What a great homecoming and reunion!
Thanks to all who made it back for three days of renewed fellowship and exuberant worship. Explore the pictures below and also a few memories and updates. (Thanks to Rebekah Bradshaw for the pictures.) Send your own memories and updates to reunion@fbfellowship.org and we will get them posted!
Click here for a livestream of the Saturday presentation.
Enjoy the interviews below of FBF alumni. Thanks to Kyra for conducting the interviews and Jake for his extensive editing!
Episode 1, Jessica Quinlan • Episode 2, Ray Parks • Episode 3, the Deans • Episode 4, the Miers • Episode 5, the Kikkerts • Episode 6, Wright Doyle
Memories and updates
Send your own memories and updates to reunion@fbfellowship.org and we will get them posted!
From John Copeland
Lee Copeland had an influence on our son Stephen during Stephen’s time at Liberty University, even taking time to meet with him during his undergraduate studies. We loved Lee and really miss him.
Our son Stephen and his wife Grace live in St. Louis where Stephen attends Covenant Seminary to earn MDIV and MCounseling degrees. They have 2 children, a daughter Dottie (age 5) and a son Jensen (age 2). Stephen also holds a bachelor’s degree from Liberty University in Biblical Studies. Stephen previously served on pastoral staff at churches in St. Louis and Memphis, where his wife is a native. Grace is a licensed counselor serving with a local Christian counseling center.
Our son Samuel (who Richard McClintock loved to call ‘Gerber Baby’ for his baby face) and his wife Emily live in Chicago. Samuel earned a bachelor’s degree at Liberty University and a MDIV through Southeastern Baptist Seminary in a local study program in the New River and Roanoke valleys called Bonhoeffer Haus. Samuel and Emily have 3 daughters, Ella (age 5), Eva (age 3), and Emilia (age 1). Samuel is in the process of planting a church in southside Chicago. He is working under the umbrella of the SEND network, a mission arm of the Southern Baptist Convention. Here’s a link to Samuel’s church plant website: https://www.gardencitychicago.org/.
Our daughter Rachel is married to Stu Nelson. They live in Pulaski, VA, where Stu is a Lieutenant in the Sheriff’s Department. Rachel is currently pursuing a degree online. She is the Human Resources Director at the Wytheville Community Hospital in Wytheville, VA. Stu and Rachel have 2 pit bulls that are well trained by their Lieutenant father!
Lucy and I live on a 27 acre farm in Montgomery County, VA about 8 miles west of Blacksburg. We keep 15 goats of various breeds, 2 horses, 2 dogs, 2 cats, laying chickens, and raise meat chickens seasonally. As a retiree, Lucy volunteers with the Agape Center NRV (https://www.agapecenternrv.org) where she coordinates the mentorship program and anything else that really needs to get done! I retired on September 1, 2022 from my fisheries biologist position with the VA Department of Wildlife Resources after 34 + years, including 25 years working the New River from NC to WV. As a result of all those years of being a state biologist working with an NGO on the New River, they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, so I serve as their water quality manager, training and deploying volunteers to collect water quality data on streams and submitting data to the state water quality agencies in VA and NC. (https://newriverconservancy.org/team/john-copeland)
We are looking forward to seeing you all soon.
John Copeland (of the ‘Little Copelands’)
From Jack Jirak
I will always be grateful to have been part of the Faith Bible Fellowship family and to have been blessed and cared for so well by the FBF community during my time at Hampden-Sydney. Walking through the doors on Sunday mornings always served as a visceral reminder of the steady and beautiful simplicity of God’s faithfulness. FBF radiated a quiet, yet strong faith in the goodness and grace of God that was beautiful and true. The FBF community was always welcoming, encouraging, and kind, providing respite during challenging times as an undergrad.
I am particularly thankful for the extravagant and generous hospitality shown to me by particular families in the FBF community–including the McClintock and Deribigus families. You all served as my home away from home, including by feeding me so well with inumerable home-cooked meals that were so desperately needed. And, of course, I am grateful to have been shepherded by Lee Copeland and to have had the opportunity to spend so much time with a man who walked in the Way with such humility, wisdom, and love.
At its core, Faith Bible Fellowship embodies both what it means to answer the call of Jesus to welcome in strangers, but also the beauty that occurs when strangers become family.
1990–2025
Jeff and I first met Lee & Betty when our Pastor, Pres Nowlin invited them to lead a weekend retreat at Powhatan Mennonite Church. We started attending Faith Bible Fellowship in 1990 when the congregation had just moved into the current church building. Because there was a bank mortgage at that time, people attending had to become “official church members” to submit their names to the bank to get the loan approved. For several years I taught the first-third grade Sunday School Class. We used to bring our grandchildren to church. One Sunday our 5-year-old grandson, Charles got really excited because in his words “the guy up front” invited everyone to a church picnic! The “guy up front” was Pastor Lee!
One year Betty asked me to plan monthly activities for the entire church. The most popular one was “Guests and Hosts”. Those who signed up to be hosts knew guests were coming – they just didn’t know exactly who they were until the “surprise guests” arrived. During another activity we were playing “The Newly Wed Game” and the question was “What is your spouse’s favorite season of the year?” Jean Noone said she knew she was supposed to choose “winter, spring, summer or fall” but told us ET would say “baseball season” and sure enough that was his answer. We all got a good laugh over that.
Another memory is when dealing with a health crisis with Jeff, both Pres and Lee volunteered to come and sit with Jeff for a day so I could go to work. Others from the church also stepped in and helped us with assorted needs during this difficult season.
Jeff and I rotated in and out of FBF over the years to help start three different churches. Although we weren’t going to FBF at the time, Jeff was asked to be in charge of beverages for Lee’s big milestone birthday celebration at the train station. For over 30 years, even when we were serving at other churches, we have continued to host an FBF small group each month at our home for a meal and prayer time. Decades later we are back attending services at FBF, and we now are bringing our two great granddaughters to church.
Pat Smith
Lots of memories
Since Sherri and I have been at FBF over 40 years, we have lots of memories! It’s so encouraging that the main thing about the fellowship has never changed — our strong sense of family and our amazing love for one another, fostered in part by so much fellowship time and our weekly meals. I’m hesitant to give examples of how we’ve been loved and encouraged, because I don’t want anyone who has helped us to feel overlooked, but I do want to list a few things representative of so many more.
• When we had our first baby shortly after coming here, and all of our babies for that matter, we were overwhelmed at all the people bringing food and helping out. We hadn’t experienced anything like it at our previous large churches.
• When we moved from town to the DeRegibus house so they could take an extended missions trip, we had to get the moving van up a very snowy/icy driveway. I thought our cars had carved a path, but the wheel span was wider on the van and we had to use axes to chip away at the ice. Four hours later we finally got it up the hill, and our many FBF helpers waited patiently the whole time!
• One Easter Sunday we headed to Richmond to visit family and the timing belt on our car broke, stranding us halfway. Lee Copeland came to our rescue. We felt so bad pulling him away on this big day, but we didn’t know where to find a taxi (and really couldn’t afford one anyway), and he came readily and happily.
• The Wellings family spent six hours at our house on a Christmas Eve while Keith tried to fix our faulty toilet. Success in the end! Through the years Keith showed up to help with many other “ventures” as well.
• We’ve gotten so much help through my cancer trial, but I must mention the gift of a little lap blanket knitted together over the course of the church calendar, “every stitch made with a prayer.” It has so warmed my heart as well as my body. Thank you Kendra.
• When Sam and Camille came, she told the elders he was prone to overwork by caring for others. We assured her he was coming to teach only. That didn’t happen! He spends countless hours caring for others, especially the most needy among us, many of whom started coming because of our push to reach the neighborhood.
Again, so reluctant to post these as there are so many others I could cite. Just know you are all so deeply loved and appreciated!
Jon Marken
From Stephen Campbell
I don’t think I have any photos from my time at FBF, but I’ve attached a photo of Lee when he came to Philadelphia to officiate our wedding (photo is from the rehearsal).
