On Sunday morning, August 29, 2010 a group of us from Cincinnati stopped in at the Christ Church Episcopal in Alexandria, Virginia. At one time it had been a Church of England where George Washington worshiped and prayed to God. During those pre-Revolutionary War days the Church of England was the state religion of Virginia just as it was for the entire British Empire. But following the War, it changed to an American Episcopal Church. We can only imagine the mixed emotions General Washington had when he was asked to lead a war against the army he had previously served as an officer and a Church that had ministered to his soul.
This is a beautiful building but it has changed dramatically since the days when George Washington and his family had a rented pew there. Back then it was a flat building with no raised dais or platform in front for the Preacher to stand on. Now it has a very high pulpit almost in equal height to the balcony, which was also missing in the 1790's. Our guide told us that the flat floor during Washington's era symbolized an equality between the clergy in the pulpit and the laity in the pews. When the church building was rebuild in the 1900's the philosophic distinction between clergy and laity had reared its ugly and un biblical head so the raised pulpit was almost up to the ceiling.
The guide suggested that I climb the stairs to the pulpit and say something. Because I could think of nothing profound I sang one verse of "Come Thy Fount of Every Blessing". It was a thrill for me to be able to speak to the memory of President Washington, who was, according to our friendly guide, "A dedicated Christian of the Church of England who worshiped and prayed regularly. He was not," she said firmly,"a Deist but a Trinitarian." This was found to be very agreeable to our little band.
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