During the Revolutionary War, everyone was affected, and the churches were intimately involved.

In Springfield, New Jersey, the Rev. Caldwell’s wife was killed and his home burnt to the ground. The incident inflamed the townspeople against the British. They were inspired to fight knowing that the option was death. They faced 5,000 trained soldiers and at the height of the battle the colonials took refuge next to Caldwell’s church until they ran out of paper wadding for their muskets.

The Rev. gathered up all the copies of Watts Hymns and ran out to the rifleman. He was tearing the pages out of the hymnals, passing them out shouting, Put Watts into em boys! Give em Watts!

Today, that church would have it’s tax exempt status revoked for getting involved with politics, or standing up for what it believed.

So 200 years ago, these parishioners stuffed their muskets with hymnal pages, to gain independence for our country. Now, generations later the government is monitoring the activities of churches like the Church at Pierce Creek.

This is Nina May and the Renaissance Women hoping for a spiritual revolution in our churches.