A New Englander by birth, Stephen, with his wife, Lydia, and two daughters, Sarah and Hannah, moved to northern Virginia in 2000 to work with the church in Leesburg. They now enjoy 4 beautiful granddaughters. Stephen has preached for 33 years, ministering in Vermont, western Massachusetts, and northern Virginia. Stephen fills the roles of preacher, teacher, and shepherd in the Leesburg congregation. Preaching God’s Word is his passion. Serving as a shepherd in God’s church has always been a goal of Stephen’s from his teenage years when his dad served as an elder in Seabrook, NH. Stephen was chosen as an Elder in 2008. He loves the way the pastoral aspect of ministry brings a person into intimate and meaningful relationships with the members of God’s flock. He is thankful to the Leesburg congregation for embracing him in this dual aspect of God’s service as both an Elder and Preacher.
John was born, raised, and born again in Oklahoma. John and his wife, Sylvia, were married and started a family while he was studying Wildlife Ecology at Oklahoma State University. They have three children and four grandchildren John and his family have lived in Missouri, Utah, California, England, and now Virginia. He also worked in Moscow, Russia, where he met several missionaries. He learned that wherever in the world the church meets, we have family there – even if we speak different languages and do not understand each other’s customs. He has made life-long friends in every congregation in which he has worked, and he looks forward to spending eternity with them when Jesus returns.
Tim grew up in the Philadelphia area. He has been living and working here in northern Virginia since 1986. He has been a member of the Leesburg congregation since 1994. From a spiritual perspective, Tim was "raised in the church." His parents were members of the church, and he has attended church all of my life, having been baptized into Christ when he was 17 years old. His faith has been and remains the most important and fundamental part of his life, and be feels blessed to share that faith with his wife, Trudy, and his family. For Tim, faith ties together the worlds of morality, reason, spirituality, and relationship into a coherent whole. Tim acknowledges, “Here at Leesburg, we do our best to teach and live the ethic of Jesus Christ in every aspect of our lives. More than that, we hope to bring honor to Him in all that we do.”
John is a rarity: He actually was born in Washington, DC. He moved to northern Virginia due to work. Moving had the added benefit of meeting his wife Bonnie two years later. They have two adult boys, a lovely daughter-in-law, and a beautiful granddaughter. John’s hobbies are playing board games and watching the Washington Redskins and Baltimore Orioles. John’s other activities are as diverse as occasional cross-stitching to riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle as often as he can. John’s favorite pastime is playing with his granddaughter as often as possible. John has served the church in its youth program, as administrator, and now as the coordinator of the Sunday school program. Each quarter, John recruits and prepare teachers to enrich the congregation in their knowledge, understanding, and application of God’s word in their daily lives.
Bill works in the information technology industry. He and his wife, Martha, have been married 35 years and have three grown children, Sarah, Sam, Carla, and one in college, Jenna. They have been members at the Leesburg church since 2000. Bill has served in many roles as a member of the Leesburg church, most recently as co-leader of the Lads to Leaders ministry in which he actively continues to assist. Bill continues to coordinate member participation in Sunday worship. Worship and prayer are at the center of all we do as members of Christ’s church in Leesburg. Bill’s ministry work each week ensures that our worship together is meaningful. Bill assembles fellow Christians who lead singing and prayers, serve the Lord’s supper, and provide announcements and instruction in the congregation’s ministries. Leesburg is blessed with gifted brothers who are always willing to assist in our assemblies whenever asked to serve. A number of them are our young men who are participating in Lads to Leaders and are gaining experience often in serving in front of a group.
Stuart was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky. By the age of five, his family moved to middle Tennessee where he grew up. He met his wife, Melissa in high school. From there, they both attended and graduated from Lipscomb University in Nashville. They have lived in Nashville, Clearwater, Florida, Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, and they now make their home in Lovettsville, Virginia, with their two children, Lindsey and Max. Stuart’s family has worshipped at the Leesburg church since 2010. Stuart serves as the Treasurer for the Leesburg church, and he currently coordinates the Lads to Leaders program. A highlight of the year for children, youth, and their families is their participation in Bible Bowl, speech, song Leading, scripture memory, art, and other activities throughout the year and at the annual Lads to Leaders convention in Louisville, Kentucky. The Leesburg church is very proud of the efforts that our children and youth put into growing to be godly disciples.
Larry was born in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, and first attended the Duckwall Church of Christ. He answered the call of Christ at a gospel meeting in the summer of his twelfth birthday and gave weekly sermons during his senior year in high school. After finishing college at Shepherd University, he worked for 40 years in education, beginning in West Virginia and moving to Loudoun County in 1999, where he retired in June, 2015. Larry married his wife, Kitty, in 1973, and they have 3 children, four grandsons, and 1 step-grandson. Kitty was also a teacher and retired in June, 2015, after completing 32 years as a kindergarten and first grade teacher. Larry serves as a song leader and any role that he is called to do. He currently serves as a deacon for the benevolent work in the church and community. One of his favorite works is the monthly meal the congregation provides to the Loudoun County Homeless Shelter. If you would like to be a part of that ministry, or if you have any need, please contact him at (703) 726-6585 or larry.messner@gmail.com.
