In Support of Dr. John Brewer
I have a very important announcement regarding the recent recommended termination of Dr. John Brewer from his position as principal of Dominion High School in Sterling.
In addition to his fifteen-year tenure as principal, John and his family have also faithfully attended and served here at Reston Bible Church for many years. John has a long-term proven record of outstanding character as he has consistently lived in the grace of God as a husband, father, teacher and principal.
Some specifics include:
- Dr. Brewer was Commended by the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and named by the Loudoun Times Mirror in 2008 as “Citizen of the Year” because of exemplifying kindness, competency, professionalism, and reliability and how those qualities positively impacted students and teachers.
- In 2010 John was recognized by the Washington Post as the Distinguished Educational Leader for Loudoun County because “he goes beyond the day-to-day demands of his position to create an exceptional educational environment.”
- John was also named the 2010 Loudoun County Principal of the Year.
- Dr. Brewer visits the home of every incoming freshman to meet them and their family, demonstrating initiative and humility.
- John writes a personal letter to every graduating student evidencing his sincerity and care.
Dr. Brewer was notified of the recommendation for termination a few days before Christmas. After much prayer and counsel with our youth pastor Bob Shull, his attorney, and other educational leaders experienced in these matters, John has decided to appeal his termination before the Loudoun County School Board. Because of John’s faithfulness as a brother in Christ, his impact for the sake of the gospel, and the clear injustice of his termination, the leadership of RBC desires to support him in his appeal.
Naturally, in a church our size, many of you may not know Dr. Brewer on a personal level. Without a more complete knowledge of him or the facts surrounding his recommended termination, it is understandable that many of you would be reluctant to e-mail a note to school board members, sign a petition or make a call in support of John’s reinstatement. However, I want to assure you that the details surrounding this matter, John’s role in it, and his character have all been seriously considered by both pastoral staff and the Elder Council. Based on our knowledge of the situation and of Dr. Brewer himself, the leadership at RBC believes the recommendation for termination is extreme, unwarranted, and unjust. As can happen in any situation like this, some of what is stated in various newspapers is not accurate. Loudoun County Public School representatives are not accusing John of a violation of policy, insubordination, or of violating any civil or criminal law.
Consequently, although you may lack details, we are asking you to trust our collective judgement, pray for John, his family and the School board, and for you who are lead, to please attend the Loudoun County School Board Meeting in Ashburn on Tuesday, January 10, in support of John’s reinstatement as principal at Dominion. This is one of those circumstances when having a lot of people simply show up can have a great impact, so your presence matters.
Additional information on the specific location, and time of the meeting as well as recommended actions you can take are listed below. In a case like this of clear injustice, we want to do for one what we wish we could do for everyone.
If you have questions, please contact me at brucecampbell@restonbible.org or call me at 703-404-5011.
Bruce Campbell
Executive Pastor, Reston Bible Church
Recommended Actions:
- Pray for each LCSB member to vote to reinstate Dr. Brewer as Principal at Dominion High School.
- Pray for peace and wisdom for Dr. Brewer, his wife Rachel, and his daughters Belle & Abby during this time of uncertainty and waiting.
- Attend the upcoming Loudoun County School Board Meeting on Tuesday, January 10. Numbers matter. Your presence – even for 1 hour – is important. Even if you can’t get into the auditorium because of the crowds, being in the hallway or on the front lawn even for half an hour will be part of the impact.
- When: Tuesday, January 10, at 6:30pm. If possible, arrive no later than 6:00pm.
- Where: 21000 Education Court, Ashburn, VA 20148 ( Next to Clyde’s Willow Creek.)
- Sign the petition to reinstate Dr. Brewer at the following link: https://www.change.org/p/loudoun-county-school-board-support-dr-brewer
- Call or e-mail Loudoun County School Board Members. Individual and group contact information is located here: https://www.lcps.org/Page/1629
- Sign up to speak on behalf of Dr. Brewer’s character, the story of Dominion High School and his record of excellence there by calling 571-252-1020 or by emailing clerk@lcps.org.
- A fund has been established to help Dr. Brewer defray the significant legal costs resulting from the LCPS hearing process. You can help or find additional information at the GoFundMe page.
Links to Additional Articles of Interest:
- Commendation of Dr. Brewer for 2008 “Citizen of the Year”
- Cedarville University article on John’s positive impact as a principal & educator
- Washington Post article on Dr. Brewer’s energizing effect at DHS
- Washington Post article on Dr. Brewer’s positive impact on students
- Loudoun Times-Mirror article on John as Principal of the Year
- Connection article on the “community of caring” John developed at DHS
- Support Dr. Brewer Facebook page
The Marriage You Want
The Bible starts with a marriage and ends with a marriage. We are God’s image bearers – male and female – we were designed to become one. Even though the culture has changed, God’s design has not.
Michael Easley
Maybe you’d like to turn a good marriage into a great marriage. Or maybe you’re in a struggling marriage and need help, hope and direction. Or perhaps you’re just about to begin the journey of marriage and want to set out in the right direction.
Wherever you are in the journey of marriage, we invite you to join us the weekend of January 27-28, 2017 for our annual marriage conference. Author and speaker Dr. Michael Easley will help us review the biblical basis of God’s specific design for marriage and share how we can re-align our expectations toward His ideas. Michael is husband to Cindy, dad to four, pastor to Fellowship Bible Church in Nashville, and host of the podcast, Michael Easley inContext.
We invite you to join Michael and his wife Cindy on this journey of The Marriage you Have vs. the Marriage you Want! Renew, realign and re-calibrate your relationship into a new set of expectations that are both realistic and biblical. In addition to the conference itself, we would also like to encourage you to take the opportunity to stay overnight at the beautiful Hilton Doubletree at our discounted rate. You can choose to stay in-between the Friday night and Saturday morning conference sessions or for the entire weekend. It’s a great opportunity to disconnect and relax without the travel.
The cost of the Marriage Conference is only $45 per couple. Register here by Christmas Day to receive a $10 discount. Hotel accommodations for one or both nights can be made through this Conference Registration as well. We hope to see you there!
– RBC Marriage Ministry Team
VIDEO: Weekend Logistics Update
Thank you for your patience in cooperating with all of us assisting in the parking lot each week. We still have some tweaking to do and we can always use more helpers in our rotation (email hostteam@restonbible.org to express your interest!)
If you arrive for the second service somewhere close to 10:55, the parking lots will be full. You can drop your family off at the main entrance, but you will have to drive back to the overflow parking at the bottom of the hill to park.
Also, when leaving the property after services, please note that there is a Yield sign – not a Stop sign – at the bottom of our driveway. A volunteer will be posted there to remind people they don’t have to stop, which backs up traffic. We hope this knowledge will save you some time on Sunday mornings.
In addition, we have an imbalance in the number of children attending Quest during the first and second services. If you are a family with elementary school-aged children and attend the 10:45 and it is not a hindrance to your family, please consider attending the 9:00am service.
New Staff Announcement
Here’s a short video from Pastor Mike announcing some staff changes here at RBC.