In Washington, DC, events, rallies, and protests are exceedingly common, especially around Capitol Hill and the National Mall. What’s far less common are events in Statuary Hall.
And yet, as my friend Rob Boston reported, that’s one of the things making a prayer rally on Capitol Hill today interesting.
On May 8, a group called Come Pray With Me plans to hold a prayer service in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol.
This is kind of a big deal. Statuary Hall isn’t some sort of public facility that anyone can use. Groups have to get permission from the congressional leadership to hold events there, and it’s not often granted.
So what is Come Pray With Me, and why does it merit this honor?
As it turns out, the prayer rally is a project of Dan Cummins, who leads Bridlewood Church in Bullard, Texas. Its official congressional sponsor is Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), and given the limited access generally made to Statuary Hall, the event has effectively been endorsed by House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), whose office had to give its permission.









