Fair Oaks Community Church of God
Previously,
Oak Hill Community Church of God
Eternal Hope Church of God,
Washington, DC, Church of God
The Early Days
The story of what is now the Fair Oaks Community Church – Abrahamic Faith begins with Bible studies in the homes of One God believers in the then rural areas of Fairfax and Prince William Counties, Virginia, both of which are now the outlying suburbs of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. In 1910, Sister Virginia “Virgie” Ritenour moved to Clifton in Fairfax County from Shenandoah County to be the principal of Clifton High School. She later married James U. Kincheloe of Clifton, and they hosted Bible studies in their home. The family of Charles Compton was also active in those early Bible studies and hosted meetings. Several individuals from Washington, DC, would travel to Fairfax and Manassas, VA, to study with them in their homes. In 1925, Brother Harry Sheets came to Virginia to pastor the Fort Valley and Maurertown Churches. During the period between 1926 and 1928, he would occasionally travel to Fairfax to the Kincheloe home to lead church services for them and others of the group.
Circa 1938, J.R. LeCrone, came to Virginia and would travel to Arlington, VA, to conduct Sunday night services at the Fire Hall. In the early 1940s, John Mercer regularly held services, which continued for about a two year period. In that same time frame, Sister Verna Thayer, a Church of God evangelist for children, arranged to hold a tent meeting for Bible School study. However, the tent never arrived. Sister Thayer remained there during the weekend, conducting a Bible study as best as the conditions would allow. At a later time, her husband Earl was the pastor of the Fort Valley and Maurertown churches.
On October 29, 1941, a Dorcas Society was organized and it became a very active group that met monthly on Saturdays at the homes of the active members. The Society held its last formal meeting on April 24, 1958. Concurrently, the families met on Sundays, normally twice each month for church services. The ladies were Bible scholars and they set up a fund to purchase books to share and from which to increase their biblical knowledge. Dorcas societies within the COG in those days were usually women’s groups set up for good works such as providing quilts, layettes, etc. for the less fortunate families in the community. The Washington Society ladies made quilts and presented them to residents of the retirement home in Oregon, Illinois, which was operated by the General Conference. The ladies also provided needed bedding and other items to the Virginia Conference dormitory at Maurertown, VA. The meetings would begin with devotions, proceed to the handwork and end a short business meeting over a lunch provided by the host.
At a later time, Brother Clyde Randall visited the D.C. area from Fonthill, Ontario, Canada, to assist with a Bible School program. This was held at the Community House on Irving Street, near Lyon Park in Arlington, VA. Bible study classes were held during the day and preaching services were held each night. Other pastors that served in that era included Daniel Judy, who preached one summer in 1947 at the Pythian Temple in Washington, D.C., and Dean Moore of the Baltimore group for two or three years.
In 1950, Brother Alva Huffer, who had accepted the pastor position at the Fort Valley and Maurertown Churches, reorganized the Washington group and would come to preach and offer communion services several times each year. The services during each meeting included Sunday School study.
Members and Families
Some of the families and individuals that attended those later days of the early church included: Ella Boyer, the William Hicks family, Mack and Ada Updike, Eldridge and Marie Cooper, Charles and Mary Compton, James and Virginia Kincheloe, Dan and Isabel O’Flaherty, the William Thut family, Fay Carroll and family, the John Andrews family, Philena Davis, Ruth Blankenbaker, Leroy Frichard, Helen and Orville Thompson, Mary Ellen and Fern Bell, and Nina Pulliam. Later, Sam Carroll was baptized and became an active member of the church.
In the 1950s and 1960s, other families included Given Cleek, Garland Temple, Kenneth Mulligan, Robert and Eunice Costello (Keyes), Orville and Helen Thompson and their children, Debbie and Greg. Robert Costello is fondly remembered by the children because he would hide hard candy in his clothing and, after church, would be mobbed by the children to find it. Even the young adults would enjoy a piece of candy as well.
Several individuals from Pennsylvania attended from time to time, including John and Debbie Kugler, Howdy and Lorraine Mower and their children, Valerie and Dennis. Clarence Poland of Baltimore, Maryland, and family, including Eva G. Sheets, attended regularly and one of his sons, Earl, was baptized and became a Church of God Pastor. Also from Baltimore were Keith and Lorraine Baird and a Mr. Pack who is remembered for his long prayers. Jim and Barbara (Baird) Scott and children also attended.
In the 1970s and beyond, additional members and attendees included Carolyn Chapman, Carol DeWilde, Carolyn (Pryor) Kohn, Joan Pryor, A.B. Britt, Wayne Carroll and daughter Beth, Rob and Nedra Helenburg and Doris Frances, who was a long time friend of John and Debbie Kugler.
Formal Organization to Present
On February 14, 1953, the current church was formally organized by adopting a constitution and elected officers in a meeting chaired by Alva Huffer. It was named the Washington, D.C., Church of God. This was the official start of the local congregation now in Northern Virginia. In a follow-up meeting, the new Board acted to offer the position of Pastor to Joseph Fletcher.
By 1953, the congregation was composed of Baltimore and Washington, D.C., area members and met twice per month in the old YMCA building at 1736 G Street, Washington, D.C. Joseph Fletcher, a newly graduated minister of Oregon Bible College, moved to this area with his new wife, Shirley, to be the first full time pastor. Joseph was originally from the Church of God congregation in Fonthill, Ontario, Canada. From 1956 to 1959, Joe took a sabbatical to further his education. During his absence, the congregation was pastored by Curtis Simpson who had been actively involved with the growing congregation in Baltimore and Pennsylvania. Soon after Pastor Fletcher and his growing family returned to the D.C. area, the congregation looked into building or moving their church.
In 1960, the congregation moved the worship services to Falls Church, Virginia. They rented space in the cafeteria of the old Culmore Elementary School. It was during this time that Joseph Fletcher began teaching in the Fairfax County School System.
In 1968, the church purchased the building at their present location on West Ox Road from the local Presbyterian Church. That church had just constructed a new facility nearby on US Route 50. The availability of the building was discovered by Robert Costello as he was driving by one day. Helen and Orville Thompson co-signed the Deed of Trust and for the first time, the church had a permanent home. Around this time, the local congregation changed its name to the Eternal Hope Church of God, Abrahamic Faith. This name had been suggested by Eunice Costello. Three of the Fletcher children attended Oregon Bible College. Cheryl, the oldest, is married to Pastor Dale Swartz. Jeffrey Fletcher graduated from OBC and is presently the pastor of the Cool Spring Church of God in Browntown, VA, in the Shenandoah Valley. Deborah Buckman graduated from OBC and now lives in West Virginia, close enough to keep in contact with the Shenandoah Valley churches.
In 1972, Pastor Joseph Fletcher received a promotion to Assistant School Principal and resigned as the full time minister. He and his family remained in the area and continued to support and play an active role in the church, including being the Church Elder. The church then hired Ron Macy, who along with his wife Terry, led the congregation for the next four years. Ron and Terry developed a youth ministry program to reach out to children in nearby Reston to transport them to the church.
In 1976, upon the resignation of Pastor Macy, the church hired Dale Ward as the new Pastor, who along with his wife Marie, led our congregation. At an earlier time, Dale had served as the Pastor of the old Maurertown Church of God near Woodstock and Toms Brook, VA. Their daughter, Dolena Shaw, was a schoolmate and lifelong friend of Carolyn (Morrison) Chapman. In 1981, Pastor Ward retired and the local church was without a Pastor for about nine months.
In June 1982, Gary Burnham, a newly graduated minister from Oregon Bible College, moved to the area with his wife, Janice (Knapp), and became the new pastor. In 1986, the congregation chose to rename the church as the Fair Oaks Community Church – Abrahamic Faith, due to confusion that developed regarding other denominations that are active in Virginia and operate under the “Church of God” name.
In February 1989, an unknown arsonist set fire to the church building and succeeded in destroying the facility although the basic structure was not completely consumed. Subsequently, the building was completely rebuilt, refurbished and brought up to the then current building codes and then rededicated in 1990. By 1996, the loans were paid off and the building title was once again held free and clear. In 1994, an unknown arsonist again tried to burn the building. The damage was limited to a custodial closet and mop sink.
In 1995, Pastor Burnham resigned from our local church to become the Comptroller of the Church of God General Conference and Atlanta Bible College in Morrow, Georgia. For about ten years, the church continued on without the services of a full time Pastor. Pastor Dennis Baldwin of the Grace Fellowship Church in Front Royal, Virginia, served as our interim Pastor. On the first Sunday of each month, after morning services in Front Royal, he and his wife Rachel would drive to Fairfax County to lead afternoon services and Communion. The congregation is deeply grateful for the many years of faithful service of Pastor Dennis and Rachel. For the remaining Sundays, the church has been led and taught by a variety of lay speakers.
In June of 2005, Oak Hill hired Thomas J. Fischhaber, Jr., as the new Pastor. The congregation changed its name to Oak Hill Community Church of God – Abrahamic Faith in July 2006, to more accurately reflect its location in suburban Fairfax County, VA. Pastor Tom Fischhaber decided to withdraw from active pastoral ministry in the summer of 2006. Pastor Dennis Baldwin resumed Pastoral care of the congregation, again leading services in the afternoon of the first Sunday of each month. In 2010, the church decided to return to the name Fair Oaks Community Church of God – Abrahamic Faith.
Pianists through the later years included Eunice Costello Keyes, Carol Dewilde, Shirley Fletcher, Janice Burnham and Nedra Helenburg. Carolyn Chapman would fill in from time to time when the regular pianist was absent and also stepped in as song leader. Three who grew up in the Church went on to Pastoral Ministry: Jeffery Fletcher, Cheryl (Fletcher) Swartz, and Earl Poland. At least five members have served on the Board of Directors of the Oregon/Atlanta Bible College and the Church of God General Conference, including Joseph Fletcher, Gary Burnham, Jeffery Fletcher, Rob Helenburg and Daniel Siderius.
It should be noted that this congregation has enjoyed strong female leadership and participation from the very beginning. The church functioned under the Dorcas Society umbrella from October 1941 to February 1953. Detailed Bible study and lessons were a mainstay of the meetings; a small library of pertinent books was collected and shared among members to support the Bible studies. The congregation recognizes the support of the church itself by other organizations and, in turn, has been a consistent supporter of the General Conference, the Virginia State Conference, missions organizations, and individual ministry projects. The congregation is happy to report that these traditions continue to this day.
— Revised March 2021
Click HERE for a brief overview of the General Conference and Bible College since their organization in 1921.