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| Evergreen Chapel |
In 1991, the Evergreen Chapel was dedicated by President George H.W. Bush. It was built using funds raised by a nonprofit corporation formed by Kenneth Plummer, president of the National Lay Leaders Association of the United Methodist Church.
The Wagner Roofing website acknowledges the role that their founder's wife Evelyn Murray played in the construction of the Evergreen Chapel:
"Evelyn was instrumental in the fundraising for the beautiful non-denominational Chapel constructed at Camp David during the Reagan Administration. Evelyn delights in relating the history of the Chapel, discussing its design and recalling the marvelous dedication ceremony that she was able to attend. She even owns some of the stained glass used in the Chapel. "
The chapel bell is from the USS Endicott, a Navy destroyer launched around the same time that President Roosevelt established Camp David (which he originally named "Shangri-La"). The pipe organ has two keyboards and 827 pipes ranging in size from 6 inches to 20 feet tall. The organ was built by the Moller Pipe Organ Company of Hagerstown, MD.
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| President Bush at the dedication service of the new Camp David chapel - April 1991 |
In 1992, the first wedding ceremony was performed at the chapel when Dorothy Bush LeBlond exchanged vows with Bobby Koch.
The Evergreen Chapel holds nondenominational Christian services every weekend. The chapel is open to the 400 military personnel serving at Camp David along with their families. On average, around 50-70 people are in attendance.
President Clinton wrote in his autobiography about his last trip to Camp David :
"Don Henley gave us a wonderful solo concert after dinner in the Camp David Chapel. The next morning was our family's last service in the beautiful chapel, where we had shared many services with the fine young sailors and marines who staffed the camp and their families.
They had even let me sing with the choir, always leaving the sheet music in Aspen, our family cabin, on Friday or Saturday so that I could review it in advance."
President George W. Bush and his family attended the Christmas Eve candlelight service at Evergreen Chapel for all eight years of his administration.
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| The Bush family at an Easter service at the Evergreen Chapel in 2006 |
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| President Bush greets military personnel outside the Evergreen Chapel - April 2006 |
According to press secretary Robert Gibbs at a White House briefing in December 2009, President Obama has attended church fairly regularly up at Camp David where "he's comfortable in and has enjoyed attending."
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| Google Maps Earth view of Evergreen Chapel at Camp David |
Sources: The President is at Camp David; My Life: The Presidential Years; Camp David Tour; George Bush Presidential Library; The White House; US Navy; www.mongiello.org; GPO; Google Maps
What a lovely chapel and how wonderful the President and the military families can share service! I never knew...
ReplyDeleteI don't understand what religion the services are for.
ReplyDeletelook at the cross mate.This is a church..Since most americans are Christians and since all the presidents as of now were Christians,it is not a surprise
ReplyDeleteIt's a nondenominational Protestant Christian service, led by a military chaplain (as of 2010, Lieutenant Carey Cash). The image near the top from 1991 was a special, crossdenominational service with apparently Catholic, Orthodox, and Episcopalian services held for the dedication. Those services are few and far between (possibly none since the 1991 dedication), with most just using the assigned military chaplain.
ReplyDeleteI assume either this Chapel or another building is used when there are dignitaries from non-Christian, or Orthodox/highly Catholic nations staying at Camp David. That's something the Secretary of State's office would have to work out.
is this chapel a roman catholic chapel
ReplyDeleteIt is nondenominational Christian
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