Today is an important day in the history of the United States. It’s not about politics, Democrats, Republicans, or Independents (things we don’t generally blog about 🙂 ). But it’s about history.
Today, we’re at the Bishop’s Retreat in Lancaster, PA, and we actually concluded the morning session a bit early so we could watch the inauguration during lunch. It was a moving experience, watching history be made.
We had the afternoon off, and Joleen, Ethan, and I got to take a nap. When I woke up, I was thinking about the tumultuous decade of the 1960s (I was born toward the end of the decade). I thought about President John F. Kennedy’s challenge to the nation in 1961 to send a man to the moon before the end of the decade, a vision that was fulfilled on July 20, 1969. After stepping onto the moon, Neil Armstrong said …
That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.
The 1960s are also known, of course, for the civil rights struggle. On April 4, 1968, civil rights leader and preacher, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed in Memphis, TN.
Today, just over four decades later, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States.
On one hand, it was a small step. Someone was sworn in as president. It happens every four years. But history was made as the first African-American was sworn in to lead the nation.
That might be one small step for one American, but it’s a giant leap for America!
I’m not on the web much, but while I was I decided to check out our wsumc webpage. It’s well done and infomative. Mr. Moore does a nice job.
I enjoyed the pastors’ comments and photos. It was nice to “hear” from Randy too, as I don’t get a chance to see him much. And I really get a kick out of Ethan – what a neat kid.
Our church is very fortunate to have the people in it that it does, and I am fortunate to be a member. Thanks for all that all of you do and may God continue to bless and keep you!
Fred Kumm
Thanks Fred. http://westsideumc.com/ is a real asset to WSUMC. Glad you enjoyed it and found your way to our personal blog!