Capitol Church Service

With all of the drama going on lately in Washington, I though I would share an interesting piece of information that my boss told our staff last Monday.

As most of you are aware, the House of Representatives worked through the weekend and passed the Health Care Bill that we have all been hearing about non-stop for the past year late Sunday evening. However, a portion of the weekend that was not televised was a bipartisan church service, held in Statuary Hall, on Sunday morning.

Statuary Hall was where the House of Representatives used to meet when there were fewer Members. It was also the home of the largest gathering of Christians for Sunday church services (starting in 1800 until 1857)—when DC was just beginning to develop. This past week’s service was the first to be held there in 130 years.

The service ended with Peter Marshall (Senate Chaplain) from March 21, 1947:

“O Lord our God, in the midst of the troubles that surround us, when compromises come home to roost and expediencies return to plague us, keep us from adding to the mistakes of the past. Save us from accepting a little of what we know to be wrong in order to a get a little of what we imagine to be right. Help us to stand up for the inalienable rights of mankind and the principals of democratic government consistently and with courage, knowing that Thy power and Thy blessing will be upon us only when we are in the right. May we so speak, and vote, and live, as to merit Thy blessing. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.”

Proverbs 18:17 “The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.”