For God and Country

Both Mike and Brenda had tears in their eyes by the end of "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name!," the opening hymn at the 11 am Sunday church service at Chattanooga's Second Presbyterian Church.  The accomplished musician used both feet and all fingers to play the organ such that congregants and choir members sang with bold conviction.  The entire sanctuary filled with His praises!

It is our desire to attend church services each Sunday.  So it was our pleasure to be warmly welcomed by one of the church ushers, Steve, who proceeded to introduce us to several other members of the Second Presbyterian Church congregation.  Being familiar with the Presbyterian Church USA, the service brought back fond memories, the music pure joy, and the pastor's message inspiration.  And what hospitality we experienced!  We accepted the (several) invitations extended us for the luncheon following the service, and guess what?  We met Carol (usher Steve's wife) who in her growing up years traveled to Bemidji, Minnesota each summer with her family; her dad loved to fish!

The Second Presbyterian Church was established in 1871, and according to usher Steve, it was considered "The Carpetbagger's Church."  The Carpetbaggers were Northerners--often times soldiers who had served in Tennessee--who moved to the area during the reconstruction era after the Civil War.  The building is on the historic register and its sanctuary windows are of ornate and beautiful stained glass.  Many of the stained glass windows were installed to commemorate those who died during a yellow fever epidemic and give thanks for those who did not contract the disease.  Today, besides being a place of worship and Christian education, the Second Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga is home to a men's homeless shelter which--despite pressures from newly established hotels who wished to eliminate nearby shelters--the city council grandfathered into Chattanooga's renewed downtown.

As we are very aware of, it's Election Day tomorrow.  It's been interesting to be in a part of the country where we are hearing voices from BOTH sides of the aisle.  Tennessee is one of the swing states, a state where President Trump and Vice President Pence held a rally yesterday, right here in Chattanooga, a short walk from where Velsignet is docked.  Do you need to ask?  Of course we attended the rally!  We have never regretted opportunities to be in the presence of our state or national leaders.  Brenda's opinion of President Carter was forever boosted after she went to hear him speak at the Town Hall in Seattle; what a man of faith and service!  What were our impressions of the rally?  President Trump?  Vice President Pence?

We relate the Trump Rally to an energetic high school pep rally:  organized, full of excitement, loud, with recognition of VIPs (MVPs), and all kinds of wild statements about the competition/opposition.  UTC's (University of Tennessee, Chattanooga) McKenzie Basketball Stadium was completely filled with 11,000+ people, with slightly fewer than that outside the building, not able to get in due to max capacity restrictions.  Vice President Pence, although an excellent speaker, didn't speak long and introduced President Trump.  As President Trump entered the stage, he seemed to thoroughly enjoy the audience.  He appeared relaxed.  He took his time acknowledging the crowd and also his supporters: Lee Greenwood (who sang his hit song, "I'm Proud to be an American" as the president entered the arena), the VP, the State of Tennessee and its leaders.  While we find it difficult to defend our President's statements as reported on the news media, we left the rally with a greater sense of how our nation's top leader loves his country and especially his country's men and women.

This election, we voted early before we left Minnesota.  If you haven't voted yet, we encourage you to do so.  May your vote be preceded in prayer.  Pray for the health of your family members; our communities and those who seek in them food, shelter and jobs; for wisdom and cooperation among our local and national leaders; and for our country.  God bless America!

This is the sanctuary at the Second Presbyterian Church, downtown Chattanooga.  The stained glass windows are amazing (this photo shows only a few of the many windows in stained glass).  The pews were originally painted white.  What beautiful wood was exposed when they had them stripped and redone.

The Second Presbyterian Church is on the Tennessee historic registry.  In its basement is a men's homeless shelter.  At church yesterday, a congregant reported that the church was donating $18,000 to support the shelter's operations.

This is a photo of the wonderful organist who truly blessed Mike and Brenda with Bach's "Fanfare Prelude in C Major" and the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's "The Messiah."  His accompaniments to the hymns we sang were just as majestic!

Here we are at the Trump Rally in UTC's McKenzie Arena.  Every seat was filled!

This is the arrival of Vice President Pence.  

In this picture, you can see secret service officials watching the crowd.  On stage is President Trump giving kudos and acknowledgement to Lee Greenwood as he is concluding his hit song, "I'm Proud to be an American."

The lines of people to get into the arena were well organized and moved at a good pace. 

Along the way, there were tables like this of vendors selling hats, shirts, scarves, etc. for Trump.

Citizens of all ages came to the rally.  It was a good opportunity for parents to bring awareness to children about how our nation's democracy operates through elected officials.  I loved this little boy's cheek that boasted the US flag!