A couple of years ago about the time the cherry blossoms bloomed in our nation’s capital I visited that great City. I was in Washington with several people from my hometown visiting our Congressional delegation on an annual visit that gave us a chance to get out of town for what we called a good reason.

This was not my first visit to our beautiful Capital but one I enjoyed more than any other. We arrived on a beautiful Saturday afternoon and enjoyed a great dinner in some unknown and unpublicized restaurant recommended by a friendly cab driver. As several of our group returned to our hotel I was given the choice of going to Baltimore the next day to visit ‘Oriole Park’ and watch the ‘Orioles’ or going to one of many famous Churches in the Washington area. My good friends Trudy Grisham and Wally Terry started the tradition several years before of visiting churches with distinguished histories. Over time they had seen some great churches in the process. Another good friend Wade Weaver, our friendly Budweiser distributor, was leading the Baltimore trip to see first hand the new ‘Camden Yards’ ballpark and to take in the Orioles playing the Braves in an early afternoon game that would have gotten us back into Washington before our first reception. What a choice for an ole country boy smitten with a love of both history and baseball. To my surprise I decided very quickly to tag along with Trudy and Wally to whatever church they chose.

I guess I surprised myself when I chose the church trip over the baseball trek to the venue where Cal Ripken Jr. ruled during the twi-light of his career. Trudy and Wally chose Christ Church in Alexandria, Va, and what a choice it was. During the taxi ride to Alexandria, my travel buddies educated me about where we were headed. I learned that this was the Church of none other than George and Martha Washington and the Robert E. Lee family. As we drew near we laughed about the possibility of sitting in old George and Martha’s pew and being treated like visiting dignitaries.

As soon as we walked into the vestibule of this beautiful historic church we were met by the nicest lady imaginable, who immediately recognized us as visitors and ask if we would like to sit in President Washington’s box. Trudy, being the southern charm machine she is, responded as if we were dignitaries and graciously accepted the offer while Wally and I tried to regain our composure. We actually sat for the entire service where George and Martha Washington worshiped so many years ago. Inside this historic box and on the pew which faced the pulpit, was an engraved plate that identified the position inside this same box where President and Mrs. Franklin Roosevelt and Sir Winston Churchill had sat for worship during World War II.

Across the aisle and two rows back a pew was engraved with a similar plate identified Robert E. Lee’s pew, with others spread throughout the Church commemorating numerous other national leaders who worshiped in this wonderful old place for over two hundred years.

Later in the day my two experienced guides took me to another old and beautiful church back in town and near the White House, where every President from Washington to George W. Bush worshipped and even had their personalized kneeling cushion for the time they spent on their knees talking with the God and asking for his guidance in governing our great country.

I was jolted back to that day recently by events surrounding this year’s presidential campaign. Some of these candidates would have us believe they represent the first presidential contender to ever know or need God. History will tell us every President we ever had has relied on God for his guidance and help in good times and bad. Neither party nor candidate has a corner on God, they will all humbly bow before him to save this great nation and to lead it through the good times and bad. Republicans did not bring God to Washington D.C., he’s always been there and always will be, so long as we remain ‘one nation under God’.