By Greg Halbleib
BLOOMINGTON – A Bloomington church serving as a polling place on Tuesday is also opening its chapel doors for voters to pray about their choices.
St. John’s Lutheran’s Church on Emerson Street near Towanda Avenue has served as a polling place for several years, but church leaders decided to also open its small chapel in the northwest corner of the building on Tuesday from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. according to the church’s director of communications, Norma Fagerland.
“It’s definitely open to others that aren’t necessarily voting here,” said Fagerland. “It’s open to any community member who wants to stop in before they vote.”
Fagerland said this campaign season prompted the church to open its chapel on Election Day in addition to the space set aside for the voting booths.
“With the temperature of the election and the race so far, I think we just kind of wanted to give people a little bit of hope and something to do rather than just hope that it’s going to be OK,” Fagerland said, “but actually say a prayer, not necessarily for one side or the other but to pray for some positivity. It’s been a crazy election.”
Enter through the office doors on the northwest side of the church to reach the chapel. Fagerland says this is the first time the church has opened its chapel during voting.
Greg Halbleib can be reached at [email protected]
