Election Day!

First time you can vote anywhere in Travis County!

So far from my registered state of WI where I vote, I was worried that I may miss out on the election day experience.  And although I know that my home congregation is a polling place in the small town I grew up in, it was a shock to me that of all the places in this college town Austin, my little church is the polling place for our part of town, which now makes us a polling place for anyone in the Travis County area (Austin and some surrounding area).  For the first time you do not have a designated place, but you can go anywhere in the county to vote.
So last night as we were calling it quits we started to see all kinds of signs for candidates and propositions, trying to give voters one last push before the big day.

Needs to be a certain distance away from the entrance...

So this morning the day arrived, Happy Election Day!  As I walked in to the kitchen I could see lines in our fellowship hall and the booths full of people casting votes.  It's an amazing sight to see all the people taking time out of their day to cast their vote, and for this area a lot of young people!

Who you gonna vote for?

Now some may see this as a contrast to separation of church and state, but I love that we are able to offer this service and be a help to our community.  I love that people who never come into our church are here in the most non-threatening and important way...
When I arrived in Austin, some people who I met would say, "Oh, that church by the bar Trudy's?... Oh yeah, I vote there!"
Which just makes it easier to say, "You should come back and visit..."