D.C. Pastor Extends Invitation to The Obamas

Amy Butler, the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Washington D.C., has written Michelle Obama a blog letter inviting The First Family to visit Calvary on a Sunday morning.

You can read her Dear Michelle letter here.

If The Obamas were to make Calvary their new church home, they would not be the first First Family to do so.  Warren G. Harding, the 29th President of the United States, regularly attended Calvary Baptist Church from 1921 until his death in 1923.  Harding attended every Sunday except when the Lord's Supper was served.  Though quite devout, Harding explained that he felt "unworthy to receive communion."  

On Sunday mornings, Calvary Baptist was the place to be in D.C..  Folks from all over came to Calvary in order to gawk at the President and the First Lady.  The sanctuary was so packed that tickets had to be issued to Calvary members.  After ticketed members were seated, the general public was allowed to in.  

Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes was also a faithful member of Calvary for nearly 40 years.  Before becoming Chief Justice, Hughes served as Harding's Secretary of State.  While the Governor of New York (1907-1910), Hughes served as the first President of the Northern Baptist Convention.  I recently wrote a paper on Hughes's contributions to the religious liberty arena - a man whose thought was rooted deep in the Baptist tradition.