St. Mathew's Episcopal Church is looking for people who have never been to church or haven't been in a long time to attend its new service.
Andrew McGinley, pastor of congregational development, promotes the Outcrop Fellowship service as something "distinctly different" from any other style in the greater Washington D.C. area. It's an old fashioned hymn-sing with an acoustic musical sound similar to the soundtrack "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?"
While the emphasis is on attracting newcomers, "We want a mixture of long-time Christians and those who are asking questions. We want seekers and believers," he said.
The 50-minute service, held Sunday nights at 5 p.m. and followed by a fellowship dinner, is similar to the kind held in the back mountains of Virginia. Unlike worship services with loud modern praise music, this type is much quieter. "I wanted a musical style that encompassed acoustic instruments, upbeat snappy rhythm, utilizing many of the old traditional hymns and gospel tunes," McGinley said. "It's a combination of musical styles of gospel, folk and bluegrass."
People who don't necessarily like pure bluegrass, folk or gospel love this music, because it blends all three, he said. "The reality is people love that kind of music and don't know it. A perfect example is, 'Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?'"
THE MCGINLEY FAMILY Gospel Singers lead the worship, which also includes a 12-minute sermon and Bible readings. The words to the songs, an average of six to eight per service, are written in the bulletins and everyone is invited to sing. "It doesn't matter if you are a vocalist, you sound great because you are singing from the heart," McGinley said.
The band usually consists of a guitar, a fiddle, mandolin, banjo, upright bass and a number of vocalists. It does not have a drum, keyboard and any electric instruments.
Father Rob Merola, head pastor of the church, attended the first service in early April. "I've always been into rock and roll, but I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would."
He said the service is designed to be comfortable and friendly with songs like "The Old Rugged Cross," and "Amazing Grace." "It's a lot of fun," he added. "There is a lot of positive energy."
Linda Clark, who has been attending the church for seven years, said she enjoyed the first service. "I was born Baptist, raised Lutheran, and turned Episcopal a few years ago," she said. "It was the kind of service that anyone can get something from."
Tom Leary, St. Mathew's youth minister, said the service would attract people of all ages. "It might not meet everybody's needs," he added. "But it was great for me."
McGinley said he named the service the "Outcrop Fellowship," because an outcrop is a little piece of rock that a person grabs when climbing a mountain. "You use it to pull yourself up until you are on solid ground," he said. "The rock, of course, is Jesus Christ. And we are an outcropping of the larger church."
McGinley has a masters of divinity from the University of South, Sewanee, Tenn., and is two years away from being ordained. An ordained priest preaches and serves communion the first Sunday of each month.
McGinley was at St. David's Episcopal Church in Ashburn before joining St. Mathew's two months ago. He grew up in Northern Virginia and graduated from Flint Hill Preparatory School in Oakton.
He said his sermons would focus on everyday concerns and God. He said people are looking for answers to: Why are my relationships always breaking down? How can I do a better job with my kids? How can I deal with the trouble I'm having at work? What am I doing of any consequence to make the world a better place?
"I'm not interested in fishing only in the aquarium," he said. "I'm interested in people who don't currently have a church home or have jumped out of the aquarium for one reason or another."
THERE ARE HUNDREDS of thousands of people like that, he said. Loudoun County is the fastest growing county in the country. People are working really hard and don't have time to form connections. "This is tremendous opportunity to help them," he said.
A lot of seeker-based churches are large, with as many as 18,000 people on a Sunday, he said. McGinley hopes to build from the 40 people who turned out for the first service this month to 150 to 200.
Children have the option of attending a separate service geared for their age group or attending the same one their parents attend. Day care is provided at no charge.
The dinners, catered by a professional chef, are available for a $5 donation per adult or free for those who cannot afford it. "It is an informal place where people can meet each other and get to know each other," he said.
In addition, McGinley has planned monthly concerts and workshops to teach people how to play instruments. The first concert will be at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, May 8, featuring traditional bluegrass band, "Bob Paisley and the Southern Grass."
St. Mathew's also offers a traditional classic communion service at 10:30 a.m., a contemporary praise community service at 9:15 a.m. and a quiet service with no music at 8 a.m. The church is at the corner of Frederick and Sterling Boulevard in Sterling, a half mile from Route 7.
For more information, visit the website, www.outcrop-fellowship.com or call 703-796-6675.