The President and First Lady were in Asheville this weekend. Idle chatter at our house was along the lines of, "I wonder if he'll try to meet Billy Graham while he's here." Our usual source (KMS, Jr.) was remarkably tight-lipped, if indeed he had any line on POTUS' and FLOTUS' weekend plans.
The Obamas did all the "very Ashveille" things: lunch at 12 Bones (ribs) on Friday, dinner in the Village on Friday evening, a visit to the Biltmore estate, and a round of golf at GPI (Grove Park Inn) where they were staying.
Then came word early Sunday morning that a meeting in Montreat with Billy was in the offing. Word was that Montreat Road would be closed to traffic between 10AM and 1PM. YIKES! Throughout the morning the information became a little more refined. By 10AM there were cones along the street, but no closure. We got word at the beginning of 11AM worship that the streets would be closed at 1145AM and remain that way until 1PM. Shannon invited folks to do as they needed (including departing after the offering!! A couple of folks bolted then; a few darted out after the sermon and missed the lovely anthem and the offering). The hospitality ministry kicked into high gear and had a slightly beefed up offering available for the folks stuck after worship. There was a certain camaraderie that settled in as we waited.
The motorcade blasted through about 1230PM. We had a nice crowd (including those who had skipped all of worship in case the crew had passed through earlier in the time frame!!), and even some enthusiastic bell ringers showing their support!
I remarked to Shannon and others that the first family had indeed all the "very Asheville" things on their short weekend, the only item they'll have to do to next time to make the Asheville experience complete is visit with us at BMPCNC for Sunday worship!
Thanks to Kent Patton for the photos.
No comments:
Post a Comment