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Virginia Hills Church and Kingstowne Communion dedicated a new shared worship and community-services building July 12 in Rose Hill, completing a redevelopment that paired a replacement church with new senior housing on Telegraph Road.
The approximately 10,892-square-foot building at 6507 Telegraph Road includes a sanctuary, fellowship hall, six preschool classrooms and a full kitchen. The fellowship hall can host events or provide overflow space for worship. The facility also has central air conditioning, an emergency sprinkler system and features described as compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“A big part of our vision is creating a space that will be utilized by the community,” said Bart Purdy, pastor of Virginia Hills Church. “We want to be a community outreach facility.”
The building is now home to both congregations. Virginia Hills Church holds Sunday services at 11:15 a.m., while Kingstowne Communion meets at 9:30 a.m. The United Methodist congregation previously met in schools. Its partnership with Virginia Hills began after Kingstowne Communion Pastor Michelle Matthews discussed the congregation’s search for a permanent home with Jeannine Deem Purdy.
Beyond worship, the facility hosts Virginia Hills Church’s preschool, before- and after-school care for elementary-age children, a local Boy Scout troop and an English as a Second Language program. Purdy said the ESOL classes would be offered in partnership with nearby Rose Hill Elementary School.
Virginia Hills Church financed construction with proceeds from selling part of its property and with community donations. In June 2020, the church sold approximately 217,800 square feet—the back half of its Telegraph Road property—to Brightview Senior Living for $5.125 million, according to Fairfax County property records. Brightview developed 167 independent-living, assisted-living and dementia-care apartments at 6509 Telegraph Road.
Church and Brightview leaders had hoped the two projects would open at the same time, but permitting delays postponed church construction. Brightview opened its adjoining community in July 2025, and construction of the church building began around that time. Construction was completed in June 2026. During construction, Virginia Hills met temporarily at Mount Vernon United Methodist Church.
The redevelopment replaced a building whose maintenance had become increasingly difficult. Church leaders cited a leaking roof, outdated heating and air conditioning, deteriorating plumbing and declining use of the old sanctuary as reasons to pursue the project. The church was established Sept. 4, 1957, with 55 founding members and initially met at Virginia Hills Elementary School. Its original building opened in 1959 on an approximately 7.5-acre property and was expanded in 1964 with a larger sanctuary and educational wing.
Del. Garrett McGuire and Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk attended the dedication and ribbon cutting. Lusk said the project responds to local needs for senior housing and child care and expressed interest in discussing housing projects with faith-based organizations in his district.
“It helps our seniors. It helps all the residents, and for this community to continue to be a vibrant, thriving community, we’ve got to provide housing of all types,” Lusk said.