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Pastor Tries to Make Clinton Feel at Home in D.C. Church

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From Associated Press

President Clinton has been to the First Baptist Church three times, but he already has a pew reserved for him. It’s the sixth row back, on the right, where President Carter once sat most Sundays.

Months before Clinton was elected, he got a letter from Pastor Everett Goodwin welcoming him to the church where Carter and President Harry S. Truman worshiped.

Goodwin is 48 years old, of Clinton’s generation. Like Clinton, he came of age during the Vietnam War. He marched at the same Boston rally that then-Wellesley student Hillary Rodham marched in the day after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in 1968.

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He wants the President to feel very much at home.

“Realizing that the President is my age makes me feel very much a sense of identity, but also a great sense of awe,” Goodwin said. “I want to do everything I can to help him as he assumes such awesome responsibilities.”

Having a President worship in your church is a special honor, Goodwin said. It’s also a particular challenge, since it’s hard to provide spiritual support to a person always in the public eye.

“We’re very conscious that the President is like any other person who comes in search of spiritual guidance,” Goodwin said. “We want to provide that, but we’re not looking for attention.”

Truman used to walk the mile from the White House to church with just a few security guards for protection. Modern Presidents arrive in motorcades, preceded by teams that clear the way. They are accompanied by phalanxes of Secret Service agents. They often attract crowds of the curious.

When Carter came to church, many visitors showed up only to see him and left as soon as they had. Carter’s attendance established the precedent of a presidential pew.

Goodwin came to the church in 1981 after Carter’s pastor, Dr. Charles A. Trentham, was ousted over a scandal about his two divorces and romantic liaison with a young female church member. A rift over Trentham’s contract almost split the church. But things have settled down since then.

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Today’s church is a blend of the traditional and the modern, both in its membership and its architecture. Members of the congregation range from college students to retired ambassadors and politicians.

With its Gothic-style stone arches, lofty ceilings and oak detail, the church looks ancient at first glance. But it was built only 40 years ago, according to the specifications of Truman’s pastor, Edward Hughes Pruden.

Although many stained-glass windows tell traditional Bible stories, some also honor modern-day Baptists. James Kraft is shown with a great hunk of the cheese that made his fortune. William Colgate of toothpaste fame has his own window as well.

First Baptist is Goodwin’s third church. He has also been a pastor in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Like Clinton, he is highly educated, with a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Chicago and a doctorate in history from Brown University, as well as his seminary training.

But still he sometimes gets pulpit stage fright, despite his knowledge and experience. Clinton’s presence only intensifies that feeling.

“It’s always tense to get into the pulpit. You want to do well,” Goodwin said. “When he’s there, maybe you even want that more than usual.”

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