Last Sunday, Presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee, visited a United Pentecostal church, The Apostolic Church, where he worshiped, addressed the congregation and played guitar in the band. Rev. Steve Warman is the pastor of this large, beautiful church in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
Sarah Holland writes this account:
Pastor Warman had already announced his coming to the congregation in our morning service, so there was no warning when Governor Huckabee slid in with the band, and began to play the bass for praise and worship. After praise and worship, Governor Huckabee greeted the congregation. He spoke about abortion and marriage, and the importance of realizing the value of life. He spoke about how even if one’s intention is pure, but their definition of what is right is not right, then intention doesn’t matter. He was well spoken, but what impressed me was that he not only showed up early, but stayed late. Too often when politicians stop in for a visit, they leave before service ends. Governor Huckabee stayed through church, and then took time to visit with our congregation.
As I stated here, where we discussed at length Hillary Clinton’s speaking at Saddleback, I am not accustomed to having political candidates in our pulpits, although I know it is common in other areas of the country. Yet, to be honest, I must say if Mike Huckabee’s agent had called when Jerry pastored New Life Center in Rialto, saying he wanted to worship with us on a Sunday night, I would be hard-pressed to think, “No.” Once he was there in our sanctuary, it seems incomprehensible to refrain from asking him to address the audience.
Opinion?
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My devotional blog is here.
Shirley Buxton 
18 replies on “Mike Huckabee Plays Guitar in a United Pentecostal Church”
New Jerusalem Church
Dear beloved honorable /in Christ
New year Greetings to you in the wonderful mighty l name of our Lord Jesus Christ..
We are living by faith in Him to build the Kingdom of God
Kindly request you,
Please pray for our Gospel work and church shelter in Ponnur
Your Brother in His service
Bro . Jesuspadam Kancharla
PONNUR, India
http://newjerusaleminc.blogspot.com/
njcgospel777@yahoo.co.in
Cell , No .-9701047991
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Dearly .Rev
Holy Greetings from Freetown , Sierra Leone in the name of Jesus Christ our soon coming KING.
I thank the Lord for this divine opportunity granted to me to know about you and ministry. It has been my prayer that the Lord will give me a Father that will mentor me into spiritual maturity for the advancement of the Kingdom of God . HALLELUJAH!!
I want to thank the Lord who has make us to know about your Ministry for such a time like this and for knowing what He the Lord is doing through you which is a blessing to the Body of Christ. I thank God for your life.
We are an indigeneous Ministry seeking God to give us a pastoral covering for our Ministry here in Sierra Leone . We are a Bible believing Mission .
We are also believing God to have you among us in April the 6th 2009 to come and speak to the Body of Christ in the nation of Sierra Leone .
My country has a population of 85% dominant muslims which we are believing God to have them converted and burn into the Kingdom of God .
Minister, I believe that by association with you ministry in a Fatherly and son relationship, we can raise a standard in this nation in JESUS NAME.
Our vision is to reach the unreach peoples group in our nation with the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ this is our life style of preaching.
We are running also and interdominational Bible school and also an orphanage where have about 175 orphan children and who lost thier parent dureing the past 10 years of war in our country sierra leone and we are also asking you and the ministry over there to help this orphan children and (as the bible says who so ever give to this little ones he has done it to me ) and that why want you to be a help to this children and what so ever little the lord laid in your heart we will thankful ok .
and we are asking you to please send us some of your materials like Bibles, books magazines and teaching tapes and CDs that will be of help to up grade our library here in Sierra Leone.
May the Lord bless you mightly as we await hearing from you soon.
Shallom.
Yours In His Service,
Rev emmanuel Bobor
Gospel Terbanacle Church
P.O.BOX1099
7 Fergusson Street
Freetown,
Sierra Leone
West Africa
Te +232 76-994-955
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Hi All,
So happy that you put this on the web Sis Shirley. I am of an Independent Pentecostal Church, and as some of you know, we do Praise and Worship God.
Yes, the beat does get peppy, we are Happy People!!
Jesus Bless You!
Sis Sharon Sharing http://kcatonline.com
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Hi, Paul. What a treat to hear from you.
Of course being a politician won’t keep us out of the great beyond. Only sin does that. So if we’re a politician who is free from sin, we’ll make it to heaven!
Isn’t that right? Sure hope I’m ready when my time comes. I’m planning that way.
Hope your family is well.
Shirley
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dear shirley, there’s certainly enough difference in our opinions regarding subjects such as this,what I’m wondering now is *****is just being a politician cause enough for the LORD to keep you out of the great beyond *****
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Dear Sir /madam,
How are you doing together with your family and work? Hope all is going well as God planned. I do not know how you are going to feel about this email I sent to you, but I want to inform you that you should be so kind to accept it because i am only using this means to solicit for assistance from you.
I am Nkiru Eke by name, fourteen years old girl, from Africa; I had a problem, which resulted in writing to you for help. I lost my family members on ghastly motor accident on their way traveling which I am the only one left alive, for the fact that i was still schooling then, I have none to meet or run to for an assistance, for the fact that my parents were from the orphanage home before they got married to each other.
Since then I have been putting my best to meet up with things around me but it was not easy for me. It was last three months one of my hands was cut off by a grinding machine, which really subjected me to be using one hand. Based on this, I have written to so many charity organization both here in Africa and international for urgent assistance but up till now, nothing have heard from any of them, that was the reason I had to write to you as an individual ,knowing
fully well that God can equally assist me through you.
Please frankly and honestly speaking, I am very much ashamed of myself because of my condition and situation. I am pleading on my kneels and tears on my eyes for you to assist me with whatever financial assistance or help you can afford to enable me further
my education and actualize my future dream because I do not want myself to endanger my life and future, knowing fully well that God will surely reward you more as you come to my help, Amen
Thanks and God bless
Yours sincerely
Nkiru Eke
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I don’t know whether Hillary has been in a UPC church or not. I figure so. Her husband was in the Arkansas Camp many times before he became president. He was in Anthony Mangun church in Alexandria La. Bro Mangun choir sang when Bill Clinton was put in the whitehouse. So I figure Hillary knows all about
the UPC. So Yes, I would let her speak if I had say so in my church. I thought that about Huckabee was great.
Hey, V. Glad to hear from you. I had heard that the Alexandria choir sang at Bill Clinton’s inauguration. That’s quite an honor. So you would let Hillary speak at Hilltop, huh? What do you think about her becoming president? Would that be a good choice for us?
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great post, by the way I enjoy your blog.What a great way to introduce someone to the spirit of God.I agree with Sis. Allard, Its nice to have community leaders come to special events.
Nancy, welcome to my site. Hope you visit and comment here often, and hope you invite others also. Hello to your sweet hubby.
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I have never been to a church service in which a national candidate was present. I have mixed feelings about it. I don’t think we can say, on the one hand, that they should be treated like any other guest and, on the other hand, that we would give them a position of honor.
I think I would prefer that we simply acknowledge them and any other visitors that happened to be there that day. Their presence probably speaks for itself.
Neither have I been in such a service, and as I have mentioned previously, I too have mixed feelings about the issue. But it seems it would be awkward to have such a person in your congregation and not ask them to address the audience.
Would the pastor of the church you attend, RGuy, invite the candidate to the platform?
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I’ll pray all the candidates walk in, arm in arm. 🙂
Please be assured that immediately on that happening, I will blog about it…lots of pictures, too.
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One thing no one has written about. There is a difference between someone who calls and asks to come, someone who has been invited, and someone who just “show up.”
Someone who calls and asks probably wants to be allowed to speak. Someone who has been invited expects to speak. Someone who just “shows up” may want to speak and may just want to worship.
I presume any church would welcome any candidate who comes to worship and would welcome him/her as you would any other guest. As a guest at many church services, I have never been asked to speak other than to introduce myself and state where I live and normally worship. At that time, a candidate could state that he/she is running for office. I can’t see how that would ever be out of line or questioned by the church officials or other worshipers. To separate church entirely from state would not allow even this, (which is, of course, silly). This is quite different, however, from the scenario Shirley first described and quite different from feeling the need to “protect the pulpit.”
Absolutely, Helen, and since Jerry and I are starting a church here in Lake Havasu, AZ, I keep looking for John McCain to walk into our storefront sanctuary. He’s welcome. 🙂
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We have invited and had local government figures (mayor, judge, etc.) to attend special services. We have them sit on the platform and ask them to address the congregation. Our people are always excited to “show” our way of worship. Without fail, the guest will make comment about enjoying our worship, the music, and always make good comments about our church and how it has positively affected our community. We don’t invite them for the purpose of preaching or spiritual instruction but as a local “honored position” to help celebrate our special occasion. If we do that, I don’t see any reason not to have a presidential candidate.
Jana, the important line in your post is this: ” We don’t invite them for the purpose of preaching or spiritual instruction but as a local “honored position” to help celebrate our special occasion.” Thank you for noting that.
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I trust he enjoyed being the presence of Almighty God! Maybe he received something he needed. Who knows? I’m not crazy about politicians being there, but if they were I think it would be fine to have them speak. They can’t do too much harm with just a few words to the congregation. Surely, people who are strong in principles and who love God with all their hearts, and stand on HIS Word wouldn’t be swayed by a political speech. If so, they’re not very strong in belief. As far as “playing with the band”…..he just better be able to keep up with the “beat”! LOL!
Hi, Linda. Love your last line…”…he just better be able to keep up with the “beat!” I’m praying that the person who becomes our next President is such a one–one who can keep up with the beat. What a task is ahead of him/her.
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Good evening Mervi, Helen and Tommyjoe:
If any serious candidate for the office of President of the United States would call our church and want to worship, I would feel honored. Once they were at the church service, I can’t imagine not asking them to address the audience. Bill can’t play. He’s not in the running. 🙂
Get myself in some sticky discussions, don’t I.
Recall that I would not be in charge of this scenario–would be sweet hubby who would make such decisions. He is the pastor, not I.
I also still insist that I am a bit uncomfortable with having politicians in the pulpit. Somehow it seems misplaced…certainly as a routine, regular affair.
Do right, everybody.
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If Hillary Clinton’s (or Barack Obama’s) agent had called had called when Jerry pastored New Life Center in Rialto, saying she (he) wanted to worship with you on a Sunday night, would you also have been hard-pressed to think, “No”? And once she (he) was there in your sanctuary, would it have been incomprehensible to avoid asking her (him)to address the audience? Or is this about being like-minded, as in, male in pulpit, Pentecostal rather than Methodist (Baptist) and pro-life rather than pro-choice? Is it about learning or confirming what you already believe?
Bill Clinton plays a saxaphone. Can he play with the worship band?
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I’d be there to listen to Huckabee were he to come to the place where I worship. Maybe he did come to seek votes, but perhaps he’d hear something said or someone who would expound unto him “the way of God more perfectly.” I think it commendable that he stayed as long as he did.
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Point Two:
Political endeavor and the seeking of political approval should not be a part of ANY worship service.
Mervi
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Personal Option!
Hillary was in or at the Saddleback church not as a segment of the worship. If I remember correctly it was a discussion group on something not really related to a church service. It seems that they had several different speakers that day with Hillary as one.
I can remember from when I was in the “Heart Land Country” many years ago that often at some of the larger meeting there would be political figures appear, governors, senators and majors. All with one thing in mind “show the Pentecostal peoples that we are a part of you.” Why? To seek votes in an election. Mr. Huckabee is a “Christian minister” so I personally can see him as a part of a church service a lot better, quicker with more ease that Hillary.
Yes, Sis. Buxton, we in this part of our fellowship are much more concretive than our brethren farther East.
Mervi
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