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Lordy, Lordy, look who's forty...
Washington Plaza Baptist Church, the first church built in Reston, is not your average Baptist ministry."It is different. Let's put it at that," said Reston founder Bob Simon, who attended the 40-year anniversary of the building on Sunday.
On its Web site, the church defines itself as "an inclusive Christian community whose worship, communion and fellowship are open to all without restriction to gender, nationality, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation."
When the church formed in Reston's Lake Anne community in 1965, members originally met in residents' homes and the original community center on the Plaza.
According to church administrator Debra Krahling, ground was broken on the existing church building in 1967, "and we just celebrated the 40th anniversary of the church building's dedication in 1968 on July 20," she said.
Lola Washington, 91, is the church's oldest living member. She joined in 1967 before the church was built. "We met in the hall across the plaza where the Jasmine Cafe is today," she said. "Ours was the only church here at first, so all denominations tried us out. Once the United Christian Parish and other local churches opened, we lost a lot of Episcopalians and Lutherans and others."
Washington herself was Episcopalian when she joined. "My daughters liked this church better, so that was that," she said. "Then they grew up, got married and left – and I stayed. As a core group the church still is not all Baptists, not real Baptists."
Leomia Brunson, who joined the church in 1975, came from a more traditional Baptist church in St. Louis, Mo.
"The church that I went to was strictly an all-Baptist, all-black congregation," she said.
Brunson was impressed by the church because it was integrated and consisted of people from all denominations and backgrounds. "I had never experienced that before," she said. "I thought that was wonderful."
At Sunday's celebration, both current and past members sang in the choir to commemorate the church's birthday. "The music was fantastic and the food was sumptuous," Simon said.
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