Dear Fellow Pastor and Christian Leader,

July is the month we will celebrate the birth of our nation. It is a time for picnics and fireworks, and a time to remember the sacrifices that were made for our liberty. I admit that I am deeply stirred with love for our country every time God Bless America is sung.

I am also deeply troubled when I survey the condition that our nation has fallen into. I am forced to ask the question, "Can God bless our country when we participate so freely in acts that are so contrary to His Word and holiness?" However, my concern for our nation is not as deep as my concern for the Church in America. I am absolutely convinced that American society is a reflection of the state of the American Church. And, the American Church is a reflection of her leaders, the pastors.

My call to you today is to take that deep love of country that we all feel, and make a practical deposit into its future by taking a Sunday in the month of July to encourage your congregation to take responsibility as stewards of our nation.

How can you do that? Here are some humble suggestions.

1. Call your congregation to corporate and individual prayer for spiritual awakening in our state and nation.
2. Preach a sermon on the moral responsibility of the Church in America in the stewardship of our nation.
3. Encourage non-partisan voter registration. In a representative government, we want those who are leading us to be men and women of integrity and moral courage.
4. Go to www.yesivote.org to learn more.

Please let us know if we can be of any service to you in this endeavor.

Serving with you in Washington State,

Alec Rowlands

God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.