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Who We Are
St. Thomas United Methodist Church is a dynamic and growing church that strives to reach, nourish and serve the community. We recognize Jesus Christ as the source of our salvation and strive to spread the good news throughout the greater Manassas and Prince William area so that all may experience healing and new life. We believe there is so much more to this life!
To that end, we offer a variety of programs, outreach projects, and mission opportunities for members, neighbors, and guests alike. As with all United Methodist Churches, we have an open communion table, meaning we welcome all those who believe in Jesus to take part. Communion is offered during worship on the the first Sunday of the month at both services and every Sunday at the 11 AM service.
We offer traditional worship services on Sunday mornings at 9:00 AM as well as a contemporary service at 11:00 AM. We encourage you to come visit us for Church on Sundays or stop by and enjoy dinner on Tuesday evenings beginning at 5:00 PM at our Manassas campus (8899 Sudley Road, Manassas, VA).
If you'd like to know more about us and the many ways to get involved, please call the church office at (703) 368-5161 or feel free to explore our website. Better yet, plan to attend the next Taste of St. Thomas event specifically designed for newcomers!
Mission, Values, & Priorities
St. Thomas is a dynamic and vital church situated in the heart of Prince William County with a desire to reach its community in relevant ways that help people live their life for Christ. Below please find our mission, values, and strategic priorities. We invite you to be a part of what God is doing through the people of St. Thomas!
OUR MISSION
We exist to reach, nourish and serve the community so all may experience healing and new life through Jesus Christ.
OUR CORE VALUES
At St. Thomas UMC, we are…
BIBLICALLY GROUNDED
We are rooted in Scripture.
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Colossians 2:5-7
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2 Timothy 3:16-17
RELATIONAL
Our connection with God and each other guides everything. We pursue loving relationships with one another. We believe life change happens in community. We need each other to grow and become more like Christ.
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Hebrews 10:24-25
MISSION-MINDED
We care deeply about each other and our community.
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Matthew 28:19-20
FAITHFUL
We are committed to living Christ’s example.
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Ephesians 5:1-2
JOYFUL
We live above our circumstances as we trust in the strength of the Lord.
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1 Thessalonians 5:16
OUR BELIEFS
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There is one God, revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
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Jesus Christ is the Son of God, both human and divine, and He is the one Savior of the world.
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The Bible is the inspired Word of God, and it contains all things necessary for salvation.
We believe that becoming a Christian is not a matter of simply going through a ceremony or believing a certain set of doctrines; rather we enter a relationship through faith with God in Christ, and then begin a lifelong process of growth in that relationship.
We practice open communion; this means you don't have to be a United Methodist to receive Holy Communion with us, just one who loves God and seeks to live at peace with your fellow man.
We believe in "the trained mind and the warmed heart"-- that is, education and spiritual formation are important, but these must be coupled with a personal commitment to God. In other words, one can study the bible and gain information (which is not bad in and of itself), however, the true aim of faith is always tempered by a personal relationship and willingness to follow Jesus in loving God and others.
To learn more about our rich theological heritage, see UMC.org.
The following are links to the different parts of the United Methodist Church that our local church falls under:
OUR STORY
Manassas St. Thomas United Methodist Church was established in June 1990 when Manassas UMC and St. Thomas UMC were merged. Manassas UMC was founded in 1867, but its present site was built in 1963. Although the church was on five acres of prime property on Sudley Road, it was not experiencing growth. St. Thomas, however, had outgrown its existing facilities in Westgate which was also built in 1963. Even though an education wing and a classroom annex had been added, with their continued growth, more classroom space was needed.
The Alexandria District Superintendent, Dr. F. Douglas Dillard, Jr. saw the opportunity to strengthen Manassas UMC by merging it with St. Thomas. With the merger approved, larger facilities were imminent. The Bi-District Board of Church Location and Building felt Manassas would best be served by building a United Methodist Church with high visibility on the Sudley Road site.
In the spring of 1992 after the Westgate property had been sold, the St. Thomas congregation relocated to the Manassas UMC campus. We were faced with many challenges due to limited space. As the sanctuary would not accommodate everyone comfortably, a third worship service was added on Sunday evenings. The Manassas parsonage was converted to an Administration Building on the first floor for the staff, and the basement was remodeled for the youth. For additional classrooms, two trailers were leased. These challenges served to strengthen us as a congregation uniting us in our faith and our vision.
Our groundbreaking on June 7, 1992 was celebrated with the entire church family pulling the plow, followed by a picnic and festivities. The enthusiasm and excitement continued to grow as we watched with anticipation the construction of our new church. Our first worship service in the new facility was held on February 27, 1994 with the Service of Consecration the following week on March 6, 1994. More than twenty five years after its consecration, St. Thomas UMC in Manassas stands today as a shining testimony to those before us who have given faithful service to the glory of God and the fellowship of humankind. (Officially, the Virginia Annual Conference of the UMC approved changing the name of the church from Manassas St. Thomas UMC to St. Thomas UMC when it gathered in Roanoke for its annual meeting in June 2012.)
Today, the parsonage houses our vibrant Community Clothing Closet and the original church building received a significant renovation in response to our growing children and youth ministries; and it was consecrated on May 21, 2023 as a dedicated Youth Center.
Over the years, St. Thomas has been committed to planting and helping new faith communities become established. St. Thomas has supported the development of Rising Hope Mission Church, the Koinania Korean Community of Centreville UMC, and most recently Haymarket Campus, which began as a second campus of St. Thomas in 2007 as development in Prince William County expanded into Haymarket. This community officially launched as an indepedent United Methodist Church in July 2021.
Throughout its long history, St. Thomas has been on the forefront of innovative ministries -- planting new churches, developing a food bank that now reaches more than 50,000 individuals annually, and launching the Sunbeam Childcare Center, as well as many other unique ministries in the work of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We look forward to continuing God's work in Manassas, Prince William County, and beyond for many years to come. We hope as you've read a brief snapshot of who we are and what God's accomplished through our community, you might be inspired to join us and our story might become your story too!
More than 25 Years Serving Manassas!
We celebrated 25 years in our current sanctuary and building on Sunday, March 3, 2019 at all three services. This was followed by an "All Church Luncheon" featuring our favorite foods over the years. We also opened the “time capsule” that was set aside on the first Sunday we worshipped in our current sanctuary and heard informal stories from our members about that day! Some of the letters written by youth and adult leaders then to our congregation now were read and we discovered some of these leaders are still very much involved in the community! Wow, God is good!
How will the congregation meet the needs of the community 25 years from today? We hope you and your family will join the journey as we discern and lean into the future God is calling us to together.
Scroll down for pictures from the ground breaking, construction, and the consecration service.
