Viers Mill Baptist: Five Congregations, Four Languages, One Body
SILVER SPRING, Md. — Viers Mill Baptist Church (VMBC) is uniquely multi-ethnic, being home to five congregations with four languages. And they’re not the kind of church where the congregations are ships passing in the night — they are a fleet! They meet at the same time on Sundays, they know each other, and they gather quarterly to worship together.
Lemuel Chen baptizes Xiang Jia Li. (Photo by Sharon Mager)
The churches, in addition to the VMBC congregation led by Robert Wilson, include Fellowship Baptist Church, an African-American church led by Emmanuel Jean-Phillipe; Montgomery Chinese Baptist Mission, led by Luke Lau, conducted in Cantonese (with an English-speaking service for second and third-generation Chinese members); Chinese Baptist Church, led by Lemuel Chen, a Mandarin Mission of Montgomery Chinese Baptist Church; and Viers Mill Hispanic Church, led by Rolando Pérez Castillo.
A Special Gathering
The quarterly gathering on August 6 was unique because it was the last that Wilson would participate as pastor. He is retiring on October 31. The combined congregations expressed their appreciation to Pastor Wilson and his wife Janet. Rolando Pérez Castillo and his wife Roxana Perez presented flowers to Robert and Janet, thanking them for their service and faithfulness. Perez, smiling, told the couple, “Yellow roses mean friendship.”
A portion of the service included remembering VMBC Music Director Sue Tilley who served the church for nearly three decades until her death just a few weeks before the service. In addition to her long-term commitment to VMBC, Tilley was always involved in the music ministry at the gatherings.
Viers Mill Hispanic Church shared the special music for the gathering. (Photo by Sharon Mager)
Another special aspect of this service was Pastor Chen baptizing three from Maryland Chinese Baptist Mission.
Throughout the morning, members from each congregation read the day’s scripture, Luke 7:11-15, the account of Jesus raising a widow’s son, in English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Spanish. Together, in their own languages, the churches sang Amazing Grace and Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing and the Doxology. Viers Mill Hispanic Church also offered special music. Pastor Rolando Perez-Castillo shared a sermon titled, Joven a Ti-de-digo, translated as, “Young Man I Tell You,” based on the Bible reading.
The service included communion and ended as always — with the congregations holding hands across the aisles and singing “The Family of God” in all four languages.
After the service, Maryland Chinese Baptist Church invited the Wilsons to a Chinese dinner.
Rolando Pérez Castillo and his wife Roxana Perez presented flowers to Robert and Janet, thanking them for their service and faithfulness. (Photo by Sharon Mager)
Diversity
Referring to the shared building and worship, Robert said, “This goes back to before I came here. The language congregations are simply reaching people we can’t reach. They’re doing things we can’t do and hopefully, we’re doing things they can’t do. They started (with the exception of the Maryland Chinese Church) as missions of this church. Their members were members of our congregations, our families, and our community.”
Robert said, “We are blessed with a big building.” He shared that Fellowship Church meets in their old chapel. Montgomery Chinese Church meets in a fellowship hall underneath the chapel. Viers Mill Hispanic Church meets in a Sunday School assembly room. Maryland Chinese Church meets in the main fellowship hall. Wilsons said, “We all meet at the same time. The advantage of that is that people know each other. It’s not ‘those people.’ It’s good fellowship.”
Wilson said the community surrounding the church has grown to be one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the county, and local elementary schools report having 80 different languages spoken among their students.
When the churches go out into their neighborhoods, they share flyers in English, Spanish and Chinese listing all of the congregations to let neighbors know about the different ethnic groups that meet together.
The churches end their quarterly gatherings holding hands and singing “Family of God.” (Photo by Sharon Mager)
Through the years, the church has had a food pantry and partnered with the lower income schools to provide services and care, including supplying Christmas gifts. They’ve had successful English as a Second Language programs and hosted Boy Scouts and Cub Scout groups. Unfortunately, Covid has impacted those ministries, but the church presses on!
Renter or Sister Church?
Robert remembers years ago when another church sought his advice about sharing space with a language church.
“I told them there’s one thing they have to consider before anything else — Is this congregation going to be a sister church or will they be renters?” That stumped them, Robert said. They really hadn’t thought that through.
At Viers Mill, Robert explained that they don’t “rent.” “We all participate in the operation of the building — they are sister churches. They came as missions of Viers Mill and evolved to stand alone, but we still see ourselves working hand in hand to meet the needs of the community. We meet four times a year for planning. I see them all on Sundays.”
Robert says, “We hold hands and sing ‘Family of God.’ We are in this together. It’s not you and me, it is us.”
Feature Photo: Elder Herb Willis, FBC; Assistant Pastor Mike Person, Fellowship Baptist Church; Pastor Robert Wilson, VMBC; John Lam, English Pastor, MCBC; Pastor Rolando Perez-Castillo, Viers Mill Spanish Church; Pastor Lemuel Chen, Maryland Chinese Baptist Church. (Photo by Sharon Mager)
