Urgent Responsibilities

On the Sunday following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., my wife and I sat in the farthest corner of the balcony at our place of worship. It was the 9:45 a.m. service, our congregation's most popular service, and normally we can arrive as it’s starting, confident that our favorite pew will be vacant. But on this Sunday, more than 500 people packed a sanctuary that seats only 350. The total attendance at our four services was 1,321, an unheard-of