A Heritage of Hospitality on Bennett Street
On the corner of Dranesville Road and Bennett Street in Herndon, Virginia, Herndon United Methodist Church has gathered people around the teachings of Jesus for more than 160 years. The vision of the congregation is to live the teachings of Jesus so that everyone may know God's love and grow in Spirit-filled relationships. The core values that guide the church are simple: God's love is real. God's love is active. God's love is for everyone.
The church describes itself as a place made up of all kinds of people from all kinds of backgrounds. Members and friends come from nearby in Herndon and Reston and from as far as Leesburg, with others joining through online worship from wherever they happen to be. "Come as you are" is the invitation: some dress up for Sunday, and some do not.
Three Doors for Worship
Worship at Herndon UMC centers on Sunday morning at 10 am in the Sanctuary. The service mixes creative and age-inclusive elements and is offered both in person and through livestream on YouTube, where it can be watched at any time after it airs. Holy Communion is observed on the first Sunday of the month in a single, all-together family service.
Two more services complete the rhythm. On the first Sunday of each month at 4 pm, an evening worship in the Sanctuary includes music, prayers, a relevant message, and communion. On the third Wednesday of each month at 6 pm, a short and casual worship in Doe Fellowship Hall is followed by a dinner highlighting the work of a mission or outreach team. Both Wednesday worship and the meal are free; donations toward the team's project are gladly accepted.
Worship tools are ready for children, and a professionally staffed Nursery welcomes newborns through age 3. KIDS Club for ages 3 through grade 6 meets during the 10 am service, with children starting in worship with their family and moving to their classroom after a Children's Message. Several times a year, and for much of the summer, a "Prayground" is set up so that children can sit together and take part in the service. No matter where anyone worships, they are encouraged to add their voice to prayers and songs and to stand as they are able.
Finding 701 Bennett Street
Herndon UMC sits at 701 Bennett Street, with entrances off both Bennett Street and Dranesville Road. The Bennett Street entrances open into the front parking lot, while the Dranesville Road entrance opens into the back lot closer to the Children's Place and the LINK pantry building. Parking is plentiful, and handicap-accessible spaces are available near most doors. Guests who need access to the Sanctuary may be dropped off at the front door (door 1) or may park on the rear circle and come through door 10. The building is also a community center for Herndon High School teams, basketball leagues, Girl Scouts, homeowners associations, and the LINK Christmas toy drive.
Two Connection Corners just inside doors 1 and 2 hold bulletin papers, sign-up clipboards, and the password for the building's free Wi-Fi. The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9 am to 2:30 pm and on Friday from 9 am to noon; door 1 is the best entry into the office. Staff members work in a variety of spaces across the greater Herndon area, so anyone hoping to meet with a particular staff member is invited to reach out ahead of time.
For those exploring membership, a Discover Herndon lunch meets monthly, usually on the second Sunday of the month, in a spot around Herndon. The gathering is an unhurried introduction to what membership at Herndon UMC looks like, with no commitment to join. A once-a-year Members and Seekers class is also open to anyone curious about Herndon or about the United Methodist Church.
HUMC KIDS, Youth, and the Preschool
Children sit at the heart of the congregation. Herndon UMC Preschool, in operation for more than 25 years, nurtures young learners out of the back of the church. Anna Schlegel leads the preschool program, and tour appointments can be scheduled through the preschool office.
HUMC KIDS serves children from birth through grade 6 with weekly KIDS Club during worship, Children's Messages, Vacation Bible School, Trunk-Or-Treat, Pajama Jams, and a Christmas Pageant. Music is woven through, with Joyful Noise Choir, One Accord Choir, Gloria Bells, and the Hands Up for God puppet ministry giving children a place to share their gifts. Rehearsals typically run from September through May, and the children offer music in worship, at GIFT Dinners, and sometimes in the community. Ali Greenberg coordinates the Children's Ministries. The church observes Safe Sanctuary guidelines and works hard to stay allergy aware so that the space is both safe and fun.
For older students in grades 7 through 12, the youth ministry connects through mission and fellowship opportunities. Andrew Bowers helps shape the youth work as part of the broader leadership team.
A House of Music
Music runs through every part of life at Herndon UMC. Director of Music Ministries Leah Claiborne oversees a wide range of ensembles, including the Wesley Choir, an all-adult choral group that supports the church's more traditional worship from September through June and rehearses Wednesday evenings. Children find a home in Joyful Noise Choir, One Accord Choir, Gloria Bells, and the Hands Up for God puppet ministry. Instrumentalists are invited to play in worship, and there is room to join an ensemble for a single song or for a whole season.
Music also leaves the building. The church maintains a YouTube channel and a SoundCloud presence where recordings of worship music and prayer videos can be revisited at any time. A devotional resource called Zip to the Scripture helps children learn how to find passages in their Bibles.
A Community Center for a Bigger Mission
Herndon UMC serves as a hub for several community organizations. The Closet of Greater Herndon, a nonprofit thrift store that returns its profits to local nonprofits, has its donation and volunteer sorting tied to the church. The Closet is open Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm, with extended Monday and Thursday hours from 5 pm to 8 pm and Seniors Only hours (60+) on Thursdays from 8:30 to 10 am. Donations are received Monday through Saturday, excluding Thursdays, from 8 am to noon. Volunteers are regularly needed to sort donations, stock shelves, bag purchases, and assist customers.
LINK, Inc., a coalition of churches, businesses, organizations, and individuals, addresses emergency food and financial needs in Herndon, Sterling, and Ashburn. Herndon UMC serves as a year-round donation drop-off point, hosts an on-site LINK pantry, and convenes the annual Christmas toy distribution. The congregation supports LINK through a recurring purple-bag food drive, fund donations, food pickups from area restaurants, and translation help for Spanish-speaking neighbors.
The church's mission statement names the work plainly: to serve and share God's love in community.
UPWARD Basketball
UPWARD Basketball has been part of the church's outreach for more than 18 years. The league welcomes players in kindergarten through grade 6 and emphasizes the development of the whole athlete: mind, body, spirit, and soul. Practices run once a week, with two weeks of practice followed by a holiday break and then eight weeks of games beginning in early January. The season concludes with a final game and end-of-season celebration in late February.
UPWARD Director Rachel King leads the program with a large volunteer corps of coaches and referees, and scholarships are available for families who need financial help. The league is built to draw the wider community together, and more than 18 years of running it has produced countless friendships among players and families.
Life Groups, Prayer, and Fellowship
Small-group life at Herndon UMC centers on Life Groups, ongoing Bible and book studies, United Women in Faith, United Methodist Men, and topical gatherings that meet around town. The 701 Prayer, a community-written prayer that arose from the congregation's most recent strategic planning effort, is offered as a centering prayer for the whole church. A History Ministry keeps the long record of the congregation's service close at hand.
The Herndon UMC Prayer Chain gathers requests submitted online, in person at worship, by email to the prayer chain, and on offering envelopes. Subscribers receive updates usually once or twice a week. Those who would like to add their own prayers can do so through the prayer request form, and anyone who would simply like to receive the chain's emails can sign up at MailChimp.
What Herndon UMC Believes
Herndon UMC holds that God's love is real, active, and for everyone. God's love cannot be earned or lost. It is present in the kindness of strangers, the laughter of children, in forgiveness, and in love for others. God's blessings are universal, with no condition, prerequisite, or life situation able to deny divine grace and comfort. God, through Jesus, has taught a love for one another without exceptions.
Leadership
The staff team includes Senior Pastor SeongJae Jo, Associate Pastor Zach Bailey, Director of Music Ministries Leah Claiborne, Coordinator of Children's Ministries Ali Greenberg, HUMC Preschool's Anna Schlegel, and UPWARD Director Rachel King. Lay leadership, including a Lay Leader, Trustees, Conference Delegates, and chairs of the Resource Management and Missions and Ministries teams, works through a simplified accountability structure reviewed by the Charge Conference.
Giving and Staying Connected
Giving is received during the offering at each service and online through PushPay, which can also be reached by texting herndonumc to 77977, as well as through PayPal. The Herndon UMC app, available on iOS and Android, brings together worship information, announcements, forms, the church calendar, groups, and group communications. A weekly e-news and a newsletter published about every two months keep the wider community informed, and Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube carry the church's ongoing story.
An Affirming Welcome
Herndon United Methodist Church is a congregation of the United Methodist Church, part of the Virginia Conference and the Northern Virginia District. Whether a guest is visiting the area for a short time, has just moved in, or has been a long-time neighbor, the community at 701 Bennett Street stands ready to grow in faith together.