CHICAGO (ELCA) -- About 1,300 family, friends and United Airlines colleagues gathered at West Bowles Community Church, Littleton, Colo., Sept. 19 to say goodbye to United Airlines Captain Jason Matthew Dahl, who was at the controls of United Airlines Flight 93 when it was commandeered by hijackers Sept. 11.
According to the Sept. 20 issue of the Denver Post, Dahl's plane was the only one of the four hijacked planes to crash into a rural field instead of a "bustling workplace, possibly due in part to [Dahl's] actions" and those of some "heroic passengers."
"His war has been won. He is free," said the Rev. Janice Erickson-Pearson, pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Littleton, Colo. Holy Trinity is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Erickson-Pearson preached at the service honoring Dahl.
During worship Matt Dahl, son of the late Jason Dahl and a member of Holy Trinity, shared a story with the congregation about his father reading Dr. Seuss rhymes at bedtime. After reading some pages of a Dr. Seuss book, Matt said, "Good night, Dad."
United Flight 93 originated in Newark, N.J., and was traveling to San Francisco when it crashed onto a field in Somerset County, Pa.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
