Scenes from the campaign trail

Dan Matthews campaigning in Watkinsville

Things I have learned so far on the campaign trail: I was the only person to wear a tie to Watkinsville First Baptist Church this morning. Their service is more like a rock concert than a revival. It is completely acceptable to go to church with your neighbors. It is good to hear a differing viewpoint on matters of religion and morality.

The members of this church were extremely friendly and welcoming. I had a great time listening to Paul Chambers have a small discussion at the end of the Bible study portion. It is nice to see how well churches blend in with the community, and you can see how well Pastor Carlos Sibley has led his flock. I am happy to know that Christians from Watkinsville are in Chad and Haiti helping people out.

My 11-year-old son has begun to develop his own view of religion, and I am grateful that I have been able to expose him a wide array of churches, synagogues and other places of prayer. I love Oconee County, the 113th House District, and the diversity of people and beliefs in a relatively small area such as my neighborhood.

Last week I fished one of my few campaign signs out of their dumpster, and they say God works in mysterious ways.  My phone calls were answered and returned in a very polite and professional manner.

This week I decided to attend their service and was very pleasantly surprised. The backing band was led by Jason Dorminey and had two guitars, a bass player and a drummer. They are going to reconfigure their gym to allow more people to attend their services. The church has continued to grow from the days when I covered them for the newspaper with a hot air balloon in their front lawn for the Oconee Living section of the Athens Banner-Herald. Watkidsville indeed.