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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAJOR EVENT CELEBRATES VIRGINIA AT WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL WASHINGTON –More than 2,100 Virginians took part in a major worship service and celebration Oct. 19 at the landmark Washington National Cathedral. Pilgrims representing dozens of parishes from all parts of the state played key roles during Virginia State Day at the national house of prayer. It was the largest-ever attendance for the cathedral’s monthly program that elevates individual states in recognition and in prayer. The Rev. Dr. Peter James Flamming, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Richmond, was featured as guest preacher at the 11 a.m. worship service. He addressed the congregation from the historic Canterbury Pulpit, from where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his last Sunday sermon Flamming cautioned worshipers not to allow drive, ambition and intellect to cloud their personal and spiritual relationships, which are the ones that allow them access to God. “We must accept the fact that the way of Christ and the way of our society are seldom in step,” Flamming said. “What kind of shape is your heart in, the willing, spiritual, relational, compassionate part of you? The heart is the part of you that cares, that loves, that prays, the part of you that relates.” The Right Rev. A. Theodore Eastman, vicar of Washington National Cathedral, praised Flamming’s address, saying the sermon contained “a fire that clarifies and burns in one’s heart.” Virginia Gov. Mark Warner declared “Virginia State Day” in a signed proclamation that was read at each of three simultaneous receptions. Warner noted stones from Aquia Creek, once owned by George Washington, were used to build Bishop’s Garden on the cathedral grounds, and many famous Virginians and state institutions are represented in the cathedral’s stone and glasswork. The choir from St. John’s Episcopal Church in Lynchburg sang a 25-minute service prelude, a performance rehearsed for months by the 34 singers, according to director Peggy Haas Howell. “The sound was fabulous,” Howell said. “Everyone was excited about the feeling of singing in here.” The choir usually performs at St. John’s and close to home, “so this was a real treat for everyone.” Howell said. Among the St. John’s singers was 66-year-old Robert Ellinwood, who sang in the cathedral as a choirboy more than 50 years ago. Ellinwood, who went on to a career as a performer and music educator, recalled the cathedral being partially built when he was a young boy. “It was smaller when I first started,” he said. “I’ve visited occasionally but to sing here again is very special.” The Right Reverend Peter James Lee of Richmond, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, was the chief celebrant at the service. Lee said the robust attendance at Virginia State Day “is a way of witnessing to the nation the centrality of Christian faith in our own lives. “We are people of service,” Bishop Lee said. “We serve God by serving others.” Washington National Cathedral has set aside one major state day each month as one ways it fulfills its outreach mission to all faiths. The National Cathedral Association, the organization of friends that supports the cathedral’s ministries together with its volunteer leaders in the commonwealth, organized Virginia Day and invited religious and political leaders and parishioners to take part. “It was a wonderful sight seeing the Cathedral filled with so many Virginians,” said Vanessa Andrews, director of the National Cathedral Association. “This was a wonderful example of the many ways our organization lives into the Cathedral's mission and ministry of being a National House of Prayer for All People.” Religious leaders from other parts of Virginia assisted in the celebration, including The Right Rev. F. Neff Powell, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia in Roanoke, The Right Rev. Carol Gallagher, Bishop Suffragan of the Petersburg-based Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia, and The Rev. Jonathan M. Barton of Richmond, general minister of the Virginia Council of Churches. Virginia residents played key roles throughout the worship. Craig Dubishar of Herndon and Gail Waechter of Richmond, National Cathedral Association regional volunteer leaders, read Scripture. NCA volunteer leaders Jackie Arthur and Frances Marshall of Lynchburg, Harriet Schnell of Richmond and Judy Bryan of Alexandria carried gifts to the altar during the offertory. Also serving as gift-bearers were The Rev. Fletcher Lowe of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy and Emma Sanchez of Alexandria. Sixty-three acolytes representing 16 Episcopal parishes participated in the service-opening procession, carrying colorful banners and placing them to the side of the altar. David Partlett of Lexington, dean of the Washington & Lee School of Law, carried the state flag during the procession and placed it on the chancel steps where it will remain for a week in further recognition of the state. Virginia was represented in other cathedral events during the day. Peggy Howell of Lynchburg performed an organ recital and the choir from St. James Episcopal Church in Richmond performed a prelude to the 4 p.m. service. Afterwards, the National Cathedral Association sponsored receptions recognizing all Virginia participants and guests. Cathedral officials thanked the NCA’s regional volunteer leaders and association members in Virginia, part of a network of more than 13,000 Cathedral friends in every state and around the world. # # # ATTN PRINT MEDIA: If you desire e-mail transmission of this account and/or photos sent as JPEG attachments please contact Steven Gotfried at the number above. Also, print-quality photos of Washington National Cathedral are available on our Website, www.cathedral.org/cathedral. Click on "Cathedral News." |