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Bishop John Guernsey's Visit
Marked By Abundant Food, New Friends, And Insight Into The
History And Growth Of ACOTV
December 9-11 Visit Was New
Bishop's First To Valley
The Visit
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Friday, December 9 - Evening
It’s not your typical driveway. Sure, there’s a
mailbox at one end and a house at the other… But they’re over a
mile apart.
Bishop John Guernsey was to stay at a cabin
south of Staunton during his visit to the Anglican Church of the
Valley (ACOTV). He probably didn’t expect to be staying in the
middle of a forest a long way from anywhere. But he and his wife
Meg surveyed their lodgings with magnanimity… And even seemed to
relish the isolation.
After he settled in, Bishop Guernsey and Meg
traveled the drive once more for supper with the church Vestry
and their spouses at a downtown Staunton restaurant. The evening
was an excellent chance for the new Bishop and the ACOTV leaders
to get to know each other… And they did.
After supper the Bishop got a guided tour of
Staunton’s downtown, and the dozens of beautiful Christmas light
displays in the city’s historic Gypsy Hill Park (The Celebration
of Holiday Lights). The church was one of the first area
churches to place a display in the park, and continues to have
the tallest display – a 20-foot tall Christmas star over a
back-lit manger display.
Saturday, December 10 -
Morning
A chilly Saturday morning found Bishop Guernsey
meeting with members of the ACOTV vestry over breakfast at the
famed, down-home Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant in Staunton. Orders
included all kinds of eggs, some fruits and one truly towering
cinnamon roll for a certain clergyman, the one not a bishop
(Rev. Gary Way). Over the meal, Senior Warden Roger Cooper
outlined the ACOTV history, growth and mission.
The church was formally organized in 2007 by 11
Staunton-area Anglicans of widely diverse backgrounds and met in
homes – and a recreation center. After a year in a Seventh Day
Adventist Church, the church moved to its present home, the
historic Temple House of Israel in downtown Staunton. Sunday
attendance now routinely approaches 30 and continues to grow.
Bishop Guernsey spoke of the mission of the
Anglican Church and provoked a broad discussion on strengthening
and building on the family-like bonds that currently mark ACOTV,
and reaching out to others in the community. The church has
already become known in the area for its generosity to human
services charities.
Following breakfast, the Bishop had a quiet
lunch with the three supply clergy who serve ACOTV, the
Reverends Gary Way, Bobb Fickley and Ed Hollowell.
Saturday, December 10 –
Afternoon
Bishop Guernsey and Meg returned to the forest
cabin after lunch, and found the extreme quiet and peace seemed
to make a nap mandatory. TV at the cabin is restricted to a
single channel – on good days – and digital access is so-so.
A nap seemed an excellent idea.
Saturday, December 10 –
Evening
The Bishop again bravely confronted plates of
food Saturday night at a church pot-luck dinner. The home-cooked
abundance was of great variety, and more than tempting.
 After dinner
the Bishop spoke to those present on how to truly hear God.
Coming alive in Christ, he said, restores our ability to discern
God.
He advised those present to make time in the
materialistic world to be with God, and to let the Lord speak to
them through Scripture. He cautioned, “Your ability
receive God’s word is determined by our willingness to do what
he says.”
“He will reveal His will to you if you truly
seek it.”
After supper Bishop Guernsey shed his coat and
pitched in to put away foods and clean up the Temple community
hall.
Sunday, December 11 - Morning
 Sunday
morning dawned cold. Temperatures at the cabin were well below
20 degrees. However, the Guernsey’s were out, braving the cold,
for a return to the legendary breakfast at Mrs. Rowe’s
Restaurant – and a bit of a drive around historic Staunton.
Church began at eleven. The presence and the
touch of pageantry associated with the visit of its Bishop was
particularly gratifying to the original ACOTV members. The visit
– with its Confirmations – seemed an almost palatable sign by
the Holy Spirit that the hard work to start and grow the church
were worthwhile indeed.
Bishop Guernsey drew his sermon from the
Epistle, 1 Thessalonians 5, and the need to continually give
thanks to God – to “give thanks in all circumstances.”
The message resonated with the congregation, a
group truly grateful for what God has brought to the ACOTV, for
its growth, its excitement, and the bonds of Christian love that
have characterized the church year after year.
After the service – and another encounter with
tables loaded with food – Bishop Guernsey and Meg left for home.
They made friends, offered some guidance, gained some insight
into a growing Anglican Church – and went home a few pounds
heavier.
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