{"id":649,"date":"2009-01-16T18:04:56","date_gmt":"2009-01-16T18:04:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/stevenwaldman\/2009\/01\/inaugural-prayer-service-di.html"},"modified":"2009-01-16T18:04:56","modified_gmt":"2009-01-16T18:04:56","slug":"inaugural-prayer-service-di","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/stevenwaldman\/2009\/01\/inaugural-prayer-service-di.html","title":{"rendered":"Inaugural Prayer Service — Did YOU Make the Cut?"},"content":{"rendered":"

This just in from the inaugural committee: The full lineup of clergy at Wednesday prayer service at the National Cathedral (which will stream it live<\/a>, by the way.)
\nNineteen<\/em> participants. They surely have covered all the bases now!
\nActually, the funny thing is that the longer the list becomes, the more embarrassing it is when you don’t make the list. Who was left out? By my figuring…
\n–A Mormon
\n–A Buddhist
\n–Jehovah’s Witness (more of them than there are Hindus or Muslims)
\n–A Pentecostal? (Can’t quite tell if some of these folks might be…)
\nHowever, I’m told that Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons don’t tend to participate in communal prayers. So, now I’m feeling really <\/em>bad for the Buddhists.
\nFull list below the jump.<\/p>\n


\n.
\nApologies if you’ve already received, but I wanted to make sure you had seen the below.
\nCheers,<\/p>\n

\nFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
\nFriday, January 16, 2009
\nPresidential Inaugural Committee Announces Participants of National Prayer Service
\nLeaders Spanning American’s Faiths to Participate in Interfaith Event
\nWASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, as part of an Inauguration for all Americans, the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Committee announced the spiritual leaders from the diverse array of our nation’s religious traditions who will participate in the National Prayer Service on Wednesday, January 21st. The National Prayer Service, a tradition dating back to the Inauguration of George Washington, will be held at the National Cathedral at the conclusion of the inaugural activities. The service will include scripture readings, prayers, hymns and blessings delivered by faith leaders from across the United States.
\n“President-elect Obama’s faith is a central part of his life and he will begin the first full day of his Administration with a service of interfaith prayer and reflection,” said Presidential Inaugural Committee Communications Director Josh Earnest. “The National Prayer Service, which will embody the themes of tolerance, unity and understanding, is a worship service for all Americans. ”
\nThe National Prayer Service will include a traditional prayer for civil leaders, a prayer for the nation, a selection by the Washington, D.C.-based Children of the Gospel Children’s Choir, and, for the first time, feature a sermon delivered by a woman.
\nReverend Samuel T. Lloyd III, Dean of the Washington National Cathedral, will welcome attendees to the event, followed by the invocation of Reverend John Bryon Chane, Episcopal Bishop of Washington.
\nReverend Otis Moss Jr., Senior Pastor Emeritus, Olivet Institutional Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio will provide the opening prayer, followed by a prayer for civil leaders delivered by Reverend Andy Stanley, Senior Pastor, North Point Community Church, Alpharetta, Georgia.
\nScripture readings will be provided by Dr. Cynthia Hale, Senior Pastor, Ray of Hope Christian Church, Atlanta, Georgia as well as Archbishop Demetrios, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, New York City, and the Most Reverend Francisco Gonzalez, S.F., Auxiliary Bishop of Washington. Rabbi David Saperstein, Executive Director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Washington, D.C., has been asked to deliver a psalm.
\nResponsive prayers given by six leaders will symbolize America’s traditions of religious tolerance and freedom:
\n–Dr. Ingrid Mattson, President, Islamic Society of North America, Hartford, CT
\n–Rev. Suzan Johnson-Cook, Senior Pastor, Bronx Christian Fellowship, New York City
\n–Rabbi Jerome Epstein, Director, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, New York City
\n–Rev. Carol Wade of the Washington National Cathedral
\n–Dr. Uma Mysorekar, President, Hindu Temple Society of North America, New York City
\n–Rev. Jim Wallis, President, Sojourners, Washington, D.C.
\n— Rabbi Haskal Lookstein, Congregation Kehilath Jeshurunm, New York City
\n–Pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell, Senior Pastor, Windsor Village United Methodist Church, Houston, TX
\nThe service will conclude with a prayer for the nation delivered by Donald W. Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, D.C., followed by a closing prayer provided by Bishop Katherine Jefferts-Schori, Presiding Bishop, Episcopal Church USA and a benediction by the Reverend Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, General Secretary of the Reformed Church in America.
\nThe Presidential Inaugural Committee previously announced that Sharon E. Watkins, General Minister and President, Disciples of Christ (Christian Church) will deliver the sermon.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This just in from the inaugural committee: The full lineup of clergy at Wednesday prayer service at the National Cathedral (which will stream it live, by the way.) Nineteen participants. They surely have covered all the bases now! Actually, the funny thing is that the longer the list becomes, the more embarrassing it is when…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nInaugural Prayer Service - Did YOU Make the Cut? - Steven Waldman<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/stevenwaldman\/2009\/01\/inaugural-prayer-service-di.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Inaugural Prayer Service - Did YOU Make the Cut? - Steven Waldman\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This just in from the inaugural committee: The full lineup of clergy at Wednesday prayer service at the National Cathedral (which will stream it live, by the way.) 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