Sunday March 6th, 2016 class 46 of the California Agriculture Leadership Foundation attending a service of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

This AME church is the oldest of it's denomination and services were attended in the past by Fredrick Douglass, which provided us not only a new experience, but also one based in history.  The church itself is beautiful, only surpassed by the welcoming members of the congregation.  

Services started 7:45 and the singing started immediately.  Class 46 was welcomed into the gathering with an acknowledgment from the pulpit.   The Pastors sermon titled "On lying down with dogs and catching fleas" enlightened our group on the balance between opening ourselves up to all people, while acknowledging that we are heavily influenced by who we hang out with.  This can be important in our leadership training as we have many potential avenues to travel, but need to make certain that we maintain our correct path by being firmly and ethically grounded.

  After church, the group split up and spent the day in the shadows of our national monuments in the capitol mall. Many of us visited the Holocaust Memorial and museum, while others visited the Smithsonian and Arlington National Cemetery. It was a great day of reflection  for the entire group.