Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Pence visits SoFla church
Springs worshippers hear VP
CORAL SPRINGS – During a visit to a west Broward County megachurch that was slated to be about religion and not politics, Vice President Mike Pence delivered a defense of his boss Sunday when the pastor asked him about healing the nation’s deep political divide.
“You are respectful and kind, and that was clearly absent from a lot of the [political] debate [which was] so partisan,” said Pastor David Hughes as he and Pence sat on stage before about 2,000 worshipers in the Church by the Glades in Coral Springs.
“How can we disagree without being disagreeable?”
In seeming to acknowledge the divide, Pence responded by describing Pres-
ident Donald Trump as a man who “has broad shoulders, but he’s got a big heart.”
“Sometimes he’s bigger than life, charismatic, always memorable,” he said. “I think we’re going to see that unity will come back as we turn the country around.”
Hughes said his church was contacted Wednesday about hosting a visit from Pence. Hughes asked that the visit not be political. But the visit did stir controversy from the minute Hughes announced Pence’s scheduled appearance on social media, with some parishioners voicing objections.
“This is a diverse congregation, perhaps more Democrat than Republican,” said Hughes.
The vice president received a round of applause from the congregation when he was ushered to a front row seat by a squad of Secret Service agents soon after the musical opening of the 10 a.m. service.
Before summoning Pence to the stage, Hughes told the audience about the call from the vice president’s office. “They asked if he would be welcome,” he said. “I said we’d be honored. This was not about partisan politics, but patriotism.”
Once on stage, Hughes asked Pence to talk about his own Christian faith before bringing up the political polarization in the country. Outside about 50 people gathered at the corner of Atlantic Boulevard and Lakeview Drive to protest Pence’s appearance, calling attention with signs and rainbow flags to his past opposition to same-sex marriage and gay rights.
“He has a terrible history on women’s rights,” said Kathleen Van Schalkwyk, one of the rally organizers. “We feel the pastor made a mistake in accepting the offer that he come here. But we are protesting Mike Pence, not the church.”
Before the service, Hughes said he did not want the Pence visit to become political.
“Our intent is for this NOT to be a political or partisan event, but rather an opportunity to hear how a sitting Vice President integrates his personal faith with his very public calling,” Pastor Hughes wrote in his Instagram post.
Hughes said the Church by the Glades congregation is “not red or blue, not donkeys or elephants, just Jesus.”
Outside the church on Sunday, one parishioner said she was looking forward to hearing from Pence about his religious journey. “Mike Pence is here to worship with us and we’re very excited,” said Miri Rodriguez, 38, who emigrated from Venezuela to the U.S. when she was 13.
“[Some people] made this into something political, saying if you have him here in your church, you’re supporting his political views,” she said.
Dozens of police officers, including many on motorcycles, helped direct traffic and block off intersections as the Pence motorcade arrived and departed. Those who entered the sanctuary for the 10 a.m. service were asked to empty their pockets before passing through airport-style metal detectors. Purses were searched.
Trump was also in South Florida this weekend, making his fifth visit to his private Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach since taking office Jan. 20.