The name they noticed

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MARY REICHARD, HOST: Up next: Faith on display at the Great American State Fair.

Celebrations for America’s birthday continue on the National Mall in Washington, organized by the White House Freedom250 task force.

NICK EICHER, HOST: In addition to state exhibits, a ferris wheel and a rodeo, the two week event has featured Christian exhibits, speeches, and concerts.

WORLD’s Harrison Watters was there.

HARRISON WATTERS: Across from the Fair’s rodeo arena, a pianist plays contemporary worship songs in a structure labelled “David’s Tent.” While dozens of tents cover the National Mall, this one has been here for more than a decade.

HERSHEY: We've moved the tent 27 times, so we really are sort of a mobile tabernacle going from place to place.

Jason Hershey is Director of David’s Tent, a 24/7 worship center and prayer vigil.

HERSHEY: King David actually had a tabernacle in his capital city of Jerusalem, where he employed—it says in Scripture, in the book of Chronicles—it says that he employed 4000 musicians and 288 singers.

David’s Tent on the Mall can hold more than two hundred people, though there’s often less than ten people at a time.

In 2015, Hershey got a First Amendment Demonstration permit from the National Park Service, to set up a tent for worshipping Jesus on the National Mall all year, and all night. The 2am prayer vigils have required fair organizers to get creative with boundaries.

HERSHEY: When the fair closes, the fences around David's Tent change, and so at that point we're sort of outside of the security perimeter, and then in the morning when the fair opens again, the fences change and we're inside.

While David’s Tent is not associated with Freedom250, Revival Ministries International is. Here’s Associate Pastor Eric Gonyan.

HERSHEY: That's why our booth is called The Great Awakening, because there's been two great spiritual awakenings that founded this nation.

Fair organizers have promoted the group alongside Hillsdale College and Moms for America in the Faith and Family Pavilion. Founder Rodney Howard-Browne and his charismatic Christian group have also organized hundreds of volunteers to pray with fairgoers.

HERSHEY: It's the 250th year. Let's pray we get 250,000 people prayed for.

People who accept that prayer and desire to be baptized head to a swimming pool in David’s Tent. Hershey says more than 140 have been baptized. He says many of them are seeking healing or a fresh work of God in their life, while one in ten are new believers.

HERSHEY: What's more American than that? Like, come to the Great American State Fair, meet Jesus, have your life changed, get baptized, and go home filled with the Holy Spirit.

Hershey says he’s also noticed a change in public messaging about faith.

HERSHEY: Oftentimes in D.C. it's been, you know, Almighty God, the Lord. you know, Divine Providence, things like that. A little more generic terms. But this year, again and again, I'm hearing the name Jesus. Whether it was the National Day of Prayer or the May 17th Rededication, even the rodeo guys are praying in the name of Jesus. I'm like, man, this is different. It's becoming about Jesus now.

Some have objected to the Christian messaging. Last week, House Democrats published a report on funding for Freedom250 events. The report alleges Freedom250 has gone against Congress’s guidelines intended to keep programming focused on “broad civic participation” rather than religious messaging.

At David’s Tent, Hershey says his purpose from the beginning has been to worship Jesus without involving partisan politics.

HERSHEY: When the state fair is over and the state fair leaves, Jesus will still yet be beautiful. And Jesus will still yet be worthy of all of our praise and all of our honor.

The State Fair wraps up Friday evening.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Harrison Watters, in Washington.

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