Two Front Royal Churches Plan Joint Oct. 25 Gathering Focused on Faith and Virginia Ballot Issues

Two Front Royal churches plan to close their doors for regular Sunday services Oct. 25 — not to take the day off, but to bring their congregations and other Christians together for a community gathering at Bing Crosby Stadium.

Bobby Stepp of New Hope Bible Church and Butch Hammond of Church at Skyline said the 10:30 a.m. event will include prayer, worship, Scripture readings and discussion of proposed amendments to the Virginia Constitution appearing before voters.

The two church leaders said their primary focus will be proposed constitutional changes involving abortion and marriage, issues they believe Christians should examine through the teachings of Scripture.

“We do not want, in any way, shape, or form, this to be a political event,” Stepp said. “This is about the church, the body of Christ coming together, being the body of Christ.”

The gathering will be open to the public, and Stepp and Hammond are encouraging other area pastors and congregations to participate.

For Stepp, the proposed constitutional changes deserve particular attention because amending the state constitution carries consequences beyond passing an ordinary law.

He said the churches want people to understand what is being proposed, consider the potential long-term effects, and make their decisions based on their faith and conscience.

“Everybody sees the world through a lens,” Stepp said. “And we as believers see it through the lens of God’s Word.”

During the interview, both pastors opposed the proposed amendments and expressed concerns about how they believe some of the language could be interpreted in the future.

Their comments included predictions about the possible legal effects of the amendments. Those statements reflect the pastors’ interpretation and arguments against the proposals; supporters of the amendments have offered different interpretations of their meaning and legal effect.

Hammond said the idea for the Front Royal gathering began after a prayer breakfast he was scheduled to attend in Winchester was canceled because of a venue issue involving the planned appearance of political figure Winsome Earle-Sears.

He said his reaction was to ask what churches in his own community could do.

From there, conversations began about bringing Christians together in Front Royal.

“What really, as a church of 2026, can we do with the issues at hand that are biblical issues and biblical truths that we hold near and dear and sacred as Holy Scriptures?” Hammond said.

Both men emphasized that they see the gathering as primarily aimed at Christians rather than a political rally organized around party labels.

“Our goal is not to be red or blue, black or white,” Hammond said. “Our goal is to be biblical.”

Disagreement Without Hostility

Stepp also said disagreement over the issues should not automatically be viewed as hostility toward people who reach a different conclusion.

“Our greatest pursuit is truth,” he said. “And we’re not opposed to having discussions. And just because we disagree doesn’t mean we hate.”

That distinction is important to both pastors as they prepare for the Oct. 25 gathering.

They acknowledged that Virginians have different beliefs about abortion, marriage, and other social issues and that supporters of the proposed amendments will strongly disagree with their position.

The pastors said they aim to explain why they oppose the measures from a biblical perspective and encourage Christians to consider Scripture as they decide how to vote.

Stepp said the churches aren’t seeking to make those decisions for voters.

Instead, he said, they want people to read, study, and understand what is before them.

Hammond said churches should also be willing to have difficult conversations rather than avoiding controversial subjects because they are uncomfortable.

He described the gathering as a first step toward encouraging more cooperation among local congregations.

Prayer And Worship At Bing Crosby Stadium

The final order of service was still being developed at the time of the interview, but Stepp said the gathering is expected to begin at 10:30 a.m., with the stadium opening beforehand.

Prayer will be a major part of the morning, along with worship and Scripture readings.

Hammond is expected to address abortion from the churches’ biblical perspective, while Stepp plans to speak about marriage.

The pastors said anyone is welcome to attend, with a special invitation to other churches and pastors throughout the community.

“We’re opening this up to anyone who wants to attend,” Stepp said.

Hammond said he hopes Christians from different congregations will see the morning as an opportunity to come together around their shared faith even if they normally worship in different buildings.

“Let us join together in unity,” he said.

For New Hope Bible Church and Skyline Church, that means doing something unusual on a Sunday morning.

Their church buildings may be closed for their normal services on Oct. 25, but Stepp said they don’t really intend to close the church at all.

“We’re closing one door,” he said, “but we’re opening a big one.”

The Oct. 25 gathering at Bing Crosby Stadium is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. and is open to the community.

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