Episcopal churches serve as polling locations, host prayer vigils as tense election season concludes

[Episcopal News Service] As the polls began opening early Nov. 5 for Election Day in the United States, the doors opened at Washington National Cathedral for prayer.

The Episcopal cathedral in the nation’s capital city is welcoming the public all day for what it says will be “a continuous vigil for prayer and reflection,” including four worship services while American voters are casting their ballots in this year’s presidential election. Likewise, other Episcopal congregations across the country are promoting peace, civility, unity and the democratic process in their own communities.

All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Atlanta, Georgia, is one example. It will open its chapel from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern for silent prayer. “We pray for our country, for the vulnerable among us whose lives are most affected by the ideas and policies we endorse, and for a safe and peaceful democratic process,” the church said in a Facebook post.

In Vail, Colorado, the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration has scheduled a Virtual Election Vigil from 7-11 p.m. Mountain for “everyone craving an alternative experience” to the day’s nonstop election updates. “Please invite anyone needing a quieter evening to join us virtually,” the Rev. Stuart Brooks Keith III, Transfiguration’s rector, said in an online invitation.

And St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mountain for a daylong prayer vigil hosted by its contemplative prayer group. It will be followed Nov. 6 by a post-election Holy Eucharist in the church.

Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, who began his nine-year term on Nov. 1, will offer his reflections and prayer at Election Night Virtual Prayers. The event, organized by the church’s Washington-based Office of Government Relations, will be available from 8-10 p.m. Eastern on Zoom or on Facebook.

The Episcopal Church does not endorse individual political candidates but rather encourages nonpartisan advocacy and political engagement as a way of witnessing Jesus’ Gospel message in today’s world. Its Office of Government Relations has assembled various resources into an election engagement toolkit that includes ways of addressing misinformation, disinformation and political violence. Episcopalians also are encouraged to sign up to receive action alerts as part of the Episcopal Public Policy Network.

In response to the tension and anxiety that has permeated this year’s election, Washington National Cathedral has said it is focusing its election-related services on “peace, justice and safeguarding democratic values.”

During the cathedral’s online Morning Prayer, the Rev. Dana Corsello reflected on Philippians 4:1-7 and its well-known verse, “Do not be anxious about anything.” Corsello, the cathedral’s canon vicar, noted the importance of Paul’s message in the preceding verse: “The Lord is near.”

“In light of the election, in light of everything that may go down in the next few months,” Corsello said, “please know, please intuit, please trust that the Lord is near, that God is in control.”

Episcopal bishops from across the church have issued their own statements calling for peace and faithfulness as this election season draws to a close.

“As Christians, we are called to be peacemakers, to listen with compassion to those who may disagree with us, and to seek unity,” Pennsylvania Bishop Daniel Gutiérrez said. “For many, today will be filled with anxiety and uncertainty. I want to remind you that many of our churches are open on Election Day for those seeking space for quiet prayer and reflection.”

Newark Bishop Carlye J. Hughes issued a message seeking to reassure her northern New Jersey diocese. “In the midst of the unknown, there is a truth that we have learned to hold dear: God is near to us at all times, in all ways, and despite all confusion,” Hughes said. “So, we vote, and we pray.”

Michigan Bishop Bonnie Perry has encouraged clergy in her southeast Michigan diocese to craft sermons for Nov. 10 services that support the theme of “Going Forward Together.”

“People in our communities are exhausted by the divisiveness, uncertainty and anger coming out of this presidential election season,” Perry said in a written statement. “But as we face turmoil, faith and prayer keep us grounded and provide a path toward healing.”

Perry also urged Americans to vote in a video message, adding that her own polling location is Grace Episcopal Church in Detroit. Other Episcopal churches across the country are opening their doors for use in local elections.

In Millington, Tennessee, voters are casting ballots at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church. In Cleveland Heights, Ohio, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church is a polling site. Trinity Episcopal Church is a polling site in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church is welcoming voters in Lake Jackson, Texas.

Additional prayer vigils are planned after the election. The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York has scheduled a vigil for 7 p.m. Eastern that will be joined by New York Bishop Matthew Heyd; Long Island Bishop Lawrence Provenzano; the Rev. Al Sharpton, the civil rights leader; Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, executive director of the New York Board of Rabbis; and the Rev. Chloe Breyer, executive director of the Interfaith Center of New York.

Throughout the day Nov. 6, National Cathedral will be open for prayer, with worship services at noon and 5 p.m. “recognizing the importance of maintaining peace and unity as the country moves forward.” On Jan. 21, the day after a new president is inaugurated, the cathedral’s Service for the National will “underscore the values of reconciliation, shared purpose and the work required to bring the nation together.”

– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.