“Hajimemashite (Nice to meet you),” friends at Washington Farm! My name is Keiko Foster. As of July 1, I officially became your pastor. I am humbled but also excited! I am looking forward to getting to know you (and you getting to know me) and being in ministry with you. My prayer is that, through all we do (worship, study, fellowship, and service), we will grow in faith and commit ourselves to love and serve God and others so that everyone may embrace the love of God through Jesus.

A little about me: As my name indicates (by the way, Keiko 恵子 means “a blessed child”), I am originally from Kitakyushu, Japan. I grew up in a non-practicing Buddhist family, but with some unexpected twists and turns in life, I came to know Jesus and decided to follow him! I was part of a Baptist church in Japan. But while in seminary in Richmond, I was invited to a United Methodist Church, and the rest was history. I love being a United Methodist because, from the beginning, the movement was about loving boldly, serving joyfully, and leading courageously. I am an Elder in the Virginia Conference, ordained in 2015. I have served in Northern Virginia (Woodbridge and the NOVA District Office) and a 2-point charge in Winchester. I have been on Medical Leave since November 2024, but I am well enough to return to ministry. I live with my husband, Mark (who works for George Washington University), and son, Joshua (a rising senior at Gainesville HS). Spending time with Mouse (a 20-year-old mare) – that’s my happy place.

Looking forward to meeting you and worshiping with you on Sunday, July 5!

Are you out of town on July 5th?  Send Pastor Keiko a note of welcome. Email notes to Sam at communications@washingtonfarmumc.org, and she'll make sure she receives them on her first day.

Pastor Keiko will be hosting three Sundays at the Parsonage after worship this summer to help us get to know her and for her to get to know each of us. Choose one of the dates—July 26, August 9, or August 30—and plan to stay after worship and walk over to the parsonage as we enjoy growing in fellowship together.

Please sign up below or in the narthex to provide a dozen sweet or savory finger foods for Sundays at the Parsonage. 

We’re gearing up for another wonderful Music Camp, July 13–17, and we can’t wait to welcome our campers.  If you volunteered to bring snacks, please drop them off this Sunday.

Volunteer training begins this Sunday directly following Pastor Keiko's reception. A Zoom makeup session will be on Thursday, July 9, at 7 PM for anyone who can’t attend in person. If you’re able to help out, please get in touch with Eileen.

There are still a handful of openings, so help us spread the word. Invite a neighbor, share the link, and let’s make this year’s camp full of energy and new faces.

This Sunday we welcome Pastor Keiko for her first Sunday with us. She will share a message on God’s grace and God’s mysterious timing, reflecting on Genesis 24:42–49. Join us as we begin this new chapter together. 

The flowers on the altar are given in celebration of Pastor Keiko's first Sunday at Washington Farm. 

Thanks to those serving in worship this week!
Liturgist - Bob Enck
Ushers - The Vann Family
Acolyte - Hava Molihan
Guest Organist - Jimmy Gregory
Altar Flowers - Bev Card