Hi, everybody! I'm here in DC and some of you have asked me some details from my story about church yesterday, and others may not have yet heard the story . Either way, here is my journal entry from yesterday:

March 12, 2006

Washington, DC

It is Sunday and I am here in the nation's capital for my first National League of Cities and Towns Conference. As a history-buff, it was an easy decision to decide to go to church at St. John's Episcopal Church on Lafayette Square instead of the LDS ward that was too far from my hotel. St. John's, built in 1815, is nicknamed the "Church of the Presidents" since every President since James Madison has worshipped there. It is the little church across the square from the White House that always has the prayer service with the First Family on Inauguration Days, and where they are known to drop in now and then.

Even though the President is a born-again Christian, a Knight-Ridder News story I found online mentioned: "Bush prefers the 8 a.m. service at St. John's , where he kneels on a prayer cushion bearing his father's name, while his wife uses the one bearing President Reagan's. President Carter's cushion remains in the pew; President Clinton's has been moved elsewhere."

St. John's official website mentioned that the 8 a.m. service was now at 7:45 , so that was the one I would attend. Maybe we would be lucky, at the least it would be an interesting experience.

My fellow councilmember, Steve Vincent and I were on our way there this morning when we were stopped by two police officers who told us we had to go around the block. This we did where we were stopped by two more officers who asked us our destination. When we replied " St. John's Episcopal Church for the 7:45 service," they replied "You said the right password, go on in." At this point we realized that the First Family was likely at church that day, and we might get to steal a glimpse. We also commented that whether there were police officers or Secret Service agents, we had our freedom to worship and go to church, and it was a privilege that couldn't have been denied.

At the entrance to the old church Secret, Service agents asked us to empty the metal from our pockets and then wanded us like at an airport. After passing through security we were greeted by ushers from the church, took a program, and shuffled inside. The service was already five or ten minutes underway, and so were anxious to quickly be seated.

It is a small chapel, with beautiful stained-glass windows and maybe 100 people attending that service. I noticed the President and his wife sitting in a middle pew about half-way up. There was only one other lady on the row, and she was on the opposite end with plenty of space between her and the First Family. I walked up to that row and asked the lady if it was OK to sit there, which it was, so we sat down. As I sat down, the President caught my eye, smiled and nodded a hello.

I couldn't believe that we were there, attending church and sitting on the same pew as the President and First Lady! In our rush to get seated, Steve hadn't realized who was on our same row. When I told him to check out whose row we were sitting on he took the biggest double-take in the world!

But there we were, reading prayers together, listening to the sermon together as the Reverend taught about God's faith in us, and our need to have faith in God and keep his commandments. We stood side by side with the First Family as we all recited the Lord's Prayer. You could tell the President is a God-fearing man. He often had his eyes closed during the prayers, even while many in the congregation simply followed along in the prayer book or printed program. It was a conscious effort not to stare, and everyone in the congregation was as natural as could be.

At one point early in the service, the Reverend invited everyone to "Greet one another in the name of the Lord." Everyone stood and began shaking hands with those around them saying "Peace of the Lord." I noticed the two Secret Service agents sitting behind the First Family and reached my hand to one saying "Peace of the Lord." He returned the greeting and the handshake. Then Laura Bush reached her hand to me, and said in her Texas drawl "Peace of the Lord." I returned the greeting and shook her hand. Then, as the congregation began to sit back down, President Bush caught my eye and reached his hand across his wife, and so I reached back. The 43rd President of the United States gripped my hand, looked at me and said "Peace of the Lord." I returned the greeting. I've met vice presidents before (Dan Quayle and Dick Cheney), and even met Barbara Bush once, but this morning was my first experience meeting a President of the United States , let alone being greeted in the name of the Lord by one.

Later in the service a prayer was given by the Reverend where he blessed some people by name in his congregation, including those who were in the service, those who were ill or have lost loved ones, and those who were having birthdays that week. In the midst of the prayer he added "and bless our President George" using the casual first name (George is a member of his congregation, after all). I have heard many prayers for our nation's president before, but never while sitting just a few feet from him in his "home ward."

Soon it was time for communion, and the congregation began filing up row by row to take the bread and wine. Steve and I did not, but George and Laura and everyone else did. After the First Family returned they glanced at us and probably wondered why we didn't go up with the rest of the church. Since we had a few minutes while we were waiting for the rest of the chapel to take communion, I wrote a little note on the back of my City Council business card

"Pres & Mrs. Bush, Even us Mormons from Utah pray for you & are honored to worship God together. -Mike"

I set my card down on the bench between Laura and I (the Secret Service behind us quickly glancing over the bench to see what I was doing), and she picked it up and read it. She smiled and seemed to get a kick out of it and showed her husband. He, too, got a big smile and seemed to enjoy it. He smiled back at us with an acknowledging nod. He took the card and studied the front of it for a minute. Then he pulled a black marker out of his suit coat and signed the front of the business card, and then handed it back to me:

"Thanks Mike - and God Bless. George Bush"

What a priceless souvenir from my trip to DC! Towards the end of the service we all knelt to pray. Because we were in the "Church of the Presidents" there were prayer cushions of past presidents that we knelt on. I knelt on Woodrow Wilson's prayer cushion, Steve was on Calvin Coolidge's, and just as the news article had mentioned, Laura used Ronald Reagan's and the President used his dad's. It was a humbling thing to connect to our nation's presidents' spiritual life that way.

At the end of the service we all stood and the First Family and Secret Service agents filed out the front door, shaking hands with the Reverend on the way. After a couple minutes the rest of us were allowed to file out the back door.

As we left the church Steve and I were marveling that there we were, a Born-Again-Christian President, a Methodist First Lady, and two Mormon city council members in an Episcopal church worshipping God together on a Sunday morning. Isn't America great?