Chapel Spring Pastors getting ready to install new sign in front of the church. After 76 years, the Manassas Assembly of God church on 1150 New Life Way in Bristow is changing its name to Chapel Springs Assembly of God Church.
Senior Pastor Scott Leib explains that the name change will allow the church to expand its ministry.
“God is leading us in an exciting new direction. We're expanding by opening new branches of our church in other communities. We'll be opening our first new site this fall in North Stafford. As we began praying and planning for our expansion, it became clear that we needed a name that would work anywhere, not just in Manassas,” Leib said.
Otherwise, Leib said the church will remain unchanged -- not that the church is averse to change. The 76-year-old church originated in the Dixie Theatre on Main Street in Old Town Manassas. However, scarcely one year into its existence, in 1937, it secured a new property on the corner of Maple and Quarry Streets in Manassas.
“The pattern of change and growth continued over the next several decades as the church expanded,” Noreen Bryant, communications director for Chapel Springs Assembly of God, explained.
In 1979, the church moved to new quarters on Plantation Lane in Manassas. Then, requiring more space for its ever-growing congregation, it relocated again in 2001 to 150 acres off Route 28 in Bristow, where it can be found today.
Now, tasked with the exciting new challenge of expanding its ministry into other regions, the congregation believed a name change was required. A task force of congregants was established in April of 2012 to find a new name that would convey a hopeful message to new members, while still honoring the church’s heritage.
According to Pastor Gary West, who led the name change effort, the committee prayed, planned and researched to find an inspired new name. West said the challenge was finding a name that everyone could get behind.
“It was very important to us to receive input from each of our members. We took every suggestion into consideration and received over 400 different name ideas,” West said.
“The name Chapel Springs quickly rose to the surface,” said Bryant. She believes people liked it because “it is unique, poetic, evocative and a little mysterious.”
However, it also met the criteria of preserving a piece of the church’s history. “Chapel Springs” is derived from the name of a small road off Route 28 that is adjacent to the church’s property.
After discovering the name, longtime church member and historian Charlie Byrd immediately set about month of detective work on “Chapel Springs,” which resulted in the unveiling of more remarkable revelations about the name’s history as well as positive associations.
“I had lots of help from the folks at the Prince William County Libraries and the Manassas Museum,” he says. “We scoured old records for any mention at all of Chapel Springs.”
The resulting efforts netted maps of the area from the early 1820s, which identified a White Chapel and an Old Chapel Spring on the property.
An article from the Dec. 4, 1854 issue of the Alexandria Gazette advertises the sale of land on which the Chapel Springs stream runs through. As Byrd continued his search, he unearthed the December 4, 1854, edition of the Alexandria Gazette. The paper contains an advertisement for the sale of a parcel of land on which Chapel Springs is situated. The tract was described as "249 acres situated near Bristoe Station with a dwelling house, good soil, sufficient wood and water with the Chapel Spring supplying a never-failing stream of excellent pure water."
“’A never-failing stream of excellent and pure water,’” said Leib, “What a perfect description, not just about a spring, but about a church—a church which would relocate on the same property. That advertisement captures the essence of our church over these past 76 years!”
Upon further reflection, Leib found more significance behind the name.
“Throughout the Bible, springs are a powerful metaphor for new life. And new life is what we seek to bring to our community—by serving those in need, by creating space for close relationships in this hectic part of the world, and, most of all, by helping people come to know Jesus Christ.”
While there was widespread enthusiasm within congregation about the name changed, Leib wanted to assure the larger community that they would essentially remain the same church they have been for over three-quarters of a century.
“We are the same church, the same staff and congregation, with the same 75-year heritage of following Jesus. We will still be worshiping and meeting in Bristow; we’ll expand there when the time is right. It’s just time for a new name to reflect this new season as we further our reach into new communities,” Leib said.
Chapel Springs Assembly of God Church offers four worship services each weekend and has special programs for infants, children and teens. Their new Stafford campus opens this October. They offer programs to help people in need, including Divorce Care, GriefShare, a food pantry, an ESL program in Georgetown South and much more. For more information, readers can visit their website at chapelsprings.org.
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