Pastor expresses sympathy for church members injured by Trump's surprise visit

It turned out that some members of a church congregation in Virginia had been "hurt" by President Donald Trump's surprise visit this weekend, according to the pastor, who sent a open letter explaining that he had no intention of supporting him.

Before heading to the United Kingdom, Trump made an unusual and unusual stop on Sunday at the McLean Bible Church in Vienna, Virginia, a day when Christian leaders proclaimed the President's "Day of Prayer."

Shortly before his arrival, a White House spokesman told reporters, "President Donald J. Trump is visiting the McLean Bible Church in Vienna, Virginia, to visit the Pastor and pray for the victims and the Virginia Beach community. . "

Jacquelyn Martin / AP

Trump came directly from his Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va., And when he entered the church, he was dressed in khaki pants and a jacket by above a polo shirt. He took off his golf hat and crossed the stage to join Pastor David Platt.

But neither the president nor Platt mentioned the victims of the shooting in Virginia Beach while the president was on stage.

Christian leaders, including Franklin Graham, had previously asked that Sunday be a special "day of prayer" for the president.

"The enemies of President Trump continue to attempt everything to destroy him, as well as his family and the presidency.In the history of our country, no president has been attacked as he was. I believe the only hope for him and this nation is God, "Graham said in a Facebook post.

"It's a critical moment for America, we're on the precipice, time is running out, we need to pray for God to come in. We need to ask him to protect, strengthen, encourage and guide the president," Graham said.

Joshua Roberts / Reuters

"Many of you may have seen that there had been calls to, especially this Sunday, pray for our president," said Platt at McLean Church Sunday, alongside Trump. "We do not want to do that just this Sunday. We want to do it continuously, day after day. So, I want to ask us to bow down now and pray for our president. "

According to reports from the pool, Trump silently stands by Platt's side, applauds with the audience and leaves the scene without comment.

It is now clear that after the president's visit, Platt felt it was important to write an open letter to his congregation the same day to explain what had happened.

"Sometimes we find ourselves in situations that we have not seen coming, and we are faced with a decision at a time when we do not have the freedom to deliberate, so we do our best to To glorify God, today I have found myself in one of these situations, "he wrote.

"At the end of my sermon at the 13-hour worship meeting, I set aside for what I thought was a moment of quiet reflection as we prepared to take the Lord's Supper. He immediately called backstage and the President of the United States was going to the church, would be there in a few minutes and would like us to pray for him.

"I immediately thought of my desire to preserve the integrity of the gospel in our church.As I said today in the sermon, only Christ unites us. I like that more than 100 nations are represented in our family, including all kinds of people, with personal stories and varied political opinions and varied socio-economic situations.It is clear in our church that the only why we are together is because we have the same king whom we adore, adore, fear and follow with supreme love and absolute loyalty, the name is Jesus.

"Therefore, as soon as I heard this request behind the scenes, the passage of the Word of God that came to my mind came to me in 1 Timothy 2: 1-6:

"First of all, I strongly encourage supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving for all peoples (2), for kings and all those who hold high office, so that we can lead peaceful and peaceful life, pious and dignified in all circumstances. way. It is good and it is pleasing to the eyes of God our Savior, 4 who desires that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus 6, who gave himself a ransom for all, a testimony that is made at the right time. "

"On the basis of this text, I know that it is good and pleasing in the eyes of God to pray for the president.It is at that moment that I decided to seize this opportunity for us, as a church, to pray together for him. "My goal was not to approve the president, his policy, or his party, but to obey God's command to pray that our president and other leaders govern as described in this passage, "wrote Platt.

"I wanted to share all this with you in part because I know that some members of our church, for a variety of valid reasons, are hurt from making that decision," wrote Platt. "It weighs on my heart. I love all the members of this church and I only want to guide us with the Word of God in a way that transcends political parties and positions, heals the wrongs caused by racial division and injustice, and honors every man and every woman created in the image of God. So, although I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to obey 1 Timothy 2 in a unique way today, I deliberately never want to do anything that undermines the unity we have in Christ. "

Platt signed his letter "I love you, church, your pastor, David."