May 10, 2023

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We are writing to you today to share details related to next steps for Restoration Loudoun that were shared with the congregation at the Town Hall discussion on Sunday, May 7.

As many of you are aware, starting July 1, Jake McGlothin will be appointed to Gainesville United Methodist Church as an associate pastor. He will lead a house church network called Revive. We celebrate this appointment as something that is in line with Jake’s passion and calling.

For the last four years, you all have worked hard to establish a new faith community with the support of Floris UMC and Restoration Reston, the Northern Virginia District, and the Virginia Annual Conference. Restoration Loudoun was in a strong trend of growth in the areas of critical mass and financial viability in its first year and then we experienced a worldwide pandemic and its aftermath. Most churches are facing significant decline due to the pandemic, and Restoration Loudoun is no different.

We are now at a place where we are faced with a hard reality related to the sustainability of the Loudoun Campus as it relates to critical mass and financial viability. With that in mind, the Floris UMC/Restoration leadership came to the conclusion that after Jake’s departure, a pastor would not be appointed in his place. That means Restoration Loudoun will no longer hold Sunday morning worship services after Jake departs.

Jake’s last Sunday will be June 4, and this will also be the last worship service for Restoration Loudoun. We recognize that this is a very difficult reality. We also recognize the great difficulty of hearing the news of your beloved pastor departing. It also comes during a season when you have been faithfully working on a discernment process on direction and next steps.

With no dedicated pastor to lead Restoration Loudoun as a distinct worshiping community, we have been exploring creative options for how the people of Restoration Loudoun can continue in the ministry and mission of the church. Pastor Daniel has met with the Core Team, shared the realities of where we are and what real options we have. It is our hope that each person and family will consider joining our worship communities at Floris UMC and/or Restoration Reston. It is our plan to seek ways to continue doing ministry in Dulles South like life groups and service projects.

We also acknowledge and understand that you will all make choices that are best for your spiritual journey. Our greatest concern and hope is that you will find a vital church community to continue in your faith journey with Jesus. While we want to highlight Floris UMC and Restoration Reston as what we hope you will choose, we understand you have options in this area. In particular, we want to highlight Arcola United Methodist Church and Gainesville United
Methodist Church as congregations that are also close to the Dulles South area. They are two congregations that we know are vital, doing great ministry and mission work, and are welcoming church communities. We lift those churches up as great options.

Whatever you choose to do, we want you to land somewhere you will thrive and grow in your faith and capacity to serve the world with the love of God. While we imagine many of you are saddened or disappointed by this news, we also recognize that a lot of amazing ministry has been done by the people of Restoration Loudoun over the past four years and we want to celebrate all God has done together on Sunday, June 4. More information about June 4 will be available soon.

If you have questions or are interested in learning more about Floris UMC or Restoration Reston, please don’t hesitate to contact Barbara at bminer@florisumc.org or Daniel at dpark@restorationreston.org.

In Christ,

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