By John Yeager, Pastor, Enslow Park Presbyterian

With so much news surrounding the aftermath of the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, we won’t hear about this profile in courage in the mainline news media. On that fateful day, Rear Admiral Margaret Grun Kibben, the first female Chaplain of the House of Representatives, was excited to witness the peaceful transfer of power as the U.S. Congress formally approved the election of Joe Biden. Rev. Kibben is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). It was her third day on the job.

According to the Religious News Service, the 60 year-old Kibben was sworn in on Sunday, Jan. 3. Wednesday was the first time she participated in a joint session of Congress. She was so new she didn’t even know where to sit and had to be told that she and the Senate Chaplain had designated seats.

About an hour later, she began to see a “flurry of activity” as the Speaker and other leaders were being whisked away. Cryptic reports began to flow into the chamber that the gathering crowd had turned into a mob and Capitol police were being overwhelmed.

In the midst of the chaos, as others were scrambling to exit or hunkering behind walls, one the House clerks asked if Rev. Kibben would offer a prayer. Kibben, who had served in combat, calmly approached the microphone. Kibben said, “It was a matter of asking for God’s covering and a hedge of protection around us.” It should be noted that not one participant of the mob was able to enter the House chamber during the riot.

Shortly after her prayer, the Capitol police began to evacuate the chamber. As staff and members walked out in rows, Kibben disregarded her own safety and offered comfort to those in duress. She said, “My concern was to keep an eye on who was frightened, who was struggling, so that I could come alongside them…”

Once the group reached a secure location, Kibben was again asked to pray. She referred back to the scripture she had referenced in her morning prayer before the House. By odd coincidence, she had read from Psalm 46, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

As she prayed, she included a “covering of peace and shelter,” and she prayed for the mob attacking the Capitol. She prayed that those in the mob would come to understand that the lawmakers wanted the same thing they desired. “That our legislative process is appropriate and legal and representative,” she said. The room fell quiet.

Kibben then began doing what she called a “ministry of walking around.” Since it was only her third day, she was meeting many people for the first time.

Kibben’s experience shows the value of chaplaincy. She said, “…our daily lives are not separate from God’s involvement in them…if labor is tedious, God understands the tedium. If the labor is under siege, God understands the crisis and walks beside us in still waters – as well as in the shadows of danger.” Talk about a baptism by fire.

Kibben’s actions will not be recorded in history books, but her presence as a representative of the kingdom of God made a difference. Kibben concluded, “Faith matters. It mattered on Wednesday, it matters today, and it’ll matter tomorrow.”