A Quiet Welcome on Main Street in Fairfax
Fairfax Christian Church sits on Main Street in the City of Fairfax, just down the road from the courthouse square. The building is small, the sanctuary seats 120, and the congregation has made a deliberate choice to stay that way. Members describe the worship as traditional and meditative, a setting where a child with sensory sensitivities can listen to the sermon without being overwhelmed by loud music or flashing lights, and where visitors are welcomed at the door with the same warmth as longtime friends.
The church belongs to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), with standing in the Capital Area Region. Its pastor, Rev. Dr. Deborah Carlton, is an ordained Disciples minister, an endorsed chaplain of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and a Board Certified Chaplain. Her husband Paul and two adult sons are the people she names as her greatest treasures. The doors, the church insists, are open to all.
Sunday Morning at Eleven
The weekly rhythm centers on Sunday morning. Children's Sunday School begins at 10:00 a.m. in the new Children's Sunday School Room, dedicated with a ribbon cutting ceremony and prepared with help from the children themselves. Worship follows at 11:00 a.m. in the sanctuary.
For those who cannot attend in person, the service is also offered on Zoom. Pastor Debbie preaches and teaches, and the Music Ministry, established by Pastor Debbie and pianist Dr. Kent McWilliams, highlights a different guest musician each week: pianists, cellists, violinists, and soloists.
After the service, the whole congregation crosses the hall to the McAfee Room for Linger Longer, a shared meal or snacks with conversation. It is part of the Sunday experience, and visitors are warmly invited to stay.
Children Lead the Way
No ministry is more distinctive at Fairfax Christian Church than the work with children, and no detail of the building reflects that more clearly than the Children's Prayground at the back of the sanctuary. There, parents can set the youngest ones in a pak 'n play or on a rug with foam blocks, magnetic blocks, stacking cups, coloring books, crayons, and Bible story books. A small table and chair set invite older children to draw or do word games. The point, the church explains, is to let children listen at their own level: It's amazing what they hear when we don't think they're paying attention.
Each Sunday, Pastor Debbie calls the children forward for the Children's Moment. She teaches a Bible lesson or shares a story from the chancel steps, then sends each child back to the Prayground with a Children's Bulletin and a small figurine or reminder of the day's story. A parent testimonial captures the culture of the church well: a mother whose daughter has sensory issues writes that she had nearly given up on finding a church home before finding Fairfax Christian Church, and that her daughter has since blossomed in her faith there.
The Music Ministry and Dr. Kent McWilliams
The Music Ministry was co-founded by Pastor Debbie and Dr. Kent McWilliams, the church's pianist. McWilliams holds a Doctorate in Piano Performance from the University of Montreal, where he studied with Marc Durand, and completed doctoral research in Poland with Professor Andrzej Jasinski on the Polish folk elements in Chopin's Mazurkas. He also earned an Artist Diploma under Oleg Maisenberg at the Musikhochschule in Stuttgart, and Bachelor's and Master's degrees at the University of Toronto with Boris Lysenko.
McWilliams debuted with the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra in Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 3 and has since performed live recitals on the CBC in Canada and the ABC in Australia. He taught piano at St. Olaf College in Minnesota for 18 years before moving to Kent State University in 2019, and he now teaches at the Main Street Music Studios a few blocks from the church, where he also serves as pianist for the Main Street Chamber Players. The Music Ministry regularly welcomes guest artists, including cellist Kenneth Law and violinist Laura Kobayashi.
What We Believe: Affirmations
The congregation has written its faith out plainly in a document called Affirmations. At its center is a simple claim: We are a Christ-centered church that strives to live out our faith in practical, life-affirming ways.
The Affirmations describe a community that loves one another as Christ has loved, welcomes one another as Christ has welcomed, cares for and respects all members, fosters community in small and large groups, and acknowledges differences civilly. The church is, in its own words, open to all and closed to none. On the spiritual life, the Affirmations value worship as an expression of love for God, recognize the diversity of spiritual gifts, affirm theological diversity, hold up mission and outreach as a way of applying faith near and far, and commit to ongoing spiritual growth through study, worship, ministry involvement, and the dedication of personal and material resources. For discernment, the church draws on the combined wisdom of scripture, tradition, reason, and experience.
A Sanctuary for Weddings
Fairfax Christian Church hosts weddings and has built a reputation for being an intimate venue. The sanctuary, recently painted white to brighten the room, seats 120 guests. Stained glass windows behind the chancel provide a colorful, intricate backdrop for ceremonies. Moveable chairs allow the room to be rearranged for receptions or other events. A separate McAfee Room holds 50 people and is used for smaller receptions. Bridal and groom's parties can use separate rooms to prepare, and a kitchen and nursery are available as well.
Rental costs are kept affordable in what the church describes as the spirit of community and service. Couples interested in reserving a date are invited to call the church at 703-385-3520 and leave a message for the Wedding and Special Events Coordinator, or to email fairfaxchristian1@gmail.com.
Reaching Beyond the Walls
Outreach shapes much of the church's life. Quarterly Donation Drives collect food and supplies for The Lamb Center (a day shelter in Fairfax), FACETS, Food for Others, and Pilgrimage Christian Church in Suitland, Maryland, the congregation's sister church. Each year, members purchase school supplies for the children at Pilgrimage before the school year begins and Christmas gifts for the church's annual Christmas party.
Fairfax Christian Church also partners with Safe Haven, a day shelter in Falls Church that serves 100 to 150 homeless people each month, helping prepare meals. The church supports The Lamb Center, which offers job search assistance, Bible study, counseling, laundry service, and meals, and Food for Others, the primary food safety net for emergencies in the area. From April through September 2017, the church hosted a Community Supper on the last Sunday of each month for those who were homeless, hungry, or simply looking for company. The Outreach Ministry also supports the Shepherd's Center of Fairfax-Burke, a volunteer organization that serves older adults through programs called Lunch 'N Life, a Dementia Caregiver Support Group, and Medical Transportation and Companion Shopping.
Members have started their own projects too. One member, Thyra, single-handedly dug up a garden in the church's front yard, planted vegetables for the homeless, harvested her first crop of squash, and delivered it to The Lamb Center.
Sharing the Building
The building on Main Street serves more than one congregation. Fairfax Christian Church hosts Shepherd's Heart Anglican Church, Rise and Shine Preschool and Daycare Center, and an Alcoholics Anonymous group that meets on Monday evenings.
The sanctuary's moveable chairs make it adaptable for meetings, seminars, and events of up to 120 people. The McAfee Room holds 50 and can be set up with tables and chairs in many configurations. The nursery is available on evenings and weekends. A recently completed handicapped ramp at the entrance makes the building accessible to everyone.
Annual Traditions on the Calendar
Two traditions mark the church year. On the last Sunday in November, the congregation gathers for Hanging of the Greens, decorating a Christmas tree with Chrismons, ornaments that are monograms of Christ, a practice with roots in a 1957 tradition begun by Frances Kipps Spencer at Ascension Lutheran Church in Danville, Virginia. On Easter, the children and adults carry cut flowers from the front lawn and adorn the cross in the church's front yard.
Joining on Sunday
Visitors who want to attend in person can find Fairfax Christian Church at 10185 Main Street, Fairfax, Virginia 22031. Sunday School for children begins at 10:00 a.m., worship is at 11:00 a.m., and Linger Longer follows in the McAfee Room. The atmosphere is described by members as a calming, traditional, meditative space, and children are welcomed at every part of the service.
For those who cannot attend in person, the Zoom link for the 11:00 a.m. service is available from the church. Prayer requests can be sent to office@fairfaxchristian.org. To speak with Pastor Debbie directly, write to pastorfairfaxchristianchurch@gmail.com. For weddings, event rentals, and other questions, the office can be reached at 703-385-3520 or fairfaxchristian1@gmail.com.