For now I want you to be aware of this development and to know that I'll be meeting with our vestry in a special session both to pray together and to consider our next steps.

We have known all along that this could happen and over the last year, while I have devoted myself fully to laying the ground work for an amicable negotiated settlement, your vestry has been focused on preparing for this very possibility even while persistently praying it would never come to pass. All the other churches that have left already and several others still in discernment about this are strongly committed to working together with us, and we have the unusual provision of a team of lawyers who are both extremely capable and unusually mature in Jesus Christ. Many of our wisest people have been preparing for the whole range of possible contingencies for quite some time.

So, although I am deeply disappointed that this decision has been made by the Diocese of Virginia and the Episcopal Church, I am in no way fearful or alarmed. Our aim all along has been to be as Jesus commanded us, to "be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves." If the diocese and the national church do in fact pursue adversarial litigation against us over the ownership of our property, we will vigorously and humbly defend our responsibility (both to past and future generations) to be faithful stewards for that which God has entrusted to us for His purposes.

However our church is not dependent upon buildings and grounds. These things are important but they are incidental to being a church. The church is people indwelt by God's spirit intent on faithfully following Christ who leads us in truth and grace. The plans of God are always larger and greater than our ability to grasp. The one thing in life that matters is to be faithful to Him.

Recently however I have been pondering a much greater theme which is God's faithfulness to us! We can always depend on God to faithfully care for us whatever the circumstances, and the basis of His faithfulness is not our own worthiness or wisdom but His love for us in Christ. "The Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you." (2 Thessalonians 3:3). I beseech you to set aside times alone and in your small groups to pray about this matter.

This event may cause additional sadness and pain to many, and we need to continue to embody the love of Christ in our responses to those who may disagree with us. We will continue to welcome and invite everyone to join us in worship, and to invite those who may hear or believe negative things about us to 'come, taste and see' for themselves. I believe the Lord may be setting open a very wide door for us to share the wonderful love of Jesus Christ to a hurting world. I look forward to worshipping our faithful Lord together with you this Saturday night and Sunday.

In the family, John

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The Rev'd John Yates is Rector of The Falls Church in Falls Church, VA
http://www.thefallschurch.org