Special event part of centennial celebration

As part of its centennial celebration taking place throughout the next two years, Main Street United Methodist Church will have Women’s Day on Jan. 31 with praise and a special speaker from the Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation.

The church is celebrating 100 years of its current building — though it is entering its 214th year of ministry in the community — and plans many special events running through the culmination in 2016.

“The women of Main Street are excited about the centennial and about sharing this event with women from other churches throughout our community,” Martha Callis said.

Callis said it has been eight years since the women of the church held a women’s day program.

“They were really successful,” she said. “We just wanted a special women’s event as part of the centennial.”

Set for Jan. 31 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the event is open to women of all ages and costs $15, including lunch and materials.

Praise and worship will be led by Debbie Clark, associate pastor of Baylake United Methodist Church in Virginia Beach and pastor of the Water’s Edge congregation there.

The keynote speaker will be Lea Carawan, executive director of the Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation.

Registration for the event begins at 9:30 a.m. The morning session is from 10 to 11:30, with music and a message from Carawan.

Lunch will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with the afternoon session following a similar format to the morning session.

The theme is “Women, Drop the Scales From Your Eyes.”

“We are expecting a day filled with joy,” Callis said. It’s a day of coming together as women in a community to worship God.”

Folks can get more information by calling the church at 539-8751. Registration with the registrant’s name, address, phone and email can be sent to Jodi Browne, 411 Western Ave., Suffolk, VA 23434, with checks made out to Main Street UMC. The deadline is Jan. 21.

The church’s centennial celebrations culminate on June 12, 2016, with a service of rededication.