Rev. Dr. Michael J. McClenahan is senior pastor of Solana Beach Presbyterian Church, and his passion is to lead the church to be an transformative community making a tangible difference in the world in Jesus’ name. Mike and his wife, Amy, have twin married sons and two grandsons.
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My Unexpected Meeting with the President of the United States
President Obama and faith leaders meet to discuss immigration reform. Photo courtesy La Casa Blanca Twitter feed
It was past 10 on a Sunday night in Spokane. The wedding was over and I was sitting in the hallway of the hotel in my pajamas reading my email by iPhone while my grandson slept in our dark room.
I saw an email from White House sent by a woman named Julie inviting me to meet that Wednesday with President Barack Obama and his senior staff "to discuss the moral urgency of passing immigration reform ... Please RSVP to me by no later than noon Monday ... "
This was a joke. Why would I get an invitation? I emailed friends in the Evangelical Immigration Table, and by Monday morning they confirmed it was real. How could I say no?
I found out later on Monday as we were flying home from Spokane that this meeting was to be a small gathering with the president, his senior staff and a handful of faith leaders in the Oval Office. I laughed out loud.