What’s going on in Northern Virginia?

In May 2020, the tragic death of George Floyd on the streets of Minneapolis initially ignited weeks of violent riots that resulted in more than 1,500 area businesses being damaged or destroyed as well as multiple additional riots, more destruction, and numerous deaths occurring nationwide.

So much anger, hatred, violence, suffering . . . what good could ever come of it?

But 1,100 miles away in northern Virginia, a seed was planted. Ministers began looking for answers – not wanting anything remotely similar taking place in their communities. They soon realized, perhaps in moments of divine revelation, that maybe they were part of the problem.

The underlying and convicting question was: How could the body of Christ (the Church) demonstrate the love of Christ to others when its many parts (as the apostle Paul explained to the Corinthians) preferred to attempt to work independently of each other and (in some cases) refused to even accept each other — much less love each other?

If one were to listen to the national media, the only possible issue keeping churches from experiencing unity as a body is race. For some in northern Virginia, maybe race was part of the current challenge (or perhaps had historical ties to racial division). But what seemed to be really splintering the Bible-believing body of Christ was denominationalism — us vs. all the rest.

But when ministers decided to start coming together in a monthly multidenominational gathering to meet, get to know one another, and get ahead of potential future violence — as they had observed in Minneapolis and other communities — some surprising discoveries were made.

When they stopped focusing on the differences and focused on the similarities of their shared fundamental beliefs and callings, it opened doors of communication and understanding. Soon it was as if long lost brothers and sisters were discovering one another.

Pastor Stevie Burke, lead pastor of Christian Life Church, an independent church in Manassas, regularly attends the minister gatherings.