At the Foot of the Cross: A story you haven't heard

Prison Fellowship Ministries ^ | January 6, 2004 | Charles Colson

[philsoc]

Angel Tree, our Prison Fellowship program for prisoners’ children, is one of the great unheralded volunteer outreaches in America. Over the Christmas holidays these past few weeks, approximately 100,000 volunteers delivered Angel Tree gifts to more than 525,000 children of inmates.

You didn’t read about this in the newspapers, nor would I expect that you should. It’s not really that newsworthy that Christians help people in need. But there are two of our volunteers, who delivered forty presents, that I think you should have read about but didn’t. For reasons best known to themselves, the media ignored the fact that two of the volunteers were President and Mrs. George Bush. And they delivered gifts to forty inner-city kids in a church basement three days before Christmas.

President and Mrs. Bush arrived at three-o’clock, Monday, December 22, at the Shiloh Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia. Now, presidents don’t move anywhere without a great deal of fuss. The police were out, the roads blocked, and Secret Service were roaming around the church. And when the president arrived, he was accompanied not only by his own team, but also by a pool of reporters, forty or so members of the press. For ten minutes they popped their flashbulbs, scribbled their notes, and then were ushered out.

I remember from my days with President Nixon what photo opportunities are: Get the picture and leave. So I thought the Bushes would shortly depart, but they didn’t. They stayed long after the cameras were gone to greet every child, to have their picture taken with them, their mothers, and their grandmothers, to talk with them, and to ask questions. Though the press didn’t report it, I noticed that both the president and Mrs. Bush talked to the Hispanic children in Spanish.

Just before the president left, I introduced him to Al Lawrence, a member of our staff. I told the president that I had met Al more than twenty years ago in a prison. Jesus had got hold of Al’s life, and he’s been working for us ever since. Then I told the president that Al’s son was now a freshman at Yale. At that point the president stopped, exclaimed, “We’re both Yale parents,” and threw his arms around Al Lawrence—an African-American ex-offender being embraced by the president of the United States in a church basement. The ground is indeed level at the foot of the cross.

I tell you this story because it’s a wonderful Christmas story, and you probably haven’t heard it. With all those reporters who crowded into that basement, the visit resulted in almost universal media silence.

I suppose there are many explanations for this, but I’ll offer mine. The president is a Christian who really cares for “the least of these,” who does this not for photo ops, but because he’s genuine. That is something that his detractors in the media simply can’t handle. Conservatives caring for the poor? Never. It dashes the stereotypes.

But surely Christians ought to be rejoicing that the most powerful man in the world and his wife, a couple of days before Christmas, had a wonderful visit with the most powerless people in our society.

After all, that echoes the Christmas message, doesn’t it? The most powerful came to be with the least powerful to give us hope.

[My2Cents]

Thanks for the ping. I thank God every day (often more than once!) that this man is our President.

[Brad’s Gramma]

BTTT!!!!!!!

[Cultural Jihad]

It's hard to believe that among the dozens of apoplectic posters on the various immigration threads who are claiming that this man is the worst and most ruinous traitor since Ghengis Khan can really be very sincere or thoughtful people.

[kayak]

Amen to that!

[lonestar]

My state representative, a conservative Christian, tells a story about the faith based programs initiated in TX several years ago.

He had spoken to a country Black church, with less than 40 members, in his district about faith-based initatives.

He got a call one day that the preacher from his district was going to be on Oprah.

As the elected official described it, in a group of friends, not in a campaign speech, "While I was running around having my picture taken with Gov. Bush and my church was spending $3000 painting our sanctuary, this little country church had quietly initiated a very successful program with members of the congregation providing homes for needy children. And taught me a lesson by reminding me what's important."

[Triple Word Score]

You a Scrabble champ?

I probably could be. Most of my friends and family won't play it with me anymore, so I don't get much practice now. They know when I play a 2 or 3 letter word with no apparent sign of regret that I'm setting them up. There's this eye-rolling and big sigh and a futile attempt to block me from whatever I'm going to do.

Then I swoop down and empty my rack directly onto the board. "B-R-A-N-D-I-E-D. Double triple word score, fifty point bonus..." I've had scores on one word that my opponent didn't match in the whole game. I could get away with anything because nobody has ever successfully challenged one of my words, so they don't even try any more. My diplomatic skills disappear at such moments and I gloat. I don't suppose that gloating is very acceptable in tournament play! Nor are the house rules I cherish like being able to retrieve a blank.

I've never learned to lose on purpose, alas. They know when I play, I'm playing more or less against my own high scores.

[7thson]

I did a Google search using Bush + Shiloh Baptist Church. Found over 900 hits. Out of the first 100 hits, the below - with one exception - deals with the visit:

news.corporate.findlaw.com/prnewswire/ 20031219/19dec2003170513.html - 35k - -

www.mclean411.com/church-baptist2.htm - 60k - -

religion.surfwax.com/files/Baptist_Church.html - 49k - -

www.inboxrobot.com/newsletter.php3?brief_id=9300 - 52k - -

www.beliefnet.com/story/137/story_13774_1.html - 47k - -

nwc.edu/radio/wnwchome/news.htm - 22k - -

www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/12/23/bush.hanukkah.ap/ - 43k - -

www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/ 20031222-1540-bush-hanukkah.html - 25k - -

www.seacoastonline.com/2000news/10_30_w1.htm - 15k - -

At Shiloh Baptist Church, the Rev. Wallace Charles Smith told congregants in a letter that people who think there isn't much difference between Gore and Bush are "dead wrong." "Probing beneath the surface we see that their policies would take the nation in very different directions," Smith said, citing the candidates' positions on civil rights, education, judicial choices, and Social Security, where he said Bush's call for partial privatization is "a considerable gamble."

www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/ 20031222-051422-9966r.htm - 50k - -

www.latimes.com/.../politics/whitehouse/ la-na-bush23dec23,0,4093512.story?coll=la-news-politics-white_house -

www.infoplease.com/ipa/0/8/7/3/8/6/A0194030.html - 51k - -

www.infoplease.com/ipea/A0767372.html - 30k - -

www.pfm.org/ - 46k - -

www.sacbee.com/24hour/politics/ story/1094545p-7648093c.html - 39k - -

www.demossnewspond.com/at/ - 39k - -

www.demossnewspond.com/at/releases/ bushchristmas122203.htm - 25k - -

www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/12/ images/20031222-2_d122203-515h.html - 31k - -

www.talkradionews.com/news/article.php?articleID=116 - 10k - -

www.c-n.com/news/c-n/story/0,2111,863056,00.html - 29k - -

www.out2.com/copyroom/ home.asp?ctn=Boca+Raton&cityid=16 - 58k - -

www.ifa-usapray.org/AvantGo_IFA/PDA_Onwatch.htm - 20k - -

The one exception I included deals with an old story whereas Clinton visited the same church in 2000 and the minister came out against Bush. You would be surprised at how many hits included this church and the dismissive remarks of Bush by the various ministers. In a few moments, I am going to call them and ask them about this.

[TomServo]

Already posted here.

[Quilla]

Yes, I read somewhere over the holidays about President and Mrs. Bush visiting with prisoners' children. But it was nothing like this. I have tears in my eyes. Thanks for posting.

[7thson]

I like to play Scrabble and thought I was pretty good, until I played my wife. She is extremely cutthroat in the game and taught me to be so. One game - after the first pick of letters - I drew two blanks, the q, the x, and the z. After my wifes initial turn and using what she put down I was able to put down Q-U-I-X-O-T-I-C. It garnered me 104 points and enabled me to coast to victory - BY ONLY TWO POINTS! I told you, she is good!

[McGavin999]

The media may attempt to silence these things, but we manage to find out about them anyway. You're right, he IS a good man.

[Ditter]

I didn't read this is my local liberal rag, but I just sent it from the source, to everyone on my e-mail list. You all can do the same. We will get the story out there.

[blackie]

"The ground is indeed level at the foot of the cross" ~ Bump!

[blackie]

I did the same thing Ditter.

[Libertina]

Morning M01! thanks for the ping to a great story :)

[Texagirl4W]

Faith, forgive me if you've seen this article before. If not, you will deeply enjoy it. Brought tears to my eyes.

[MrConfettiMan]

Jesus Is The Reason For The Season.

[DrDeb]

"It's hard to believe that among the dozens of apoplectic posters on the various immigration threads who are claiming that this man is the worst and most ruinous traitor since Ghengis Khan can really be very sincere or thoughtful people."


Double Amen!

[DrDeb]

"Thanks for the ping. I thank God every day (often more than once!) that this man is our President."


I couldn't agree more!

[GUIDO]

What a great story. What great people in our Whitehouse. This story just reminded me that I need to send in my yearly donation. I buy Christmas cards from them every year that the children make. EEEK haven't sent my donation in as of yet but that will be done friday. I promise.