SPRING HOUSE — The Bethlehem Baptist Church congregation gave a warm welcome to First Lady Jill Biden during the church service Sunday morning.
“We are honored to have you here today,” said Rev. Charles W. Quann, pastor, as worshippers joined in with thunderous applause.
The church choir kicked off the service with about 100 people in attendance at the Sunday morning service in Lower Gwynedd Township.
“It’s been my life’s honor for this Philly girl to serve as your first lady,” said Jill Biden, who grew up in nearby Willow Grove.
Montgomery County native Jill Biden addresses hometown voters ahead of election
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Biden’s visit to the congregation came just two days before Election Day where voters will cast their ballots in the presidential race between Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former president Donald Trump. Biden aimed on Sunday to impress upon congregants the importance of getting out the vote on Tuesday.
“Make a plan to get to the polls on Tuesday, and help your friends and neighbors and loved ones as well, because even if it seems small, every single vote counts. Your vote will make a difference,” Biden said.
Her Montgomery County appearance came on the heels of a Democrats’ rally featuring former First Lady Michelle Obama on Saturday at Norristown Area High School. Harris and Trump have planned appearances on Monday in Philadelphia and Reading, respectively.
Other elected officials with ties to Montgomery County were in attendance on Sunday morning, including state Sen. Maria Collett, D-12th Dist.; U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-4th Dist., and Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Shapiro, of Abington, took a moment to reflect on his two decades as a public servant, beginning as a state legislator, a county commissioner, attorney general, prior to becoming governor in 2022.
“It was 20 years ago that Pastor Quann first invited me into this church, and boy, I have learned a lot from all of you,” Shapiro said.
Quann was one of four religious leaders from the Wissahickon Faith Community Association who performed the invocation at Shapiro’s inauguration. Quann on Sunday called Shapiro an observant Jew and “honorary member” of Bethlehem Baptist.
Quann attended the Democratic National Convention in Chicago as a delegate for President Joe Biden after Biden suspended his presidential campaign in July and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the nominee. Harris later announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate in the election against Trump and Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
While Shapiro has been stumping for Harris over the last few months across the state, he emphasized that “another thing I’ve learned on this pulpit is not to be political. But I will share with you that we have a choice to make as a nation in just a few days,” referring to the charged presidential race between Harris and Trump.
“I’m not here to advocate for a candidate. I’m here to advocate for all of you. I’m asking you to think about the kind of world we want to build for our kids and for our grandkids,” Shapiro said. “Whether what we learn from here at Bethlehem [Baptist Church] is going to help inform the choices that we make going forward as a nation, or whether we are going to slip back into a dark and dangerous time.”
Jill Biden too encouraged congregants to “speak up for justice and democracy. We must fight for those families who are struggling. We must vote.”
Montgomery County shares ‘hometown pride’ of Willow Grove native Jill Biden
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Shapiro expressed his appreciation for the Bidens and their efforts over the past four years as he gave a nod to their Pennsylvania roots: the president hailing from Scranton and the first lady from Montgomery County. In addition to her role as first lady, Biden also teaches English and writing at Northern Virigina Community College.
“When you think about the direction of this nation, it is important to know where we’ve been to know where we need to go,” Shapiro said. “Where we’ve been over the last four years in this nation is a place that has been built as being warm and welcoming for all.
“We are better off because of the service of President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden,” Shapiro said.
Biden shares personal religious journey
Jill Biden said her personal religious journey began when she was a 15-year-old sophomore at Upper Moreland High School.
“My faith has always been an important part of who I am,” Biden said, as she told the congregation how her “faith was shaken” in 2015 as the Bidens’ son, Joseph R. “Beau” Biden III battled brain cancer. Briefly overcome with emotion, Biden relayed the events of the painful time in her life where she maintained her faith during his chemotherapy and surgeries and health decline.
“Still, I never gave up hope. As a mother you can’t. So I kept going. Every day, I put one foot in front of the other,” Biden said, but “in those final days, I made one last desperate prayer. It went unanswered.”
“After Beau died, I felt betrayed,” Biden said, as she spoke of a lapse in religion that lasted about four years. In 2019, she recalled, she was visiting a church with her husband and a parishioner asked to be her “prayer partner.”
“I don’t know if she had sensed how moved I was by the service. I don’t know if she could see the grief that lies behind my smile,” Biden said, expressing the impact it had on her personally.
“One word can let someone know that they’re not alone. One prayer, or yes a’ prayer partner,’ can reconnect us to the divine. One phone call can change a heart and light the way in darkness. One vote can win an election,” Biden said as her words were met with applause, “And one election can set a new course.
“Will you be that person? Will you act now? Will you speak up and use your voice and decide our future? Will you vote?” she asked.
Biden expressed her gratitude to those in attendance on Sunday.
“We are building a nation better than ever together,” Biden said. “So I want to end by saying thank you. Thank you for your kindness, thank you for your community and thank you for your faith. So let’s keep going. May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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