Community Invited to Celebrate

Community invited to celebrate the return of another Pastor Duley to the Pulpit, followed by a Potluck Community Picnic, along with music provided by a local band performing on the front lawn. Sunday, July 23, 12:30pm - 3pm, Aldersgate UMC Front Lawn 1301 Collingwood Rd, Alexandria, VA 22308 (703) 765-6555

    Pastor James Duley with his young son Jason.
  

On Sunday, July 23, Aldersgate United Methodist will welcome a young visiting Pastor — Jason Duley — who will deliver the sermon at both 9:30 and 11:00 services. But he will not be the first Pastor Duley who has preached from that very same pulpit. That’s what makes this both a special occasion and a real treat for this Mount Vernon area congregation.

James L. Duley served as the Senior Pastor at Aldersgate United Methodist during the period between 1960 and 1976. While there are only a few members of the current congregation who might remember Pastor James Duley, they all know that he served during a period of significant growth. Under his visionary guidance, membership skyrocketed to more than 2,500 members, the church built educational wing additions, and on a glorious day nearly 60 years ago in 1964, the present sanctuary was dedicated. Located at the corner of Collingwood Drive and Fort Hunt Road, Aldersgate United Methodist stands as a beacon to the entire community.

While Pastor James Duley was no doubt proud of these accomplishments, he was surely even more proud of his family as a young son, Jason, joined the family mid-way through his ministry at Aldersgate. At that time, who would have known that he would follow his father into the ministry, graduating from Duke University school of divinity. Jason currently serves as the Pastor of Galilee United Methodist Church and Chapel in Sterling, Va.

Pastor Jason, even though very young at the time, recalls being a bit of a “trouble maker” who would crawl under the pews while his Dad preached. And no doubt he continues to be understanding of youngsters who may be impatient in church. He was born, baptized and attended the Day school at Aldersgate, but being a “preachers kid,” he never pictured himself as a Pastor … until he got a higher calling a bit later in life. 

The Aldersgate congregation is so fortunate to have Jason coming home and sharing a message.

Aldersgate United Methodist Church has always endeavored to serve the surrounding community. When the church was founded in the 1950s, the area was relatively undeveloped. As the church continued to grow during the tenure of Pastor James Duley, the community changed and grew along with it. It would be realistic to attribute the growth of the church to that of the community. However, the relationship also works in reverse. A vital church can play a key role in the development of the neighborhood in which it is located. Aldersgate has a tradition of involvement and outreach in numerous areas of the community.

That tradition continues this Sunday as Aldersgate UMC welcomes everyone in the community to join them to celebrate the return of another Pastor Duley to the Pulpit, followed by a Potluck Community Picnic, along with music provided by a local band performing on the front lawn.