Dozens of Virginians, including clergy and community leaders, staged a “pray-in” outside the Richmond offices of U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner on Monday, Oct. 20, to urge continued health care subsidies and protest recent federal budget policies.

The event was part of a coordinated, nonviolent prayer action held at congressional offices nationwide. Participants praised senators such as Kaine, who voted “no” on what they called the “big, ugly, deadly budget bill,” and urged elected officials to extend life-saving health care programs central to the government shutdown debate. 

After a brief program of speeches and prayers, the group members sang “This Little Light of Mine” as they approached the building’s entrance. Organizers had been told they could check in at the front desk, but security guards denied them entry, citing the gathering as a protest. The participants prayed outside, and a second guard later asked them to leave the premises. The group complied and dispersed peacefully.