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Zoar Baptist Church
Zoar Baptist Church is located at 11036 Elk Run Road, at the intersection of Elk Run Road and Bristersburg Road in Bristersburg. It was organized in 1822.
The church is named for Zoar, the "small resting place" in the Bible, where Lot stopped to reconsider the direction of his life.
Zoar served as the mother church for Heart's Delight Baptist Church near Sowego, which was established by black members of the church after the Civil War.
The classic stone church building was completed in 1852. The Sunday School and Fellowship Hall next to the church was built in 1973. It has since been rebuilt and is now twice the size of the earlier building.
The Rev. Arthur DeCourcey, who came to the church in 1986, is pastor of Zoar Baptist Church. He has been in the ministry since 1979 and previously served at Mount Ararat Baptist Church in Stafford County.
The Rev. Delbert Roberts, associate pastor, has served the congregation since 1996 in several roles and now is worship and music leader.
Regular Sunday services include Sunday School at 10 a.m. and morning worship at 11 a.m. During morning services, a nursery is provided, as well as a children's church. A mid-week service is held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
An Awana program is for children in grades K-6 and meets from 7-6:30 p.m. each Sunday during the school year. Activities are also planned for youth through high school, usually two activities a month (one Bible study and one fun activity).
On the fifth Sunday of the month, a fellowship luncheon is held after the morning church service.
Regularly scheduled special events include a Good Friday service called "The Service of Shadows" or "Tenebrae Service." (Tenebrae is a Holy Week devotion which dates back to the seventh or eighth century and is characterized by the successive extinguishing of candles as the service progresses.)
There is also an Easter Egg Hunt for children up to 10 years old, and the choir presents special Easter music on Easter Sunday.
During the second week of July, the church holds its annual Vacation Bible School.
Homecoming will be Aug. 3, when the church will celebrate 186 years. Revival will take place the following Monday through Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
For more information about Zoar Baptist Church, call DeCourcey at (540) 788-9750 or visit www.zoarbaptistchurch.com .
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