On Sunday, Vice President Mike Pence and Evangelist Franklin Graham both attended the morning service of Alliance Bible Fellowship in Boone, North Carolina.
According to The Appalachian, Pence met Graham in front of the church at 8:55 am. As Pence walked down the aisle, he was greeted by church members with applause. They also applauded Pence when he left after the service ended at around 10:15 am.
At the present time, due to the pandemic, services at Alliance Bible Fellowship are not meeting at full capacity and masks are required to be worn by all attendees. The service was also livestreamed on Facebook, but it was closed to the press.
Pence and Graham commented on their experiences following the service on social media.
“Such a Blessing to be at Alliance Bible Fellowship for Sunday Worship Service this morning in North Carolina with @Franklin_Graham,” Pence tweeted. “It was a Joy to be back in Church! Thank you to Pastor Andrews & Everyone for their warm welcome & prayers! America is a Nation of Faith!”
Such a Blessing to be at Alliance Bible Fellowship for Sunday Worship Service this morning in North Carolina with @Franklin_Graham. It was a Joy to be back in Church! Thank you to Pastor Andrews & Everyone for their warm welcome & prayers! America is a Nation of Faith! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/xUX0gemjAe
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) November 1, 2020
Graham, who invited Pence, thanked the Vice President for joining him and his family on Sunday morning.
“It was a privilege and an honor to have Vice President Mike Pence join me and my family for church today at Alliance Bible Fellowship in Boone, North Carolina, “ Graham wrote on Facebook. “It means so much that, even with his ultra-busy schedule, the Vice President made time and took the effort to come for worship and teaching from the Word of God.”
“I am so thankful that we have a strong Christian leader serving in this key role—it makes such a difference for our country,” he continued. “I know that God uses him greatly and hope you will join me in praying for him and his family.”
Local politicians were also in attendance at the Sunday morning service, including state senator Deanna Ballard (R) and Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R).
“I think it’s terrific to have the vice president in Watauga County,” Foxx said. “He’s a great friend.”
Prior to driving to Boone, Pence had flown in through Hickory Regional Airport. Pence later returned to Washington D.C., according to the Office of the Vice President.
President Trump also arrived in Hickory, North Carolina on Sunday afternoon as he continued his rallies just two days before the 2020 presidential election.
Last Monday, Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff arrived in Boone, while Rep. Tim Moore (R), speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives came on Tuesday.
In 2011, former President Barack Obama made an unannounced visit to Boone as he visited people near the Mast General Store.
North Carolina is considered to be a battleground state, or “swing state”, as it has voted for Republican and Democrat presidents in past elections.
In the 2016 and 2012 presidential elections, North Carolina voted Republican, while voting Democrat in 2008.
North Carolina features 15 of the 270 electoral votes needed to determine which candidate wins the presidency.
As of early Monday, over 4.5 million votes were cast in North Carolina, with a 61.8 percent turnout of registered voters.
Related:
Franklin Graham Warns of 'Attack' on Christian Businesses, Nonprofits if Biden Wins
Photo courtesy: Mike Pence Twitter
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
