400 Years Later, Evangelicals to `Rededicate’ Jamestown for Christ

c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) A number of prominent evangelicals will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the first English settlers landing in Virginia by holding services “rededicating the land for Christ” on Sunday (April 29). The event, dubbed The Assembly 2007, is separate from the scores of others _ including a visit from Queen […]

c. 2007 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) A number of prominent evangelicals will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the first English settlers landing in Virginia by holding services “rededicating the land for Christ” on Sunday (April 29).

The event, dubbed The Assembly 2007, is separate from the scores of others _ including a visit from Queen Elizabeth II of England _ coordinated by the official Jamestown 2007 organizers.


The Assembly, with an executive committee including conservative Christian notables like religious broadcaster Pat Robertson and Texas pastor John Hagee, bills itself as one of the only explicitly religious ceremonies taking place during the quadricentennial celebrations. (The Episcopal Church, heir to the Anglicans who landed in Jamestown, also plans events this summer.)

Calling April 29 “Dedication Sunday,” organizers say The Assembly “will both make history and renew it _ by re-establishing a 400-year-old covenant with God.”

The evangelicals plan to plant crosses on the beach where the settlers landed in 1607, and are encouraging Christians throughout the U.S. to do the same on their front lawns. Robertson is scheduled to lead a part of a planned five-hour service in Virginia Beach, Va.

“We want to restore our Christian foundation and make it a center for world evangelization,” said the Rev. John Blanchard, executive director of The Assembly 2007.

The group believes the settling of Jamestown was a critical moment for Christianity and should serve as an important reminder of the nation’s roots in the faith.

Blanchard said he “won’t apologize for this being a Christian event,” but expects controversy for bluntly proclaiming America a Christian nation. “We live in a pluralistic society, so there will undoubtedly be those who oppose it,” he said.

Kevin Crossett, a spokesman for Jamestown 2007, said that “this is an opportunity for everyone to tell a Jamestown story.”


He added, “We acknowledge that there were religious aspects to the landing, but it’s not a debate for us to get in. We are focusing on the legacy of cultural diversity, free enterprise and representative government.”

The Assembly will also hold a “repentance ceremony” to “heal” the land taken from American Indians. “We’re going to repent before God for the atrocities committed in the name of Christianity,” Blanchard said.

Descendants of the original tribes in the Jamestown area will be honored on the beach where the English settlers landed. Rappahannock Chief Anne Richardson will have her feet washed by a local Anglican minister. Gifts will be offered to local tribes, and prayers will be read to offer words of healing.

These are the messages Blanchard said the original settlers should have extended. “We could gloss over what happened to the Native Americans like it didn’t happen, but we know that it did happen,” he said. “We need to be courageous enough to recognize the sins of our fathers.”

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Editors: To obtain a photo of the official logo of Assembly 2007 go to the RNS Web site at https://religionnews.com. On the lower right, click on “photos,” then search by subject or slug.

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