Sterling UMC 150th Anniversary Theme
Sterling United Methodist Church celebrates 150 years of mission and ministry in 2025. Our anniversary theme is “Extending the Table”, which reflects our calling to welcome others as Christ has welcomed us, and to serve our community by feeding the hungry—both physically and spiritually.
Our guiding scripture is Isaiah 58:9-12 (Common English Bible):
“Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and God will say, ‘I’m here.’
If you remove the yoke from among you,
the finger-pointing, the wicked speech;
if you open your heart to the hungry,
and provide abundantly for those who are afflicted,
your light will shine in the darkness,
and your gloom will be like the noon.
The Lord will guide you continually
and provide for you, even in parched places.
He will rescue your bones.
You will be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water that won’t run dry.
They will rebuild ancient ruins on your account;
the foundations of generations past you will restore.
You will be called Mender of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Livable Streets.”
This passage captures both our heritage and our future calling: to be witnesses of God’s presence, to serve with compassion, and to help rebuild and restore in Christ’s name.
This past year, our campaign to individually offer 150 Acts of Kindness, Encouragement, and Witness has been one way we have honored God’s faithfulness to us as a faith community. Each note written, each meal shared, each act of service given is a testimony that the Lord continues to guide us like “a spring of water that won’t run dry.”
One of our greatest callings has been feeding the body and the soul. Month after month our partnership with the Capital Area Food Bank enables us to provide food and other supplies to an average of 300 families. On October 19th, together with Rise Against Hunger, we will prepare 10,000 meals to reach beyond Sterling and into the wider world. These are more than numbers; they are stories of lives touched and tables extended in Christ’s name.
Our ministries of preschool education, English as a Second Language, recovery support, vital worship, and connecting fellowship all grow from this same table—reminders that God’s welcome is for all people and that the foundations laid by previous generations are still being rebuilt in love.
As we celebrate 150 years, we give thanks for those who came before us: the saints who planted, built, prayed, and sustained this church through every season. We honor their witness by continuing the work entrusted to us—to be, as Isaiah says, “Menders of Broken Walls and Restorers of Livable Streets.”
