The Reverend Matthew A. Zimmerman, Pastor at the 1st Baptist Church, Warrenton VA, and first African-American to serve as Chief of Army Chaplains, will preach this year's ecumenical sermon at Middleburg's 40th Annual Free Church Homecoming, Sunday, June 21st at Middleburg Baptist Church, 209 East Federal Street, Middleburg.

A South Carolina native, Reverend Zimmerman, brings solid experience to the task of preaching to the five congregations who will gather for this unique service. A graduate of Benedict College, Columbia, SC, Reverend Zimmerman went on to become the first African-American to earn a Masters of Divinity from Duke University; he later earned a Master of Science degree in Guidance and Counseling from Long Island University which supported his later service as a campus pastor for Idaho State University and Morris College, Sumter, SC.

Reverend Zimmerman is also a graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College and the U.S. Army War College. During his illustrious military career, which included wartime Vietnam service, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, 3 Meritorious Service Medals, the Army Commendation Medal and the Vietnam Honor Medal, 1st Class. As Chief of Army Chaplains, Rev. Zimmerman rose to the rank of Major General, responsible for the management, training and assignments for 6,400 chaplains and chaplain's assistants. Reverend Zimmerman was a 1990 recipient of the NAACP's Roy Wilkins Meritorious Service Award and elected to the South Carolina Black Hall of Fame in 1992. From 1994-98 he served as the first African-American Director of the Department of Veteran's Affairs National Chaplains Center in Hampton VA where his responsibilities included directing headquarters level chaplain activities, the Chaplain Education Center and proving leadership for the Department's National Chaplain Service which is responsible for all chaplains of all denominations in 171 VA Medical Centers.

The Free Church Homecoming began as a patriotic ecumenical service during the 1976 Bicentennial bringing Middleburg's diverse worshipping communities together for a joint service and is celebrated every June at Middleburg Baptist, the site of the original "Old Free Church," constructed in the late 1700's and originally used jointly by the Baptist, Episcopal and Methodist churches of Middleburg, as well as the Presbyterian Church in Aldie. Responsibility for the service rotates year-to-year among participating congregations. This year's host is the Shiloh Baptist Church. The service begins at 11:00 a.m. and is followed by a potluck picnic with the entrée provided by the host church. Childcare is provided for the service and all events are open to the public.