Messiah United Methodist Church has stood at 6215 Rolling Road in West Springfield, Virginia, since 1964, when new homes, businesses, and schools were transforming the area from a rural outpost into the Washington suburb it is today. Six decades later, the congregation is a multilingual, mixed-generation community that gathers around a blended style of worship in English and Spanish, a Wednesday-evening program that pairs hands-on service with a shared meal, and a play-based preschool that shares the church's campus. Senior Pastor Matt Benton leads a staff team that runs ministries for children, youth, adults, military families, and the wider Fairfax County area.
Worship on Rolling Road
Three Sunday services and a full slate of Sunday School classes shape the rhythm of the week. A 9 a.m. service in the Sanctuary opens the day, with weekly communion offered to all who wish to partake and a Children's Church program that elementary-aged children join after the Children's Message. On the first Sunday of each month, children stay with their families in the pews for the entire service and join them at the communion table, a practice the children's ministry calls Sit With Sundays.
At 10 a.m., the hour between services, several adult classes gather in the education building: The Great Courses Sunday School, Searching the Testaments, Families Keeping Christ in Mind, Parents of Young Ones, and The Curious Crew. Several of these classes are hybrid, welcoming members in person and on Zoom.
The 11:15 a.m. service fills the Sanctuary again with congregational singing from the Chancel Choir. Communion is served on the first Sunday of the month. This service is also livestreamed, allowing members who are homebound or traveling to take part, and bulletins and sermon notes accompany the broadcast.
Familia Hispana en Cristo
Each Sunday at 10 a.m., a separate Spanish-language service fills the building under the name Familia Hispana en Cristo. The Hispanic ministry gathers families from many parts of Central and South America for praise, prayer, and weekly communion. Pastor Mario Prado leads the ministry, and announcements are produced in Spanish. The service runs alongside the English Sunday School hour so parents can choose either track for their children. The congregation's statement of faith is shared in full with the Spanish-speaking body, and the ministries at Messiah carry the same theological commitments across both languages.
Children and Youth
The children's ministry centers on three settings: one for the youngest children, one for elementary-aged kids, and a youth program for middle and high schoolers. The nursery, whose staff are CPR- and First Aid-trained and have passed thorough background checks, is open Sunday mornings for children from birth through 24 months. The nursery is treated as a sacred space where children are surrounded by the love of Christian community, and staff teach the love of Jesus through songs and stories.
Children ages 4 through 6th grade participate in a Sunday School at 10 a.m. that uses a rotational model, rotating through crafts, music, and Bible stories. The 3rd through 6th graders sing in the Children's Choir from 10 to 10:20 a.m. with Director of Music Ministries Tanya Langlois and Drew Holcombe. Pre-K through 2nd graders play handbells and chimes in Children's Chimes from 10:40 to 11 a.m. with Anna Balchunas.
Youth ministry, led by Youth Director Greg Merlo, gathers 7th through 12th graders in the Lord Youth Center in the church's lower level. Crossroads meets Sundays from 10 a.m. to noon in a coffee-house setting, where youth explore how faith intersects with their daily lives and then head into worship together. Youth Group gathers Sundays at 5 p.m. for games, fellowship, mission projects, and discipleship. Director of Next Generation Ministries Kat Hanley oversees both children's and youth programming.
Pack, Pray, Eat on Wednesday Evenings
On Wednesday evenings, the Narthex and Fellowship Hall fill with volunteers for Pack, Pray, Eat, a weekly rhythm that has become a hallmark of the congregation's community life. Service projects run from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., and at 6:30 p.m. the group gathers for a fellowship dinner. Director of Community Engagement Meredith Lamarche organizes the projects, which range from preparing weekend backpacks for Springfield students to packing produce for the monthly mobile food market. Children's handbells and chimes rehearse during the same window, and newcomers are invited to come for the service project, the dinner, or both.
Music Ministries
Messiah offers an eclectic music program with groups that welcome new members at any skill level. The Chancel Choir rehearses Thursdays from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the Sanctuary and provides anthems at the 11:15 a.m. service. The adult Messiah Ringers handbell ensemble rehearses Sundays at 12:30 p.m. under Anna Balchunas, and Liturgical Dance, led by Pastor Pia Diggs, gathers Thursdays at 6 p.m. for ages 4 and up. Music staff includes organist and accompanist Josephine Riggs and several staff musicians, and Messiah hosts a variety of concerts throughout the year.
Messiah Child Enrichment Preschool
The Messiah Child Enrichment Preschool (CEP) shares the church building, with a separate entrance at Door 3 and a director who can be reached at 703-569-3033 or cepdirector@messiahumc.org. The preschool is a play-based, part-time program for children ages 2 through 4, with classes running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Before Care (9 to 10 a.m.) and After Care (2 to 4:30 p.m.) available for an additional fee. Two-year-olds can enroll two or three days a week; three-year-olds can attend three, four, or five days; and four-year-olds can attend four or five days. Tuition ranges from $300 to $605 per month depending on age and days.
The program uses the Creative Curriculum for Preschool and includes weekly music classes and weekly hands-on science labs. Each classroom has a lead teacher and an assistant, with a staff-to-child ratio that meets or exceeds Virginia licensing requirements. All teachers are CPR- and First Aid-certified. The program participates in the Fairfax County Subsidy Vendor Program, which provides child care assistance for qualifying families. Director Katie Polk, a Virginia Tech graduate in Early Childhood Education, joined the staff in 2008 after first volunteering and leading Chapel Time when her own children were in the program.
The preschool's philosophy holds that children learn best in an atmosphere where a variety of experiences exist and achievement pressures are limited. Goals include helping children grow in independence, develop a positive self-image, learn to self-regulate, give and receive affection, get along with others, and experience the love and teaching of God through the example of a dedicated staff. Monthly Chapel Time with Messiah UMC staff introduces the children to the wider congregation, and two weeks of summer camp are offered in early June.
Adult Ministries and Small Groups
Messiah's adult ministry gathers singles, young families, and mature couples for spiritual formation and connection. Small groups meet throughout the week: a Women's Sermon Study Group meets Mondays at 10 a.m.; Christ's Curmudgeons, a men's group, gathers Tuesdays at 8 a.m. in Room 214/216 and on Zoom; a Women's Tuesday Bible Study meets Tuesdays at 1 p.m. in Room 205; a Men's Prayer Group meets Wednesdays at 7:30 a.m.; an online Bible Study meets Wednesdays at 3 p.m.; Women in the Word meets Wednesdays at 7 p.m.; a Sermon Reflection Group meets Wednesdays at 7 p.m.; and the Yahweh Women's Bible Study meets Thursdays at 12:30 p.m. in Room 214/216 and online. Additional men's and women's study groups meet at other times during the week.
Outreach and Mission in Springfield
A network of community mission opportunities anchors Messiah's outreach across Fairfax County. The Weekend Backpack Program fills gallon-sized Ziploc bags with nutritious, shelf-stable food for Springfield students facing food insecurity. The Monthly Produce Ministry, part of Pack, Pray, Eat, takes place on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 5 p.m. and distributes family-sized portions of fresh produce donated by the Capital Area Food Bank. Messiah provides hot breakfasts every fourth Sunday of odd months for FACETS, a nonprofit that has helped thousands of those affected by poverty throughout Fairfax County since 1988. The congregation has supported the Lamb Center, a Christian homeless outreach center in Fairfax, for over 20 years, providing a monthly chili lunch. The congregation also partners with Ecumenical Community Helping Others (ECHO), a network of Springfield and Burke congregations that provides food, clothing, housewares, counseling, school supplies, emergency rent and utility help, holiday food baskets, and a holiday gift program for children. ECHO is open for donations Mondays through Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 to 9 p.m., and the first Saturday of each month from 9:30 a.m. to noon.
Care Ministries
Several smaller ministries walk alongside members through the harder parts of life. Alice's Angels delivers food to families in need. The Prayer Shawl Ministry and Prayers and Squares craft handmade items and quilts, prayed over by members before they are given to recipients. The Card Ministry sends handmade and store-bought greeting cards to those who are ill, recovering, or celebrating milestones. Griefshare, led by Pastor Pia Diggs, helps family members and friends navigate grief. Caring Hearts Caregiver Ministry provides a community where caregivers can share concerns and find resources. Parish Nurses are available to discuss health concerns, administer CPR/AED First Aid, serve as patient advocates, and attend those who are ill. Stephen Ministers provide one-to-one confidential Christian care and are also available for consultation every other Sunday from 9:40 to 10:15 a.m. between services. The Altar Guild prepares flowers, candles, and paraments for each Sunday and for Advent and Holy Week. A Funeral Ministry offers hospitality, food, and prayer to grieving families, and funeral livestreams are available.
Military Ministry and the Loan Locker
A dedicated Military Ministry welcomes active-duty families moving to and from the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Military Ministry Coordinator Ruth Lapointe, Director of Welcome Erica Clayton, and Communications Coordinator Erin Lorenz help newcomers connect to the church and to the surrounding community. The Messiah Loan Locker lets families borrow household items during a PCS move, with local delivery available to Springfield, Burke, Annandale, and south Fairfax. Items can be picked up at the church by those who live outside the delivery area, and the locker is open to anyone who currently attends the church, those who do not, and people who are not church people.
What Messiah Believes
The church's statement of faith centers on the triune God and on the gospel of inclusion, compassionate love, and acceptance. Messiah believes in one God, holy and living, who is Creator, Sovereign, and Preserver of all things, revealed as the Holy Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - in eternal unity. The church teaches that human beings are created in God's image, that estrangement from God (called sin) separates people from God and from one another, and that God's grace is offered to all though it can be accepted or rejected. Jesus Christ is confessed as the one in whom divine and human natures are perfectly united, the Word made flesh, who was crucified, buried, and raised, who ascended to the Father and who will come again in victory to judge the living and the dead. The Holy Spirit is described as proceeding from and being one in being with the Father and the Son, present with believers especially in times of need, awakening them to God's will and equipping them with fruits and gifts for Christ's ministry. The Spirit's movement can be felt through the choir's music, the proclaimed Word, silence and study, the beauty of creation, and serving in the soup kitchen. Messiah's mission is to develop loving relationships with God and others, following Christ's example, and its vision is to be a leading church community of Christian hope and healing.
Planning a First Visit
Visitors are welcomed as they are. Each worship service usually runs under an hour and incorporates both traditional and contemporary elements. Communion is open to all at the 9 a.m. service every week and at the 11:15 a.m. service on the first Sunday of the month. Visitors are invited to wear what they feel comfortable in. The parking lot is accessible from the main entrance off Rolling Road, with overflow parking at the Traford Office Complex at 8340 Traford Lane and an open gate and path that connects it to the church. Children are welcome in worship; elementary-aged kids are invited to Children's Church after the Children's Message. The nursery is staffed by CPR- and First Aid-trained professionals for children from birth through 24 months on Sunday mornings. The 11:15 a.m. service is livestreamed, and giving is available online through the Messiah Giving Platform or PayPal. The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and by appointment on Friday.