When the President Attends Your Church

When the President Attends Your Church | [View online]( [Give Now]( Advertisement [Local Church Outreach]( [CT Pastors]( [Subscribe]( [More on Outreach]( Wednesday, December 5, 2018 When the President Attends Your Church This week the nation mourned the loss of the 41st President of the United States, George Herbert Walker Bush. Even his opponents described him as a man of warmth and humanity. One tribute looks at the places of worship he and his wife, Barbara, [attended]( in Kennebunkport, Maine: She and George H.W. Bush not only shared the same church, but the same birthday. "He'd say, ‘Who's the oldest?’ You know when they made us a cake, and yeah he'd be funny," Little said. "Very kind, very thoughtful very giving." The Bushes’ impact was so great, a pew is dedicated to them with a special plaque that bears their name. They weren't just fellow parishioners, they were family. A couple of years ago, on a trip to Maine, my wife and I had a chance to tour Kennebunkport, to see the Bush family home there and these two churches where they frequently worshiped. I remember the tour guide telling us that when Bush decided to skydive at the age of 90, he was to land on the lawn of St. Anne’s. Barbara quipped, at the time, that if the chute failed to open, at least her husband would be in the right place for a funeral! [Signing the Americans with Disabilities Act]( One aspect of President Bush’s impact that has gone largely unnoticed, is his signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Joni Eareckson Tada, in a [CT interview last year]( recalled the moment this was signed: I served on the National Council on Disability, which authored the initial draft of the ADA. Our second director, Paul Hearne, was a Jewish man who had osteogenesis imperfecta. We were all together at the White House on the day that President George H. W. Bush signed the ADA into law. Afterward, Paul proposed a toast. He said, in so many words, “This will mean a mandate of greater access into areas of employment, in public accommodations, and transportation. It means employers will now hire qualified individuals with disabilities, it means that restaurants will have ramps, it means that buses eventually will have mechanical lifts.” And then he said, “But this law is not going to change the employer’s heart, and this law is not going to change the heart of the maître d’ at the restaurant, and this law will not change the heart of the bus driver.” He raised his glass and he said, “Here’s to changed hearts.” I think about this every time I walk into a church building or a public library or a restaurant and see a ramp and handicap parking. Thanks to the work of Joni and the leadership of President Bush, many people who couldn’t before can now participate in the life of their communities. [Reflections on State Funerals]( On Wednesday the world will tune in to the state funeral. I told a colleague the other day how much I appreciate the way we do state funerals in America. They are important civic exercises that help the nation reflect on a life well-lived. A few years ago, Gordon MacDonald [reflected]( on what he learned at the funeral of Senator Ted Kennedy. Though he’d been ideologically opposed to Sen. Kennedy, the memorial service helped him reflect, and when asked, he offered kind words: I praised it: the priest's sermon, the Scripture readings, the moving remarks of the senator's sons, the magnificent music, and the beauty of the sanctuary. The caller concurred with my assessment and then said, "I was surprised by the service because when I was young, I was taught not to like him." I’ve had similar experiences, after both public and private funerals. Those I was not supposed to like I came to appreciate. And as a pastor, I’ve always felt the weight and the privilege of leading a funeral. I’d be curious to hear your thoughts about the death of significant public figures. Email me. [Daniel Darling] [Daniel Darling] [Daniel Darling](mailto:krohane@christianitytoday.com) Advertisement More from CT Pastors [The Pastor’s Pay in 2019 and Beyond]( [The Pastor’s Pay in 2019 and Beyond]( Emerging trends for how the ministers of today and tomorrow will be compensated. Samuel Ogles [Read More]( [Why Wouldn't I?]( [Why Wouldn't I?]( A haunting question that burns bright at Advent. Tony Kriz [Read More]( [The Obstacles of Advent]( [The Obstacles of Advent]( How is your church combating the busyness and materialism of the season? Skye Jethani [Read More]( Related Newsletters [CT Pastors Newsletter]( Each weekly CT Pastors issue equips you with the best wisdom and practical tools for church ministry. 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