In Sterling, Virginia, on the road that bears its name, Sterling United Methodist Church has gathered for worship and service for nearly 150 years. The congregation traces its roots to 1875, when it was organized as the Methodist Church in Guilford and met in a one-room schoolhouse on West Church Road. Today that single seed has grown into a church that meets at 304 East Church Road for a blended worship service every Sunday at 10 AM, celebrates Holy Communion every week, runs a licensed preschool, and reaches into its community and the world through a remarkable network of ministries.
A Legacy of Faith in Sterling
The story of Sterling United Methodist Church is the story of a community that has kept showing up. In 1875 the Methodist Church in Guilford was established in a one-room building that doubled as a public school at 1101 West Church Road. Four years later, in 1879, the building and one acre of land were purchased for $200. By 1890, when the surrounding community changed its name from Guilford to Sterling, the church changed its name with it.
In March 1897 the original church burned to the ground, and a new building was soon raised on the same site. That structure served as the sanctuary for the next 86 years. For most of its early life the church was one of as many as nine congregations on a circuit, sharing a minister with neighbors across the area. In the early 1960s, when Broyhill and Sons developed the surrounding farmland into what is now Sterling Park, the Northern Virginia Methodist Board of Missions helped the congregation meet the growth, and in June 1963 the first unit of a master plan for a new building was constructed. Sterling became a station church with its own full-time minister that same year.
Growth continued. A new Sunday School building was dedicated in 1968, around the time the denomination restructured and the church took the name Sterling United Methodist Church. On October 12, 1975, the congregation marked its 100th anniversary of ministry in the Sterling community. Eight years later, on March 13, 1983, ground was broken for a new building, and on November 20, 1983, the congregation moved into the first phase at its current 304 East Church Road location. The present sanctuary and additional classrooms were dedicated in May 1992, and in 2017 the sanctuary, narthex, kitchen, and restrooms were remodeled to make the building more welcoming and to improve its fellowship hall.
The Sunday Experience
The church gathers as one body each Sunday at 10 AM for a single worship service. The service blends traditional and contemporary elements: familiar prayers, Scripture, and hymns alongside praise songs, with music carried by the Aldersgate Choir and a Contemporary Worship Team. Holy Communion is celebrated every week, and the table is open to anyone, regardless of church membership. The only guidance offered is a confession of sin in private prayer and the desire to take one step closer to Christ. Communion is served with grape juice out of respect for those in recovery.
Come as you are. There is no dress code and no expectation to meet beyond an open heart. Nursery care begins fifteen minutes before the service, and a children's message is part of every worship gathering. After the message, children are invited to attend Sterling Kids Sunday School while adults remain in the sanctuary or move into the Discipleship Hour. Coffee fellowship follows the service, and at 11:15 AM Bible studies, fellowship groups, and classes gather across the building for all ages.
For those who cannot attend in person, the 10 AM service is livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube. Sermon recordings are also available as a podcast, The Sterling Sermons, on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Music Ministries
Music is woven into nearly everything Sterling UMC does. The Aldersgate Choir, made up of adults and youth, rehearses on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 PM under the direction of Willis Rosenfeld. The choir sings in Sunday worship and presents several special concerts throughout the year, with a covenant to provide the best quality music to lead the congregation into deeper worship.
A Contemporary Worship Team of vocalists and instrumentalists leads the contemporary elements of Sunday morning worship, while the Drumming in the Spirit percussion ensemble, directed by Jack Layne, has become an active addition to the music department. The percussion group rehearses on Monday evenings at 7 PM and gathers for periodic workshops.
Children and Students
Children are at the center of life at Sterling UMC. The youngest worshipers can be dropped off in the nursery in room 101 fifteen minutes before the service begins. Preschool and elementary-aged children may start the service in room 100 with a staff member or in the sanctuary with their families. After a children's message with the pastor, kids head to room 100 for Sterling Kids Sunday School, where everyone gathers for a group lesson before breaking into age-appropriate activities and crafts. Childcare is also available after the service for families staying for Bible study. Parents who prefer to keep children close can use the narthex, a beautiful lobby that doubles as a family-friendly space, or sit with their child in room 100 or 101.
Sterling Youth is a community for students in grades 6 through 12. The group meets every Sunday evening from 5:30 to 8:00 PM and includes dinner, games, worship, and small group discussion. Throughout the year the youth also gather for retreats, service projects, and special events. A Sunday morning youth Bible study revisits the fundamentals of the Christian faith through the lens of teen life. A Confirmation Class, open to students eighth grade and older, walks confirmands through Christian theology, the Old and New Testaments, church history, Christian living, and the writing of a personal statement of faith, with each confirmand paired with an adult sponsor. The youth ministry is led by Youth Director Heather.
For the youngest learners, Kids Under Construction Preschool, housed at the church, was voted Loudoun's favorite Child Care Center/Preschool in 2018. The preschool serves three-, four-, and five-year-olds with two-, three-, four-, and five-day class options throughout the academic year.
Adult Discipleship and Bible Study
Bible study and prayer are central to how Sterling UMC makes disciples. The Joanna Bible Study meets three Mondays a month at 1:00 PM in Room 109, currently exploring the women of Scripture. The group is led by Careen Hunt and welcomes new members at any time.
Wednesday nights bring the Adult Bible Study at 7:00 PM in Gallihugh Hall. Led by Jim Gallihugh, the group welcomes both newcomers and longtime students of the Bible for conversation, reflection, and fellowship centered on God's Word.
The Discipleship Hour on Sundays offers additional classes for adults along with study groups for all ages. Other ongoing groups include the Joyful Grace Readers book club, which meets on the fourth Friday at 7 PM in Room 106, and the Sterling Sermons podcast for ongoing study on the go.
Fellowship, Women, and Men
Sterling UMC is built around the conviction that the Christian life is meant to be shared. The church offers an array of fellowship groups that meet for service, study, and shared meals throughout the year, including an Easter Carnival and Egg Hunt, a Trunk 'r Treat, and weekly coffee fellowship.
United Women in Faith, formerly United Methodist Women, is a community of women who seek to know God and experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ. The group meets the first Monday of the month at 7 PM for fellowship, luncheons, and mission service projects. Within UWF, the Busy Hands circle meets most Thursdays at 12:30 PM, Prayers & Squares combines prayer and quilting on the third Saturday of the month from 9 AM to noon, and the Master's Crafters meet Wednesdays from 1 to 3 PM to make items for an annual fall craft sale that raises money for unbudgeted church needs.
United Methodist Men gives men a chance to place Christ at the center of their lives and relationships, with fellowship, sports, and service events throughout the year.
Celebrate Recovery
Sterling UMC hosts a chapter of Celebrate Recovery, a Christ-centered recovery program that uses the eight Beatitude-based principles and the twelve steps to help people find hope and healing from their hurts, habits, and hang-ups. Doors open at 6:30 PM for coffee and conversation. At 7 PM a large group gathering features worship music and a message or testimony. At 8 PM participants break into open share groups for an hour of personal discussion.
Childcare is offered from 6:30 to 9:15 PM during CR, with a small suggested donation of $5 per child or $10 per family to help cover staffing and supplies. The Sterling chapter was launched in November 2022 and is led by Mar Crowe, a Virginia state representative for CR who has been part of the program since 2016.
Pastoral Care and Grief Support
When members face illness, surgery, the birth of a child, or the loss of a loved one, Sterling UMC walks alongside them. The Helping Hands ministry organizes meals for those recovering or welcoming a new baby and sets up and serves at funeral receptions so families can gather and find comfort in community. A prayer chain lifts up specific requests by email, and the Prayers & Squares ministry ties prayers into each hand-stitched quilt. The homebound communion visitation team brings communion and a friendly visit to those who can no longer attend Sunday worship.
For those grieving, Grief to Hope meets weekly over Zoom at 7 PM, with a private Facebook community and a monthly in-person fellowship lunch on the second Tuesday. Whether the loss is recent or long ago, the group offers a safe, compassionate space to share, find comfort, and walk the journey with others.
Missions and Outreach
Sterling UMC takes seriously the call to love its neighbors in Sterling and beyond. Locally, the church partners with Grace Ministries and Backpack Buddies to address food insecurity in the community, and a Benevolence Fund uses communion rail offerings to assist neighbors in financial crisis through partnerships with Loudoun Cares and other local charities. DeShong's Gift Back, a non-profit run by church members Jane and Vini Short, maintains several community gardens whose produce supports local food pantries, including Grace Ministries.
In partnership with Sterling Middle School and Loudoun Literacy, the church runs an Adult Literacy Program offering free English classes for parents of Sterling Middle School students, with childcare and snacks provided so families can attend. The aim is to remove barriers of cost, scheduling, and prior language proficiency for adults who depend on interpreters or their children to navigate school and community life.
Globally, Sterling UMC supports UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, with a mission team that travels each summer to the UMCOR Sager Brown warehouse in Louisiana to package relief supplies for distribution worldwide. Appalachia Service Project has been a long-standing mission partner. Each summer the church sends youth and adults to Central Appalachia to repair roofs, build ramps, replace floors, and improve accessibility for families in need. The church also maintains a trained Early Response Team, equipped and ready to deploy within 500 miles of Sterling after disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, and storms. Past teams have served in Jamaica, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Austria, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana, Georgia, and Maryland, and since 2014 the church has supported missionaries in the rural Appalachian region of Kentucky.
What Sterling United Methodist Church Believes
Sterling UMC is a United Methodist congregation rooted in historic Christian teaching. The church confesses one true, holy, and eternal God who reveals himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is believed to be the unique Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, who lived a sinless life, died on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for sin, and rose physically from the dead three days later. The Holy Spirit is understood as the spirit of truth who lives within every Christian from the moment of salvation, providing divine guidance, righteousness, and the power to overcome evil.
The church teaches that salvation is a gift from God, offered to all who believe, and that the Bible, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is God's Word and the final authority in matters of faith and practice. Two sacraments are practiced: Baptism, available to persons of all ages as a sign of repentance and new life, and Holy Communion, celebrated weekly as an open table where anyone who confesses sin and desires to draw closer to Christ is welcome to partake. Communion is served with grape juice out of respect for those in recovery.
Planning a Visit
Sterling United Methodist Church is located at 304 East Church Road in Sterling, Virginia. The Sunday worship service begins at 10 AM and is streamed live on Facebook and YouTube. There is no dress code. Holy Communion is open to all each week. Nursery care begins 15 minutes before worship, and a children's message is part of every service. Coffee fellowship and a Discipleship Hour follow the service.
Visitors can connect with the church office by phone at 703-430-6455 or by email at general@sterlingumc.org, and online giving is available through Pushpay. The weekly newsletter The WIRE and the daily devotional SoulBreak keep members and friends connected throughout the week. Sermon recordings, service opportunities, and small-group sign-ups are all a click away, and every person who walks through the doors is welcomed as part of the family.