A pastor apologizes to the assembly for Trump's prayer

The pastor of a church in northern Virginia, where President Donald Trump stopped over the weekend, apologized to his congregation after praying for the president when the unexpected visit.

"Sometimes we find ourselves in situations that we do not see 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 glorify God," he said. said Pastor David Platt. McLean Bible Church said Sunday night in a statement to church members called "Prayer for the President." "Today, I found myself in one of these situations".

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A few hours earlier, Trump's motorcade had made an unexpected detour to the church by returning from the Trump National Golf Club at the White House near Sterling, Virginia.

"President Donald J. Trump is visiting the McLean Bible Church in Vienna, Virginia, to visit the pastor and pray for the victims and the community of Virginia Beach," said Judd Deere, spokesperson White House, in a statement, Sunday referring to the mass shootings in a municipal complex that killed 13 people, including the shooter.

Platt explained in the statement to his congregation that he had been caught off guard.

"At the end of my sermon at the 13-hour worship meeting, I took the step aside for what I thought were moments of quiet reflection as we prepared to take the Lord's Supper," he said. he declared. "But I was immediately called backstage and it was said that the President of the United States was about to go to the church, that he would be there in a few minutes and would like us to pray for him. "

Platt, a former chairman of the council of the Southern Baptist Convention's international mission, also explained that he had prayed for the president because 1 Timothy 2: 1-6 insists especially for Christians to pray "for kings and all those who hold high office, we can lead a peaceful and tranquil life, pious and dignified in every way.

Trump, dressed in a blazer over his golf clothes, was on a stage while Platt was praying.

Subsequently, "the president left the scene without comment, and we closed our gathering by celebrating among us heroes, a couple who spent the last 48 years spreading the gospel in remote places where he had never been before, "Platt said his statement. "We then recited the Great Commission as we always do, sending each other into the city for the glory of our king."

Platt went on to explain that he had no intention of supporting the president, his policies or the Republican party, and said he was sharing details "because I know that some of our members church, for various valid reasons, are injured, which I made this decision. "

"It weighs heavily on my heart," he continued. "I love all 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 suffering of racial division and the world. injustice and honor every man and woman created in the image of God. . "

A day earlier, the president had thanked the evangelist and missionary Franklin Graham for his announcement of a "special day of prayer for the president," scheduled for Sunday.

"We will all stay together and WIN! Thank you Franklin, "Trump tweeted the Saturday.