Posted on 06/12/2004 5:26:40 AM PDT by Theodore R.
Crawford rallies around pastor, Bush, Iraq war
CRAWFORD — The war against Iraq is being felt in a very personal way in Crawford, where most locals support President Bush's policies on Iraq. A popular pastor is being called to active duty.
The Rev. Kent Berry of Crawford United Methodist Church, just a few miles from the western White House, has some advice about Iraq.
"Keep praying," he advises, "and hang in there. Stay with it."
Berry, of Crawford United Methodist Church, is featured in the UMTV video report "From Bush's Back Yard to Iraq" this week. It is available at the UMTV Web site www.umtv.org.
The President purchased his ranch retreat in 1999. His frequent visits have had a big impact on the small town.
The first family is so popular in Crawford that a local diner lists their favorites on the menu. But Berry will soon be eating military rations instead, serving 18 months with an Army National Guard engineering unit.
"Our goal is to stabilize the government, help the people, and then get out," Berry says.
He corresponded with Laura Bush after helping a friend of hers, and he met the president.
Berry's congregation wants him back in the pulpit after his tour of duty. "He is a very loved man in the community," says church member Jerry Lynch.
Church members are praying for the president who put Crawford on the map, as well as for their pastor.
They and Berry's family say their support for Operation Iraqi Freedom brings them closer together.
I'm very proud of my Dad," says daughter Britney, "because he will be over there fighting for our country and for Iraq."
More information about the president's ties to the town is available on the Crawford, Texas, Web site at www.crawford-texas.org.
"He has done so well in this church."
Ewwww...
The article did not mention that Crawford's Democrat mayor is a booster of John Kerry.
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