Worship Styles

At 9:00 am, Pender offers a traditional/blended worship service.  The service includes traditional music as well as some praise music.

You’ll find a variety of musical groups participating in these worship services, ranging from children, youth and adults, to vocal, flute and bell choirs.

At Pender’s traditional/blended service, you get the best of both worlds!  We celebrate the traditions of our faith at these services with the scriptures, the creeds of the church, the symbols of our faith and a word from the Bible that applies spiritual principles to everyday life.

Holy Communion is shared the first Sunday of every month.  Come and join us

We have digital bulletins available listed on this site.  If you would like one, either text the word "9am" (no quotations) to (540) 712-6278 or scan the QR code with your cell phone.

Be sure to note, that whatever you save that number as in your phone book, that is how it will appear on your phone. You can save it as the name of Pender UMC!


Welcome to Common Ground

Not everyone is cut out for the same worship style.

Common Ground is Pender UMC's contemporary worship experience led by our worship leader and a rock-style worship band. You'll find worship to be more interactive and energetic, and you'll hear messages that are relevant to everyday life. 

Young children are more than welcome! We have a play area within our worship space set aside just for them, or they can enjoy our awesome Sunday school program. We also have paid staff nursery care available for our littlest ones.

You will leave feeling closer to Jesus, challenged and more prepared to serve Him, and warmed by a relationship in a genuine community of Christ-followers. We hope to see you soon! 

We have digital bulletins available.  If you would like one, either text the word "11am" (no quotations) to (540) 712-6278 or scan the QR code with your cell phone.

Be sure to note, that whatever you save that number as in your phone book, that is how it will appear on your phone. You can save it as the name of Pender UMC!



Pender United Methodist Church has made a commitment to be an Accessible Congregation, as part of the National Organization on Disability campaign of the same name.  We proudly display their logo -- a wheelchair user surrounded by a heart -- to show that as a congregation, we strive to provide physical access and also open our hearts and minds to people with all types of disabilities.

Some of the ways we do this include:

  • Automatic doors at the front entrance (for security reasons, these doors are functional during certain times only, including worship and meeting times)
  • Large-print hymnals available upon request
  • Hearing assistance devices available during worship
  • Pews with space available to accommodate wheelchairs

March 19, 2023 - Pender Lead Pastor Will White preached on "In the Presence" based on John 9:1-41.

Do you know what it is like to be chosen? Well, you do because you were. Our texts this week are about being chosen by God. Most of us don’t think that we were chosen, certainly not to be king like David. But surely, we chose the jobs that we do and the hobbies that we pursue and the service that we perform, didn’t we? Well, yes. But God chose too. And not just in the past tense, God is still choosing.

"In the Presence" is the fourth sermon in the Lenten series titled "Learning to Live Inside Out". Lent is a bi-directional season. Or at least it should be. That isn’t how we usually experience the season, however. Too often, we see the Lenten journey simply as a journey inward. While that is a great start or an important component to a powerful Lenten experience, it can’t be the whole story. Examining your soul is more than just looking inward; it is also considering the state of your soul as it walks about in the world. This isn’t new. Historically, the church has talked about the spiritual disciplines in two directions. Like the great commandment, these two sides of the same coin cannot ultimately be separated. That is why this series is about doing both – looking inward and moving outward. We are learning to live inside out.

We look forward to seeing you!

All of Pender's services are streamed live and in person. Masks are currently optional.

Join us live at Pender UMC
12401 Alder Woods Drive, Fairfax, VA US 22033


The Next Traditional Service will be March 26 at 9:00 am


The Next Contemporary Worship will be March 26 at 11:15 am