Following Dr. Pickell’s retirement The Reverend Doctor Dorothy Wright came as an Interim Pastor in January 1994. She was a most caring person and was missed when she left in April 1995 to go to Capital Hill Presbyterian Church in DC. She has since served as Moderator of the PCUSA General Assembly, and in many other offices in the PCUSA.

In the year served by Dr. Wright the search committee for a pastor under the chairmanship of Jim Hubbard spent many long hours listening to tapes, interviewing candidates and reading over one hundred fifty dossiers. It was an exciting learning experience, as the church had never had that many applicants for the ministerial position. The accomplishment of this committee was the call of the Reverend John Peterson who became the pastor in May 1995. He and his wife, Robin, and two sons live in Ashburn Farms. During the short time here he has helped increase the membership through his excellent sermons. After adjusting the membership roll due to new members, transfers, deletions, deaths, and placing people on the inactive roll, the membership in 1996 was approximately one hundred ninety.

The congregation of the Ashburn Presbyterian Church throughout its history was and is a church of missions. Some of the activities were local in focus such as the church groups for all ages, food collections for the interfaith pantry and other food distribution agencies, sponsoring scout troops, AA which meets twice weekly in the old fellowship hall, karate for the children and other activities including housing a pre-school, which in 1996 was not affiliated with the church. Through the years, APC has reached abroad through its activities and members as have been seen in this narrative.

Various paid organists provided the church music in late 1993 until the hiring of Mr. Robby Paul Edwards. Mr. Edwards was a student at Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester at that time. He remained organist until June 1996 when he resigned to take another organist position elsewhere. During the interim period, which followed, Mrs. LeAnn Eroe, then pianist, played for worship. In September 1996 James Fabian became the new organist.

In the summer of 1995 members of the Young Life organization sponsored in part by this church traveled to Europe to share their Christian beliefs and in 1996 the Europeans visited with members of this congregation. This was accomplished under the direction of Greg Troxell.

In 1996 members of this congregation also hosted a group of students visiting from Korea, under the leadership of retired missionaries The Reverend John and Ruth Folta, his wife.