President George W. Bush missed church on Sunday July 4th 2004 due to a malfunctioning starter valve on the left engine of Air Force One. The trouble on Air Force One delayed the president's departure from Hagerstown Regional Airport in Maryland, near Camp David, where Bush spent the weekend. A second Boeing 757 was brought from Andrews Air Force Base to bring Bush to West Virginia. His late arrival to Charleston's Yeager Airport resulted in his
	missing his planned attendance at Bible Center Church.  The church had "rolled out the red carpet" for the President. While many were disappointed at the President's change of plans, nearly 1500 persons attended three services featuring patriotic songs as well as a message by Pastor Thornton entitled Where Freedom Reign, Wisdom Rules from 1 Kings 3.  Pastor Thornton was invited to greet the President by the Whitehouse staff prior to his appearance on the steps of the State Capitol.	Pastor Thornton and daughter Katie (far left) wait to greet the President (official White House photo)
	President Bush was kind enough to include the following remarks in his speech: "Finally, I was to head to Pastor Thornton's church, the Bible Center Church here in West Virginia. (Applause.) Pastor Shawn Thornton and his family came in the capitol to meet me, and I was grateful, but I assured him that I was looking forward to his sermon. That's not the reason I missed it. I missed it because the plane broke down. (Laughter.) But, Pastor, thank you and your congregation for rolling out the red carpet for what would have been a presidential visit to your fine church. But more importantly, Pastor Thornton, thank you for ministering to those who hurt. One of the great things about this particular church is that the outreach program, into the lives of those who suffer, into the lives of those who wonder if there's hope, is strong and vibrant and real."	President Bush speaks on the steps of the WV State Capitol.(Lawrence Jackson -- AP)   President's Remarks High Speed Video President's Remarks Low Speed Video Pastor Thornton's Message of 7-4-04 Text in PDF format
	Links: Text of President Bush's speech from the White House Website From the Chaleston Gazette: (7-3-04) From the Charleston Daily Mail (7-6-04) From the South African Press Association From KAIT Jonesboro Arkansas	From the Washington Post      From Bloomberg      From China View      From Yahoo News      From Yahoo News      From WBAY Wisconsin