A Washington church will honor its late pastor and celebrate 150 years of service this weekend.

Spring Garden Missionary Baptist Church will present its “Put Your Weight On In” gospel concert Saturday at 4 p.m., in honor of the Rev. Dr. E.R. McNair, who passed away earlier this year. The concert will bring in choirs from six different churches and various denominations, according to event organizers.

Joyce Moore, an event committee member, said this event is just one of the many events the church has planned to celebrate the 150-year milestone. In September, it will hold a bigger celebration to ring in the anniversary.

Moore said McNair was fond of singing, so the concert is a way to remember him and bring the church together. McNair served as pastor for nearly 50 years at the church.

Saturday’s concert is named after a common phrase McNair used to say to children: “Put your weight on in.” Moore explained that McNair used to always say this phrase to the children of the church when they were singing or worshipping, meaning he wanted them to sing and worship with passion.

She said McNair was an avid supporter of youth in the church — always saying that they are the future.

“It means everything that we are honoring and remembering what he stood for, especially what he did for young people. He was always encouraging young people. The Sunday before he died, the last thing he said to our church was, ‘Take care of the young people,’” Moore said.

According to Moore, the concert harbors a wave of emotions, from grief and sadness to happiness.

“I try not to think about it too much because I still get teary-eyed. We’re still not used to him not being here. It’s a hard adjustment,” Moore said. “He was just a community leader. It wasn’t a hard thing getting people to come participate in this event. He was loved by the whole community.”

Members of the church have been working diligently to plan this worship event. They’ve sent out letters and fliers and tried to spread awareness of the event through word of mouth, according to Moore.

Moore said she’s excited for an evening of music, worshipping and praising.

“We’re really looking forward to it, especially because of the 150^th anniversary. It’s really a special time for us,” she said.