Today, our church asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Virginia Supreme Court's decision ordering the transfer of our real and personal property to The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia (copy of our petition).

We know the Supreme Court can hear only a fraction of the cases it is asked to review. But as the petition explains, we believe there are compelling reasons for the Court to take up our case. And even more, we believe that God has led us to take this step and trust that He is at work to bring about the outcome that most exalts our Savior Jesus Christ.

Whatever that outcome may be, this legal battle is a ministry that God has entrusted to our church, and we want to be faithful to God's calling to see it through. Our prayer is that the result might benefit not only our church, but a wide range of churches, across denominational lines. And we rejoice that He has positioned and enabled us to take this step.

We expect to hear sometime in January 2014 whether the Court will hear our case. If it does, the Court will likely issue a ruling on the merits by the end of June 2014.

Please pray for the Court, for the Justices, and for their law clerks as they consider our petition. The names of the Justices are:

            John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice

            Antonin Scalia, Associate Justice

            Anthony M. Kennedy, Associate Justice

            Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice

            Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice

            Stephen G. Breyer, Associate Justice

            Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr., Associate Justice

            Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice

            Elena Kagan, Associate Justice

Whatever the Court may ultimately do, we know that God is faithful and loving and just. In the end, only His judgment is final, and only His judgment matters.

May Christ be honored in all that we do.

In the family,

George Ward             Mona Lindeman

Senior Warden             Junior Warden