Bishop John Guernsey: A prayer-led life

By Dave Fawcett
June 26, 2010

Listen to the Lord and follow His direction. As the rector of All Saints’ Church in Dale City for almost 29 years, John Guernsey lived by that biblical principle in all aspects of his life.

Whatever issue lay before him, big or small, he consistently offered it up in prayer and then was obedient to the call. Sometimes, the message was clear from the start, other times it meant pressing in for further clarity.

But no matter what was asked, Guernsey said he always served the Lord first and it was his desire to put the Lord’s plans above all else that defined a ministry that had a far-reaching impact for those in his congregation, others in Prince William County and ultimately himself.

On June 13, Guernsey officially stepped down as All Saints’ rector to devote his energies full time to being the bishop of the Diocese of the Holy Spirit in the Anglican Church of North America. The move was prompted after 18 months of searching for a new rector before All Saints’ called the Rev. Dan Morgan in April to take over. the rest