Monday Morning- The New York Times

I arrived late in the evening Sunday, January 18th. I was ecstatic to see Alisa and when I saw her pull up at the airport I realized that I would get to hang out with her for FIVE whole weeks! It just so happened that my time here in Washington (that was scheduled for me last April or May) fell over the inauguration. So, not only was I staying with Alisa but the other closest friend that I have (Melissa) who was my roommate for four years was here as well with Aileen, a friend from work. They were visiting DC in order to attend the inauguration. What a great time to be in Washington!

So like I said, Alisa is the pastor of CHUMC and there is another United Methodist Church a block away that is traditionally a predominantly African American church. The churches have a long history of having separated and segregated more than 180 years ago. In light of the inauguration of our first African American president the New York Times had followed Alisa (and subsequently Melissa and Aileen) for three days as they were running a story about the churches, racial reconciliation, and the work that these two churches are doing together now. So Monday morning as us girls were lounging around laughing and catching up, the New York Times photographer dropped by to take some photos! Seriously..? Yes. And just so you know, if the NY Times calls or texts and you don't answer, they will find you. It was surreal.

And on Monday morning there was the article on the FRONT page of the NY Times.

To read it, click on the link below and near the bottom left of the page where it says "Multimedia" and "Anticipation on a City Block" is the interactive piece that is very, very well done. The first picture is Aileen. When you click to advance to the next set of pictures, Alisa is the second one. Click on each picture to hear their statements.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/19/us/politics/19block.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=alisa%20lasater&st=cse

That afternoon I attended a Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial service at Ebeneezer Church, which they held along with CHUMC. It was amazing to feel the hope in the air and the buzz of excitement for the following day's inauguration. Though the group was small, there were people in attendance from all over the nation. This is truly a historic time in our nation.

Then we dressed Alisa up for the Illinois state inaugural ball. She did not get to see President Obama, but she sure looked gorgeous! The photo above is Alisa with a parishioner from her former church in Charlotte, NC who came to visit for the inauguration (yes, there was a very full house!)