GREAT CHURCHES, GREAT PEOPLE AND HOW TO VOTE! (?)

Your Missionary to Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, Rob Schenck, reporting:

Sorry for the haphazard posting, but I’m still working toward carving out writing time every day. Let’s see if I get there by end-of-year!

Spent this past weekend with the 2200 great people of the Worship Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I preached a message there entitled “How to Vote.” (Don’t worry—we looked at what the Bible says on “how to” not “for whom!”)  

Worship Center pastor Sam Smucker and his wife, Sherlyn, have built a beautiful body of believers over the last 31 years. Like pastor--like people, the folks at Worship Center are exceedingly warm, gracious and generous in every way. This is a dynamic church with quality ministries for the whole family. They reach deep into their community, across the country and around the world. The congregation also maintains one of the largest Christian schools in the area. We’re grateful to the Lord and to the leadership and members of the Worship Center for their support of Faith and Action!

Incidentally, getting out into churches is one of the things I really enjoy about the “other part” of my ministry. I accept about 25 preaching engagements a year. I call this my “Pulpit Ministry.” Just as much as our team is called to serve our “target population” group (that is, elected and appointed officials serving in federal and state government), we’re also called to serve God’s people wherever they are assembled. We do the former by privately and publicly proclaiming God’s Truth here in Washington and in state capitals throughout the country; we do the latter by bringing instruction from God’s Word on exactly how we are to pray for our country and its civil leaders, as well as conduct ourselves as Christian citizens.

Speaking of conducting ourselves as Christian citizens, my visit to the Worship Center officially launched our “How To Vote Initiative.” This new emphasis will carry us from now until Election Day in November. This will be a very important focus for us. You’ll see a lot about it in the days ahead. We want to help you, your family, friends and fellow church members to prayerfully and carefully carry out your important civic responsibility and bring your Christian principles to bear on the voting process. Watch for “How To Vote” notices coming your way soon!

Finally, I had the rare privilege of giving a talk in the prestigious Mansfield Room of the United States Capitol yesterday. It was on the related topic of  “Evangelicals and the Upcoming Election.” (My host’s choice of topic—not mine!)

The group I spoke to has in recent days hosted the likes of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England. They mostly wanted to know if I could predict whom Evangelicals will get behind for president. I couldn’t. I explained there is a clear and pronounced shift in Evangelical attitudes this time around. Upwards of 76% voted for George Bush the first time and for Republicans in general. That will not repeat. For a variety of reasons there is something of a disillusionment with the Republicans among Christian conservatives. John McCain hasn’t connected well with Evangelicals either. I recently talked with one of his top-level advisors about this, noting Evangelicals are relationally driven people and the McCain campaign has done nothing to build that relationship.

On the other hand, a growing number of “emergent church” leaders are looking at Barack Obama and even Hillary Clinton. This is especially true of younger Evangelicals. While I don’t think this yet represents a critical number—not even a significant minority—it does indicate a big change in the future. For now, it will likely mean a smaller majority will vote Republican--and perhaps in far fewer numbers. We could see a significant percentage of Evangelicals sit out this election because they either don’t know what to do or they just don’t like their choices—or choice, however you see it.

Can you see why we’ve launched “How To Vote?” Please help us to help other Christians—of every tradition—see the importance of bringing their voice and influence into the critically consequential process of selecting our next president and other elected leaders.

Before I close: Hope to see you at this year’s U.S. Capitol Bible Reading Marathon, April 27 – May 1, here in Washington. Check our website for more information: www.faithandaction.org

And pray for me as I go off today to an all-day board meeting of the National Pro-Life Religious Council, punctuated by a lunch with Jay Sekulow and his legal team working on the big upcoming Supreme Court case out of Utah.

That’s all for now . . . (as if it’s not enough!) . . .

 

Rev. Rob Schenck

Faith and Action

www.faithandaction.org

109 2nd Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002

202-546-8329

FAMILY MATTERS

Your missionary to Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, Rob Schenck, reporting:

This past week was a whirlwind. In order of importance it involved clear direction from the Lord on a number of issues; big family matters and, finally, big presidential race issues!

I’ll start from the top: We’ve prayerfully settled on a five-year plan that includes some very big developments on the ministry front. You’ll hear all about them at our upcoming 25th Anniversary gala, Saturday, November 17. If you haven’t already secured your tickets, please do it now as seats are filling very fast!

On the family front, my Mom and Dad are in a wonderful Catholic nursing facility back home in Buffalo, New York. (Their preference!) Both need round-the-clock care and they feel much more secure in a medical environment. It’s excruciating to be more than 500 miles away, so my brother and I get up there as often as possible. (Our two older sisters live near to the home and look after my folks, which is a huge relief. That’s in addition to the Sister who runs the place who sees each resident as her ministry charges!) Never-the-less, this past week was a crisis.

It was one of the few Sundays in the past several months that I wasn’t out preaching somewhere in the country. I thank God I wasn’t out because when I got the call that Mom had plunged into a sudden and deep dementia, I immediately ran for the airport. Every affordable flight was sold out but my Dad’s tutelage in how to get things done paid off again. I offered a young college student a handsome sum of money to take a later plane, which opened one seat for me on the earliest possible flight!

I found Mom in a disturbing psychotic state when I arrived. She saw fires in her room, talked with imaginary people, uncharacteristically barked in anger at everyone, including my Dad, her husband of 52 years, whom she no longer knew. It was painful to watch, and even more painful to be unable to do anything about it. But it didn’t take long for my sisters and me to determine things just didn’t add up. For one, dementia doesn’t usually come on so suddenly. We looked elsewhere—to her many prescription medications. We narrowed it down to one new drug that had recently been introduced to help control her worsening Parkinson’s disease. I asked for a PDR (Physicians’ Desk Reference, a sort of pharmaceutical encyclopedia) and discovered the drug can have psychotic side effects. We demanded she be weaned off of it immediately. Within hours Mom blossomed back into the joyful, lovely, happy woman she has always been with full cognition and recall! Praise God!

Here’s my thanks and prayers for my fellow middle-aged “sandwich” generation members who, like Cheryl and me, are helping launch adult children while saying hello to elder parent care. It ain’t easy—and boy, don’t I know it! (What do I have to complain about? My brother, Paul, still has four under-age kids at home while sharing this responsibility for our parents!) May the Lord help us all to do right by those He gives us!

OK, now onto the presidential race: Last week I attended the Values Voter Forum here in Washington. All the candidates were invited, but only Republicans showed up. I won’t comment on all of them, but I will tell you the ones who really impressed me.

First, the winner of the Values Voter straw poll, Mitt Romney: You know I met with the former Massachusetts governor back in March. (I had actually talked with him one-on-one a year earlier, but only briefly.) He impressed me before and again this past week. Romney’s speech to the attendees focused on family, for which he is a shining example of convincing personal experience. (Married 37 years to the same woman; five outstanding sons and ten grandkids!) Gov. Romney rightly said the family is the building block of society. (See my book on the Ten Commandments, Ten Words That Will Change A Nation, chapter 5.) He stated unequivocally that he will be a pro-life president; he will re-instate President Reagan’s family impact statement for all government programs, policies and initiatives; he will use the presidential bully pulpit to promote chastity until marriage; and he will back a constitutional amendment defining marriage as limited to one man and one woman. It really rang true—and it rang the bell with attendees. (In the audience were many of the most significant pro-life, pro-family and pro-religious freedom advocates in the country.)

The other outstanding presentation was little known former Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas. He’s an unquestioned Evangelical (a former Baptist pastor) with an illustrious record of leadership in his home state. He has an unbroken history of being absolutely right on all our critical social and moral concerns. If you saw his recent appearances on any of the talk shows, you know he’s also a fabulous communicator—a critical skill he shares with Mitt Romney. Still, with all those important elements, there was an air of doubt among the people I spoke to about whether or not Huckabee has the internal drive and organizational ability to pull off a victory in the most difficult, challenging and demanding contest on earth. It’s looking more and more inevitable that Hillary Clinton will be the Democrat nominee. Let’s be gut-level honest: The real question is, Does Mike Huckabee have the dynamism, charisma, star-power and good-looking contrast to go up against her celebrity stature? That remains to be seen.

As far as the other would-be nominees who appeared at the Values Voter Forum, I can’t identify another “player.” Rudy Giuliani’s recalcitrant pro-choice position presents a virtually insurmountable obstacle to winning any appreciable percentage of pro-life votes. Fred Thomas did not seem to excite the room and I wasn’t there for the others, but neither was there much post-event chatter about them.

This is a difficult and challenging political season for all of us. I haven’t endorsed anyone—and I probably won’t. For now I am following Jesus’ instructions to His disciples, “Watch and pray.”

More later . . .

Rev. Rob Schenck
Faith and Action
109 2nd St., NE, Washington, DC 20002
http://www.faithandaction.org/
202-546-8329

P.S. After I wrote the above post, I received this from Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt (or "Chaps," as so many know him), famous for being thrown out of the Navy for praying publicly in Jesus' name. I didn't know anything about this incident regarding Ambassador Alan Keyes, but I include it here for your assessment: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58265.

VALUES VOTERS SEND SIGNAL

Your missionary to Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, Rev. Rob Schenck, reporting:

I’m a little late posting this. Normally I do a week-in-review on Fridays, but last week was just too busy. I flew out Friday for a conference in Nashville, and then from there to Columbus, Ohio, to minister at a wonderful church called Trinity Family Life Center. (It’s actually in a town called Pickerington.) As I’ve told you before, one of the great joys of my ministry is visiting different church pulpits throughout the year. Trinity was very special for two reasons: First, it is a dynamic, Bible-based, Spirit-filled, born-again missionary-minded and evangelistic fellowship that, believe it or not, is part of the United Methodist denomination! For more than 30 years, Pastor Kelso has been a leader in spiritual renewal among United Methodists. Which leads me to the second point: This church has the same name as the United Methodist Church where my brother, Paul, and I first heard the Gospel and responded publicly to an altar call 34 years ago. (Our Trinity United Methodist was in Grand Island, New York, just outside Buffalo.) Visiting Trinity in Pickerington brought back a lot of wonderful Buffalo memories.

Paul and I look forward to soon hosting a group from Trinity Pickerington. I invited Pastor Kelso to bring a busload to Capitol Hill. You’re also invited to bring a bunch from your church. We enjoy showing Christian hospitality and consider it a ministry in itself. It’s important for Christians to see their nation’s capital at work—especially from a ministry perspective. We enjoy greeting brothers and sisters in Christ and telling you what God is doing behind-the-scenes among our country’s top elected and appointed officials. For our Capital Club members, we’ll also arrange special VIP tours of our own ministry center and the nearby Supreme Court, U.S. Capitol and even the White House. You’ll see things from a perspective no tourist group ever gets to see! Just contact Allyson Black, our supporter relations director, at allysonblack@faithandaction.org or call her at 202-546-8329, extension 104.

Did you get your tickets yet? Speaking of visiting Washington, why not time your visit to coincide with our 25th Anniversary Silver Celebration Gala this November 17? We really need you here to mark this watershed year—and to prayerfully look to the next quarter-century of outreach to the leaders of our land! Paul and I will review where the Lord has taken us these last 25 years together with you, our extended missionary team. (Our “EMT” for short!) More importantly, we’ll look to the future—the Lord willing and delaying His return. Our good friend and ally of many years, Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice, will be our featured speaker, along with many others VIP guests. Please order your tickets on line—and consider sponsoring the event. Click here to do it now!

I know there’s a lot of concern for the future direction of our country. Christians are worried, but we ought not to be. God is sovereign and His will cannot be thwarted. Of course, we get what we deserve. Last night’s Values Voter Forum in Fort Lauderdale reminded all the candidates of what’s important, especially to Christian Americans. The Sanctity of Life topped the list. Our good friends “Ten Commandments Judge” Roy Moore of Alabama, Phil Jauregui of the Judicial Action Group (which meets regularly at our ministry center) and former Navy Chaplain Gordon James Klingenshmidt, played major roles in last night’s questioning. (You can read about the forum at our site: http://www.faithandaction.org/.) Of course, I was disappointed that our friends did not get to question the “leading” candidates. Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, John McCain and Mitt Romney had other engagements. I’ve met and talked with all but Giuliani, so there wouldn’t have been anything new for me, but I’d hoped others could see what I’ve seen in these candidates. There’s no mystery in why Rudy found an excuse to skip the Values Voters Forum—he just doesn’t share our values in the least bit. But Thompson is a mystery when it comes to his faith, McCain has a love-hate relationship with moral conservatives and Mitt Romney has so much more to say on all the paramount issues of concern to us. Too bad they missed this advantage enjoyed by Mike Huckabee, Tom Tancredo, Ron Paul, Sam Brownback, Duncan Hunter and newly declared candidates Alan Keyes and businessman John Cox. Still, these so-called “second tier” candidates play mainly a “prophetic” role in the campaign by holding the first tier candidates’ feet to the fire on the sanctity of life, the sanctity of marriage and the family and the public acknowledgement of God. I don’t expect the second tier to rise to first tier, but stranger things have happened in political campaigns, of course. Remember the unknown Arkansas governor who spent two terms in the White House?


I’ll talk about the Values Voter Forum on my Faith and Action Live Report available at our website each Wednesday. Oh, and while I’m on Wednesday events, let me tell you about last Wednesday and every Wednesday evening between now and November 14: I’m teaching at the New Antioch Baptist Church in Randallstown, Maryland, at the invitation of Pastor Kenneth Barney. This is an outstanding church and one that’s making a big difference for the Gospel in their city and in the world! Pastor Barney has hosted me in his pulpit a number of times, and we’ve traveled together to Africa twice. New Antioch is one of America’s truly great African-American congregations, and I’m delighted and humbled to serve them in ministry. My subject is “Thinking Biblically,” on how to form a worldview shaped by the Word of God. You’re invited to join us! Check out the church’s website at http://www.newantiochbaptist.com/.


For all the stuff that’s happening in Washington, watch our website. It’s a very active season of ministry for your missionary team at Faith and Action. Be back soon!

Rob Schenck
President, Faith and Action in the Nation’s Capital
http://www.faithandaction.org/
info@faithandaction.org
202-546-8329
109 2nd Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002