Demopolis preacher to speak in D.C. as part of Campaign Capitol Hill
Mike Swims, who serves as the pulpit preacher at the Canal Heights church of Christ in Demopolis, will be traveling to Washington D.C. this week to take part in a unique event.
Swims will be one of eight preachers that will speak as part of Campaign Capitol Hill, a rally that will take place on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial overlooking the National Mall.
“Campaign Capitol Hill is a rally taking place on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial overlooking the National Mall with 8 speakers covering topics ranging from America’s spiritual heritage to electing Godly leaders, to reminding our civil leaders that they are still answerable to God,” Swims, one of the event’s organizers, said. “We believe that our nation is drifting farther and farther away from God. Campaign Capitol Hill is letting our elected leaders know that they are still accountable to God first and foremost, and to us second. It is going to be televised live across the Gospel Broadcasting Network, as well as aired live across the Gospel Radio Network and all of their affiliate stations. We’ve partnered with GBN to produce DVDs of the event.”
The event is a natural fit for Swims, who has long had a passion for politics. His aptitude for political commentary has seen Swims serve as the co-host of a successful podcast and has led him to his role as The West Alabama Watchman’s political columnist.
“Jake Sutton and I attended the Memphis School of Preaching together and we both share a passion for politics. I remember how we’d sometimes get together and talk about how it can seem like sometimes everyone in our generation is either politically ignorant, too easily swayed by celebrity opinion, or follows the latest trend in politics without a clue in the world as to what it really means, stands for, or its implications on society. So we’d talk about how someone should just go and tell Washington, D.C. that there is a God that’s more important than all of us and His opinion once mattered in this nation, and it still does to the majority of its citizens,” Swims said of the origin of Campaign Capitol Hill. “So, one day Jake called me up and asked if I wanted to help with this and I said, ‘Of course!’ I’ve seen this as an opportunity where I could either continue to stand around wringing my hands, talking to everyone who already agrees with me, or I could accept this challenge and go stand on the front doorsteps of the policy makers in Washington who need to hear it the most, and hope they accept it and change. But at least my two-year-old son will be able to grow up knowing that his dad went and stood up for what he believed in in a very public way.”
Speakers for the event will include Sutton, whose topic will be Standing in the Gap. Tennessee State Representative John DeBerry will handle the topic Civil Government Is Still Accountable to God.
Dr. Keith Mosher, Dean of Academics and Student Life at Memphis School of Preaching, will speak on The Nation That Forgets God. Swims will be tackle the topic Abortion: 41 Years Later.
B.J. Clarke, Director of Memphis School of Preaching, will address the topic of Electing Godly Leaders. Radio host and blogger Chris Clevenger will speak on God and the Family while Dr. Dave Miller of Apologetics Press will cover America’s Spiritual Heritage. Rick Lawson will finish out the event with A Call to Repentance.
The event began to take shape more than a year ago and has seen Swims and Sutton do everything from fundraising to permit acquisition to public relations.
But, perhaps the greatest challenge for the duo has been working together across such a great distance.
“I would have to say trying to balance the budget on such a big, once in a lifetime event like this with someone else who is several hundred miles away. Technology is great, but it still can’t replace sitting down across a table and looking at the very same numbers as they are. It takes a lot of money, fundraising, and prayers to make an event like this happen, and the capital doesn’t just fall into your lap. There were some nights that Jake and I were literally in our respective offices on Skype (he’s in Georgia and I’m in Alabama) at 11:30 p.m. crunching the numbers trying to make it all fit, and finally calling it a quits only when it became obvious we were making ourselves crazy,” Swims said. “But believe it or not, he and I have had a really great time organizing this event. It takes a lot of money to make something like this happen, so I’m proud to say that our biggest challenge has been overcoming that natural communication barrier that exists with technology compared to face-to-face interaction, and not finances. We’re still in fundraising mode today, but we believe that God will make sure His message is heard.”
The event is set to take place Aug. 7 form 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., allowing the team to make full use of the day-long permit it received from the U.S. Park Police.
“So far the attention has been really positive! Of course you have the social media attention which has been great, but traditional media has expressed interest as well. As I’ve previously mentioned, the Gospel Radio Network has agreed to play an ad on all of their stations for us every 30 minutes for the past month till the event is over, all at no cost. Plus, GBN has likewise volunteered to come out and broadcast it live for us and all we had to do was cover the cost of their team’s travel expenses, which we did. But more surprisingly was when a producer for NBC Nightly News contacted Jake two weeks ago and requested information regarding the event for a story they were working on,” Swims said. “We’ve heard from people in the Carolinas, throughout the South, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, you name it. We’ve even received word of one congregation that’s planning on bringing up a couple of charter buses for their members to attend! But most importantly, let’s hope we get the attention of some of our elected officials who may be out and about town, and who need to hear these messages.”