doors in this way. We have invited many people with needs of all kinds into our midst. We are seeing love make friends into family. Now it is time for God’s people to take care of the family!
