With the OPC Sunday, 1 September

You'd have thought we'd sleep like logs in this lovely room with air con and all sorts of other mod cons, and after our hot busy day exploring 'The Nation's Capital,' but we didn't. Anyway, we were blessed with another lovely day today with some unexpected blessings.

The Hout's picked us up about 9am and off we went to Vienna in Virginia to the church they used to attend when living here on their last posting in the US. It is Grace Presbyterian Church (OPC). Grace and Lachlan went to Sunday School in the rooms underneath the main church - there must be about 10 large rooms and there were maybe 80 kids: fabulous. The service was conducted by Pastor Dan Clifford. In a remarkable coincidence, it transpired that we had met before. Back in 2001, when we came to Philadelphia for the ICRC meeting at Westminster Seminary, Dan was a student who helped out by running people around in a minibus. On the Sunday, he took a couple of Aussies out to a mission church, where the visiting minister was to preach. That minister was me! By the evening service, Dan had remembered that we had four children, and even recalled that I preached on Colossians on that occasion!

After the morning service, the Houghtons and we repaired to the very nice home of the Rev. Dr Chad van Dixhoorn, and his wife Emily, with their five children. We were joined by other friends: Bob, 'J.D.' and his mother Sue. 16 for lunch. It was truly a fascinating and most enjoyable time, especially for me learning about Chad's Westminster Assembly Project (http://tinyurl.com/krjc46w). Chad has the most beautiful basement study, with many ancient tomes, and several old oil paintings. One of the latter, Chad saw in a catalogue described as a portrait of an 'unknown Italian priest.' He (and I) recognised it to be of the Puritan, Richard Baxter, and picked it up for s very good price!

Before leaving, we took a family picture, especially for John and Glynn Biggs from our church - they know the Van Dixhoorns from time together in the Cambridge Pres. Church. From the left:

Victoria, Ashleigh, Chad holding Charlotte, Peter, Emily, Caroline and us.

We returned to the church for the 6pm service, and I was privileged to meet with the Session for the pre-service prayer, and was asked to fill in a critique form for the final sermon being preached by the summer intern, Ben. It was hard staying awake, but that is no reflection on the sermon!