Floris UMC seeks to remain true to the ideals of the original visionaries as a church at the center of the community. Photo Contributed
Floris United Methodist Church celebrated its 125th anniversary Sunday with more than 300 people attending a celebratory picnic at Frying Pan Park. The festivities included food, games and a special collection of historical items placed in a time capsule to be opened in 25 years. Floris UMC is an active presence in the Herndon community partnering with Hutchison Elementary, feeding and sheltering the homeless and under-resourced and sending mission teams to work throughout the United States and internationally in Haiti, Cuba and Sierra Leone, West Africa. “I am sure that if our founders were able to now see the church they began, they would be amazed at what God has done with the plans they made. In the coming years we hope to continue to build on that foundation, ministering to our increasingly diverse community and to the world," says Lead Pastor Rev. Tom Berlin.
Originally, a few people who wanted to share the benefits of American Methodism, with its emphasis on personal holiness, social outreach and dynamic worship, founded Floris Church in 1891 in what was then a small farm community. It now has four weekly worship services attended by more than 1,200 people and has established a satellite campus, Restoration Church, in Reston.
Due to the growth of the church for the past 125 years, Floris UMC has worshiped in three locations. The original building, located in the Floris community at the corner of Centreville and West Ox Roads, seated 80 in worship. Over the years Floris UMC has proved itself to be a church where people are willing to widen the circle for those searching for a community in which to worship and live. The Herndon community rapidly expanded in the 1980s with the development of what used to be dairy farms into new subdivisions. Floris UMC members made the difficult decision in September 1993 to leave behind their historic church building and purchase a new property just down the road at 2730 Centreville Road. Within five years it became evident that the second facility and property were becoming too small to accommodate the continued growth of the church and surrounding community. The congregation made another difficult decision to relocate once again and purchased a new property at 13600 Frying Pan Road, just north of the very first church.
In April of 2006, construction was completed on Phase I of its current facility. Phase II, which includes a sanctuary that seats more than 900, was completed in July 2010. Despite the growth of the church and because of the diverse community surrounding Floris UMC, the church seeks to remain true to the ideals of the original visionaries as a church at the center of the community.
Floris United Methodist Church is a community of people committed to making a difference in the lives of those in the community and in the world. Worship times are Sundays, 8 a.m., 9:15 a.m., 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Learn more at FlorisUMC.org.