The Awakening of Washington's Church

by J.B. Simmons, John Yates (Contributor)

How a church lost everything and gained what matters most.

In 1763, George Washington visited The Falls Church and declared its building "rotten and unfit for repair." A fine brick colonial church was soon built on the spot. It witnessed key moments of American history, but by 1979 the church had become a sleepy place. A young pastor and a renewed focus on Jesus changed that. Within a decade, the church was building a new sanctuary to host thousands on its historic property.

But the faith that fueled this growth ran into conflict with a mainline denomination. Division and costly litigation ensued. The church lost the priceless land that Washington had once graced. Was it worth the cost? What would happen after such a loss?

Washington's church awakened, and not in ways anyone could have predicted.

Genres: Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2019

About the author

J.B. Simmons is the bestselling author of twelve books that bring hope to dystopia. Readers can't put them down.

The Five Towers series takes you to a world you'll never forget. Cipher wakes up in a mysterious tower with no memories of his former life. He must learn who he was before he can figure out why he's here...and how to get out.

The Unbound trilogy tells the story of a teen from Manhattan with nightmares of a dragon and the world ending in 2066. It has been acclaimed as "The Da Vinci Code meets Hunger Games meets Left Behind... An imagining epic." (Hugh Hewitt)

J.B. lives and writes in a tree house outside Washington, D.C. You can visit him at www.jbsimmons.com.

Reviews

[Julie Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Falls Church Anglican came to my life at a pivotal point within my faith journey. It is not an overstatement to say that my experiences within this church restored my faith in the church and the beauty that can exist in true biblical community and teaching. Reading this book, particularly the comments and responses of individuals who have been a part of it's history over the past several decades, was like reading my own heart and mind. Many times I read a comment from a congregant and found myself remembering when I had a similar, if not the same, thought cross my mind and press into my heart. A beautiful story of the work that God can do with those faithful to Him, seeped in His word, and desperate to follow His will, The Awakening of Washington's Church is not just powerful for one who attends but for any searching for hope within the church and in the midst of challenging decisions and trying times.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meticulously researched, this book tells the compelling story of an important church and historic church in Northern Virginia, and its rector John Yates. The book details the growth and life of the church -- for which George Washington once served on the vestry -- over two hundred years, focusing primarily on the recent Yates era, during which the congregation grew in size and influence. Mr. Simmons does a masterful job providing a comprehensive yet accessible overview of the theological rift between mainline and evangelical churches that occurred within the Episcopal denomination, and lucidly tells the story of the property litigation between The Episcopal Church and the Northern Virginia congregations that voted to leave the denomination.

[JLynn]

Page turner

J.B. Simmons does a great job of giving a quick overview of the history (especially the recent history) of the Falls Church Anglican. His quotes and sermon excerpts seemed to capture the spirit of each part of the story he was telling. And I feel I have a better understanding of the Falls Church, because I read this book.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not the story of mainline vs evangelical churches. This was the story of an obedient church in a disobedient denomination.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh how I LOVED this book!!! It did feel a bit more like a story about John Yates than a church, but a church’s leader is so definitional of its people…so I see how his words and actions set the tone for love and faithfulness and I loved getting to hear so much of what he said and how he led through this challenging/chaotic ordeal.

The only problem with this book is that it made us want to pack up our family and move to DC so we could go to a church like Falls Church! We have attended Anglican churches before, but not one with a rector who is good at preaching from his heart and guts as well as his head. My husband attends Reformed Theological Seminary (on the side - he has a full-time job), but I have taken up learning theology too, and once you start caring about what exactly your church is teaching and saying according to Scripture, you don’t have many churches left that are viable options to attend in good conscience…you get stuck with a lot of conservative presbyterian churches actually, and those are just a cultural nightmare because they are the opposite of warm, welcoming, and compassionate…you find yourself in the midst of the frozen chosen trying to focus because it is so boring 😳

But I am super thankful for our friends in this congregation and how they cling to a unique savior and exclusive gospel with the Bible as their authority…that the work of God in Christ and the word of God in scripture are complete. They are dear people and brothers and sisters in Christ. I am so thankful Josh Simmons shared this beautiful story ♥️

[Jds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good biography of a local church and it's trials. Good insights into the way a pastor cared for his people and approached ministry. Recommended to those interested in pastoral ministry/biography, those interested in how churches navigate difficult times, and those interested in church history in the greater Washington DC area.

[Joyce Romero · Rating 5 out of 5]

read the 2nd edition. powerful look into the life of a church who sufferred much for standing on the truths of the Bible and not following the culture of a denomination.

[Joanne Cretacci · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating read!