By Courtney McEachern

In honor of the 9/11 victims, as well as local service men and women and emergency response personnel, Birdsboro’s Alice Focht Memorial United Methodist Church, hosted a patriotic musical service “Land of the Free,” on Sunday, Sept. 13.

During the Sunday afternoon service, a choir comprised of around 50 singers from numerous religious denominations sang the patriotic musical, “Land of the Free” to a packed church after local clergy members and political figures shared their remarks about the solemn day.  

Representative Sam Rohrer and Senator Michael O’Pake told personal stories about where they were when the towers were struck and how 9/11 impacted their lives.

“How many of you remember where you were Sept. 11, 2001?” said O’Pake to the congregation.

He remembers fondly a month before 9/11. He took a tour around the southern part of Manhattan.  As the sunset, he looked up and saw the two towers.  “ One month to the day, those two buildings were destroyed.”

Rohrer told the congregation that he was in Pittsburgh that day when he knew something had happened in New York. The political figures both commented that there are certain events in a person’s life that will never be forgotten, 9/11 being one of them.  “Although those fanatics did destroy two monumental buildings and about 3,000 lives. They were not able to destroy the marvelous strength, fiber, spiritual strength and togetherness of this nation. America is, was then and still is, the beacon of freedom and democracy in this world…,” said O’Pake.  

“I like to think of what happened on Sept. 12 and Sept. 13, when the American people came together. When you had billions of people who had forsaken the doors of their churches went back. When you had people stopped praying began to pray and flags began to fly again and patriotism surfaced again…,”added Rohrer

In addition, a number of United Methodist clergy members and political figures, such as Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, Congressman Jim Gerlach and Representative Dante Santoni Jr., were not able to attend, but sent letters that were read by Rev. Richard Andrews of Alice Focht Memorial United Methodist Church.

“It was a day that changed America, but in no way was it a defeat... I join with you in honoring those that risked their lives that day but also the men and women who risk their lives every day to protect our country and in our communities,” said Rendell in his letter.