The sound of “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” filled the halls of the nearly empty Kentucky State Capitol on Wednesday, just days before the historic building is set to close for an extensive multi-million-dollar renovation that could take more than four years.
Capitol Chaplain Kyle McDannell, who also serves as pastor of East Frankfort Baptist Church, organized a worship service as one of the last public events before the 116-year-old Capitol Building is temporarily shut down next month.
“It is a unique opportunity we've not had for over 100 years to saturate this place with prayer. If we believe in prayer, we ought to make it a priority,” McDannell told Kentucky Today.
More than two dozen people attended the event, including a handful of state legislators.
Adrian Mathenia of Buck Run Baptist Church led worship, while McDannell was joined in scripture reading and prayer by Xavier McFalls, the Baptist Campus Ministry leader at Kentucky State University, and Leeland Smith, pastor of Van Buren Baptist Church in Lawrenceburg.
Smith served for years on the Kentucky State Police capitol security detail, and said he is going to miss having access to the old building.
“It’s going to come back as beautiful as it is now … even better when they get it finished,” he said. “But we’re going to miss when we can’t be in it for a while.”
The closing of the Capitol will present ministry challenges for McDannell, who has spent years developing relationships among staff, legislators, Supreme Court justices and constitutional officers.
During the renovation, they will now be dispersed at office locations throughout Frankfort.
“It's challenging because we're losing over 200 staff members that we've invested in, not to mention all three branches of government that meet here,” said McDannell.
“However, given that the various offices were moving elsewhere in the city, it may open up some doors for us to actually expand the ministry.”
McDannell said many of the temporary offices are more modern and may provide more space for ministry than the Capitol did.
“With more space comes opportunity to expand Bible study and other outreaches like that,” he said.
Instead of holding large-scale events, McDannell said he will tailor them to specific offices.
“It will be different than what we've done before, where we approach ministry almost at a massive scale where we invite everyone to this or that event. Here, if the right doors open up, we can target the offices of various constitutional officers or other elected leaders.”
McDannell is asking churches to continue to support the ministry by praying and by providing volunteers.
“It is a challenge, but it's not like Jesus didn't know that this day was coming. He brought the ministry here. He brought the challenges to the ministry here, and we've just got to be faithful to the doors that He opens.
“I'm really confident that when everyone returns here in a few years, we're going to see the ministry expanding even more, and changing more lives as a result of this challenge.”
Several people gathered in the State Capitol for a prayer and worship service before the building is temporarily shut down next month for renovations. (Kentucky Today/Lawrence Smith)
