125 Years in Franconia and Kingstowne
Franconia United Methodist Church stands at 6037 Franconia Road in Alexandria, serving the Franconia/Kingstowne community under the motto “Building a Community of Christ’s Love to Serve the World.” The church is known for pairing a ministry that began in 1896 with two Sunday worship traditions, a discipleship path for children and adults, a church-based preschool, and service and care ministries extending beyond the sanctuary.
Franconia marked 125 years of ministry in 2021, tracing its roots to 1896. Before 1950, the congregation worshiped at a former location at Fleet Road and Beulah Street, now the site of Mount Calvary Community Church. Its present Franconia Road home brings together a sanctuary, stage room, parlor, preschool rooms, community spaces, and a fenced playground.
The church’s identity has always included community life as well as worship. Franconia Elementary School stands next door and shares the property line. The church and school formalized their partnership in 2014, creating a close relationship that includes support for children and families at the school. That partnership gives Franconia’s local mission a tangible neighborhood focus, from gift cards for families to shared service projects with school families and staff.
Traditional at Nine, Contemporary at Eleven
The Sunday rhythm has two clear worship services. At 9:00 a.m., Franconia gathers for its Traditional Service, while the 11:00 a.m. gathering is designated the Contemporary Service. Both are held at 6037 Franconia Road and can also be watched live through the Franconia UMC YouTube channel or the congregation’s Facebook livestream.
Pastor Melissa Porter-Miller leads worship with a team that includes Director of Music Ministry Amy McCarthy, Contemporary Praise and Worship Leader Sarah Chambers, Director of Handbell Choirs Linda Biscardo, and Pianist June Shuffett. Their work supports both styles of Sunday worship. Children receive a special message during both services, and Kingdom Kids provides age-appropriate biblical teaching during the 11:00 service.
Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month and on or near special holidays. No special preparation is required. Franconia welcomes non-members, visitors, and children to the Lord’s Table.
What a First Visit Feels Like
Visitors can expect a warm welcome. An usher greets people as they enter and gives each visitor a bulletin with the information needed to follow the service. Newcomers are not asked to stand, speak, or otherwise be singled out. The church’s own description of belonging is simple: people are welcomed just as they are.
There is no formal dress code. Some people wear suits or business attire, while others choose casual clothes or jeans. The range of styles at Franconia reflects that relaxed expectation.
Parking is available on the west, or right, side of the church and around the back of the building. Accessible parking spaces are in the west lot and at the front left of the church. People who need assistance entering can go to the left side of the church and ring the bell at the lift. A ramp into the west-wing stage room also provides lower-level access.
Children Take Part in the Whole Service
Children of every age are welcome to participate fully in worship. The staffed nursery runs from 8:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and uses a paging system for both the 9:00 and 11:00 services. Its ministry supports the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of infants and toddlers through basic biblical teaching, sensory exploration, and imaginative play. Parents may also keep infants and toddlers with them throughout worship.
After the children’s message, children through fifth grade are invited to Kingdom Kids during the 11:00 service. They hear the weekly Bible story and reinforce its point through a game or object lesson. The church also provides Children’s Chimes at 10:15 a.m. on Sundays in the stage room for children in grades 2 through 6. No music experience is needed. Living It!, the tween gathering for grades 4 through 6, meets on the second and fourth Fridays in the stage room, where participants are encouraged to bring friends and visiting cousins.
Youth ministry serves students in grades 6 through 12. Youth Sunday School meets at 3:00 p.m. on Sundays, and Thursday Night Live! meets at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, with confirmation and mission trips among its programs. Some youth gatherings take place away from the church or occur at different times. Vacation Bible School is another part of the church’s children’s ministry. Workers with children receive safety training, and an annually updated child protection policy applies at church functions involving children.
A Discipleship Path for Adults and the Whole Church
Franconia’s Adult Discipleship Plan is designed for people new to faith and long-time members alike. Rooted in Jesus’ call to make disciples, it presents growth as a continuum that moves from individual prayer and worship to fellowship with others and service in the community. The church describes the plan as a way to guide people through each stage of discipleship rather than treating spiritual development as a single step.
The congregation’s regular study and conversation groups offer several ways to participate. Coffee and Conversation meets at 10:15 a.m. between the two Sunday services in the small kitchen. S.A.L.T., or Studying and Learning Together, meets by Zoom on Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. Monday Night Study gathers online at 7:00 p.m. Women’s Bible Study meets in person on Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to noon in Cokesbury 304. Midweek Prayer and Meditation takes place online on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. Some groups also participate in seasonal studies during Lent and Advent.
Music remains another significant part of congregational life. Grace Notes, the youth and adult handbell choir, meets in the sanctuary on Mondays at 7:00 p.m. The adult handbell choir welcomes beginners, with the simple promise that anyone who can count to four can learn to play. Silver Connections welcomes adults age 60 and older for movies, games, and fellowship. The Federal Employees 3B Group supports current and former federal employees, contractors, and volunteers on the first and third Sundays of the month.
Franconia’s community of faith also has access to an Amplify Media account for Bible studies, videos, and children’s shows. Small groups and individuals can use it to livestream, upload videos, and explore material by topic, speaker, or writer.
All God's Children Preschool
All God's Children Preschool opened in 1993 as a ministry of Franconia United Methodist Church. Director Jessica Copes and the teaching team offer a play-based curriculum designed to develop social and academic skills and the whole child. Each class is supported by a teacher and assistant teacher. A typical day includes circle time, project time, playground and free play, with a fenced outdoor playground and indoor space for recess when needed. Children bring their own snack and lunch from home.
Weekly specials add music twice a week and library and chapel time once a week. The preschool also uses spirit days, fire truck visits, and other experiences to make learning tangible. Families are welcome at seasonal celebrations, including Christmas and Easter performances and a Halloween costume parade. The preschool operates Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. between Labor Day and Memorial Day, with extended care from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at an additional cost. It is located at the church on Franconia Road.
Missions That Reach Across Franconia
Food and care close to home
Franconia’s missions begin close to the church and extend into the surrounding area. The church collects gift cards for families at Franconia Elementary School, supports a local food pantry, and works with Koinonia, located behind the church, through holiday baskets and fresh produce from a community garden. It also collects and delivers canned goods to support the food pantry at Rising Hope United Methodist Mission Church.
Meals, mission, and disaster response
Meal service is another regular expression of the church’s mission. Volunteers participate in local meal packaging and delivery, support Phoenix Rising by collecting, packing, and delivering meal sacks each month, and join the Rise Against Hunger effort. On World Communion Sunday, the congregation packs meals for people around the world. Through Kits for Conference, Franconia also assembles hygiene kits and cleaning buckets for communities affected by disasters.
Seasonal gatherings and shared resources
Seasonal outreach includes A Night in Bethlehem, a Community Thanksgiving Dinner, an Easter Celebration, and Trunk or Treat. These gatherings extend the church’s ministry beyond regular worship and service projects. Giving can be made as a one-time or recurring gift through online giving, through a bank’s bill-pay service, or by mail. Franconia describes giving as an act of discipleship and love that supports worship, welcome, discipleship, care, and mission.
Nurture and Care for Neighbors Near and Far
Franconia’s Nurture and Care focus groups turn its concern for neighbors into specific forms of service. College and Military Outreach supports people ages 18 to 30 who are living away from home. The Homebound group maintains monthly contact through calls, cards, and notes and can arrange the church’s Large Print Upper Room and communion for people who are unable to attend in person.
Other groups provide practical forms of care. The Hospitality group prepares the sanctuary and rooms for Sunday fellowship. Local knitters create prayer shawls that are distributed at no cost. Meal Trains organize temporary meal support for families facing practical needs after a birth, illness, or death. The grief support group sends a letter from the pastor along with books from Journeying through Grief. Pocket Quilts are handmade with patriotic fabric and hand-knotted to represent prayers and support for service members.
Faith Held in United Methodist Terms
Franconia understands itself within the common heritage of Christianity and emphasizes the unity of all Christians in the body of Christ. Its beliefs include God’s mercy and love for all people, faith in the triune God of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, salvation through Jesus Christ, and celebration of the sacraments. Scripture, tradition, experience, and reason serve as four connected guidelines for understanding faith.
The church names these central United Methodist convictions:
- Primacy of grace: God is revealed through Jesus Christ, loves human beings and all creation, and grace is God’s loving action through the Holy Spirit.
- Holiness: The Holy Spirit shapes Christians increasingly into the image of Christ, and faithful disciples work for reconciliation, peace, justice, and love.
- Human worth: Every person has worth and moral responsibility, and reconciliation between people and God is central to God’s purposes.
- Conversion and new birth: God forgives sins and changes the heart when people repent and trust in Christ, while people experience divine grace in different ways.
- Prevenient grace: Divine love runs ahead of conscious impulses and leads hearts toward faith.
- Faith and good works: Personal salvation leads to Christian mission, while personal religion and Christian social action reinforce one another.
- Tolerance: Methodism recognizes virtues in different points of view and acknowledges that varied theological positions arise from different groups, circumstances, and experiences.
Welcoming Every Part of the Family of God
Franconia’s welcome extends to worship, membership, lay leadership, and active participation in the life of the church. Its commitment includes people without regard to gender, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, faith tradition, age, marital status, family structure, economic background, political affiliation, physical or mental ability, or life experience. The church seeks to offer Christ’s hospitality, create safety and sanctuary, respect differences, and foster belonging among people valued as beloved children of God.
That welcome is reflected in the church’s many overlapping ministries: children remain in the center of worship, adults study and serve together, the preschool opens its classrooms to young families, and mission projects carry Franconia’s care into the community. At 6037 Franconia Road, Franconia United Methodist Church continues a ministry that began in 1896 by joining worship, discipleship, family life, practical care, and service into one community of Christ’s love.